> Flash Sissy
>  by shortskirtsandexplosions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Boring But Tonally Necessary Prologue Exposition Drivel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time Flash Sentry stuck a brush handle up his butt, he was looking for magic.  It wouldn't come easily; among other things.  In fact, magic would choose to find him in a far more crazier way, and when he was much older.  Still, it didn't stop an antsy young Flash from experimenting, spurred on by far more curiosity than lube, much to the poor sap's detriment.  The following day, Flash lurched to the school bus stop with a sailor's gait.  Lots of classmates snickered and laughed at him, but the young boi was used to it.  He was used to being a constant object of misunderstanding and ridicule... or just an object.

Since the foggy days of his youthful innocence, Flash Sentry was convinced that he was a great deal more... delicate than he was supposed to be.  Between confused afternoons spent doing staring competitions with the mirror and breathless escapades at the school P.E. field, he got the distinct impression that all the other males his age were considerably bigger, rougher, and more muscular than him.  The contrast grew all the more apparent into and beyond his adolescence, when his best buds grew taller than Flash by the foot with each progressive year, and less and less of these supposed "friends" would show up for his subsequent birthday parties—either because they had lost all respect for the young man or mayhaps they were convinced that the poor waif was going to shrivel into noodly nothingness one day.

And to be frank, Flash feared it too.  Worse than suffering an unimpressive height, his limbs could scarcely function with the dexterity that was required of a growing teenager—especially a male.  If it came time to rearrange his room—something Flash was forced to do often—he could never carry more than two things at once.  His tiny wrists felt only good for waving, and he couldn't clench his fists for more than ten seconds—not that he had any pertinent reason to do so.  Lawnwork became a massive hurdle, seeing as Flash couldn't push a mower past ten yards before feeling the need to pass out.  More than once, the poor boi went to the doctor's to see if he was suffering from some sort of heart condition or muscular atrophy, but each visit turned up nothing clinically debilitating.

Flash Sentry was—simply put—a very petite and soft boi.  Exercise did very little to improve the matter, and the classmates at school made a show over the fact that every girl and lower grader could very easily defeat him in arm wrestling: an embarrassing public competition that he certainly never volunteered for.  It didn't help that Flash's fingers felt extra sensitive to the slightest breeze, and he'd wince at the mere touch of another peer—which made them laugh even more at his expense.

Sudden, tiny changes in temperature would make Flash either shiver or sweat, and while he didn't get sick often (a singular stroke of luck in a pitifully short life) he could just as easily be  labeled "infirmed," considering how lightweight and trembly he was.  Lots of bullies immediately targeted him for shoving around the hallways, until they eventually gave up out of some sort of extreme boredom-induced pity.

More than once, Flash Sentry tried—in perpetual futility—to "toughen" himself up, and it always ended poorly.  There were times when he felt that he picked up guitar-playing simply as a means of disciplinning the skin of his fingers through scab and tear.  In the end, Flash would spend many an afternoon hiding in his room, crying like a baby over the blisters that he suffered.  In truth, from his childhood and into his teenage years, Flash Sentry cried.  A lot.

Still, there weren't many people to hide from.  Flash spent the majority of his youthful days alone, and this included most weekends, holidays, and even summer vacations.  His parents were rarely there to accompany the young boi, and not for the melodramatic soap opera reasons that one might predict.  In fact, Flash's family supported him richly... perhaps too richly.  He had the blessing (or curse) of being born when his folks were in their early sixties and immensely successful at their jobs.  His mother and father were rich business people, taking broad leaps into the realm of medicine as they built their own branch of a semi-famous pharmaceutical empire.  His mother—in particular—was the Assistant Executive of her department, and when she gave birth to Flash at age sixty-one, many of her fellow business partners proclaimed it was a divine miracle.

Flash's mother evidently interpeted it as a bout of freakish circumstance.  She and Flash's father had already sired a child twenty-five years prior—Flash's older sister Magnolia Buckler—and Magnolia had clearly taken up the mantle by setting upon a business career of her own, thereby filling up the niche of the family's lucrative expectations.  So when Flash came along, he most certainly was a mouth that the household could afford to feed; they just didn't particularly feel enthused about it.  So they bought a few summer and winter houses sprinkled like parmesan across the state and shuffled Flash's tiny butt around whenever circumstances necessitated it.  There were times when Flash wondered if he had any right to exist in the first place.  He would later find out that his mother was contemplating running for a local mayoral position the same year that he was conceived, so it was likely that he wasn't aborted simply for saving public face.  But then his mother failed at the primaries and he grew up without her ever kissing his forehead—even once.

But it wasn't as if Flash suffered from the lack of love and affection in his youth.  If nothing else, years of spending mornings, days, and nights alone in the comfort of sterile whitebread halfway houses taught him more than a thing or two about self-reliance.  By age ten, he already mastered basic cooking skills, housekeeping, gardening, and even a little bit of sewing on the side... or perhaps more than a little bit.  By age fifteen, he had more than enough practice in record keeping and paying bills—even if it was all his folks' money.

And when he needed help—especially in his younger years—he had countless servants and assistants paid by the family to fill in the gaps.  Later in his teenage years, such people would be solely on-call, but there was a point when these individuals were all that a young and blossoming Flash had to turn to.  It made for some adorable awkwardness when he was scarcely past his toddler years.  While many of his family servants were incredibly friendly and amiable, the majority of them had the unchangeable status of being... well... ninety-nine percent female.

Truly, there was almost never a male servant or butler among them.  So when it came time to learn the ways of maintaining a daily life, Flash was literally imbued with the feminine touch at all instances.  When his male friends started drifting away from his delicate presence, the mothers among his family's maidservants—perhaps in a stroke of undeniable pity—ushered a young Flash into a corner to play and associate with their children.  The thing is, most of them were daughters, the majority of them being older than Flash.  Aside from a few language barriers, they were very pleasant to hang out with.  Most importantly, they never tried to bully Flash like all the bigger kids at school did.  If nothing else, they brightened at his presence, and he found their adoring company to be quite welcoming.

As a show of trust—and perhaps in desperation to blend in—Flash found himself accomodating to their tastes.  Oftentimes, he found himself playing "house" with the girls, listening to their gossips in multiple tongues, smiling when they smiled, dancing when they danced, and even sharing "tea time" with a copious amount of table sets.  And dolls.  And dresses.  But mostly the dresses.

Predictably, all of this stopped on a dime well before Flash entered middle school... but the gentle bliss of those moments... the sheer joy and tenderness of being enfolded in femininity and cuteness and superficial pink innocence never quite left him.  And there would be evenings—very lonely weekends between Flash and the imposing walls of whatever house he was staying at—where he'd sit down to an old Disney animated movie or children's dvd set in order to recreate those tiny precious moments when Flash felt accepted... felt safe... and even—perhaps even—felt adorable.

And as time went by, and the rest of the world grew taller, tougher, and rougher than the lonesome boi, his pining for the softness of the past would intersect with the undesired delicateness of the present.  One night, Flash would be watching Cinderella twirling in a glittery pastel dress, and then an hour later he would be staring at his half-naked self in the mirror... and he was at a loss to tell the difference between the princess and the mid-pubescent stranger reflected before him.

This was no exagerration.  Flash Sentry was beautiful.  His skin was velvety soft—like pillowy porcelain dreamed up by a pastel paintress of dreams.  His hair had a satin sapphire quality: ocean blue mirth rooted in a perfectly-framed head and flowing like a nebula.  Stars were born in his eyes with each twinkle, as if a studio light was aimed at him at all times, and Flash could swear that even his pink lips had a puffy lusciousness to them worthy of slaying supermodels with envy.

And while all of these descriptions appeared ridiculously narcissistic, the fact of the matter is that it was all a source of contention—and confusion—for the poor trembling boi.  Try as he could, Flash could never grow a mustache.  Nary a single thread of stubble bothered to sprout from his fair rounded face.  The rest of his body was a follicle no man's land.  His smooth supple chest lacked the same bristly forest as the rest of his peers whom he may or may not have stolen glances of in the school gym lockeroom.  His groin was even more frighteningly barren, but that was just the pale naked tip of the nubile ice berg.

Flash Sentry just... wasn't very big.  And that was putting it nicely.  In reality, he was tiny... miniscule... infinitesimal.  When looking straight down, he couldn't even see himself unless he bent his upper body at a weird forward angle.  It was such a pathetic situation that standing up to pee in a urinal proved... depressingly difficult, to the point that—even in private—Flash almost always found himself sitting down on the toilet to do Number One.  If the poor young man hadn't been circumcised, he was certain it would have looked like a second belly button below the belt.  It certainly didn't help that his testicles visibly dropped at such a late occasion that he legitimately thought he was born a different species.

And—as could be expected—this all had a severe impact on his flimsy facsimile of a "sex life."  Every year introduced a new adventure of self-discovery during lonesome nightly showers.  Flash Sentry knew that he was due for some changes; he was intellectually mature for his age, having self-taught himself on the topic of biology outside of school.  But the "erections" and "emissions" he had consistently read about never came (no pun intended).  At least, when it did come, it happened in a way he didn't expect... and would eventually learn to hate.  Seminal fluids were produced seemingly at random—and then at the most inopportune time, until it became a tiny, persistent, and untameable force on a consistent basis.  The situation—at least—would be amusing if he spontaneously ejaculated on the spot, but instead it performed like a trickling river, or a gentle flow—and with far less milky-white proof of potent manhood than was desired.  Such a thing proved insanely frustrating when in public or at school, and a thoroughly flustered and blushing Flash found himself spending an extraordinary monthly budget on laundry materials and countless packs of extra young adult male briefs.  At long last, after suffering Freudian seasons of private embarrassment, Flash recorded his first sustained erection.  Two years later, he'd be old enough to vote.

He wished he could say that his first "adult" orgasm was spent sneaking onto a pornographic website and watching busty adult cheerleaders do stuff that most actual cheerleaders were too young to do.  Flash wished he could say that he came home and immediately masturbated to a fresh memory of brushing shoulders with a hot sexy substitute teacher who had winked at him just the right way.  He even wished that he could owe it to the lingerie section of a department store catalogue or a National Geographic issue.

But it didn't happen that way.  It was a lonely night after hours of writing a social studies paper, and Flash was trying to fall asleep to his two thousandth viewing of Sleeping Beauty... when suddenly he imagined himself in the place of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip was replaced by his old band mate Thunderbass... and then his other handsome classmate Sandalwood... and then the tall and strapping student who sat next to him in math class named Curly Winds... then Bulk Biceps... then that goofy green-haired young man from Camp Everfree... then—not one—but three of his former bullies from middle school, only magically grown up and inexplicably debonair.  And in all of these phantom instances, Flash Sentry was dancing with them—oftentimes against his will... until he was effortlessly swept away in their strong arms and ferried to an opulent manor where he was eventually doing other things with them... also more or less against his will.  And they enjoyed him.  They enjoyed Flash... sometimes all at once, and he couldn't even find the space to breathe, much less cry.  They wouldn't let him do scarcely anything else.

That's when the erection happened.  And—just as quickly—it left him.  Desperate, scared, and maybe even whimpering, Flash attempted to summon it back... but he suddenly didn't know how.  So he re-attempted something that he hadn't tried since the very beginning of his pubescent years: ritualistic pillow-humping.  It was an awkward, clumsy, fluffy affair—like he always remembered—but his heart was racing like it never had before, and his starry eyes were filled with fantastical montages of meaty proportions.  Whether or not he achieved a true full climax, the teenager could never quite recall—but he forever had the takeaway of just what brought him to that peak, if only to drop him like a slowly fluttering feather.

For the months that followed, Flash Sentry strove and sought to stoke this unnameable flickering spark nestled deeply inside the soft pink fabric of his beleaguered mind.  Every search through his thoughts brought upon new waves of confusion, and every venture into the Internet carried with it a certifiable layer of shame.  Moreover than not, he was embarrassed at himself for not finding the answer more quickly.  Was he gay?  Was he trans?  Was this something essential to his soul that his body had been sculpting towards all his life?  Or perhaps it was just a phase?

Flash always identified as a male.  Or—at least—he always wanted to.  With each passing year, this proved more and more difficult.  He used to hate himself for it—hated his body and his delicateness and his unreasonably high voice.  But as high school culminated and Flash enjoyed a blissful solitude apart from the youths that used to tease him—he found himself admiring... things that he hadn't before.  More specifically, things attached to the male students around him... or the ones he imagined attached to them... tucked away like veiny prisoners behind zippers and denim and flimsily-contained testosteronical fury.

All his life, Flash Sentry wanted the sexuality of a normal man.  But, perhaps, he only ever wanted the sexuality of a normal man.  He wanted to bring him—it to the pleasurable heights and explosive bliss that he long felt lacking in himself.  Possibly, this was just some super-psychological desire for displaced sexual confirmation.  Or—judging from the summer addiction to bukkake porn videos that Flash inexplicably endured—he just wanted to be the subject of adoration... even if that "adoration" came at the end of a great deal of non-adorable actions.  It was the strange, gross, erotic, sexually-transmuted bookend to the blissfully innocent "adoration" that Flash recalled from his youth... in the company of those who were once fairer than him.  To that extent, to preserve the bliss, Flash always sensed... always needed a "feminine" presence in his burgeoning fantasies.  It was necessary.  Necessary for him to feel relatively... safe in this definitively queer exploration of this brand new/nubile self.

So it was one week that Flash found himself trying to play this feminine role intimately (not to mention literally), which led to the introduction of the brush handle.  It only made an already nervous session of fantasizing all the more twitchy, and Flash found himself—fatefully—limping to the bus stop like a bow-legged sea fairer, pelted with the ocean spray of laughter and teasing from all sides.  Most things considered, it was the absolute most awkward time to spontaneously gain a girlfriend.  Which is precisely what Flash Sentry did.  Without knowing it.

At first, he thought this strange new student was bullying him.  Why not?  She was over a foot taller than him, flowing with scarlet hair, cursed—or perhaps blessed—with Permanently-Resting-Valkyrie-Face.  She had the fury of an unbridled mare.  And yet—behind the immolating veneer—this young vixen possessed a hint of graceful softness... a softness that she reserved for this little pipsqueak of a teenage boi that she had suddenly confronted.  Seldomly—but she did indeed have a gentleness to share with him.  It was just as frightening as how swiftly and viciously she had barged into his life—almost with a masculine rashness.  Weak-wristed and too afraid to think, Flash Sentry simply bent to her will.

The girl's name was Sunset Shimmer, and the two of them dated for a year.  It felt like a century.

And then she dumped him like a bag of garbage.  Twelve months of Flash Sentry's life: stolen, mangled, and trampled to the ground.  And despite the time that it lasted, Flash could never quite figure out why it had even begun in the first place.  For sure, there were multiple times when the whole debacle should very well have ended.  He wasn't entirely happy being Sunset Shimmer's boifriend, and the rest of the student body especially suffered for it.  As part of some darkly divine purpose, Sunset Shimmer was only using her relationship with Flash Sentry as a means to an end.  Flash couldn't contemplate why; he was far from the most popular student in school.  Maybe she found a way to make others pity him, or she used her own (undeniable) hotness to elevate him and establish something attention-grabbing.  In some pathetic way, Flash was actually somewhat flattered to have been chosen by Sunset—despite the cruelty and bossiness she employed during every waking moment of their coupling.

But the joy of flattery ended swiftly on every occasion they hung out together.  It became clear very quickly that she wanted a lot from him... that she expected much from him.  And when he proved incapable of delivering whatever it was that Sunset nebulously desired, she let him know it.  In stereo.  She rebuked him... belittled him... insulted his already miniscule manhood from every angle.  And—in some gross way—the familiarity of such bullying and nagging made Flash feel... strangely comfortable.  And her constant attention—albeit mostly caustic and abrasive—was still a warm contrast to the perpetual loneliness Flash had experienced throughout the years.  So—for better or for worse—he endured the hurricane that was Sunset Shimmer... until finally she herself got bored of the whole debacle and she became the one to end it, and not his own cowardly self.

Flash even felt like blaming himself after it was all over with, despite the fact that it completely buried any hope he had of digging himself out of the deep pit that the rest of his schoolmates had long-abandoned him in.  Before Sunset, Flash was an effeminate weakling with poor social skills and a squeaky voice.  After Sunset, Flash was a guilty accomplice to bullying with a short-lived legacy of social standing and a permanently ostracized fate... and he still had the squeaky voice.

To say the least, it left him feeling intensely confused and more than a little bit melancholic.  Most students attached blame to him for all of the terrible things Sunset Shimmer had gotten away with during her ravenous climb to popularity and fearmongering dominance.  He was twice the outcast now with little to no social standings.  It would take an angel of complete innocence to so much as give him the light of day.

Coincidentally enough, that very same angel arrived.  Her name was Twilight Sparkle, and for the one short week that she graced Canterlot High, she wanted nothing more than to be a princess.  This would be a source of commonality.  Flash Sentry was instantly entranced—if not by Twilight Sparkle's beauty, then by her penchant for grace and innocence and pleasant gentleness.  For the first time in ages—while in her presence—Flash felt the same bliss he did as a child, surrounded by female surrogate friends, enmeshed in innocence and femininity.  Only—he no longer felt possession of that essence.  Instead, it was fixated in a counterpart.  An other whom he could identify.  And he felt joy—not to mention confidence—in that identification.

It went without saying that this bliss was significantly devoid of any of the awkward, cringe-inducing eroticism that Flash had explored prior to his run-in with Sunset Shimmer.  Suddenly, the world felt different.  Changed.  New.  It was love at first sight, and it was every bit as goofy and superficial as in the fairy tale cartoons that Flash had long grown enamored with.  But that was precisely what thrilled him about it all.  Perhaps—just maybe—he could start over.  Maybe the form in which the world had shaped him all these years was merely an accident, and he had one first and final chance to actually prove his manliness... a manliness he never had a chance to exhibit with someone as toxic as Sunset Shimmer.

And so he leapt upon it—as gentlemanly and handsomely as the petite boi could manage.  And—much to his joy—it worked... or at least it felt like it worked.  Like a knight in shining armor, he had shown up in time to help this mysterious new Twilight Sparkle feel welcome.  He had saved her from being framed for a crime she didn't comit.  He even summoned the strength to ask her out to the Fall Formal—which was an adorably goofy affair, considering she towered a good foot and a half over him as they danced together.  But she didn't seem to mind.  In fact—if Flash Sentry's eyes weren't deceiving him—her eyes glimmered and her cheeks flushed at the mere sight of him.  For once in his life, he was bringing joy to another person... and in a perfectly vanilla, heterosexual, totally-not-naughty way.

And then—in just as quick of a blink—Twilight Sparkle vanished.

That bliss in Flash's life—shortly rekindled—was snuffed out just as quickly.  Flash Sentry was saddened—and as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't due to the loss of Twilight Sparkle (a uniquely special and remarkable human being in her own right).  But Flash mourned the loss of his one opportunity to prove that he was something that he thought he could be, despite what the circumstances of his life had sculpted out of him.  He allowed Twilight's existence to define something in him that he only felt needed to be there.  And now that she had vanished from Canterlot High—from the lives of everyone—it was as though he had suffered nothing more than a fleeting, euphoric dream.  In the end, he was left with his petite, delicate self... and the familiar old confusion was more suffocating than comforting.

The guilt from having been Sunset's partner for so long resurfaced, only now it was accompanied by a brand new guilt: of having transfixed some squeaky-clean fantasy onto a strange girl he had hardly known.  It was something deeper than melancholy that afflicted Flash now, something that drew him into a brand new numbness... where even his usual crying sessions couldn't liberate him from the pit that had formed in his tender thin stomach.  Suddenly the emptiness of his rich sterile halfway houses felt fitting, and the aloofness of his family even more deserving.

Over the coming seasons, Flash Sentry became vaguely aware of fantastical things happening all around him.  Magic poured in from another dimension: an absurd place of whimsy from which Twilight Sparkle herself had hailed.  As if a direct result of sorcery, Sunset Shimmer transformed into a legitimately nice person overnight, forming a tightly-knit group of friends who embodied the harmonious virtues of Canterlot High.  Then—if that all wasn't wild enough—a veritable doppelganger of Twilight Sparkle appeared, although she was somehow a fundamentally different individual than the maiden who had once breezed through Flash's topsy-turvey life.  Soon, Sunset and Twilight's friends were gaining metaphysical abilities and every other weekend there was some bizarre phenomenon that they conquered or otherworldly villain that they combatted.  It was all quite terribly confusing, and if there was anything Flash felt comfort with: it was the numbing hush of normalcy.

Already a loner, the boi withdrew even more, until even Sunset and her friends became strangers.  This sparked a very cold and lonesome time in Flash Sentry's life, marked by the gray stretch of nameless days into even more colorless years.  Graduation came and went.  Flash didn't even attend the ceremony; somehow he knew his tiny self would just trip on the gown, no matter how fabulous it looked.  He limped on to college—unenthusiastically so—where he lazily plucked at his general electives with the speed of molasses.  It didn't take long for his folks to catch on to his ennui—and they were far from pleased with their infant son neglecting to kick-start his grandiose business career.  It was bitterly ironic, considering that such ire was the only attention they had given to the boispawn in nearly a decade.  Naturally, they sent his older sister Magnolia Buckler to whip him into shape, but she was even less dedicated than he was, and completely keen to spend all of her days of visitation conducting important business calls on the phone while the boi continued languishing away in the shadows.

At some point, between the afternoons slept-in and the occasional Internet binge with the house lights off, Flash Sentry blinked and realized that he was aged twenty-two.  Nobody could tell at a glance; from across the room he looked like he still belonged in middle school, much less college.  It would take a few sentences of mumbling conversation until anyone gave a second thought to the fact that he was a male beneath all of that tender melancholic softness... not that there were many souls around to notice.  Or care.  Besides himself, that is.

But it soon dawned on Flash that he could no longer escape the future that was looming before him... no more than he could escape the delicate body that life had sculpted for him.  If things didn't change in his college life soon... if he didn't make the necessary, bold choices to pursue something even resembling an academic career in business or technology, then his parents might actually disown him... as if they didn't already assume his nonexistence.  Nothing about Flash's life was very opulent; he had even sold back the car that had been gifted him in high school.  What was the point in having wheels if there were no friends to ferry oneself to?

More than that, nothing amounted to much in Flash's life.  Everyone his age towered over him physically and had moved on socially... emotionally... and even sexually.  Or—at least—he was convinced of all this.  And it solidified the walls of his self-imposed cell... until he finally felt like a princess trapped up in her tower.

Problem was, it didn't feel quite as warm and fuzzy as he had long fantasized.  The bliss from fairy tale movies and childhood skits simply was not there.  It was gone.

Or... perhaps...

...it was waiting to be drawn from him again.  Not in a burst, of course, but—like most things in Flash's life—in a gentle... trickling flow.
> An Emo Femboi Walks Out of a Pawn Shop
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look here, lil' missy, I'm only going to say this once," belched a bald creature in a wife-beater from behind the grimy store counter.  "Come back with your Mom or Dad and we can do business.  You gotta be over eighteen to pawn anything here.  State law."

Flash Sentry cleared his throat... then cleared it again.  At last, he was able to conjure a voice low enough to comfortably project across the store:  "But I am old enough.  And it's 'Mister.'  Mister Flash Sentry."

"Pffft."  The shop owner huffed.  "Bullshit."

Flash sighed.  Fumbling with the long sleeves of his baggy hoodie, he reached down to a messenger bag hanging across the back of his even baggier sweatpants.  After a clumsy moment, he produced his photo ID and slid it across the countertop.

With an eyebrow raised, the shop owner reluctantly picked up the card and squinted at it.  After observing Flash's birthdate, he next squinted at the boi.  "You've been doing heroin or something, kid?  I've seen Vegan goth chicks with more meat on them than you."

"Look, if you don't want the guitar..."  Flash's voice cracked as he tried—in vain—to sound remotely tough.  "...I can easily take it to the other shop down the street."

"No no no.  Keep your ribcage straight, string bean.  We'll be doing business here."  The man huffed, whipping out the necessary paperwork, along with a pen.  "You're lucky that it's a damn good guitar, kid."

"Yeah..."  Flash's sad blue eyes fell on the near-immaculate instrument sitting before him.  Several memories were attached to the thing, a few of them almost cheerful, but he desperately needed spending-money at the moment.  "...it was."

The conversation had grown painfully awkward for both parties, so they carried on the rest of the transaction in silence.  As the shop owner jotted down Flash's personal information across the pawn form, the ambiant sounds of a radio filled the grimy interior.  At that precise moment, a news update was being squawked in pristine clarity:  "Today marks the second full month without a single recorded appearance of the world-renown Elements of Harmony.  Famous for their magical acts of heroism, the Elements of Harmony have long been praised for protecting their fellow citizens from the strange phenomena afflicting our country these last few years.  And yet—as the last two months have proven—these strange masked female vigilantes have completely vanished from the map!  What has happened to our loyal magical protectors?  Could this spell the end of their heroic legacy?  More on this on the eight o'clock hour.  For now, here's your local traffic report with..."

"Guh..."  An old woman waiting in line stifled a yawn as she rolled her baggy eyes at the news.  "...those freaky Amazons were bad news from the beginning."

"How do you figure?"  A wiery mustached man adjusted his glassses and squinted at her.  "If it weren't for them, we'd all be zapped by those freakish monsters in Everfree by now!  They've kept us safe!"

"You've got the police for that!" the woman snapped.  "No need for giant prostitutes in masks—running around and causing a ruckus with their own crazy magics!"  She sucked up some drool from her front lip and shook a bony finger.  "Good thing they vanished, if you ask me!  These past few years was nothing but dumb sparkles and explosions in the streets!  In another year or so, them Harmonies woulda caused more damage than they stopped!  I just know they would've!"

"Eh..."  The thin man scratched his stubbly chin.  "I dunno about that."

"Hah!  Sure, bucko!  I bet you just wanted to sleep with them!"

"Pffft.  Whatever, lady."

Flash did his best to tune out the grating voices bickering behind him.  With his gentle eyelids fluttering shut, his mind drifted back to warmer years... when several gorgeous almost-friends went on rollicking adventures all around him.  Canterlot High felt like a distant memory—a fantastical dream at best.  He wondered how many wayward graduates carried on the "secret" of the seven gifted female students and their magically-imbued abilities.  Evidently, most of the alumni remained loyal to their confidentiality, for the mysterious "Elements of Harmony" materialized anonymously like true blue superheroes in the public image a few months after graduation.  Then—the summer of that very year—they vanished.  Perhaps the girls were enjoying a vacation of sorts.  Flash had to admit... they deserved it.

"There ya go, kid," the shop owner gargled, handing Flash a wrinkly stack of bills and thusly shattering the briefly-lived moment of rosy retrospection.  "Go buy yourself a million protein bars or something.  Ya look like shit."

"Thanks," Flash squeaked, taking the money and tucking it away into his messenger bag.  A lock of silk blue hair slid out of his baseball cap, and he tucked it away—a bit too gracefully than he had hoped.  Walking out of the store, he passed by a few middle-aged men cradling items to be pawned.  Up until a few moments ago, some of them had been oogling the girlish customer creepily.  Now that the conversation and transaction had been completed, they shifted away with looks of confusion and disgust.  It was a pattern Flash was more than a little bit used to at this point in his young adult life.

Not that it mattered.  He had spending cash(!)—and now he could eat.  He tried his feeble best to outwalk the emotional pangs of having parted ways with his loyal guitar.  It wasn't like he had much of a choice; his list of homes he could stay at had dwindled from an affluent four to a meager one.  Apartment-by-apartment, his folks had been stripping him of places to stay.  It was a scare-tactic, an admittedly good one, and Flash found himself legitimately looking up nearby universities where he could embark upon a career of "business resource corporate interpersonal dynamic management"... or something.  In truth, he had simply slapped all those words together in a search engine and hoped for the best.  The "best" took its slow time coming, and now Flash was at the end of his rope:  one apartment left and soon his folks might even take that away from him too.  Music could wait... even if it was Flash's sole passion in life.  Passion could wait too.

The young boi walked across the urban lengths of Canterlot.  At barely five feet tall and with limbs like milk-gold kite strings, he was dwarfed by everything that he passed—from the trees to the parked cars to the sidewalk mail boxes that looked like they could positively swallow him.  Even in faded, crinkly converse sneakers Flash barely made a noise as he moved, braving the wind like a soft feather with desperate purpose.  A mere shudder to the clouds above, and it looked like the poor cherub might collapse on the ground.  It didn't help his image much that he flinched and trembled at every random vehicle that roared by.  At one point, he passed a gaggle of middle schoolers loitering at the bus stop who all stopped to blink at him—as if wondering if this strange creature hovering barely above eye-level was a poor classmate whose lunch money they had neglected to steal that morning.  But Flash Sentry's thick, neutral-colored sweat clothes and anxious gait soiled any potential thrill of approaching him and finding out more.

Flash clenched his bottom lip in pearly-white teeth and stumbled along, clutching his messenger bag close to his chest.  A slight wince rippled across his fair features; among the many things in life he was cursed with, stupidly-sensitive nipples very easily clung to the top.  Today was a particulrarly torturous day for taking the twingerines out for a walk—with a chilly autumn sky foretelling the promise of a gray evening overcast.  It was rare that Flash Sentry chose to go outside, and now that he had no choice it was as though the world reflected the deep malaise in his heart.

Other organs took priority at the moment—chiefly his stomach.  Flash wandered into a MacDonald's and sheepishly ordered an inexpensive salad to sustain himself for the night.  Then he shuffled over into a corner and struggled to hook his phone up to the place's necrotic Wi-Fi.  As he sat alone, he felt more than a few eyes plastered on him.  Ever since leaving Canterlot High—the one place where anyone ever remotely got used to the effeminate spectacle that his life had become—Flash had gotten used to being stared at.  And usually by those of the masculine persuasion who didn't know any better.

It was a tad bit flattering at first—in some shameful way—and Flash felt himself compensating for the matter: wearing bulky, unattractive attire.  Garbing himself in neutral gray colors.  Hiding his long silken sapphire hair under an obtrusive baseball cap.  Things like that.  Not that it mattered much in the long run.  Just like back at the pawn shop, people would catch wise to who he was... to what he was, and between the curiosity and confusion and the shock Flash was ultimately left alone.

It was for the best.  This he told himself, at least.

After half-an-hour of fussing with his phone, Flash was able to get a stable enough connection to check his e-mail.  There were thirteen messages at the ready.  Twelve were college responses to his applications—all rejections.  The other message was from Magnolia Buckler, his sister, doing the parents a favor by checking on how his applications had gone.

The boi chewed on his bottom lip and trembled as he plinked away at the phone's keyboard:  "Wonderfully!  I really think I'm making progress, sis!  Pleased forward this to Mom and Dad!"  If there was some electronic way to dot the I's with hearts, Flash was sorely tempted.  He clicked "send"... ... ... and the app failed to facilitate the response.  He had to refresh multiple times until the WiFi finally worked in his favor—or at least he thought it worked.  There was very little to go on with the MacDonald's connection, and the world outside was growing darker by the minute.  Flash had to disconnect and go home soon.  After all, there was no power at the apartment any longer and he had only so few batteries to work with.

As he walked home under a chill charcoal sky, Flash's mind wandered.  This was usually a bad thing, because it typically meant his memories flittered around the nebulous patch of wonder that was once Twilight Sparkle.  Even five years after the fact, he swooned at the thought of her.  Perhaps not the thought of her, per se—but what she had once so briefly meant to him.  He was forever enamored with the innocence and the gracious femininity that his conjured artifice of her had long established.  It was like a Disney Princess had briefly been materialized before him in his young life—perhaps that was what had won him over so.  If Ariel or Jasmine had appeared out of nowhere during high school, he would have asked either of them to the Fall Formal as well.  Never mind Cinderella, though.  Flash Sentry had very different... far more personal thoughts regarding her, and he was starting to get sick and tired of dirtying the fantasies that initially entered his mind so purely and positively—

"!!!"  Flash Sentry scuffled to a dead stop before the front stoop of his apartment building.  There was a yellow sign plastered to the door: an eviction notice.  Had he misconstrued the deadlines that he had noted down for himself?  In a panic, Flash rushed to the door and tried his key on the knob.  Sure enough, the lock had been replaced.  The boi had left home not even before sunrise.  This literally had to have happened over the past eight hours, during which he was out running errands to placate his parents and... honestly... keep himself alive.

A whimper escaped his tender throat as he thrust his weak wrists into his messenger bag.  Flash nearly dropped the phone in fumbling for it.  His frantic breaths formed mists in the darkening air as he checked every application that he could access—a futile notion when he was so starved for data at that point in the month.  At some point, his twitching eyes refocused, and he noticed that he had a missed call.  He probably ignored the vibration of the phone while he was busy reminiscing about Twilight and other pretty things of the past.  Flash's fingers flew to the voice mail box, and soon he was listening to a message from Magnolia.  He could scarcely make out her words from the drumbeat of his own heart pounding through his ears.

"...sent more than five letters to your PO Box over the past month," droned the older sibling's stale funeral drum of a voice.  "Why you didn't respond is beyond me.  Anyways, mother and father's rules were clearly stated, Flash.  I sent a team in today, and word is that they got done emptying the place about an hour ago.  If you wish to collect your personal effects, I had them temporarily sent to..."

Flash didn't waste any time listening to the rest of the message.  He slammed his finger over the re-dial button—wincing as he did so.  Naturally, after a scant few rings, the phone went directly to his sister's voice mail.  As soon as the tone dropped, he blurted squeakily, pacing back and forth across the bone-cold sidewalk.  All pretense of lowering his voice to a raspy masculine baritone was completely shirked off, and he sounded like a bound damsel on a set of railroad tracks, pleading with the steam engine bearing down on his fragile life:

"Sis!  Sis!  Please!  You have to call me back right away!"  Each pronounced plea was punctuated by a sniffle or a shudder.  "I don't have a PO Box!  I haven't had one in over two months!  Mom and Dad closed it since it was technically in their name and I-I haven't had a chance to open up a new one!  I-I had no idea that there was a deadline!  B-but I've been looking up academic opportunities and sending applications everywhere!  Honest, I have!  Please... oh please, Sis, won't you call me back?!  As soon as you can!  We... we gotta be able to work this out!  I'll d-do anything!  I mean it this time!  Honestly, I do!"

Lip quivering... legs shaking and pigeon-toed... Flash Sentry clicked off the app.  He stood there as a wilted shadow, five foot nothing in a sacrophagus of bulky sweatclothes and trembles.  An occasional car or two drifted by, highlighting the pallid moment with a frigid sweep of yellow headlights before all was dark and abysmal once again.  Flash Sentry checked his phone one minute... then the minute after that... and the ones following.

His sister did not respond.  Odds are she wouldn't for a day.  Maybe two.  For a business woman who loved doing everything over long distance, she was uniquely terrible at communicating.  At least with him.

There was no shaking the reality of that moment.  Flash Sentry was homeless.  In many things in life, Flash was alone—but he always had the luxury of a hideaway to retreat to... a bed to sleep in... and a pillow to bury his sad face along with all the gray toned burdens of the day.

But now, no such grave could sustain him.  He was an anxious ghost with no friends to haunt.  Shivers overcame the boi, and soon he couldn't muster the strength to withstand the disgust of his former apartment's front entrance.  Like a true windswept phantom, he wandered off... anywhere and nowhere.

The sickly stroll took him—meandering—through the heart of Canterlot.  The town wasn't quite as lonesome as he was long cocooned to believe.  Beyond the glass windows of homes and storefronts, there was the hint of festivity and companionship, but Flash couldn't see beyond the opaque colors of such otherworldly mirth.  His entire existence—an absurd play at best—had been funneled down into a narrow hole where he knew he couldn't sleep to dream up a worse nightmare than this.  This was a fate he had long feared, but now that it had manifested he felt as though he hadn't been fearing it enough.

Why had he dragged his heels so much in improving himself?  What was so awful about following in the footsteps of his parents that he put it off for so long?  It wasn't that he didn't enjoy learning.  He managed to get brilliant grade scores throughout his electives, and he even found many of the lessons to be more than invigorating.  But the very moment he attempted to sign his life away to a career pressed upon him, he simply... could not go through with it.  And it wasn't as though he was following his passion of music with any greater zeal.  Flash simply despised the subject matter imposed upon him.  The life of a businessman felt so static... so heartless... so despicably dull and mundane.  There was no chivalry in it... no sparkles of embellishment... nothing fabulous or worthy of showing off.

And it wasn't as though Flash hated being controlled.  He was absolutely terrible at making decisions for himself, so his parents giving him a mandate was theoretically perfect.  Just—for some reason—none of the cosmos felt like they were aligning like they should be.  Often in his life, Flash figured that something had gone wrong billions of years ago at the very conjuration of stardust that would eventually bring him into existence... as if his entire being had been beant out of shape, and somewhere beyond the semipermeable barriers of the unknown universe there was another him—an alternate Flash Sentry—someone stronger and manlier and versatile enough to be equipped for this kind of fate.

But just was this young boi equipped for?  All his life, Flash had been gradually molded into something weak, delicate, and vulnerable.  It all felt so wrong... to the point that he was waiting for something to somehow make it all feel right.  The future his parents wanted for him was not such a thing.  Thus... he delayed everything—everything but the inevitable.  It was self-sabotage at its most pitiful raw state, and Flash only had himself to blame.  As always.

Flash Sentry shuddered, and when the mists of his warm breaths parted, he found himself before a familiar sight.  The lush front lawn of Canterlot High stretched before him, flanked by the golden glow of street lamps.  Front and center—surrounded now by a miniature courtyard that must have been paved in recent years—was an equine statue atop a shiny cubicle pedestal.  A banner hung off the side of the structure, and in pure irony it prophesied that year's Fall Formal.  A new generation of teenaged hearththrobs were likely looking forward to an evening of memories, laughter, and romance.  To Flash, it tasted like bitter poison.

Nevertheless, he gravitated towards it, spurned on by a tiny spark in his heart... a flitter of hope that once renewed the world around him in a sweet but brief toastiness.  He stood up to the statue's pedestal, remembering the glitter in Twilight Sparkle's eyes that one night.  There was so much joy and innocence in her gaze.  He stared up at her the entire time that they danced, struggling to unlock the grace and delicate beauty locked away in this princessy stranger.  It was only now that the boi realized—in a mixed epiphany of shame and surprise—that he had been looking at his own petite reflection in her eyes the whole time.  Now the same thing that she had been smiling at was a sunken sack of sad, draped in bulky sweatclothes with a messenger bag hanging off him like a noose.  It marred the immaculateness of the statue base's reflection, so that the answer beyond the subtle shine receded like a waning moon past the sea, and Flash couldn't find the strength to wave as he drowned in it all.

It had been a long time—several gray years wasted away in the post-graduation lonesomeness of his uneventful life—but Flash felt tears welling up in his eyes.  And like the sea, they threatened to swallow him up as well.

He bent to the force.  Of course—he always did.  He wilted to the ground like a parched flower.  Curling up, Flash Sentry hugged his tiny knees to his chest as the first few sobs came—quiet and soft like all emissions that held meager gravity in his life.  A trickling flow.

He hated being exposed to his own frailties and weaknesses and prissiness.  But—most of all—he hated the fact that at the apex of that full exposure to his sissy self... Flash felt comfort and relief in it.

Homeless and cold on a gray evening in the middle of an old school courtyard: it was still enough to soothe the boi into unconsciousness.  Like Aurora, he drifted into his newfound curse, and the last thing his empty mind registered before the depths of sleep claimed him was the hint of an idling engine... followed by clicking bootsteps...

...and then the warm, empathetic voice of a valkyrie.

"Oh Flash, you sweet thing.  We finally found you."
> Her Time Now Come, An Amazon Sashays Towards Flash to be Introduced
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A dream is a wish your heart makes."  Cinderella said that—at least the Mouse version of her did on the silver screen.  Flash Sentry always took those words to heart; he adored everything about Cinderella.  She wasn't his favorite Disney Princess, of course.  That honor was bestowed upon Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but Cinderella came in at a very close second—Flash's side monarch, so to speak.  This was so—perhaps—because he felt that he could relate to Cinderella the most.  Or—he secretly hoped—someday he would relate to her... to the felicitous joy of being handsomely rewarded for a life of humility, patience, and righteous suffering.

But Flash could never quite relate to her on the dreaming front.  This was mostly because his dreams only half came true—even in their conjuring.  A "good dream" for Flash was discovering an ad in the classifieds for cheap, pristine, virtually untouched Tinkerbell merchandise.  His dreamself hopped into a pumpkin coach and led horse mice all the way to the twinkling destination... only for the road ahead to be torn about by tornadoes or Godzilla or sinkholes or taxes.  Usually taxes.

The long and short of it:  Flash's dreams always started out with the promise of a happy ending, but they would ultimately sabotage themselves before the subconscious plot culminated.  In some pitifully Freudian way, Flash's dreams mirrored his waking existence.

But this evening...

This evening was different.  Someone or something had put his brain on training wheels.  Flash Sentry drifted peacefully down the silken stream, blinking at all the bright pastels and cool blues and happy pinks dancing playfully on each opposite shore, like a tranquil ride on It's a Small World.  At the end, flanked with songbirds and rainbows, was a Burlington Coat Factory.  The boat ended at a railroad station, serenaded by trumpets.  Chipmunks and deer and egrets playfully nudged Flash out of the vehicle, and within the next blink he was skipping gaily down the fabric aisle, stopping once or twice to wiggle his painted toes in fluffy pink bath rugs.

A pair of married doves flitted past his ear, laying an emerald string of garland like a frilly arrow.  Flash's eyes followed it, and he cupped his powdery cheeks with a high-pitched gasp.  The line of flowers led his limp legs sliding towards a veritable wall of plush fuchsia.  Shelf after shelf of store space had been filled to the brim with shiny pink bed duvets, and every price tag simply read "free for you, sweetie."  Flash was already whimpering like a bride by the time his nimble fingers graced the first of many miles of salmon nylon, and as his golden palm sank into the material he felt as though he was being consumed by a cotton cloud.  He unfolded the comforter, his bright eyes and brighter teeth reflecting the jubilant faces of cartoon princesses in mid-twirl.  They froze long enough to smile at him, to embrace him, to kiss him—he was wrapping the first of many blankets around himself like a joy burrito, and the velvety hush of the fabric filled his sinuses with the tingle of lavender and baby powder.  If he sneezed, he knew he might explode.  Or laugh.  Or both.

He chose to fall down instead.  The world caught him.  Cradled him.  Hummed a lullaby into his ear while nuzzling the nape of his throat as he drifted downward.  And when Flash smiled into that warm nebula of sweet-honey'd sighs, he happily whimpered a name... a name that wasn't Twilight's, but belonged to a different Princess... a fairy soul from ancient times whom Flash Sentry hadn't spoken to in nearly eighteen long years.  But—like a spectre of the past—he felt her phantom brushing past his lonesome bones.  If it wasn't for a pent up sob or two, he might finally have joined hands with her, so that they both might hear that elusive name spoken as well... might have even spelled it out loud.

But—just then—that unnamed Princess vanished in a gasp.  The dream had ended countless dusty decades after the vision had begun.  And it was an ending—for much to Flash's mixed ecstasy, unlike all the half-visions of his past, this one had culminated in something.  Something beautiful... something that belonged to him.  That he could almost own.  And, for once, the end of a whole thing produced a different kind of trickle from his soul.

As soon as they squeezed out of the corner of his eye, the tears tore his slumber apart like tiny daggers of ice.  And it was then that he realized just how incredibly warm... just how unbelievably comfortable his entire world had become.

Something wasn't normal...

Flash Sentry's eyelashes fluttered open.  His body—frail and delicate as ever—felt like it weighed a million tons... most likely due to how engorged his mind had been from such an intense dream.  Had he been asleep for hours?  Or epochs?  He couldn't tell.  In fact, he couldn't see a thing.  A stone cold veil hung directly over his eyes—a sheet of some sort.  While this should have alarmed him—a strange place and an even stranger burial—Flash had a great deal of trouble moving from that spot.  Quite simply put, there was no shaking just how... relaxed he was.  Like a second womb had shushed him into an adorable little coma.

Nevertheless, rise from the dead he must, and it began with shifting one leg... then the other.  His lungs tingled—as did his spine.  He felt like he was wrapped in silk.  The bedsheets were smoother than satin.  When he pushed his limbs out from where they had been laying, the fabric kissed him with glossy coolness.  When he panicked and shriveled back into a fetal position, he felt reversely cocooned in glorious warmth.  It was almost as if the bed was reading his mind and the sheets were playing delightful games with his senses.

Flash flexed whatever muscles he could in the bold effort of sitting up.  It was a herculean effort on the petite boi's part, and his feathery gut produced a trilling sound... like an exhausted kitten.  At last—with a modicum of fussing—Flash wriggled and flapped until he was birthed from the satin sheets.  He sat up—too stunned by the world around him to gasp.

He was in a bed.  A large bed.  A spacious canopy bed that had to have been bigger than a few third world countries.  The sheets were a creamy cool blue, so glossy and shiny that they almost reflected the trim of dangling lace that gracefully bordered the wooden posts stretching overhead.  One could easily fit an elephant in this bed—an elephant who shopped at Victoria's Secrets.  The metaphor didn't stop there, for Flash gazed beyond the frames of the satin sea he was deliciously drowning in and spotted dark mahogany furniture: a wardrobe the size of a milk truck, a lounge chair draped with random pastel laundry, an ottoman dotted with at least three different fake leather purses in perfectly casual disarray.  Across the room—past an imposing black footboard—Flash saw an effeminate young man looking back at him, blinking when he blinked, perfectly reflected in the tall oblong mirror of a fancy vanity covered from top to bottom in makeup, hairbrushes and shiny accessories.

Flash Sentry breathed.

He was in a woman's room.

Flash Sentry breathed harder, clutching the sheets to his chest, careful not to graze his poor little nipples.

He was in a woman's super womany room.

His nostrils flared with anxiousness as he recalled the sullen gray events that led him to that moment—or at least to the last moment he had the faculty to own.  Like a poor idiot, he had allowed himself to faint in public on the Canterlot High courtyard.  And now—like an even poorer idiot—he had become the kidnapped treasure of some goddess-forsaken psychopath... most likely played by a young Kathy Bates.  Had he been a tad bit luckier, he would have frozen to death there beneath the horse statue.  At least then Magnolia could have eventually come to collect his ashes for sprinkling in Mother and Father's coffee.  Or something.

"Uhm..."  Flash gulped.  "Hello?"  The boi huff and puffed and attempted bellicosely reciting something he had once watched on a Youtube video about self-defense.  "Whoever you are, I-I've got a black sash in Tae Karate Fu!" his voice cracked adorably, and that's now he had become the poorest idiot.

There was no response to that, thank Goddess.  However—much to his palpitating heartbeat—Flash discovered that the door to the bedroom had been left ajar.  There was a hint of light from the corridor beyond... and an even fainter hint of movement.

Flash squinted.  He gently rubbed his eye with a balled-up fist... then rubbed it again.  It was no use.  The room and furniture were too ginormous—and Flash too tiny in the forest of it all to make out much from where he treaded bedsheets.  So, with the courage of a honey badger, he peeled the velvet blueness off him and clamored towards the edge of the bed.

It was precisely at this moment that Flash realized he was naked.

"Aaa-aackies!"  He rolled back into a little golden ball beneath the sheets and shivered.  Hyperventilating, he looked down at his precious self.

Well, he was mostly naked.  Whoever or whatever had taken the time to strip him of his garishly bulky sweatclothes had left the boi in his tight white briefs.  It was one sliver of civilized mercy, at least, and for a brief tremble in time Flash's fears had been partially dissipated.

Nevertheless, there was now the awkward predicament of having to navigate a strange abductor's house in nothing but his undies.  Flash swore—even if he was scrambling across a sinking steam ship surrounded by jagged icebergs—he would still throw on a modest trenchcoat before braving a frigid death.  So—in quiet, mulling desperation, the boi looked around for something—anything—that could cover his tender frame.

He ultimately resorted to something that lay within reach—or at least within reach of not having to fully expose himself between the bed, the floor, and his target.  Reaching out, stretching, squeaking under the strain of his upper body joints, Flash finally grabbed the corner of what he was aiming for.  On the edge of the lounge chair was draped an enormous peach-colored blanket.  Pulling it to himself, Flash was flabbergasted to realize that it was a shirt.  The top half of some woman's pyjamas.  He knew this because the article was girlier than cherry-flavored ovaries, a pastel ghost shroud of a flashy thing, with the neck, sleeves, and hemline playfully dotted with double layers of translucent lavender lace.  And plastered in the center, big and comical and unapologetically girly, was the frazzled patchwork image of Betty Boop standing in a pink bathrobe with a steaming mug of coffee.  The cartoon pinup's "scalp of hair" was bestowed its own miniature ocean of glitter that matched the shine of the top's outer lace.  If Flash stared at it too long, he swore he might start burping up flowers.

So transfixed was Flash on the ridiculously cheesy article that he jumped at the sound of a voice echoing far past the doorframe—a chuckling voice.  Mature.  Matriarchal.  Powerful—but with a hint of mystery and spice.  The air of the room crackled, as with a million distant firecrackers, and then the distant conversation drifted back into its little pocket of... whatever building Flash was situated in.

He couldn't languish in that spot much longer.  Fight or flight or fluff—Flash had to get out of that room and investigate.

So, spelunking, Flash Sentry threw himself into that Betty Boop domain.  It truly felt like a cave at first, until the fabric settled, and Flash had to fight his limbs through the laced openings.  At long last, his head was birthed through the neck of the pyjama top, and he struck a hand back to thread his silk blue hair out from inside so that it dangled comfortably behind.  His first breath flooded his nose with something... something rich... something familiar.

Lilacs.

Lilac blossoms.

Flash looked down at the cutesy top that draped loosely across his slender shoulders and arms.  He wriggled a weak wrist through a sleeve and raised it to his button-nose for a tender sniff.

Once again, lilacs filled his tiny nose.  The previous user had heavily relied on some sort of delicious bath oil or perfume.  That was a given.  What's more, Flash finally knew who it belonged to.  The shirt.  The bed.  The room.  This whole place.  All because of the lilacs.

His fear was immediately gone, although it was sufficiently replaced with confusion, and perhaps a modicum of ire.  Nevertheless, the smell was a relieving enough sensation to bring the wind back to his sails.  The boi climbed out of the enormous bed—something that proved almost dangerous when he very nearly fell at the end of the venture.  Soon, his tender heels plopped down onto a plush carpet.  With a liquid fwoomp, the shirt hung in a halo around his naked knees, looking and feeling like a virtual gown around the pixie'd male.  Nervously clasping his hands together, Flash deer-stepped out of the bedroom.

There was a frigid coolness trying to seep in from every angle—most likely from the autumnal freeze looming outside the building.  Having ventured so far away from the heavenly bed, Flash's fragile body could scarcely handle it.  Goosebumps formed along his calves and ankles.  He moved slowly so that a draft wouldn't ripple its way up the dangling edges of the dress... or... shirt—and he scuffled his smooth heels against the lush carpet in some subconscious attempt to produce heated friction.

Outside the bedroom was a hallway.  The first thing Flash noticed—inescapably—was how frighteningly high the doorframes were positioned.  And this wasn't simply a matter of the young man's petite perspective.  The doors of the place—along with the tables and the dressers and even the picture frames along the walls—were all set at a significantly abnormal height from the ground, at least for a typical household.  Glancing into a bathroom as he shuffled—pigeon-toed—down the curious domain, Flash even noticed that the sink was set uncomfortably high.  A poor waif like him would have to stand on his tip-toes to properly reach the faucet.

His observation of these details shifted towards the voice he was hearing from the room up ahead.  A dim amber light emanated from what must have been the foyer... or perhaps the living room.  Flash Sentry rounded the corner, and a figure beyond materialized, fiery like a star... gentle as the sunrise.  She was reclined on a sofa, her gold-kissed skin smooth and immaculate under lamplight.  She wore long gray striped yoga pants beneath a white-colored turtleneck that framed her beautiful seraphim face... a face that was smiling calmly... almost mischievously into the starlight drifting in from a cool, frost-tinged window looming just above her.  Raising a gentle hand to her scalp, she pushed a bang of infernal threads out from before her ear, revealing a Bluetooth device clinging to her unblemished lobes.  She hummed through a smile, a melodic sound that eventually produced information, in as luscious and deified a voice as Flash had long remembered... even in the few scant moments when he was once truly in love with her.

"No, it's not as intense as I thought," Sunset Shimmer spoke.  Her eyes were cast to her lap, where she cradled a journal in steady, perfectly-sculpted hands.  The nails were painted yellow, the same color as her cutie mark—which glistened at the end of a pen that she used to write down lazy paragaphs of words... all the while multitasking some nebulous conversation with the soul on the other line.  "I'm pretty sure.  After all, I don't feel so loopy."

Flash simply stood there, gazing at her from behind, one hand clutching the corner of the hallway and the other simply... clasping at nothing in the air... just as his mind was grasping for answers to this inexplicably gorgeous moment.

"As a matter of fact, I feel it all coming back to me."  Sunset's smile widened, and she chuckled breathily, the tips of her painted toes curling up like the teenage girl she once was.  All other manner of precocious youth had been long buried beneath a splendidly beautiful adult woman, but small slivers of someone Flash once knew came out in tiny bursts between her curved dimples and melodic sighs.  "Ohhhh yes.  Full force.  Just like in the old days of the portal.  I'm telling you... your experiments were completely on point.  It's just that... y'know... none of us expected the source to strike so close to home."

She penstroked a few unseen words in the journal.  Flash would have craned his neck to see better if he wasn't so suddenly accosted by trembles.

"Hmmm?"  Sunset blinked.  "Oh.  Absolutely.  Scooped him up before the worst could happen.  Talk about miraculous timing!  Just don't worry, alright?  Everything's going to be fine.  You go and tell the girls that he's perfectly safe and sound and that there's nothing to worry about."  A pause.  "Of course I mean it!"  She smiled at the book in her hand.  "In fact... he woke up five minutes ago and now he's standing right behind me."

Flash Sentry's sapphire eyes twitched.

"Yes.  Yes, I probably should."  Sunset nodded, then "kissed" the amber air of the room before her.  "Mwah.  Love you too, bae.  Ciao."  She tapped the light off her earpiece, slapped the book shut, and slowly turned to bestow her little house guest a calm Mona Lisa smile.  "Hello, Flash."

Flash Sentry gulped.  "Hello, Sunset Shimmer..."

"My oh my."  She arched an eyebrow.  Her voice was a little deeper than he remembered, but only how a girl scout's voice might evolve into a supermodel's.  "How formal.  And to think I let you sleep in my bed."  She cocked her head to the side, looking the boi up and down.  "Nice fashion statement."

"What—?!"  Flash jolted backwards, knees buckling as he clutched the infernal gownshirt... shirtgown... Bettyboopstraightjacket.  "I... I..."  He squeaked.  "Did you r-really have to strip me?!"

"Oh please, Flash."  Sunset rolled her eyes, snorting back a laugh.  "I did not strip you."  A wave of the finger.  "I... left your undies on.  Didn't know you were still a fan of... eggshell."

"When I woke up, I-I didn't know what to think!" Flash rasped, his voice trying to stay deep, resolute, in search of an elusive baritone that never truly existed.  "It's... it's j-just startling, y'know?"

"Flash, you were shivering, cold, and drowning in your own tears."  Sunset stood up slowly from the sofa.  "Mrmmmfff... you're lucky I didn't have to dress you in bear fur to keep you from freezing in that awful, drab getup you had—"

"A-and I thank you for that, Sunset, but I just don't understand how or why—"  Flash Sentry's words left him as he found himself looking up at Sunset... and up and up and up.  His pupils shrank as his jaw fell to the lacy neckline of the pyjama top.  "I... uhm..."  A gulp.  "Uhhh..."

Sunset Shimmer stood in place, patiently breathing... waiting for the words to dribble out of her former boifriend.  She maintained a calm, knowing smile throughout, ready for the inevitable.

Flash stammered to pronounce it.  The entire time, his eyes darted back and forth between the top of Sunset's head and the room's ceiling, discovering that there was very little space to spare.  "There's... uhm... there's a whole lot m-more of you than I remember, Sunset," there was a slight lilt to the end of that statement, belying the fact—in some obtuse way—that it was a compliment.  From an old friend.  An old, startled friend imprisoned in a Betty Boop shirt.

"Hmmmm..."  Sunset's cheeks rosied slightly, and for a moment she looked like the teenager Flash once knew... albeit a seven-and-a-half foot tall anomaly of a teenager.  For the woman's spectacular height, Sunset Shimmer somehow maintained a spectacular frame—or at least something that Flash would have envisioned in his wildest, most lonesome post-high-school dreams.  She was shapely, voluptous, with curves that were somehow sculpted when Flash wasn't looking... when he was far too preoccupied with the gray shades of his lonesome existence to bother registering the fates of those he once knew.  Whatever phenomenal forces from beyond had toyed with Sunset, it had left her looking far better for it, and her voice miraculously belonged more to the likes of Maureen O'Hara than it did to a genderbent Andre Roussimoff, as a passing stranger might otherwise be pressed to assume upon first glance.  "That's simply what years and years of possessing Equestrian magic in this world will do to a young body," she droned, as if that would somehow explain life, the universe, and panties.

"H-huh?"  Flash lisped.  His teeth were chattering at this point.

Sunset saw it. She saw everything.  "And you..." She swept effortlessly towards him, her large Venetian feet making the floor beneath them thunder ever so sightly.  "...appear to be as tiny and precious as ever."  Her next breath funneled through a nostalgic smile as she towered above the boi.  Flash's head stood virtually at the undercarriage of her bust, and she knew that they both knew it in that tender, awkward moment.  She reached boldly down through it all, toying with a few bangs of his silk blue hair, a gesture that was once shared between them... only now it was devoid of the passive-aggressive cues of that cruel, cruel valkyrie from the past.  Her eyes rounded, and her next voice came through both vulnerable and tenuous.  "Oh Celestia... why didn't I do this before?"

Flash's lips quivered.  He nearly snapped his neck in struggling to look up at her.  "Do what?"

She sighed.  She fell.  The whole room seemed to expand as she shrank into a kneeling position.  Right wow—as he remained standing—Sunset's smiling face tilted slightly upwards to look up at him.  "I'm sorry for being away for all this time, Flash.  But it's okay now."

"Sunset—"  And then the boi's eyes widened, for he was being sculpted into a mountainous hug.  His tiny self was sandwiched between strong arms and a cloud-soft chest.  His confused face found a gentle resting place on her shoulder, and he felt tender fingers stroking through his scalp before liberally cupping the back of his head.  Soon enough, her whole womany voice was vibrating through him.

"Everything's going to be okay from now on," she murmured, nuzzling the side of his face like a mother mare.  The scent of lilac doubled, and now Flash knew why the bed was so big.  For all he knew, he was back in it, suspended somewhere between tender gasps and duvet dreams.  "I promise," Sunset breathed, enthralling him.  "You're going to be just fine, sweetie."

"I..."  He shivered, his confusion ever so slightly conquering his solace.  "...what do you mean?"

Sunset didn't answer him.  Instead, she parted the hug, speaking with a louder, more assured tone.  "First thing's first.  You're freezing.  Let's take care of that."

"B-but..."  Flash gulped.  "I'm just fine!  Please, Sunset, tell me what's—Guhhh!"  His eyes crossed and he clung onto Sunset's shoulder for dear life as he flew towards the heavens.

Sunset Shimmer was lifting the boi up.  An infinitely effortless gesture—as it seemed.  He watched—more than a little red in the face—as the towering girlfriend he once knew ferried him over to the sofa with the ease of a giant.  Before he could protest, he was being seated squat on a soft pile of pillows towards the portion of the couch furthest—and warmest—from the windows.  He winced slightly, flinging two hands down to stretch the peach edges of the shirt to their full length to cover his milky thighs.

"Sunset—?!"

"Shhhh..."  Sunset smiled.  Like a dancer, she flowed around the couch, lifting up and loosening a thick woolen blanket in one singular movement.  This—she lovingly draped over Flash's figure, reaching in with motherly gestures to make sure it was tucked securely around the boi.  She did not stop fussing until he took her cue and held the soft, insulating fabric around his small self.  At last, once the grand pirouette was complete, the young woman returned back to the sofa, sitting by the opposite armrest—somehow dwarfing Flash even more so now that the two were seated a mere foot away from one another.  "Now..."  She breathed into the breadth between them, and somehow that was enough to heat the moment sufficiently, like a self-contained furnace was in her lungs.  The woman brandished a proud, sisterly grin as she reclined casually to the side, resting her sideways face on a shapely wrist as she gazed and gazed at her helpless little house guest. "...would you care telling me what made you collapse in the middle of the old school yard?"

Flash inhaled, trapped in both the blanket and Sunset's shadow all at once.  The amber glow of the room electrified her eyes, framing the boi's reflection that stayed forever front and center.  This seven foot six inch specimen of estrogen was far... far from the heartless vixen that had once dragged a poor Flash all across the embattled school hallways of Junior year.  She was making a show of it—of how different she was, of how different they both were, and how terribly-desperately she wanted to make all the things wrong in Flash's life somehow right.

Nevertheless, he lied as he held the blanket tighter around his tender self:  "I guess... I-I just got lost after taking a walk."

Sunset Shimmer arched an eyebrow.  Her voice lost its empathetic lilt, if only for a brief moment for her to dryly reflect just how stupid that sounded:  "Taking a walk."

Flash tried not to wince.  "I haven't been by that side of town in a while.  By Canterlot High, I mean."  He gulped.  "Back in the day—when I had a car—all I did was drive around."  He gulped again.  "Used to avoid the side streets.  Just stuck to the main intersection.  You remember, right?  When I used to drive us around?"

"I remember you driving me around," Sunset said, running a hand through her long scarlet hair.  The woman gazed and gazed at him.  "Tell me."  A playful smirk.  "Do you still sit on two phonebooks to see past the dashboard?"

Flash said nothing.

"One and a half?"

Flash blushed.

"Heeheehee..."  Sunset's teeth showed in a reminiscent smile.  "It's a fond memory."

Flash muttered out the side of his mouth.  "You were fond of teasing me for it at the time."

Her smile left.  A slow, guilty breath.  "Yes, well..."  A finger anxiously traced the back of the couch as her eyes wondered.  "I had a really shitty way of expressing the way I felt back then.  Even when it came to things I truly... secretly admired about you, Flash."

He shrugged, shrinking more into the blanket and Boop.  "It's okay."

"No."  Her eyes found him again.  "It isn't."  Her features softened vulnerably.  "And it will never be."

He gnawed on his lip.

Silence.

"But..."  The woman sat up straight once again.  "...you weren't driving around Canterlot High this time.  In fact..."  She cocked her head to the side.  "I didn't see your car anywhere nearby."

"That's because I sold it."

Sunset blinked.  "Sold it."

Flash nodded, gazing at the high ceiling of the room.  "Just like I sold my guitar."

"You sold your guitar?!?"  Sunset very nearly yelled—a callback to the furious valkyrie who once shook the halls of Canterlot High.  Her face sharpened to an angry tinge, but it wasn't aimed at Flash.  Not exactly.  "Flash, are you insane?!"

The boi struggled not to whimper.  "I-I..."

"Music is your passion!" Sunset exclaimed.  She was beautiful when livid—as with all things passionate.  "It's what you're good at!  It's what you've always been good at!"  Her tone softened ever so slightly, taking on a motherly murmur.  "Why would you give up such a wonderful, creative piece of you, Flash?"

"I guess..."  He sniffled, avoiding her gaze.  He hugged his knees beneath all the fabric that didn't belong to him.  "...I guess I-I'm just stupid."

She leaned back, giving him a patient glance.  Stroking her own bangs casually, she let it rip:  "I don't suppose it might anything to do with your parents and older sister throwing you out of your apartment like the heartless assholes they are?"

"They're not heartless, I was just—"  Flash jolted in place.  "!!!"  His surprised eyes shot at her as his lips pursed.

She bore a bittersweet smile.  "Were you out on the street because you had nowhere else to go?"  She framed her immaculate features with a cupped hand as she lovingly gazed at him.  "Because you were evicted from your home?  And everything you ever owned repossessed unfairly?  Without warning?"

"I... how...?"

"You should be free to follow your own calling in life, Flash," Sunset said.  "I always knew your folks were jerks—but not to this extreme.  Figured it would be enough that Magnolia was following in their footsteps.  But they had to drag you down and make you feel like crap for just trying to find yourself?"  She shook her head.  "It's not fair, Flash.  And you especially shouldn't punish yourself by nearly freezing in an old school courtyard over it."

"You..."  Flash's teeth were chattering again.  "How could you p-possibly..."  Just then, his pupils shrank.  With a knowing breath, he muttered:  "Your abilities."

Sunset Shimmer slowly, slowly nodded.

"Your... that geode thing..."  Flash gazed at her turtleneck, noticing the lack of any accessory.  "I guess you don't need it to read people's thoughts anymore."  He gulped.  "Nor do you have to touch anyone..."

"My powers have improved greatly over the past few years, Flash," Sunset said gently.  "All of ours have.  We don't need the geodes anymore—well."  A sheepish smile.  "Not all the time, at least."

Flash fidgeted under the comfy blanket, wondering just how long she had been reading his tender, vulnerable thoughts.

"Since the very moment I found you," Sunset blurted, causing him to do a double-take.  "Even fainting doesn't cause a person's mind to stop racing."

He winced, his mind darting back to when he collapsed like a wimpy little doll beside the horse statue at Canterlot High.  An anxious thought hit him—of how easily he could have been mugged or stabbed or worse before someone like Sunset found him.

"No, don't worry."  She smiled, warming his heart.  "I found you pretty soon.  Guess it was fate that I was driving around town last night.  I would never let anything bad happen to you."

Flash shuddered, strung up between feeling safe and feeling naked.  He ran a hand up to his silk blue bangs, feeling sorely tempted to clasp a hand over his skull in a futile attempt to keep the exposed thoughts securely inside.  Nevertheless, he gave into temptation and asked:  "You... j-just happened to be nearby when I collapsed, huh?"

"I wasn't following you around, Flash," Sunset said firmly.  "It truly was a wild miracle.  I promise."  She gulped.  "But... the moment I ran up to your body in the courtyard, I felt..."  She lingered momentarily, and Flash saw a tiny flicker in her eyes.  Like a spark.  She cleared her throat, navigating the next few words carefully.  "I felt your memories, Flash.  I suddenly knew what you had been through."

"You... f-figured everything out?"  Flash blinked.  "Just like that?"

"Mmmmm... not instantaneously, no," she said, smiling softly again.  "The rest took a while to... scan.  During which I drove you in the car.  Made sure you were warm."  She waved a hand.  "Brought you here."

His toes curled as he squirmed slightly.

"D-don't worry."  She giggled slightly.  "All I did was put your clothes in the wash.  No funny business."  Her eyes narrowed.  "What's with the sweatclothes, Flash?  Did you buy them at a hobo thrift store?!  They're at least two sizes too big on you!"

Flash's lips pursed.  He was too busy thinking about his clothes, his phone, and his messenger bag to produce a response—

"They're in the bedroom," Sunset answered him.  "Where you were sleeping.  I even started charging your phone for you.  You can use my wifi later on, if you want."

"You really... p-put me in your bed?" Flash stupidly droned.

"I wanted you to be comfortable, Flash."  A devilish smirk.  "Why?  Is that really such a big deal to you?"

He coughed, trying to shake off a growing blush.  Failing.  "I... I-I dunno... it's just that... I never... I-I mean you and I never..."  He bit his lip.  "A bed.  A girl's bed.  Never thought that I... I-I never meant to—"

She laughed merrily, her voice taking on a sweet, feminine octave.  Her divine body rocked slightly, causing the entire sofa to shake.  "Oh Celestia, you're so adorable, Flash."  She winked at him.  "You know that?"

He glanced away, remembering all the times that they had spent together in the past.  All the moments she frowned at him... scowled at him... bossed him around and practically did every cruel thing but yank the boi's hair out.

"Yes, well..."  She winced, as if each memory of his was bludgeoning her magnificent skull to dust.  "I... I always felt that way about you.  But... I-I was too much of a friggin' bitch to admit it... to do anything but manipulate and abuse you for my own benefit."  She gulped, her eyes moistening slightly.  "In every way... I'm even worse than your parents, Flash."

"It's okay," he breathed, gently shaking his fair head.  "You weren't that bad, Sunset."

Her eyes took on a gray malaise.  "You can't lie to me, Flash."

He winced slightly.

She softened.  "And I won't lie to you," she firmly said.  "Not any longer."  A deep breath, and she sat up, reminding both of them of how tall and strong she now was... or perhaps as she always had been.  "I'm going to take care of you, Flash.  You don't deserve to be thrown out on the street."

"Is this about making up for how we broke up?"

"No," she half-grunted.  "This is about doing what's right.  About what you deserve."  She reached a hand out and lovingly stroked his shoulder.  It felt warm to the touch, and he nearly melted—even more so as her voice continued, melodic and sweet.  "Flash, sweetie, you've been alone and helpless for far too long.  But that ends tonight.  We're gonna get you through this.  That's a promise."

"But—"

"No 'buts,'" she insisted.  "Forget all the heartless demands your mother and father have made.  Forget Magnolia Buckler's cold shoulder.  You can even forget about all those college applications right now if that's simply not what's on the table in your life.  No more giving up time and food and guitars to make thankless people happy.  Do you understand me, Flash?"  Her womanly fingers squeezed his shoulder—but not too firmly.  It was the nicest gesture Sunset had ever bestowed upon him, and the glimmer in her eyes prophesied even kinder actions to come.  It left him feeling shocked, confused, and thoroughly paralyzed by her sympathetic voice.  "It's time that you lived life the way that will make you happy.  It's okay."  She smiled.  "The other girls have got your back as well.  We all miss you terribly and we would love to have you back in our lives."

Flash's soft eyes looked up at her with awe and disbelief.

"Heh..."  Sunset's teeth showed slightly beneath her smile.  "Is that so very hard to believe?  We haven't been the same without you, Flash.  You were always our friend."  She stroked the back of his neck.  Somehow—between her words and his shivers—she had inched ever so slightly closer to the boi, encompassing his vision.  The scant remnants of his lonely little world.  "We always held you in the highest regards."

"We... never talked much after... after Camp Everfree, Sunny..."  Flash squeaked out his ancient nickname for her at the end of that, surprised—perhaps even ashamed—that he had resorted to an address he hadn't used since they dated.  The moment was just too tender.  And, to his continued flabbergastedness, she didn't snap at him like the female dog of old.  "I mean... that was years ago, and... and I thought—"

"You're right," Sunset said defeatedly, her eyes sad.  "We never did talk.  I couldn't see into your thoughts like I can now, and I... I made the mistake of assuming, Flash."  She gulped.  "I assumed that you wanted your own space.  And—even worse—I assumed that you would be better off that way."  There was a hint of a whimper in her otherwise strong, adult tone.  "I am so... so sorry for that... so sorry for abandoning you..."

"You didn't abandon me..."

"Flash..."

"You and the girls were busy keeping the world safe from wayward magic and I didn't want to b-barge in on—"

"Flash... sweetie..."  She was stroking his soft chin now.  The space between them dwindled by the second.  "All the magic in the world isn't worth harnessing if it means that you're lost."

"I..."  Flash stammered, his voice squeaking weakly.  Delicately.  "I-I..."

"Shhhhh... but it's all good now..."  She stroked his face.  Hair.  Drawing him close.  Inward.  "You're not lost any longer."

He clenched his eyes.  He shook.

"Just let it happen, honey," Sunset hummed, enfolding him in two arms now.  "Don't try manning up against it.  It never works.  Not for you."

She was right.  It didn't take a mind-reader to know how frail he was.  The dam broke as easily as it ever did when he was around her.  Only this time—Flash somehow knew—she wouldn't rebuke him for it.  Not until that moment did he realize that it was something he always wanted from her... the girlfriend that he always had, and yet never had, until now.  Years later after universal fate and circumstance had drawn them as distant as their heights had magically varied.  The boi went limp, and he let the strong valkyrie do the rest, holding him tightly as he draped against her large frame, weeping tenderly and quietly into her bosom.

"That's it..."  She leaned down and kissed his silken crown, running a hand through his long blue hair.  "Let it flow, Flash.  Never bother locking things away.  You're too precious to hold it all in."

"I-I c-can't ever stop it..."  He whimpered, sobs muffled against her turtleneck.  His tears stained her ample bust, but she didn't seem to care.  So he didn't care, and the river behind his eyes rippled true and truer.  "Oh goddess, I-I'm such a little s-sissy," he wept.

"Hmmmm..."  She stroked his back, smiling.  "Yes you are," she said.  "And it's adorable."  She tilted the boi's puffy, tear-stained face up and gazed nose-to-nose with the shivering thing.  "So much emotion... so much sincerity, all bottled up in a delicate little package.  You've always been one of a kind, Flash.  Beneath the weight of the world, it's only natural to squeeze some of that priceless beauty out.  It's nothing to be ashamed of.  You just need someone there to collect it all... to make sure your feelings find their way back to where they belong."

He sniffled, lips trembling.  "Did... d-did you always feel that way about me?"  He choked on a sob.  "I thought that you hated me."

"I hated myself," Sunset said, brow momentarily furrowed.  "And I punished everyone around me for my shortcomings.  Most especially you."

He buried his face in her shoulder.  "I m-made it easy for you."

"No.  You made it easy for me to love... but I never took the opportunity.  It was my failing, Flash.  Not yours."

"We..."  He hiccuped and shuddered between tearful waves.  "...we really c-could have had something?"  A whimper.  "You think?"

"Hmmmm..."  She held him the closest she had since they had sat together.  Her voice rose through her chest and caressed the boi's wet face.  "I think we still can."

His eyes fluttered open upon hearing that, strung between confusion and something else.  Something that made his beleagured heart race.  "But... but Sunny...?"  He tried looking up at her.  "I thought... I-I thought that—?"

"Shhh..."  She kissed his forehead, stroking him.  "No more thoughts.  Not right now."  A smile.  "How long has it been since you had a good cry like this?  Hmmm?"  A wink.  "I know how much you needed them from time to time.  Even if you never admitted it before."

He merely whimpered, neither confirming or denying the truth.  She grasped it well enough for the both of them.

"Heehee... there he is."  She patted his shoulder, allowing him to deflate further.  "Just let it out, sweetie."  She reclined slowly, bringing him with her until his tiny body was draped against her grand amazonian frame.  A stealthy hand reached back and stretched his blanket out, so now the both of them were sufficiently covered as she held him snugly to her upper body, holding him close so that he couldn't go anywhere but inward... a deliciously bittersweet implosion anchored in place, laced with tears.  "I'm going nowhere.  And neither are you."

She was right.  Flash Sentry was a prisoner of her embrace... her house... her silly cartoon shirt.  He had no choice in the matter—even if some part of him or all of him attempted to fight her.

And he was perfectly okay with that.

Something crossed his tear-stained face, something close to a smile, but he hid it in her shoulder as he lay there against her and continued ever so gently to cry.  A good, long cry, and the melodic humming coming from Sunset's voice as she held him through it all only christened the toasty moment into sleepy perfection.
> Hold My Pina Colada As I Induce Talking Amazon Syndrome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a moment in the middle of Disney's Alice in Wonderland, a very key sequence in the otherwise nonsensical story's "tonal shift," when Alice—frustrated at her circumstances—sits down in the middle of the woods and has a good long cry.  It was a moment Flash would occasionally fast forward to, having popped in the DVD at the end of a particularly long day frought with stress and anxiousness.  And on each time that Flash Sentry reached that scene, his eight to twelve to sixteen to twenty your-old-self would always... always time his necessary weeping fest with Alice's.  Both youthful souls spent a good minute or two crying together, with Flash's release lasting considerably longer than Alice's, and on every occasion he nearly exhausted himself to sleep... and slumbered the rest of the movie quietly away—or at least until the Queen of Hearts sounded off.  The loud hussy.

Needless to say, Flash inevitably wore out the disc long before he was done with college.  Crying was simply something the young creature practiced often.  It helped—and yet it didn't.  Flash's life continued growing more and more convoluted, and there simply was nothing he could do to change the flow of things.  So he enjoyed a flow of his own, one that he could manage, and it was a good sleep aid if nothing else.

But rarely—perhaps never—did Flash have the luxury of sobbing into someone else's arms.  He had imagined such a thing often—fantasized deeply about it, really, as he hugged himself in the warm cocooned refuge of his tiny twin-sized bed at the apartment.  But never did he once perceive that it would actually happen... and that Sunset Shimmer—yesteryday's female dog of abrasive heartlessness—would be the one to share such a tender collapse with him.

And yet, a full hour and a half later—about the length of Alice in Wonderland proper—Flash had gotten almost all of it out of his system.  And unlike all those lonesome moments of pining in the past, he felt far more relieved than his younger self could possibly have imagined.  It was... a frightening sense of liberation.

It was very frightening for Flash Sentry to feel "relieved."

He almost shuddered at the possibility of becoming content or—far more alarming—happy.

"Feeling better now, sweetie?" Sunset Shimmer's warm voice broke him out of the lucid reflection.

Flash was sitting upright on the bed, his petite legs crossed beneath the blanket and Betty Boopish pyjama top.  He felt a tingling throughout his upper body—culminating between his lungs and spine.  He had long stopped hiccuping from the tiny, pent-up sobs, and he felt a fine layer of saline grit clinging like glittery makeup to his face.  The young man rubbed the still-red spots beneath his eyes, gulped, and nodded to Sunset's inquiry like a mute toddler.

Sunset had stood up.  From where Flash sat in her shadow, the woman's anomalous frame loomed high above.  It was imposing.  And frightening—both of which filled the boi with a strangely comfortable sense of familiarity in the presence of his ex(?) girlfriend.

"Bet all that emotion worked up an appetite, huh?"  Sunset planted her hands on her hips and gave the boi a knowing squint—along with a smile.  "Want me to grab you something from the kitchen?"

Flash bit his lip.  He didn't want to impose—at least more than he obviously had by then.  It was already enough that Sunset had scooped him up from the street—virtually saving his life—then held him close as he sobbed like a kitten... all after he had spent the past few hours lying near-naked in her own personal bed.

"How many times do I have to say it?  I'm going to take care of you."  Her brow furrowed slightly.  It wasn't a frown, but nevertheless the valkryie's fiery resolve flickered hotly between them with priceless determination.  "You've been floundering around, struggling to earn food and money—for how long?  Let me take care of you before you die from being a silly little goofball!"

Flash shut his eyes, inhaling sharply.

Blasted telepathy...

...it truly was pointless to fight her.

All things considered, Flash Sentry was helpless against just about everything he encountered in his life.  But—she had a point.  This was something that wasn't worth fighting.  Besides, he knew better than to challenge Sunset.  After all, she was his ex(!) girlfriend.

Also, the fact that she could easily carve her torso open and hide the boi's tiny fetal frame inside it didn't help any potential resolve of his, either.

He finally gave a dainty nod.  Sunset was already moving, bounding to the kitchen with remarkable speed and girlish glee for such a large Homo sapien creature.  Flash couldn't believe just how light and graceful she was in every action.  One would have expected far more lumbering clumsiness from such an epic entity.  It wasn't so much that she exploded in mass, but rather something or someone had waved a magic wand and enlarged a young college student by one hundred and fifty percent.

Maybe—just maybe—someone had a magic wand with Flash's name on it too.

Before he had the chance to fantasize on the topic, he sensed Sunset coming back.  He hadn't realized he had started shivering in her absence until she reappeared.  In each of her hands there was held a juicy red apple—no doubt gifts from a certain freckled blonde whom Flash hadn't seen in years.

Sunset bounded into the room with an adorable smile, looking like the teenager whom Flash remembered from way back when.  But suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.  She blinked, staring at the frail young boi draped in all of her fabrics, still looking red and tender from letting loose so much bittersweet emotion.  Without saying a word, she about-faced and shuffled briskly back into the kitchen.

Flash Sentry blinked.  The tiny twenty-two year old craned his neck in a futile attempt to see what was happening.  His ears tickled with the sound of metal rattling, followed by swift wet chops.

Within a minute, Sunset came back.  She still had an apple in one hand.  But the other hand was holding out a tiny white plate filled with a dozen neatly-carved apple slices... perfectly bite sized and safe for even a child to chew on.  These fruity bits she handed to Flash.

He didn't have a chance to protest—nor a desire to.  His upper body "curtsied" in place, and he gingerly grasped the plate of juicy morsels in two weak hands.  The slices appeared to explode in size—a consequence of being handed directly from an amazon to a cherub.  He took the first of many pieces and nibbled on it pleasantly.  The taste was sweet, succulent, and sustaining—like everything that had transpired up to that very moment.  It was still difficult to believe that he was enjoying so much good luck suddenly.

Sunset simply smiled.  Lying back, legs and arms spread in a distinctly unladylike slump, she chomped unceremoniously into her own fruit.  The woman's strong teeth made mush out of Sweet Apple Acres' finest.  As Sunset marched away, she looked her petite houseguest up and down.

Flash squirmed slightly, nibbling like a mouse through one tiny half of his already tiny slice.  He blushed slightly and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself... as if it could somehow shield his ex's eyes pouring all over them.  It couldn't.

Sunset took another bite, gazed, and then bit once more.  At long last, she swallowed, summoned a breath, and spoke:  "So... go ahead and ask."

Flash swallowed his collective fruit bits and blinked at her.  "Ask you what?"

She simply stared.

Flash's fingers kneaded the edges of the plate.  He wondered when Sunset first noticed that she was growing abnormally tall for an average human woman—

"Well, I'm not an average human woman, Flash."  She answered his mind, winking.  "I'm from another world, silly.  I'm lucky I don't have hooves and a tail at all times."  She turned the apple around until an unbitten part was facing her.  "But my friends... they aren't from a magical land of unicorns and griffons and hydras.  They haven't got the same explanation for what's happened to us."

Flash's eyes darted straight towards her.

"...I mean... it's happened to all of us," Sunset said, staring back.  "Didn't I make that clear before?"

"It's... uhm..."  Flash picked up another slice and nibbled away.  "Mmmff... it's been an interesting night."

"Mmmmm.  Sure has."  Sunset nodded.  "In answer to your question, it happened before graduation.  That is—I could already tell things were happening to me... to us."  She sighed, her nostrils fogging the peel of the apple.  A pair of turquoise eyes reflected depressingly above the haze in its shiny red surface.  "As always... I had to rush to solve a magical predicament... one that I must have—somehow—brought upon the rest of the girls."

Flash cocked his head to the side.  "You were... already growing before graduation?"

"Mmmm.  Almost as tall as most of the guys."  Sunset took a liberal bite of the apple before her.  "Hrmmmfff... butfff..."  She munched, munched, and swallowed.  "You didn't attend the ceremony, did you?"

"Hmmmm.  No."

"I suppose that's a good thing."  Sunset stifled a giggle.  "Otherwise, you would have seen the seven of us stumbling around like drunken basketball players.  Rarity practically sobbed over how much leg she suddenly had—the poor thing.  And Rainbow Dash nearly knocked the podium over in doing a cartwheel."

"You... all grew at the same time?"

"Mmmhmmm."

Flash finished another slice, munching and swallowing politely before continuing:  "Did you ever find out the reason for it?"

"Not at first.  But... believe you me..."  Sunset's eyes widened.  "When we all passed six and a half feet within a year, it damn well became a friggin' race to figure it all out."  She tucked a fiery lock of hair nervously over her ear.  "Mostly... Twilight and I cracked down... hunted for answers... performed experiment after experiment."  She waved a fist up and down, like gesturing with a hoof.  "I even took several trips into Equestria in search for answers.  Princess Twilight Sparkle worked alongside me."

Flash's heart skipped a beat.  He hated himself for it.

Sunset glanced pointedly at him.  "And... uhm..."  She chose not to linger on that, instead continuing her tale:  "From what we could tell, the magic from the geodes were being transferred into our actual bodies."

"Magical geodes?"

"Of course you remember..."  Sunset's voice took on a tapering edge of sass.  "The artifacts we snatched off of Gloriosa Daisy?  At Camp Everfree?  When she attacked each and every one of us with deadly hentai vines?"

Flash winced.  "Er... r-right."  His girlish voice shuddered as he cradled another apple slice to his lips.  "Still, I always thought you seven were... simply magical.  Magical girls... women. Women girls.  Of m-magic."

Sunset smiled sweetly.  "Well, that's flattering of you, Flash.  But truth is—our most special gifted abilities came from those enchanted necklaces."  She cleared her throat.  "At least at first."

"The magic... went into you?"

"Along with all their properties," Sunset said.  "Twilight's super telekinesis... Applejack's super strength... Pinkie's super... super... pinkieness."

"What was Pinkie's power again?"  Flash nibbled on some fruit.  "I forgot."

"She made shit explode."

Flash winced.

"Yeah..."  Sunset exhaled, running a lazy hand through her lazier hair.  "It's a miracle all of us are still in one piece after hanging out with her for so long."  She took another bite.  "Mrmmff... still..."  A wry smirk.  "She certainly made birthdays interesting.  And tax season."  A sideways chuckle.  "Ohhhhhhhh Pinkie.  We wouldn't have it any other way..."

Flash danced discreetly past that.  "So... uhm... the magic was making you girls grow tall?"

"Oh.  Yup.  Uh huh."  Sunset finished up the last of her apple.  "Mrmmff... Princess Twilight and I came to the same conclusion.  But—by then—it was too late to reverse both the magic being infused with us and the side effects it brought."

"So..."  Flash fiddled with a way to ask his next question.

"I won't be offended, Flash."

Sighing at the telepath, he then blurted:  "You're stuck with this... mutation?"

"Hah!"  Sunset leaned back, unceremoniously dropping the apple core on the tabletop behind her.  "It's not really a mutation, Flash.  Just—all things considered—the harmonious magics in our bodies made us extra... extra healthy."

"And that means growing super tall?"

"It means a lot of things."  Sunset laid back, sprawling again, stretching lazily in her own home.  "Mmmmfff... it means being in tip-top-shape.  It means having above-average strength and agility.  It means never getting sick..."

"You and the girls don't get sick?"

"Not in the last four or five years.  We also heal faster than normal and we're pretty resilient to infections as well."  Sunset stifled a yawn, occupying ninety percent of the couch with her herculean stretch.  "Grnnggg... ahhhh..."  She relaxed finally, enjoying the taste of the fruit still lingering in her mouth.  "...and another thing, though you'll probably find it hard to believe."

"At this point?"  His blanketed toes squirmed as her limbs stretched closer to his miniscule form.  "I-I don't know, Sunset."

She exhaled towards the ceiling, her turquoise eyes searching for a way to formulate the necessary confession.  "Our... metabolism is now magic-based."

"Magic... based...?"

"Yeah."

"What does that mean?"

"Simply put, it's... uh... it's as if our bodies have become conduits of Equestrian Energy," Sunset explained.  "When we consume things—drink, sustenance, what have you—harmonic dissonance filters the unnecessary chaff into residual mana which gets consumed like calories whenever we pony-up."

"I..."  Flash fidgeted.  "I don't think I understand."

Her eyes darted sharply towards him.  "We don't pee or poop anymore."

Flash nearly fell off the couch.  He clung the blanket to his supple chest.  "... ... ...really?"

"Pffftchhyeah..."  The amazon nodded as if explaining this impossible truth for the millionth time in her young, complicated life.  "Really."

He looked at the floor, at the walls of the living room, then at Sunset again.  "Really?"

Her brow hardened.  "Really."

"That... it must..."  Flash fidgeted.  "Wow.  I couldn't even imagine."  He looked at the half-eaten fruit on his plate.  "Like... how's it..."  He finally glanced at her again.  "What's it even like?"

"Well..."  Sunset smiled.  "I certainly get more stuff done on a daily basis."

"You sat on the toilet that much in the past?"

Sunset Shimmer laughed loudly.

Flash blushed.

"Oh sweetie..."  Lying back further, she peered past her chest towards him.  "I could just eat you up."

"Mmmmm..."  He shrank into his end of the couch.  "Where would I go?"

"Hah!  Who knows."  Sunset shrugged.  "Where do our pony ears go when we're not using magic?  Hopefully not the same place as our poop."

"Ew."

"I know, right?"

"But... uh..."  Flash craned his neck, glancing towards the adjacent hallway.  "I could have sworn I saw a toilet in the bathroom on the way here."

"Pffft."  Sunset shrugged casually.  "Helps to maintain good hygene, regardless.  Besides..."  She smirked his way.  "What about when we have house guests?"

"Am... I your first?"

"Hahaha—no."

Flash tried not to wince.  "And... and I also noticed..."  His eyes drifted towards the ceiling.  "The doorframes are... much taller here."

"Mmmmhmmm."

"And... your bed—"

"And the sofa and the chairs and my entire wardrobe..."  Sunset nodded.  "All fit to match."

"That's nice and all, Sunset, but how do you afford all this stuff?"

"I don't, really.  None of us do."

Flash blinked.

"Let's say we've got friends in high places."  Sunset smiled.  "Twilight has got friends in high places."

"She does, huh?"

"And, y'know..."  Sunset Shimmer blew a lock of hair out from before her face.  "It helps to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"In case... mmmm... we grow any more."

"Have you stopped growing?"

"For the moment, yes."

"Just how tall are you?"

Sunset turned silent.  With her eyes locked on Flash's, she slowly got up out of the sofa, rising like a curvaceous monolith until she was blocking out the dim amber lighting of the room above.

Flash tried not to shiver in her shadow.  "That tall, huh?"

"Seven feet and six inches, last time I measured," her face spoke from afar.

"Wow."  Flash exhaled.  "I couldn't even imagine."

"Could you?"  And suddenly she reached down.  Within a blink, she was lifting Flash up to her level.

He dropped the blanket—and nearly dropped the plate of apples—with an effeminate shriek.  Now he was dangling in her grasp in nothing but the Betty Boop shirt.  His tiny toes hovered a good two and a half feet above the carpet, and—even in that moment of pallid uncertainty—he could see how the pyjama top would perfectly fit the host who was woman-handling him like a cat might dangle a mouse.

"Didn't I mention we're a lot stronger now?" Sunset said, beaming.  Her eyes reflected a frightened femmeboi.  "Granted, this isn't much of a good example.  Are you made out of feathers or something, Flash?"

He gulped.  "Or s-something."  A nervous smile.  "C-can you put me down now?  I d-don't want to drop your apple slices."

She arched an eyebrow.  "Is that the only reason you need me to let go of you?"  She smelled like lilacs up close.  "Hmmmm?"

He clammed up before the telepath.  His thighs squeezed together, struggling to hide something.  Sunset's good-hearted kindness had solaced his soul that evening, but it had been a long... long time since Sunset had a far more intimate effect on the boi's body.  Being hoisted up without his permission was something that the valkyrie from Canterlot High would have once done... which is probably why Flash felt very self-conscious about the state of his underwear that very moment.

Sunset changed the subject, and yet she didn't.  "Nice choice you made there."

"Wh-what?"  He stammered breathily, still dangling.  "The shirt?"

She nodded.  "It looks cute on you."

"F-first thing I could find."

"Pffft.  I have laundry tossed all over my room like a slob."  She stuck a tongue out.  "Fate drew you to it."

His cheeks rosied as he avoided her gaze.  "It... smells like you."

The woman smiled.  "That's a good thing, I hope."

"... ... ..."

She cleared her throat, descending to the couch.  As she sat, she brought Flash down with her.  "So... the long and short of it is..."  The two sat closer than before on the sofa, probably because Sunset hadn't let go of the boi.  She scooped up the blanket and wrapped it around him as he sat helplessly atop her outstretched legs, practically straddling.  "...we're all a bunch of living female spectacles now.  But... it's not as bad as it sounds.  We all feel special... in a way.  Heh."

"And..."  Flash breathed easier, although he still squirmed in her powerful embrace.  "...and you still have control of your magic?"

"Pfft!  Hell yeah!"  Sunset nodded.  "Wouldn't be quite fair if we didn't... after all the spaghettification of our bodies."

"Life... isn't always f-fair," Flash stammered.

"Yes, well..."  She reached out and tilted his chin up so that they could share a warm gaze.  "We're gonna try and change that opinion of yours, Flash."  She smiled.  "You're now my top priority."

"But... uhm..."  He struggled with how to put this next bit into words.  "...I thought harnessing magic and protecting the world was your top priority."

"Heehee... well, I'm pretty sure the girls and I can squeeze them both in."

Apparently the moment was lost to the telepath, for Flash delivered the next bit like sniper round:  "Especially now that your powers haven't been working well?"

Sunset blinked, struck off guard.

"I mean... why else would the Elements of Harmony be taking so much time off as of late?" Flash asked.  "Aren't you all committed to the whole vigilante schtick?"

Sunset leaned back, folding her large arms before her larger chest.  "'Elements of Harmony,' huh?"

"Really, Sunny?"  Flash arched an eyebrow at her.  "You girls might be able to fool the rest of Canterlot and the world, but you can't fool me.  Or any of your former schoolmates, for that matter."  He nibbled victoriously on a slice of apple before continuing:  "Mmmm... Who else on this planet would be selfless and courageous enough to pull off such a secret team of do-gooders?"

"Maybe you're getting us confused with someone else."

"Those masked heroes are long-haired attractive women..."  Flash's eyes narrowed.  "...who are over six and a half feet tall.  Every single one of them."

Sunset sat like a deer in headlights... or a moose in headlights, considering the scale of things.  (An attractive moose).  At last she smirked at Flash with a genuinely proud glint in her eyes.  "Hrmmmfff..."  She reached out and ruffled his silk bangs.  "Really can't put anything past you, huh, sweetie?"

He trilled inwardly from the mess she made of his hair.  "D-doesn't take a genius, Sunset—"

"And sweet Celestia on a bike, Flash!"  Sunset stifled a cackling sound.  "What do you put in your hair?  It's like liquid sapphire to the touch—"

"Are you girls alright, th-though?" Flash asked, his eyes bright and earnest with concern.  "For so long, I'd be hearing about all the heroics that the Elements of Harmony did.  But—lately—it's like you all dried up!  I mean... I-I know that you say that you don't get sick or... have to do other things with your bodies anymore.  But... but is something wrong?  Like really wrong?  Are you all hurt somehow?"  He bit his lip.  "Or... or are you seven simply done with the magic-saving business?"

She cooed at him.  "Ohhhh sweetie."  She tapped his nose.  "It's so nice of you to be concerned about us.  But we're fine, really!"

"But the magic—"

"It's been having some difficulty manifesting lately, yes," Sunset finally confessed.  "I promise you that we haven't given up on our commitment to protect this world from wayward Equestrian energies.  But... you shouldn't be worried!"  She reached in and brushed his luscious bangs straight after messing them up seconds prior.  "We're getting a handle on things.  We just had to take some time off to... figure stuff out."

He gulped.  "You're sure you're okay, though?"

"Yes.  As a matter of fact..."  Her cheeks reddened slightly, as if contemplating a warm toasty thought.  "...I get the distinct feeling that things are only going to get better.  Especially now that..."  Her words trailed off.

Flash was breathing with more relief now, but he faltered slightly at her unfinished speech.  "Now that what?"

A sigh escaped her lips, but she sealed it with a soft grin.  "Never you mind, sweetie.  I'll explain everything in due time."

Flash exhaled.  "I really wish you wouldn't treat me like a child, Sunset."

"What have we said about you lying to me, Flash?"

The twenty-two year old froze, instantly confused.  He opened his mouth to ask her what that meant—

"And the same goes the other way around," Sunset declared.  "We've been apart for far too long, Flash.  We've worn masks and kept our distance.  But not anymore."  She slowly shook her head.  "You need us right now... and—believe it or not—we need you."

His lips pursed.  "You d-do?"

"From now on, it's the total truth from me."  She winked.  "Even if it takes time to explain."

"But... b-but I'm not the telepath here, Sunny."

"Heehee... it has nothing to do with that, silly."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I want to tell you.  But... let's start tomorrow, hmmm?"  Sunset gave him a momentary pleading look.  "Please, Flash... let's take this slowly.  Most of all, I want you to be comfortable... to find your feet again."

"But I am comfortable, Sunny."

"Not yet, you're not," she said quietly.  "Trust me... this will take some time."

"I... I'm not certain I've got some time."  Flash gulped.  "I-I still haven't finished looking for a new school to attend.  And... and Magnolia and my parents—"

"Let's not think about them right now," Sunset stated.  "In fact... let's not think of them for a long... long while."

"But Sunny... I-I gotta look out for my future!"

"That's precisely what I'm talking about, Flash," she said, gently stroking his chin.  "But... for right now... how about we get you the rest of your beauty sleep, hmm?"

"Haven't I slept enough as it is?" he said—but he couldn't finish the sentence without a squeaky yawn and a half-stretch.

She giggled, patting his head like one might cherish a kitten.  "You know what?  I bet you could use a shower after everything you've been through."  She squinted one eye.  "You do still enjoy taking showers like you used to, huh?"

"Mmmmmm..."  Flash hugged his knees slightly beneath the blanket.  He thought of warm water cascading over his body, scented oils, fresh soap, and—most importantly—coming out of the whole ordeal feeling crisp, clean, and pure.  Back before his parents started yanking the utilities out from under his feet, he took no less than three showers a day... and he loved every one of them.  He loved himself after every one of them... at least to the extent that his anxiously self-conscious soul could afford to.  "Yeah..."

"Well, you can go use my shower, then," Sunset said.

Flash's heart froze.

"Pffft."  Sunset rolled her eyes.  "I've already showered, you naughty thing!"

"I-I-I..."  He grimaced.  "I-I wasn't thinking that—"

"Suuuuuure you weren't."  She stuck her tongue out.  "Now..."  Without moving from where she reclined, she effortlessly picked him up and placed him on his feet on the living room floor beside her.  "Go on.  And don't worry about taking as much time as you like.  I've got plenty of warm water to spare."

"Really?"  Flash straightened Sunset's pyjama top down past his knees, brandishing Betty Boop between them.  "From the same person who paid for the tall doorframes here too, I'm guessing."

She winked.  "I'll tell you all about that too, tomorrow.  I'll tell you all about everything."

"I... uhm..."  Flash's toes fidgeted in the plush carpet.  "About tomorrow..."

"Yes?"

"Maybe I should sleep on the couch?  Or do you have a guest room—?"

"I do have a guest room," Sunset nodded.  "And a couch.  But you are going to be sleeping in my bed."

"Aw, Sunset, no—" he sympathetically whined.

"Aw, Sunset yes."  She pointed a stern finger, accompanied by a stern voice.  "My bed's the most comfortable place in the entire house, and you're the only one who deserves it."

"But... b-but..."  He grimaced.  "It's your bed!  You really shouldn't have to do that—"

"Did you sleep comfortably before?"

The boi touched his fingers together, remembering how peacefuly and dreamily he had slumbered amidst that ocean of satin sheets.  "Well... uh... y-yes, actually."

"Then I guess we both know who it's for right now, then."  Sunset smiled.  "Don't worry about me.  I'll be fine in the guest room."

"Really?"

"Yes.  It's better that way, Flash.  I... uh..."  She gingerly touched two fingers together, suddenly avoiding his gaze for some reason.  "...I have some stuff that I have to be working on, anyways."

"Stuff?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Like... related to the Elements of Harmony or something?"

Sunset nodded, gulping.  "I guess you could say that."

Flash merely blinked at her.

"Go on.  The shower's waiting, sweetie."

"Okay... uh..."  Flash started to pace towards the bathroom that he saw.  "One last thing, though... uhm..."

"There's a walk-in closet with terry cloth towels and a washcloth.  Just take your pick—"

"Oh!  Thanks!  Uhm... it's not that, though... uh..."

"What is it?"

Flash tugged disdainfully at the edges of the cutesy cartoon pyjama top.  "Do you maybe... erm... h-have something else I could wear?  Something... l-less goofy?"

She giggled.  "None that can fit you, although I think it looks just fine—"

"What about my clothes?  The ones you found me in?"

"You mean that ugly, baggy, smelly stuff?  It's in the wash, Flash."

"Still?"

"Three rinses, ya silly bean!  Trust me—they smelled of asphalt and grass... and not even the good kind!"

"But... what am I going to wear tomorrow—?"

"Don't you worry about that.  I've got something in mind that I think will be perfect.  In the meantime, Betty Boop can take care of you.  Don't you think?"

Flash merely blushed and fussed.

"Oh don't give me that face."  She swiftly swiveled his shoulders around and launched him across the room with what was otherwise the lightest of swats to the rear end.  "Now go get squeaky clean.  We both know you want to."

"Eeep!"  Flash landed on his feet, rubbing his derrierre through the nightshirt.  It was ever so slightly sore from the otherwise harmless gesture, but none of that could match the violently red blush rippling through his face and upper body.  He shimmied out of the room before his buxom mistress of the house could laugh at his adorable complexion.
> Where Flash Takes a Semi-Sensual Shower and Gets Assaulted by Paragraphs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since Flash Sentry was a little child...

Actually, make that since Flash Sentry was a high schooler, he had often fantasized about having a miniature army of deer, squirrels, chipmunks, songbirds, and other forested creatures at his immediate beck in call... just in case he had to clean up a crippling mess before him.  This was his one and only way of channeling Snow White, perhaps his least understood Princess.  Most human beings would be smarter than to take a bite out of a stranger's apple.

Sunset Shimmer's house was a mess.  It put the seven dwarves to shame.  Flash hadn't paid it much attention until then—what, with the rattled boi being knee-deep in conversation and tears with his girlfriend of olde.  But between the clothes lying all around her bedroom to the junk scattered across her living space, it was more than obvious that Sunset Shimmer was satisfied with being unsatisfactory.  This danger was ever-the-more clear and present in the bathroom—which, upon close inspection, looked like an atom bomb had gone off.  Given: a feminine atom bomb of deoderant cans, scrunchies, ointment containers, used towels, unused towels, tissues, nail polish, and hair.  Hair.  Hair everywhere.  It was like two scarlet furred wolverines had ripped a golden honey badger to ribbons and then cast all their fibrous entrails across the otherwise immaculate linoleum sea.  If Sunset had indeed enjoyed the company of house guests before, then they had to have been close enough to the young woman to be a laid-back, forgiving bunch.

Most twenty-two year old young men would have scoffed at the scene, given Sunset the finger, and then driven off to a Days Inn somewhere to shower in a brave new world free from the tyranny of estrogenical detritus and soap scum.  But Flash Sentry wasn't just any twenty-two year old man.  He was a pint-sized basket of beta, a victim of both the world's dominance and his own subservience.  Also—much like Snow White—he was ditzy enough to accept any gift given to him, no matter the package.  And, given the circumstances, he wasn't about to complain about Sunset Shimmer's generosity.  She was the only non-stranger in his life, and—besides—Flash had already eaten of her apple, albeit in slices.

So, slowly—and with more than a modicum of trembles—Flash Sentry stripped, freeing himself of the ridiculously pastel Betty Boop shirt and then his own briefs.  Soon, he stood naked.  Naked and vulnerable—in another person's house.  The reality of the matter frightened him; everything frightened him, but the boi clung to the memories of the deep, friendly, warming conversation he had just enjoyed with Sunset Shimmer, his most trusted companion in these dark, cold times.

And...

He still shivered.  Sunset Shimmer was only a few walls away, and if the towering amazon of a girl-horse-girl randomly decided to come stomping that way, even the flimsy lock on the door wouldn't be enough to prevent a horribly embarrassing situation.  One that ended, no doubt, in her booming laughter.  Of this, Flash was certain, so he did the one thing that would only make the situation more awkward.  He stepped naked into the shower stall and proceeded to wet himself.  With warm water, of course.

This proved a much more difficult task than the boi expected.  Sunset Shimmer's shower stall resembled a garage—it was huger than huge, most likely due to obvious, Amazonian reasons.  Flash shivered as he tried to contemplate a mental word that was different and better than "Amazonian."  All things considered, Sunset Shimmer wasn't a frightening giantess.  She was just an attractive, voluptuous twenty-two year old vixen whom some divine Goddess had mischievously decided to enlarge with some celestial drag-and-drop tool.

In any case, this circumstance extended to the scale of the bathroom, and Flash found himself having to reach slightly above shoulder-level to actually grasp the shower handle.  When the faucet—eight feet from the tile floor—finally erupted, the water laughibly roared in a rainbow arc over the petite young man's head.  There was no way in purgatory that Flash could conceivably jump up and adjust the nozzle that was set for Shimmer-height, and climbing the soap dish and shampoo hangers to reach such a lofty goal proved far too stupid and fool-hardy, even for Flash's feathery weight.

So, with tender tip-toeing across the tile, Flash backed up until he was a tennis serve away from the shower knobs.  At last—with his back against the far wall, he was enveloped in the rapturous flow of liquid.  He threw his naked back to it and thus began the first of many saintly sighs.

The moment the heated rinse rolled over his body, the mess of the bathroom vanished almost instantly.  Flash closed his eyes and relished in the liquid soaking his long sapphire hair.  He reached back and gracefully threaded a few fingers into those moistening threads, allowing them to drape heavilly around the nape of his neck and to his rounded shoulders.

There was a time when Flash's hair was more... boyish.  He regularly visited a barber shop in middle school... until the men there insisted on buzzing his scalp—perhaps in an unspoken attempt to make the male look more masculine.  He switched to a salon on the other side of town.  There, the workers practically fell in love with the young patron.  He had to deal with a gaggle of middle-aged women fussing over all the things they could do to his 'do, but Flash always insisted on a simple short anchorperson cut and they always acquiesced with sniffling melancholy.

Then—after Sunset Shimmer had dumped him and Twilight Sparkle had skipped like a polished stone across the tenuous surface of his young life, Flash simply... stopped caring about keeping up with the gender-coded hairline that swiftly eluded him.  At the same time, he was growing less and less prominent in the high school social scene, diving back full-force into the sheepish little object of ridicule that had marked his everyday existence up until Sunset turned everything upside down.  Flash spent most of his days indoors, working on homework, surfing the Internet, and... sleeping.  Doing lots and lots of sleeping in bed... hoping that the day or night or gray haze in between would go away.  Unlike Aurora, he didn't have a thimble to blame.

The result was that Flash neglected to visit the salon any longer, and his hair just grew and grew.  Once it had gotten past shoulder length, he would simply snip the unwanted ends off himself, a task that was purely chaotic at first and took watching more than a few Youtube tutorials to perfect.  But his hair simply wanted so hard to be graceful and grew so swiftly that he stopped trying to keep it short.  And buzzing was out of the option—something about it horrified him, something that he couldn't feel arsed enough to combat.

And now he enjoyed the way it hung heavily and clung to the upper back of his tender frame as steam rose around the stall.  Eventually, he turned around—an act that took much courage.  At first, Flash held his hands over his chest.  He was already wincing by the time he lowered his palms, allowing the water to grace his nipples—but not directly.  It still felt like needles were stabbing him across two parts of his body, and his entire spine rippled because of it.

Flash couldn't pinpoint the moment in his life when his nipples had gotten so... nipply.  He was certain that he woke up one morning and breathed on them the wrong way and suddenly felt like screaming.  It was as though a trillion nerve clusters rivered into the two pinprick spots and refused to spread out.  At first, this annoyed him to no end, because he was certain that every other male his age—and perhaps most of the females as well—didn't deal with such an absurd problem.  They looked like any other dude's nipples, only Flash's were secretly equipped with torturous invisible pipe bombs of unimaginable sensitivity.  Towards the later years of his youth—most recently, as a matter of fact—Flash began to discover that it wasn't all bad.  On lonely nights, when listening to Someday My Prince Will Come carried on a far more sensual meaning, he had gotten to know his nipples a bit better... although such an intimate "meeting" never lasted for very long.

Slowly, Flash lowered his arms by his side and allowed the water to cascade over his tiny frame—nipples and all.  He shivered a bit, and his toes curled a few times, but he had finally gotten to a point of relaxation.  His eyes thinly peered through the steam and moisture, observing the strange domain that embraced him as he had embraced it.  Bottles of conditioner and shampoo lingered in the far corners—some full but most half-empty.  Sunset was obviously the type of pony... ... ...person to buy something completely new when the previous product was just barely running out, and this produced an inevitable chain of unnecessary bric-a-brac.  Almost all of the hair products and bath oils were scented with lilacs.  Flash wasn't certain why she adored that scent so much, but it would forever remind him of her.  Once, that used to be a bad thing.  But now...?

The last person Flash ever expected to reconnect with was... well... it was Princess Twilight Sparkle, who had gone back to her equestrian world of equines to do princess equine things.  But Sunset Shimmer was pretty high up there on the what-the-fuck list as well.  Sure, the last few times she and Flash had communicated before that night were relatively pleasant occurrences, where it was obvious that Sunset had turned over a new leaf and was shaping up to be a kind, empathetic human being.  But they were tiny, paper-thin episodes of socializing at best, and it was obvious to Flash that Sunset had moved on to being an unshakeable unit among the seven sacred students of Canterlot High—those who would become the quasi-anonymous Elements of Harmony who vigilantly saved and enamored the denizens of that local township over the years to come.

Ultimately, when it came to Sunset Shimmer, Flash would have nothing more to cling to than the dark thoughts of dark times lived under the thumb of a bossy, bullying valkyrie.  The highest pinnacle of manhood that Flash had ever reached—as defined by being a young woman's boifriend—was dismal and pathetic at best.  In the end, all he got out of it was a brief surge in popularity, one that plummeted into a far worse place than where he started once Sunset had surfed far away from his somber shores.  And despite the terrible way she had treated him—for so many months of confusion and angst—he only found the courage to blame himself for how everything failed.  This had left a bitter taste in his mouth for years, and—in addition to the way his parents and sister ostracized him—buried him deep in a pit of self-loathing.

All of a sudden, this had all vanished, literally overnight.  And now Flash Sentry found himself standing comfortably naked in a warm shower, surrounded by lilac scented bath oils and dangling pink loofahs.  The Sunset Shimmer who had cradled and caressed and fed him just minutes earlier was a far cosmic cry from the female dog that once hounded the boi in high school.  Had the Equestrian magic that empowered the Elements of Harmony somehow changed her?  Did it do more than increase her height and strength and... metabolism?  Did it affect her person at all?  There was no denying it—Flash was almost certain Sunset had been high the entire time that they talked that evening.  True, it had been years since he and Sunset had a heart to heart, so perhaps this was just her new personality now: affectionate, empathetic, and motherly.  It would have been nice to experience that back during his junior year of youthful floundering, but now it came across so... strangely—even if it was a miraculous blessing.

Flash felt water rising—rippling around his toes.  He looked down.  The shower drain had a dense collection of scarlet Sunset hair, wound tightly in a gnarled ring, and it was effectively blocking the flow of water so that it risked rising up to Flash's tiny cankles within a wet minute or two.

Flash sighed.  He felt sorry for... feeling sorry about himself.  What had he done these past few years to be proud of?  After graduation, all he did was lock himself up in whatever home his rich parents had provided him, subsisting off of internet, ennui and rice cakes.  There was no way he could relate to his seven feminine companions of olde.  He hadn't struggled to maintain a healthy social life while also having to worry about Equestrian magic invading the lands of Homo sapiens.  He hadn't taken the courageous route of donning a mask and battling anomalous threats along with a cabal of like-minded superheroines.  And he most certainly hadn't been afflicted with abnormal height and other things that made life more... complicated.

If Sunset Shimmer was telling the truth about everything, then evidently she was a towering monolith of a woman before entering her college years.  Those were supposed to be the best years of a young person's life: rife with flirting and partying and drinking and all the other stuff Flash may or may not have read in a random issue of Vogue.  While Sunset and her friends may not have been cruel people, they did live in a cruel world, and it was with a heavy heart that Flash realized just how impossible it must have been for Sunset—or any of her friends for that matter—to win over the affection of a handsome young man her age.  Tall women were given the short stick in this world.  Literally.  And while Flash was still catching up with the mistress of that most gracious house, it pained him to think that she had gone for so long without any real chance of intimacy or affection.  Granted, it was a base assumption on the boi's part, but still a realistic one.  Who knows how deeply she may have been hungering for closeness—any kind of closeness.  It might even drive someone like her to being overtly affectionate towards an undeserving individual.

Flash gazed down at his water-logged self—at least the parts still capable of being seen.  Even with the warmth and comfort of the luxurious moment, he was feeling decidedly sober.  His manhood perched like an acorn atop twin peaches: a dainty coin purse with nary a hair to be found.  His legs bent pigeon-toed beneath such hilarity, with the inner toes pointed submissively inwards at all times.

He was useless to the likes of Sunset Shimmer.  He was useless to everyone and anyone.  What Sunset Shimmer needed in her life was a real man... a real person with the courage, strength, and versatility to help her deal with all the crazy, phenomenal things in her life.  Even if she had survived for so long on her own to more than prove her competence, what she deserved was a mountain to lean on, and Flash Sentry—at his very best—was a damp pile of clothes lingering on the edge of a twin sized bed.  He couldn't even comprehend a "mountain," much less laughably emulate one.

Long story short, if there were any lingering thoughts of this entire debacle somehow leading to a reconnection between himself and his former girlfriend, it was best to dash such dreams to faerie dust right away.  Flash Sentry wasn't a friend—he was a problem, one that Sunset Shimmer had scooped up like puppy poop from an old school courtyard.  Now he was limping and festering about in her own house, and she was the last person to deserve such a burden—no matter how light in frame.  Flash had spent countless years disappointing his parents with his lazy antics, but he wasn't about to shift that ungrateful stupidity to Sunset.  He had a new life to live.  He had a career to begin.  If he acted swiftly and quickly enough, he might even be able to win back his family's respect and manage an affordable, healthy existence.  There was no point to pretend he could accomplish anything otherwise, and he most certainly wasn't about to take advantage of Sunset's generosity.  One night was enough.  Come morning, he would endeavor to find an out—any out—and leave her stressful existence in gracious peace.

So, thusly, Flash proceeded with soaping and cleansing himself.  Unlike most showers from his past, he chose not to linger and embellish in the moment.  He had a place to be, and it was anywhere but there.  If he and Sunset were going to be friends from then on, then that was great, but they could carry it forwards in between his collegic pursuits.  He'd forever be grateful to her for getting him back on his tiny feet again.  Funny how a single evening with an old friend did loads more for the boi than years upon years of passive-aggressive threats from Magnolia Buckler and his folks.

With a swift turn of the knob, Flash cut the water off.  He was shivering once again, twice sobered by the chill of the autumn world that encompassed that steamy domain.  He stepped out of the stall, shaking his wet feet.  It would take a good minute or two for the water to completely drain, on account of the hair and all.  As Flash's thoughts descended on a relaxing bed of sighs, he learned to appreciate just how messy things were.  Sunset was confident enough to bring him—unannounced—to her sacred place of rest.  Such trust and humility went a long way, and he was ready to reciprocate.

So, after swiftly drying himself with a towel, he slipped on his briefs, enmeshed himself once again in Betty Boop, and tip-toed out of that steamy domain.  It took two turns for him to find Sunset Shimmer, who was standing right outside the door to her bedroom, collecting an armful of blankets from a linen closet—presumably for her humble night's stay in the guestroom.

Flash Sentry took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and spoke as firmly and assertively as he could.  The boi still couldn't stop his voice from cracking:  "Sunny, th-thanks for everything that you have done for me, but I really should be going in the morning."

"Hmmm?"  Sunset looked over, instantly brightening like a morning dawn upon seeing him for the first time in... minutes.  "Oh hi, sweetie!  Had a good rinse?"

He continued awkwardly:  "And, for a matter of fact, I think I should be the one sleeping in the g-guest room."  He swallowed.  "You've been way too kind to me so far.  Way kinder than I deserved, and—"

"Flash!  Holy shit!" Sunset nearly dropped her things.

He blinked hard.  "What?"

"Your hair!"

"What about it?"

She rushed over towards him—a wild wave of woman.  "Friggin' A, Flash!  Do you always leave it dangling wet and crazy like that after a shower?"

"Uhm... maybe?"  He cleared his throat, his voice tickling a useless baritone.  "Look.  I mean it.  Come morning, I'll go out and find a hotel to stay in and then I can—"

"Come with me."

Flash's eyes twitched.  "Buh?"

"I mean it.  Now, Mister!"  She clasped his weak wrist in a vice grip and yanked him towards the bedroom.

Flash's pupils shrank as he ragdolled after her.  "Buh!"

Once inside, she flipped on a strawberry desk light.  A rosy red aura filled the room from the novelty lamp, highlighting the heaps of unfinished laundry draped every other spot.  As Flash dizzily fought for footing, Sunset let go of the boi just long enough to grab a chair, kick the odds-and-ends off of it, and then situate it before a tall standing mirror.

"Now." She commanded, not that it mattered.  She was already hoisting the pint-sized man by his waist—off the ground and onto the furniture's plush seat.  "Sit."

Frazzled, tugging at the ends of the pyjama top to cover his demure thighs, Flash stammered:  "What are you doing?"

"Saving you from an unfashionable night of tossing and turning, that's what."  In one bold stride, Sunset grabbed a brush from her vanity and swooshed back behind Flash and the chair.  "Leaving it wet and dangling is just begging for tangles, Flash."

He pouted ever so slightly.  "What—did you switch places with Rarity overnight?"

She stifled a giggle.  "As a matter of fact, she did teach me a thing or two about proper human grooming.  And I'm more than proud to extend that blessing to you."

He huffed.  "Don't you mean proper women's grooming?"

A strong pair of iron hands framing his skull instantly silenced the boi.

"Now sit still and no fussing," she thundered... amicably.  "This will only take a moment, Flash."

"But I'm fine, Sunset!" Flash squeaked.  "Besides, I wanted to talk to you about—"  With the first of many brushstrokes, he felt a sharp snap of pain, as if a firecracked had gone off in the roots of his scalp.  "Owie!"

"Hah!  See?"  Sunset's knowing smirk rippled like a candle in the mirror.  Flash shrank into her reflection as she towered over him with the brush, nevertheless stroking his hair with the most expert of girlish care.  "You've got several tangles already.  If you want long hair like this, Flash, you can't just half-ass the drying process!  Or else you gotta deal with the repercussions!"

He winced as she fought and waged war with more and more tangled threads.  "But..."  He squinted one eye, tearing slightly with the next few tugs.  "I c-can't help it."

"Hmmm..."  She plucked a few sapphire strings loose from the brush and went back to business.  "Is that a fact?"

He clammed up slightly, hugging himself as his feet dangled an inch or two from the floor.  Even the chair was enormous—but he knew better than to give false credence to his own petite size.

"Let me guess..."  She murmured, humming to herself as she lovingly stroked and brushed at his lucious threads.  "You don't even use conditioner on this, do you?"

He gulped.  "No."

"Not even at the start of the day?"

"Didn't I just say 'no,' Sunset?"

"Celestia above..."  She shook her head with a smile of disbelief.  "Fuckin' incredible."

"What is?"

"Do you have any idea, Flash—any idea whatsoever—how many girls would kill to have hair as naturally gorgeous and manageable as yours?"  Her eyes burned with fiery truth.  "And skin so kissably soft?  I mean—I bet you don't even use lotion, do you?"

"I... uh..."  His adorable face scrunched.  Flash felt himself self-consciously stroking a set of fingers across the other hand's wrist.  "Am I supposed to?"  His skin felt as... normal as it always did.  Or perhaps normal for him wasn't normal whatsoever... just like it wasn't for Sunset—the poor woman.  "Like... I've never seen a reason why I should."

"No."  Sunset exhaled, and it sounded positively melancholic.  "I suppose you haven't."  Her brushstrokes became slower... gentler.  Contemplative and affectionate—a sharp contrast to the sad look in her reflected face.  "And I'm sorry for that."

He blinked up at her.  For a telepath, she was damnably cryptic.  "Why are you sorry?"  For some reason, he didn't expect an answer.

Sure enough, she didn't give one.  "There..."  She did one last brush stroke and gave the hair a slight whip at the end of it, letting it rise, flow, and settle with the grace of a blue waterfall.  "All done.  Now isn't that a lot better than normal?  Feel for yourself."

"Sunset, I don't see how—"  He reached back, frowning, and touched his own hair.  That scowl left the moment his fingers made contact, for it felt like threading his hand through pure silk.  Never—not once in all of his years of lying in bed, showering, or hobbling through public with a baseball cap on—had Flash felt his hair exhibit such unbelievable exquisiteness.  And yet, all this time, it was his same head of hair... wasn't it?  "Oh gosh," was all he had to exhale.

Sunset Shimmer laughed loudly  She leaned over like a human crane until she was finally able to hug him around his waist.  Once again, his delicate world turned warm, soft, and brimming with lilacs.  "You're just so damned adorable, Flash."  Her strong voice vibrated through him, echoing between the woman's encircling arms as if his body was made of nothing but tingling air.  "I'm so very glad that you're here with me."

He gulped before speaking in a meager voice:  "I really can't stay here for long, Sunny."

"Why not?"  The world vibrated again.

He worked the courage into his lungs to respond, his gaze locked on the reflection of her glorious face leaning over his shoulder.  "It... it just isn't right, Sunset.  You've helped me, and I-I'm grateful, but I'm the one to blame for being in this mess to begin with."

"Flash," she spoke in a tender yet firm tone.  "Your parents have been completely cruel and heartless to—"

"I'm well aware of the conditions they have long set for me," Flash said.  "And—let's face it—I've had things easy in this life."  A sigh.  "For too long I've rested on a bed of undeserved fortune.  But now I need to face the music.  And... y-you've helped me, Sunset.  This has truly been a wake-up call, and I thank you for that.  Starting tomorrow, I'll work on getting back on the same page with my folks and Magnolia.  But—first thing's first.  I'll be finding a place to stay on my own.  There's no need for me to burden you any longer."

"Flash, do you honestly believe you're cut out for becoming what your parents desire from you?"

The boi blinked.  He was uncertain how to respond to that... uncertain if he should feel complimented or insulted.

"I really... really think you should stay here for a while," Sunset said.  Despite the insistence in her voice, it was a soft and inviting tone.  The edges of her arms kneaded his soft shoulders as the endless hug persisted.  "You can't figure things out overnight, Flash.  Besides... there's so much for you to learn."

"I know you want the b-best for me, Sunset," Flash said, struggling to find an assertive tone to speak with.  "But there's a difference between being a houseguest and a prisoner."  He slowly shook his freshly-brushed head.  "You can't keep me here."

Her arms tightened ever so slightly around him.  "Actually, I very well could."

The young man's heart skipped a beat.

"But..."  Her embrace loosened, accompanied by a warm sigh that tickled past his earlobes.  "...you and I both know that I won't.  Not if you don't want to stay, Flash."  He caught sight of a bittersweet smile aimed at him through the mirror.  "But... I really... really wish that you would stay.  It may not make sense right away... but I think you'll discover something better about yourself if you just... trust me for a bit longer."  She reached around and toyed a friendly finger against his chin.  "Mmmkay?"  The woman's eyes positively sparkled in the rosy lamplight.

Flash felt the urge to tremble suddenly.  Only his lungs gave in.  He thought he had sufficiently dried now that it had been minutes after showering, but one tiny-tiny part of his body was inexplicably wet once more.  It was as if all power from his meek framed had been sapped, and a body part or two took charge by replying in spite of himself:

"Okay, Sunny."  High pitched, practically a whimper.  He hated and loved himself at the same time.

Thankfully, Sunny's warm voice melted any chance of prolonged mulling over the matter:  "Very good.  Now..."  With a chivalrous hand, Sunset gently led Flash off the chair and towards the bed.  "...time to turn in."

"Yeah.  S-sure."  Flash lurched like a zombie towards the bed.  It took a few embarrassing seconds for him to climb up and onto the surface of the amazonian resting place, and now he was wading across the empress-sized mattress to find his hibernating spot in the blanketed center of it all.  By the time he had slid in beneath the sheets, he was flabbergasted to find that Sunset Shimmer was still there, standing prim and proper like a royal chambermaid at the bedside.  "Uhm... what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said with a wink, watching him get settled in.  "Just here to help."

"To help?"  Flash's face contorted with mixed amusement and annoyance.

"That's right," she said, leaning in to straighten the blankets.

He tried not to moan like a whiney teenager.  "Sunset, I'm twenty-two years old."  His ocean blue eyes rolled as he felt the sheets tightening around him.  "I do not need to be tucked into bed."

"Yes, well..."  She winked in between the swishy throes of the graceful gesture.  "Maybe I need to do it."

He could only blink at that.

"I wish you sweet dreams, Flash," Sunset said quietly, like a mother bird singing her young to sleep.  "In fact... I know you'll have some."

"What does that mean—?"  Flash paused in mid speech, his lips pursing as his eyes drifted across the rosiness of the moment.  It was then that he remembered waking up a century ago from a wild pastel dream filled with girlish frills and princessy giggles.  All of his wayward fantasies from pre-pubescence to post-graduation malaise had been encapsulated in a perfectly manic vision.  All those lonely nights spent falling unconscious to a marathon of Disney films had been made manifest in his sleep—in a far more concrete package than he had ever had the pleasure of embracing before.  All because he had slept in the bed belonging to a telepath—"Wait.  That... that was you?"  He glared at her in awe.  "Did you give me that dream?"

"Hmmmm..."  She leaned in until she was within kissing distance and lingered there, levitating on a smile and a breath.  "It was all you, Flash.  I just... installed a few mirrors so that you would last there a bit longer this time."  She reached in to brush loose a strand of sapphire bangs from behind his ear.  "If you would like, I could place them there again tonight."

He stared up at her, breathless.  In that intensely vulnerable moment, he felt too weak and too selfish to ask for such a thing.

Thankfully, he didn't need to.  "Alright, then, sweetie."

And at last she made true with the distance between them.  The kiss landed softly on his forehead, like it would between any friend, only there was more to it.  A flicker of nebulous flame—invisible but sparkling true—and Flash felt it nestle somewhere deep inside his mind, where it aided the comfort of the moment and made his eyelids heavy.  He was vaguely aware of Sunset's massive frame drifting away from the bed, towards the lamp where a single flick of her finger flooded the room with cool, inviting darkness.

"See you in the morning, Flash," she spoke, a shapely shadow among the rest.  "It's going to be a brand new day."  Her last words lilted happily, and that tone of joy and innocence and promise carried Flash into the slumber long awaiting him.  A few tears even baptized the moment.  But only a few.





Flash Sentry was showering again, and for once the spray of water didn't hurt his poor little nipples.  In fact, the faucet had appropriately tilted down to face his petite frame.  The water was warm, soothing, and even fragrant.  The curiosity of how he was able to adjust Sunset's nozzle so easily was the first rational thought that entered his mind, and a pair of eyes-within-eyes opened to the ethereal moment.

He was in Sunset's shower stall, and the walls stretched on forever.  Somehow, this anomalous fact did not disturb Flash, and he chose instead to relish in the warm liquid.  He raised his nubile arms up over his head and stretched back like a cat, and still he somehow found hands stroking all over him—becoming one with the cascade of moisture.

He sighed contentedly.  Flash's voice was high, naturally chipper, and he didn't fight it.  Gazing up through the steam, he saw a dangling wrack of shower products.  In the center of it all, a curvaceous egg-shaped container stood out in baby gum pink.  Squinting as hard as he could, Flash couldn't make out any of the letterings on the surface of the shampoo bottle, but he was more than certain he spotted the cheeky illustration of a golden tiara crowning the very top of it, just beneath the cap.

The boi was instantly enamored.  He reached upwards, holding his breath.  When his fingers made contact with the cold surface of the bottle, he shivered all over in victory.  One or two wet motions later and he was effortlessly twirling the cap off.  His nose tickled with the smell of vanilla, and he felt like singing.  He gathered a dollop of pastel pink solution into his milky-soft palm and then proceeded to lather the material into his hair while the half-full bottle levitated beside him.

Something happened next—something that permeated the warm moisture and the melodic tune he was pleasantly humming to himself.  The air bristled with autumn crispness and birdsong.  Flash reopened his eyes to see that the pink lather was cascading swiftly down his lithe body.  Once it made contact with the tile floor of the shower stall, it morphed into a bed of grass and clovers.  The dew-laden floor of a verdant glen spread rapidly around and behind him, blossoming with flowers and butterflies and honeybees.

Flash stood—breathless and naked—as the stall melted away, revealing a bright emerald forest teaming with life.  The sun pierced the canopy above in playful god rays, christening the springy floor with gold.  Birds chirped in the distance and cicadas lulled the beauty of it all with a subtle baseline.

The boi blinked, gazing timidly at the metamorphic landscape with pursed lips.  He turned to look at the bottle floating before him.  He squinted once more... but he still couldn't make out the words on the shampoo container—provided there were even any words at all.

"... ... ...I'm dreaming," he murmured in a breath strung up between awe and innocence.  "... ... ...I'm lucid."

He expected his last exclamation to carry with it a thunder that collapsed everything into bitter darkness.  Somehow, miraculously, that didn't happen.

What consisted of the "shower" was swiftly dwindling into a translucent haze of afterthought behind him.  Meanwhile, the boi drifted forward, dipping his toes into the blades of grass and relishing in how they tickled his tender soles.  He felt his heart racing—somewhere far away from his chest.  It sent a vibration that cocooned the moment, sealing the scent of vanilla and lavender deeply within.  Flash was suffocating on it, but it wouldn't kill him.  Instead, he found himself close to a rapturous hyperventilation.

If he was lucid...

He gulped, stifled a whimper, and stuck his arms out.  Then—with the grace of a floating lilly pad—he twirled around in two complete circles.  Shower water fanned out around his waist, descending like an enormous flower petal around his legs before solidifying in a flicker of pink.  The smell of lavender intensified, clinging to him—as did a lace bodice and a pair of puffy, satin shoulders.  When Flash Sentry stopped, the skirts didn't.  The pastel lengths of a princessy minidress flounced and ruffled before finally billowing to a stop.  He stood like an absolute doll, with glitter and blush accentuating the delicate parts of his neck and face.

With trembling fingers, he reached down and fondled the fluffy ruffled skirt gathered about him.  It consisted of countless layers of see-through salmon, bespeckled with tiny indescribably bright gemstones.  And beneath all of that there wafted an ocean of snow-white petticoats that tickled and caressed the sensitive creature's soft thighs.  Among other sensitive things.

Flash exhaled through a whimper.  His lips began curving.  He brought a hand up, watching with moist eyes as the most delicate of lace gloves formed around his slender fingers, with the wrists and upper arms accentuated by dancing seams dotted with miniature floral patterns.

He whimpered again, and a giggle was birthed out the end of it, the first of many.  Flash sniffled, feeling a sob coming on, so he decided to outrace it.  Hiking up the edge of his skirt, he ran out into the golden sunlight, blurring past rows of trees and overturned logs.  The flowers tripled across the forest floor as he cavorted, and soon the earthen bed felt like a trampoline.  He skipped along, cackling to himself... laughing and giggling.  The air brimmed with the choir of a million giddy schoolgirls, and they were all emanating from him.  He knew it; he reveled in it.  Some way, somehow, this was how everything should have been.

He spun about, twirling in mid-run.  The world around him rippled in pink, reflecting his joy and euphoria.  At last, once the dizziness had caught up with his rapture, he simply allowed himself to fall down.  A bed of colorful flowers caught him, and it was softer than any mattress he had imagined in his entire life.  The pretty boi curled up, wrapped in silks and lace, liberated and constricted all at once.  Not once did he stop giggling, even as he reached down to fondle his skirts... then upwards to cup a pair of gloved hands around his tear-strained face.  A third eye had opened up amidst all this, and somehow Flash knew that no amount of sobbing—happy or otherwise—would ruin his glittery makeup.

Then, after he had endured this interminable wave of giggles—he smiled up at the sky.  His smiling face reflected in the third eye, until it blinked—as did he.

"I'm lucid," Flash murmured, repeating a confused showering young man from an eternity ago.  He managed a momentarily sober breath.  "I never stay awake when I become lucid."  He held his laced gloves up to his face.  Even after such a fluid romp through a forest, they hadn't suffered a single speck of dust or grass stain.  It was truly too perfect to be true—all of this.  "This..."  His pretty brow furrowed.  "...Sunset is doing this, isn't she?"

There was a crash of thunder.

The boi gasped, instantly sitting up.  His lace-clad body flinched like a damsel in the shadow of a dragon.

Sure enough, an enormous shadow loomed over the furthest horizon.  It rippled over the landscape, casting a dark malaise throughout the forest.  The trees dried up and lost their leaves one row after another.  Meanwhile, the grass turned to ash, growing ever closer in its necrotic collapse.  There was no voice to the rumbling from the heavens, and there certainly wasn't a face to be recognized among the clouds.  Nevertheless—piercing the superficial layers of it all—Flash Sentry somehow knew what it all meant.

"Magnolia..."  He grimaced, trembling.  A tear rolled down his cheek as he felt chills running down his dolled-up body.  "Mom... Dad..."  His voice rasped, trying to emulate the baritone it fought for in high school.  "I'm sorry.  I'm s-so sorry but..."  He sobbed, paralyzed to that place as the wave of darkness came.  "I can't!"

The flowers died all around him.  The forest bed turned to obsidian.

"I j-just can't...!"  He held a pair of gloved hands over his face.  "I'm so sick of trying to pretend—!"

Before that perilous thought could finish, he felt a tug to his center.  Flash shifted, standing up... only he wasn't.  A gasp escaped him, and he reopened his teary eyes to see that that wasn't all that had exited.  A cloud of pink had billowed outward from his body, a color that had a form... an outline of his own figure wearing the same exquisite dress.  She... he... they stood boldly in the center of the forest, fearlessly facing the incoming void as it thundered louder and closer.  Then, seconds later, the translucent shape twirled around with a ruffle of those layered skirts.  They looked down at Flash, and while he couldn't detect the features of the stranger, he somehow knew that they were smiling.

Something stood on the tip of Flash's tongue, something that he couldn't pronounced—although his entire being yearned to do it.

The moment broke when the figure reached down their hand, beckoning for Flash's.  Nervously, he reached a gloved wrist up—gasping when he felt a tug.  The pink shape had yanked him off the floor, and now it was leading him in a bold flight across what remained of the forest.  The speed of the stranger was indescribable.  Flash whimpered and clung to the arm of his savior, and somehow they clung back.  He sensed the figure's smile increasing in tenfold, and it melted his shivers away as the darkness receded behind.

Like bullets of photonic energy, the two "princesses" zoomed over the dreamscape.  Finally, at long last, the figure made a massive leap, hugging Flash close as they sailed into the sky.  Flash held on for dear life, watching as the forest turned to clouds and then into stars.  Soon, the two came to a tranquil stop on a carpet of galaxies and milky cosmos.  Everything that Flash had ever suffered from in life was an entire universe away.  He felt safe.  He felt secure.  But—most of all—he felt adored.

He gazed—awestruck—at the shape of his savior.

They turned to look back towards him.  The two stood at the same height, and for a moment Flash could make out the shape of the colorful silhouette's bangs.  He recognized how damnably similar the hair resembled his own—from any given point in his life.

"I..."  He stammered to say.  "...I know you..."  He sniffled, melancholic and thankful all at once—but mostly curious.  "I know your name..."  An apologetic whimper.  "But why can't I say it?"

The other princess said nothing.

He bit his lower lip.  "...does Sunset know it?"

He felt a pair of feminine hands grasping his face.  The unseen smile intensified, for the figure was leaning in towards his face.  Instead of a kiss, the two merged, their bodies and their dresses becoming one.  Yet again, Flash felt overwhelmed by the same joy and euphoria that had enraptured him as he ran like a schoolgirl into the flower bed.  There was an undeniable taste of innocence to it all, and yet—at the same time—he found that same energy culminating in his pleasure center, at the very base of his being.  It was naughty and holy all at once, and he felt himself drawn to it like a moth to the flame... only to discover the flame was inside him the entire time.

As the heat grew to a boiling point, he tried to scream out the name that eluded him...





All that escaped his waking lips was a squeak.  Breathless and sweating, Flash Sentry sat up in an enormous bed, surrounded by satin sheets and the scent of lilacs.

Sunset's room.

Hours had passed.  Or was it just minutes?

Flash couldn't tell.  He was exhausted—his heart and mind fried.

What's more, his tongue felt parched.

So—catching his breath—he spent a good half minute struggling to get out from under the sheets and the rest of that same minute endeavoring to land safely onto the bedroom floor below.  His body and mind—every nerve that existed within the twenty-two-year-old—tingled with the threat of a brand new numbness.  Very little could compare to the sensuous intensity of the vision he had just endured.  Only when Flash had managed a good dozen steps across the house did he finally detect a... tiny hint of moisture in the crotch of his briefs.  He hadn't completely emitted—thank Goddess—but there was no more doubting on what level the dream had "appealed" to him.  Had he been cavorting any longer in that mental flowery forest, he most certainly would have given Sunset a legitimate reason to go back on her insistence that he sleep in her bed.  The whole concept mortified him; he needed a drink of water badly... to wake up after waking up.

Flash found himself once again in Sunset Shimmer's main bathroom.  For having barely explored the lengths of this domain, Flash was quietly amazed at himself for finding his way around so easily.  The sun still hadn't risen outside; everything was mostly dark.  Yet, as he entered the room, he very clearly noticed one thing about it that had changed.  There was a stack of phone books positioned in the center of the room—right before the bathroom sink.

Flash Sentry blinked tiredly.  Then—after a momentary eye roll—he smiled once again at Sunset Shimer's nebulous spirit of generosity.  With a humble sigh, the petite young man stepped up onto the makeshift "stool" of phonebooks so he could competently reach the amazon's sink.  There—in waiting—the telepath had dutifully left for him a clean drinking glass that stood out from the rest of the estrogenical detritus.  As he filled it with tap water and took a sip, Flash's mind wandered—as did his eyes.

How much did Sunset have to do with that dream he just had?

She implied that she only made it so that he could become lucid to his own thoughts once unconscious... but...

...was that as far as it went?

Was she manipulating his visions somehow?

He finished his glass and swallowed the cool liquid down his throat.  In a pensive stance, Flash clutched the container demurely in two hands as he looked at his tiny reflection in the bathroom mirror.

No...

Even if she could read his thoughts, she couldn't know everything about him...

Including the things that he didn't know...

Gulping, Flash freed one hand and stretched it towards the mirror.  The face in the glass wasn't a cryptic figure of pink translucence... but he felt like caressing it all the same.

There was a name.  It stood on the tip of his tongue.  It bristled with the desire to be manifested the moment the figure saved him from the thunder of his metaphoric anxieties.

But why couldn't he pronounce it?  Was he unable to... or unwilling to?

And why did everything about it feel so innocent... so precious... so familiar?

Flash sighed.  With a defeated slump, he placed the glass down.  His thin wrist brushed against something that rattled in a separate container.

He looked over, eyes narrowing in the dim light.

There rested a pair of toothbrushes in a plastic cup beside the sink.  Both had bristles bent after multiple uses.  One had a bright orange handle and the other was colored midnight purple.

Flash blinked.  He scanned the rest of the bathroom.  It was then that he noticed that not all of the body care products and deoderants lying messily around were lilac-scented... but several followed a completely different motif whatsoever.  He saw illustrations of moonflowers on multiple containers, many of them bunched into their own segregated corner of the washroom.

The young man dwelled on that for a moment... until the exhaustion of the undying night nearly made him teeter off the phonebooks.  Stepping down gingerly, he exited the bathroom and headed back towards his prior sleeping arrangements.

Something shook through the house.  Loudly.

He paused in his tracks.  Tender toes kneaded the plush carpet in a pensive manner.

There was another vibration, laced with the muffled sound of a voice from somewhere.

Flash's poor little heart skipped a beat.  He turned around, trembling—as always when something frightened him.  Was there a fight going on outside?  Was somebody trying to break in?

Something tapped.  Rattled.  Like a pounding noise.

Against his better judgment, Flash slowly shuffled towards the vague source of the outburst.  This took him around a corner.  He saw a window he hadn't seen anymore.  The sky was a dark overcast, but the tiniest hint of a silver dawn loomed beyond the treetops.  It must have been getting close to early morning.

One last time, there was a pronounced outburst, followed by what could best be described as thumping footsteps.  However, the sound didn't move anywhere—instead localized to one spot.

At long last, a numb Flash Sentry found that spot.  There was a door a few steps down—a shut door.  Whatever room lay beyond, Flash couldn't guess, but he detected the hint of a flickering glow rippling beneath the frame.  Like candlelight.  Something was happening inside.  Possibly happening to someone.

"S-sunset?" Flash murmured.  It was a whisper, and nobody in that same hallway—much less past a shut doorframe—could possibly have heard him.  Nevertheless, he approached the door.  All was silent now, but the flickering light remained beneath the frame.  Flash could feel his heart pounding with fear and worry.  "Sunset, is... e-everything...?"  His voice came to a cold stop.

He could hear heavy breaths from within—as if someone was hyperventilating.  Albeit—a very calm and controlled hyperventilation.  Flash was quite familiar with the sound.  It was something he often experienced at the end of a good long cry.

Instantly, his heart ached for her.  Sunset must have been going through something horrible—what it was, he couldn't pretend to guess.  But considering all the changes that her and her friends' bodies had gone through—as collective victims and champions of Equestrian magic—there was no telling just what unfathomable toll it must have taken on their spirits as well.

He reached out to knock on the door... or turn the knob... or do anything—really.  But the boi couldn't bring himself to finish any of those gestures.  Thinking back on all the things Sunset had done for him, he was the weaker and needier half of every exchange.  This was Sunset's domain, and so long as they both dwelled within, she was the one in charge.  There would be no point in confronting her then and there.  If nothing else, he would be better off gently bringing the matter up when they were both in a state of relaxation and peace.

All of these things Flash told himself to excuse drawing back from the door and its flickering light below.  And yet—as he turned around with somber resolve—he couldn't shake the gnawing fact that he was simply a coward.  Just how could he help Sunset like she had helped him?  There was a reason why he insisted that he find a place on his own.  This would all end with him taking advantage of her good graces, just like he had taken advantage of Magnolia's and his folks'.

And yet, Sunset had insisted that he stay "a little longer."  It was all so very confusing, and it thoroughly exhausted the poor boi.

Quietly, he swam back into the center of Sunset's bed, clad in her shirt and lilac scent, hoping—mayhaps even dreaming—that such exhaustion would aid him until morning.
> Beholding Breakfast, Bedshirts, and Bountiful Bevvies of B-Words.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The warm world bloomed with a floral breeze, and that's how a waking boi remembered he was in a woman's bed in a woman's home.  Flash Sentry's eyes squinted open, and the once-dark shadows of Sunset Shimmer's bedroom were replaced by a hazy gray sheen—courtesy of the morning light peeking in through thick curtains.  A trilling sound escaped his cute throat as the small thing sat up, surrounded by a sea of satin.  Even if he tossed and turned all night, his frail body couldn't come close to disturbing the immense sheets encompassing him.  It had been the epitome of comfort, and even the trailing ends of slumber carried with them a whiff of lilac as they dwindled from his petite nostrils.

Squeaking again, the boi rubbed his left eye with a balled up first... then his right.  He blinked inquisitively across the room.  The door was hanging ajar, and he sensed electric light brimming from the other half of the domain.  Flash's mind wandered... and he couldn't recall any intense visions in the latter half of his sleep.  Sunset's "spell"—or whatever she had placed on his dainty mind—must have worn off sometime shortly after his trip to the bathroom.

The bathroom.  Flash winced.  He remembered padding softly... nervously across the room at night.  He remembered hearing Sunset's distressed breaths from beyond the guest room door.  He remembered how much of a foreign object he felt, meandering about in a bedshirt like he belonged in that sacred domain.

She had done so much for him—so much more than he could possibly deserve.  It was clear that there'd be no chance of talking the amazon out of being even more generous.  Flash felt a pit forming in his throat.  Yes, Sunset Shimmer had been cruel to him in the past... exceedingly cruel... but she in no way deserved him taking advantage of her kindness.  If this situation prolonged for more than a day—Flash feared—that's exactly what would happen.  There were things in life Flash wasn't comfortable living with.  Perhaps that's why he had remained alone for so long before she found him—

"...?"  Flash's eyes fell on an object situated beside the bed.  It wasn't there when he last fell asleep.  Curious, the twenty-two year old boi had to slide out from under the sheets and crawl his tiny self over to the edge of the massive bed to see it better.

The large ottoman from Sunset's vanity had been pushed over to the bedside.  At first, Flash assumed it was meant to be an improvisational stepping stool... but Flash wasn't quite that tiny.  It took a few seconds of adjusting to the dawnlight for Flash to realize that a new shirt had been placed there on the furniture—angled for him to see it upon waking.

A new bedshirt.  Neatly folded.  Crisp and unwrinkled—likely to replace the already-thrice-worn Betty Boop monstrosity that Flash had randomly picked up from where it had been unceremoniously tossed several hours before.  Despite the familiar lilac scent to what Flash was currently wearing, a part of him shuddered upon the realization that it was dirty laundry likely unwashed from a fortnight ago.

Even without being there physically, Sunset Shimmer was reading the boi's mind.

Another focused scan of the room showed that a lot of the junk and messiness from the night before had been curiously cleaned up since the last time Flash saw.  It would seem that Sunset came into the place to freshen the bedroom up—all while Flash had been sleeping soundly like an infant.

He truly... truly was helplessly in her care.

Nevertheless, Flash quietly acquiesced to the gesture.  He swiveled out of bed and plopped down onto the soft carpeted floor.  Approaching the ottoman, he reached down... and down and down for the hem of the nightshirt he had been sleeping in.  Raising it over his body felt tantamount to hiking a ballgown over his entire frame.  For a brief moment he stood—feeble and shivering—in nothing but his tightie whities... in a tall buxom amazonian woman's bed.

The air was nipply cold; autumn was seeping in through the foundations of the house.  Flash glanced nervously towards the door—hung open like a gaping maw.  With nervous hands, he reached for the shirt on the ottoman.  Only once the full length of it had unfolded did he notice how violently... pink it was.  This article was even more horrendously "girly" than the Betty Boop fiasco, with short sleeves that ended in translucent baby pink ruffles and a matching hem that flared like flower petals.  A different cartoon female adorned the "bust" of this fuchsia catastrophe—namely Princess Peach from the Mario Brothers franchise.  She gave its viewer a winking smile while brandishing a frying pan.  Beside her, in elaborate font, words splayed:  "Let's Get This Slumber Party Cooking!"

Flash rolled his eyes, his vocal cords strung out between a whimper and a groan.  No doubt the valkryie of olde hadn't entirely given up on teasing him.  Still, the house was chilly and the outside world even chillier.  The boi easily dove into the outfit for warmth—if nothing else.  He clenched his jaw as the enormous bedshirt settled around him, expecting the fabric to scrape his stupidly sensitive nipples.  To his surprise and satisfaction, it felt like slipping into a cloud.  The fabric of the shirt was amazingly soft—like a godly tier above actual terry cloth.  What's more, it had a completely different scent to it... like cotton candy... or standing in the middle of a confectionary at Disney's Magic Kingdom.  Flash got the distinct feeling that this... wasn't one of Sunset's shirts.  Even though it looked and felt like something designed for a six year old, it was definitely built to her exact frame... but somehow it just looked and felt and smelled too... ... ...sugary sweet for Sunset.

Naturally, the girly-girly article fit on the boi like a bathrobe.  Only his tender feet were exposed, and they were goosepimpled with the chill from the autumn morning.  It was then that Flash realized that a pair of socks were lying on the ottoman as well.  Again—some goddess somewhere was reading his mind.  To further add to the valkyrie's playfulness, they were somehow even pinker than the bedshirt, with little cupcake emoticons adorably dotting the thick anklete of the fabric.  Another stifled groan, and Flash slipped these on as well.  They slid up beyond his calves, like mini stockings.  Nevertheless, he felt warm... and just "snug" enough.

Feeling assaulted by pink clouds, he nevertheless braved an exit from the room.  With the advent of dawn, the truly epic height and scale of the household yawned above and before him.  The boi felt more as though he was spelunking through an enormous cavern than traversing his ex-girlfriend's domain.  Sunset had claimed that she had "friends in high places" who could afford such a place constructed for a modern day magical amazon.  Flash wondered just how much money went into it—and at what point between CHS graduation and then was it actually built?  Also—did the rest of Sunset Shimmer's close friends have matching superhouses?  And were those girls also harboring tiny petite femboi houseguests that they teased with oversized slumber party bedshirts?

These rambling thoughts evacuated Flash Sentry's mind, replaced instead by the scent of bacon and eggs.  The delightful smell was coming from the kitchen, and the boi lurched towards it like a spellbound zombie.  Once he entered, he had to squint.  The window above the sink was wide open, and the sun's rays were wafting in, golden and gorgeous.  And seated at the kitchen table—cradling a mug of coffee in her graceful hands—was the antithesis to the phenomenon transpiring outside.  And yet—Sunset Shimmer was smiling... with a genuine, rosy smile the likes of which Flash hadn't seen on her person in a long time... if ever.

He blinked.

In the god rays of the waking dawn, she truly looked like a divine entity.  Her hair was a tangled, fiery mess... and it was abundantly clear that—despite having been awake for several minutes... perhaps hours—she hadn't bothered straightening her bangs one bit.  A warmth permeated her exposed limbs.  The amazon was dressed in a turqoise sports jersey tied beneath the bust, exposing her midriff and belly button.  Beneath that she wore color-clashing orange boyshorts and purple socks.  It was more than evident that she had haphazardly thrown on this lazy getup at some point.  On any normal human being, these clothes would have been practically blanketing—but on her gargantuan body they made Sunset look like a scantily-clad teen supermodel straight out of an adorasexy photo shoot.  For as long as a mesmerized Flash gazed at this casual masterpiece of feminine sexuality, she remained staring out the window with a prolonged, dumb grin.  She took a sip of the mug's contents, took a deep breath, and hummed in utmost tranquility.

From an astronomical unit of kitchen tile away, Flash cleared his delicate throat.

Slowly—like melting syrup—Sunset's gaze turned from the sunrise to face him.  Flash wondered what could possibly distract a telepath for so damnably long.  It soon became evident that Sunset... wasn't wondering the same.

"Oh..."  And somehow her smile brightened upon acknowledging him.  "Good morning, sweetie."  She cooed and purred at the same time.  For as bright and awake as her eyes were, her lids hung heavy with a comfy sleepiness.  She took yet another sip and exhaled.  "Had any good dreams?"

"I... uh..."  Flash shifted in his pink-pink socks.  "...thanks to you, I did."

She giggled—even with the enormity of her frame and her capacity for sexiness—the amazon could still sound like a high school girl with a single outburst.  "Thank yourself, Flash.  I don't sculpt the dreams.  I just give you a front row seat."

"It..."  Flash bit his bottom lip.  His eyes wandered towards her exposed belly button beneath the jersey—it was so large in scale that he was certain the amazon could fit a pocketwatch in it.  "...it was n-nice... but..."

"Too intense?" she asked, reminding him that she was indeed still telepathic.

He exhaled, his eyes wandering towards her golden thighs beneath the kitchen table.  "I... uh..."  Her socked toes were wriggling as soon as his gaze fell on them.  He had been caught—so he winced.  "...I-I don't think a third night in the row of your 'gift' would be good for me."  He ran a hand through his silk blue bangs.  "I'm afraid of my brain being fried."

"Don't you worry your cute head," Sunset said.  She placed the mug squarely down on the tabletop and scooted out in in the large chair.  "I won't ever let anything bad like that happen to you."  With that said, she stood up.

Flash's eyes widened as she sashayed over.  There was just... so much of her.  So much leg.  Blushing furiously, the boi looked away, his tiny fists clenching as several mismatched words caught in his throat.

They all escaped him in a gasp as she knelt her mountainous self down and enveloped him in the softest of hugs.  She felt... warmer that morning, and there was a gentle quality in her voice that rang with melodic joy and comfort.  Even trapped inside those gigantic limbs surrounding him, Flash could have sworn he sensed her bones buzzing... vibrating... as if every square inch of the beautiful woman was on fire with an enviable, youthful joy.

"I'm so glad you're here, Flash," she purred, then leaned back to examine his cute face.  She looked high as a kite and totally unashamed of it too.  "Isn't it such a good thing?  That you're here?  That you're safe and sound?"

He blinked, staring full-force into her inescapable strength and beauty.  "Uhhhhhhh..."

Sunset smiled even more, and she ran a dominant hand all the way through his luscious sapphire locks.  "Mmmmm... seems my brushstrokes stood the nocturnal test of time."  A wink.  "Didn't I tell you?"

"I... g-guess...?"  Flash shivered slightly in her embrace.  Being so close to her, his nostrils tickled with the cotton candy smell of the shirt, as if Sunset's bosom was a cave and the clothing's innate perfume was a whimper echoing back at him.

"It's Pinkie Pie's," the telepath droned, standing up in front of him.  Flash's standing gaze was level with the tied bottom hem of her jersey as she backstepped towards the kitchen counter, leaning slinkily against it.  "She left it here countless weekends ago.  Even after a wash, it still smells like it came straight out of a candy factory."  Sunset chuckled, hugging her arms before her bosom.  "I love Pinkie Pie but I prefer some spice in place of all that sugar, you feel me?"

"I... uh..."  Flash had to shake his head to stop staring at her exposed navel.  "Do you think she would mind?"

"What?"  Sunset smirked.  "You borrowing her Nintendo shirt or you staring at my body?"

Flash winced, nearly slipping on the cold kitchen tile.  "Sorry!"  He held two tiny hands up like a mime erecting a wall between them.  "I'm s-so sorry!"

"Flash—" Sunset laughed.

"Th-that's totally rude of me!"  Flash gulped, gazing holes into the floor, wall, ceiling—anywhere but the space that the goddess was occupying.  "You're d-doing so much to help me and I-I'm just being disrespectful—"

"Flaaaaaaaash—!" She was practically bellowing with laughter now, shaking the whole house.  She stepped towards him again, one immaculate leg after another.  "Even if—what could you possibly do to me?  Hmmm?"

He bit his lip.  His head hung slightly.

"Ohhhh Flash..."  She stood above him with a calm, adoring smile.  "You really should learn to relax, sweetie."  Then—with effortless motion—she gently grabbed him by the waist and lifted him like a small child.  "For what it's worth... I didn't know you had it in you."

His confusion was outmatched ever so slightly by his shame.  He stared off—even as she carried the boi over to a chair before the kitchen table.  "Had it... in m-me...?"

"Mmmhmmm."  She set him down so that he sat opposite of where her mug was placed.  "Back when we dated, you never stared at me like that."

"I... uhm..."  Flash fidgeted.  The chair and table were larger in scale than typical furniture—which made him wonder how his small frame could presently see over the placemat.  He glanced down and mentally cursed upon seeing two phonebooks stacked up beneath his tush.  Sunset had planned this well in advance.  "Erm..."  He finally returned to the moment, looking bashfully up at her.  "I never wanted to be that guy."

"Honestly..."  Sunset walked towards the kitchen counter—and towards the source of the scrumptious smell.  "...there were times when I thought you were never into me at all."

Something sparked inside of Flash—like a lightning bolt.  He sat up straight and stammered:  "No way!  H-how could you say that?!  You were a goddess...!"

She glanced briefly over her shoulder.  "...a goddess of misery, perhaps."

He clenched his hands against the table, jaw tight.  "You were a goddess, Sunset," he said firmly.  "Just like you are now... only... sm-smaller..."  He gulped, shoulders shrinking a bit.  "Not that it made much of a difference.  You still towered over me."

"I bet part of you liked that, at least."

He said nothing.

"Oh Flash... I'm only teasing."  She chuckled lightly, her voice still vibrating with the same joyous mirth that she woke up with that morning.  He envied it.  "You only ever treated me with love and respect when we dated."  A brief, lethargic sigh.  "I only wish I returned the favor back then."

"You sure that isn't what this is all about?" he asked.

"Flaaaaaaaaaash..." She chided like a mother on the cusp of frowning.

He winced.  "Sorry.  Uhm... truth is..."  He glanced at her while gripping the edge of the table nervously.  "...I was always so very flattered, Sunset."

It was her turn to be silent.

"To think that... th-that a guy like me..."  He gulped.  "...th-that a wimpy little sissy like me could be seen going out with such a catch—"

"You weren't wimpy," she clarified.  She giggled.  She purred:  "Honestly, Flash, you don't give yourself enough credit.  You never did.  The fact is—people back at CHS respected you."

His eyes darted up... then narrowed.  "...the Hell?"

"I'm serious!  Well... maybe it wasn't the kind of respect that you wanted, but..."  She picked up two plates and wandered over to the table.  "Face it.  You were always an angel.  A cherub.  If someone was seen with the likes of you, then all the kids at CHS wouldn't have any reason to doubt my intentions."

"So... that was why you asked me out from the beginning?"  Flash droned.  "To use me as cover for your schemes?"

She exhaled slightly, standing over the table with both breakfast platters.  "... ... ...well, you always had an eye for beauty, didn't you?"  She smirked.  "Even if you were too much of a gentleman to use that eye.  Think of it this way, Flash..."  She placed the plates down and sat her beautiful frame down across from him.  "...you're not the only one who was flattered."

"Yes, well... I..."  Any semblance of a response faded when he laid his eyes on the food before him. It wasn't anything to be surprised at, really.  The bacon, eggs, and hash browns looked positively delicious.  It was obvious that Sunset spent the better part of an hour preparing this meal—but that wasn't what surprised Flash either.  Rather, what intrigued him was that—when he looked across the table—her platter was absolutely identical to his.  "Sunny..."

"Hmmmm?"  Her response was muffled—for she was eating a slice of bacon with utmost ease.  A patient pair of eyes rested on him.

He wasn't certain whether or not to wince.  "You... that is... don't you...?"  He cleared his throat.  "Bacon, though...?"

She blinked at him... then down at her meal.  "Oh..."  Once again, Sunset smiled deliciously into the dawnlight.  "Nothing to be freaked out about, Flash.  I promise you."

The boi squirmed atop the phonebooks.  "You sure...?"

"Yes.  I am."  She plucked another strip of bacon from the plate and took a liberal bite.  "Mrmmmfff... a lot of time has gone by, Flash.  I no longer fear a nonexistent reprisal from a nonexistent cabal of swine in Equestria."  She swallowed, dabbing her chin with a napkin.  "Or bovine or avian, for that matter."

"I... don't think I ever thought of it that way."

"Then good."  She smirked, stabbing a fork into her eggs next.  "Griffons are carnivores.  Ponies have lived peacefully alongside them thousands of years.  Same with naga.  Minotaurs.  Wyverns.  Squirrels..."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh—"

"Horse meat, though?"  She wagged her untensil before taking a calm bite.  "Mrmmmff... that's where I draw the line."  A swallow.  "Could ya blame me?"

Flash shrugged, sporting a nervous smile.  "Guess when it all gets filtered through a magic metabolism, it's almost like you're not really fully consuming meat anyways, huh?"

"Will you just shut up and chow down already?  Damn..."

"S-sorry!" Flash squeaked and eagerly dug into his meal.

Sunset giggled, downing another bite of eggs.  She leaned her chin playfully against a palm and gazed at her petite houseguest as he nibbled.  "Gotta wake up and smell the roses, Flash," she hummed.  "This is my home now... and I'm not truly intent on dwelling here while pretending I have a different body's appetite."

"So... you've accepted it, then?"  Flash looked up between bites, politely using his fork and knife like he was at an Olive Garden.  "You're human."

"I'm superhuman," Sunset said.  "And I've learned to relax with it.  Besides..."  She sipped from her coffee.  "...once you've tasted bacon, can you really go back?"

"I dunno."  Flash shrugged.  "Certain religions get by."

"Most religions can't pony-up and read minds," Sunset said.  "Not that that's a bad thing."  She smirked.  "Catholics get to eat fish on Friday.  Meanwhile, Applejack and Pinkie Pie get to blow up cars.  It's a fair trade."

Flash swallowed.  "Just... how do the Elements of Harmony deal with so much collateral damage?"

"Oh... it's not as bad as the news makes it sound like," Sunset said.  "Most of that destruction is the doing of... er... whatever monster or hyper-powered evil sorceress we're up against at that particular moment."

"Still, it's gotta be stressful making sure things don't go south."

"We manage pretty well!  It's gotta be said!"  Sunset winced slightly.  "Well... we used to.  But lately... ... ..."  She gazed out the morning window—although this time with considerably less mirth.

Flash gazed at her.

Sunset eventually sighed.  "Yes, well... we're working on that..."  She turned towards him, regaining her sweet expression.  "And making swift progress too—I suspect."

Flash stared down at his plate.

"...don't tell me you're not actually hungry," Sunset muffled through a half-full mouth.

"No.  I'm... it's..."  Flash put on a slight smile.  "It's very delicious.  Really."

"Good."  Sunset nodded.  "Nice to know that Pinkie leaves more than just her clothing around my place.  I've learned a lot from her cooking and baking skills.  Applejack's too..."

"I just can't help but wonder..."  Flash shrank a bit in his seat.  "Your powers... and losing them... as you have as of late..."

"Yes, Flash? What about it?"

"Does... does it come with any discomfort?" the boi asked worriedly.  "Does it hurt to be losing grip of what makes the Elements of Harmony so powerful?"

"No.  It doesn't hurt per se... but it does make things very awkward.  Like... like feeling naked and vulnerable all of a sudden.  Grating... confusing... but not painful."

Flash gripped the handle of the fork in his grasp.  "... ... ...then how come I heard you in such distress last night?"

Sunset froze.  When perfectly still, the amazon resembled a mountain.  Flash was fearful she might erupt at any moment.  Instead, the breath that came out of her was soft... searching.  "Last night...?"

It was awkward to catch a telepath off guard.  Flash considered saying something.  Instead, he acted out the moment in his head: wandering the hallways, stumbling by the guest room door, hearing Sunset's muffled whimpers of distress—

"Oh!"  Sunset eyes widened as she leaned back.  "Oh fuck!"

Flash was already cringeing.  "I'm sorry!  I-I'm sorry, Sunset, it's just... it's just that I'm so concerned that you might be in pain with all this magical draining and—"

"Hah hah hah hah hah!"  The room thundered as she pounded the table and wheezed for breath.  Tears formed atop her rosy dimples.  "Ohhhhhhhh fuck!"

He blinked.

"Shit..."  She held a hand over her smiling face.  "Shit I should have known the dream spell wouldn't have konked you out for that long...!"

"Uhhhhhhhh—"

"Ahem... uhhh..."  She tried to compose herself—a giggly debacle at best.  She looked away from him, choosing to perform an anxious autopsy on her plate instead.  "I was not in 'distress,' Flash, sweetie.  Far from it, I assure you."

His soft brow furrowed.

"Had I known that you would be up and about in the middle of the night..."  She didn't finish that, just like she couldn't finish her breakfast all of a sudden.  Her eyes and body froze in place, and Flash saw beads of sweat forming across her beautiful face.

"Then..."  He leaned innocently forward.  "...just what were you doing?"

She chewed on her lip.  She fidgeted in place.  She looked up at him—

Right at that moment, a symphonic sonata lit the air.  Flash nearly fell off his phonebooks.  He looked to the table to see something vibrating.  There was a device there.  It was the size of an enormous tablet, and the flickering background was of a series of twinkling constellations.  Sunset swiftly picked the item up, and in her massive hand it resembled a normal-sized iPhone.  Her finger dragged across the surface and she eagerly held the mobile up to her golden ear.

"Yes, bae?"

Silence.

Sunset's eyes widened.  "Already?  You're finished?"

More silence—tenser.

"No!  I mean... yes!  Just a little!  I didn't expect you to be working on it so soon..."

Flash cocked his head to the side.

Sunset's smile widened and she shot up to her feet with the "phone" in hand.  "Hell yeah, I still need it!  Do you have any idea how out-of-my-gizzard I've been?!  Why, just last night, I...!"  She clenched her teeth, remembered the boi seated at the table across from her, and coughed loudly.  "That's okay.  That's—... ... ...I'll be right over."  A pause.  "Yes, now!  Besides... it'll give us a chance to see how helpful it is in the long run!"

"Sunset...?" Flash meekly tried.

She glanced at him, then back out the window.  "Just stick around.  I'll be there super quick.  I... uh... I don't want to leave our guest alone any longer than I have to, considering..."

Flash's lips pursed.

"Right.  Right.  Of course!  Me too.  Love ya.  Mwah!"  She kissed the air and swiped the call off.  "Flash, sweetie..." She finished the remains of her coffee in one giant gulp.  "...I gotta go."

"Go?  Go where?"

"It won't be for long.  I promise."  She scurried across the kitchen, placing her mug in the seat and making sure the stovetop was off.  "There's just something I... uh... something that I need.  That we need."

"We—?"  Flash said—then flung his gaze away from her in a blushing gasp.

Without thinking, Sunset had stripped her top off while thudding across the house—presumably towards her room to get dressed for going out.  Flash's periphery got a hint of burgundy bra-straps... then accompanying lace panties as her boyshorts also dropped to the hallway floor.  Her womany voice echoed from her bedroom as she rummaged around.  "It's all gonna be okay, Flash!  You!  Me!  The Elements of Harmony!  Whew!  Everything's coming together!  Yeah!"

"B-but I st-still don't understand...!"  He stammered, his soft face red as a beet.  He tried to chase away images in his mind of a buxom amazon goddess in sultry red lingerie, but between each stuttering word he consistently failed.  The poor boi squirmed, fearing for the cover of the topmost phonebook beneath him.  "Who was that just now?!"

"Twilight!" the valkyrie's voice carried back... followed shortly by her body.  Somehow—as if with magic—she had managed to put on jeans, a t-shirt, and a leathery jacket.  She brushed her gorgeous hair into a fiery frame as she drifted past the kitchen and towards the front door.  "I gotta go meet her for a bit.  It won't be long, I promise."  She pointed at the table.  "Go on and finish breakfast.  You can have what's on my plate too—Celestia knows your bones could use it."

"M-my bones...?"

"Love ya, sweetie."  She blew a kiss as she grabbed her keys and sashayed out the door.  A flash of fire and a smile:  "Your laptop's fully charged in case you wanna pass the time googling fall dresses'n'shit."

"Googling dr-dresses—?"

"The house is yours—just don't do anything naughty while I'm gone.  Heehee!"  A giggle and a wave and she vanished.

"Sunset!  Wait—!"

The door thudded and she was gone.  Flash could make out her mammoth bootsteps through the walls of the house as she traversed the driveway.  Then—there was the roar of her car engine and she was gone.

Flash was alone in an amazonian woman's house.  Once again, the telepath had left him clothed, warm, and fed.

So why did he feel like he was left high and dry?

His thoughts lingered on the sounds he had heard through the guest room the previous night... and why the mention of it had made Sunset laugh so hard.  Then sweat.

Next, he looked down at the phonebooks and the chair and...

"... ... ...how in the heck do I get down?!?"
> I Swear to Emma Thompson That This Isn't a Latex Fetish Fic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry was a dainty eater.  This—among a whole slew of other prissy things—was an inescapable truth that he had to live with.  To his chagrin, he didn't have a chance to 'fess up to Sunset about it before she skipped out of the house... although part of him suspected that she knew about it quite well.

He consumed the breakfast as best as he could, but he didn't finish his own plate—much less have a chance to touch the bacon and eggs on hers.  There was no way Flash was prepared to put the food to waste, especially since it was comprised of mostly meat and dairy products and had been cooked up by a magical otherworldly horse girl.  So—after a bit of rummaging—he found a cabinet where Sunset stored plastic containers.  This proved to be a bit of an adventure and involved standing precariously atop a well-positioned chair.  Nevertheless, the slight boi dutifully acquired a medium-sized box and scooped the remaining edibles into it.  Storing them in the fridge proved even more adventurous; the appliance was sized to appropriately match a seven foot six inch goddess, and Flash huffed and puffed before his meager muscles were finally able to hoist the refrigerator's massive door open.  Afraid of being stuck in the proverbial tomb, he all-but-tossed the plastic container inside and allowed the fridge to slam shut on its own.

Catching his breath, Flash took a look around the kitchen and... simply couldn't leave it in the disarray that it was in.  So—with the utilization of another chair—he stood before the amazon's sink and manually hand-washed the dishes and cooking ware.  This turned out to be a great deal more therapeutic than one might expect.  However, being used to living alone from a very young age, Flash managed brilliantly, humming a Disney tune or two (or three) to himself in the process.  When he was done, he had an entire assortment of squeaky-clean dishes and utensils resting in the dish drainer.  He followed that up with a clean sweep of the counter and table and soon the kitchen was practically spotless... or at least as well as a five foot nothing creature of miniscule masculinity could manage.

He knew that Sunset hadn't asked him to do all of that.  But she did give him close to virtual free reign over the household.  In truth, Flash never truly felt "at home" unless it was a clean home.  Apart from the work he had done on the kitchen and the brief brush-up Sunset had done in her bedroom while she was sleeping, the place still looked very... ... ... erratic.  Random nick-nacks, articles of clothing, and oodles of young adult humanity lay scattered across every other platform and corner of the place.  Flash always knew Sunset to be something of a wild genius—prone to organized chaos.  He couldn't berate her for it; if he too had magically arrived from a land where sapient creatures possessed only hooves, he'd leave things lying around too.  It was a good enough excuse for him to live with... at least an excuse that made him giggle slightly inside.

Part of Flash—the girly part, which was the only part—always wondered what the magical unicorn version of his ex-girlfriend actually looked like. He just never thought he'd dwell on the topic... not until now, when his entire life had been essentially hijacked.

For that truly was the case.  He never asked to be scooped up out of the streets and poured lovingly into her lilac-scented bed.  While Sunset pretended to give the boi many "outs," she was clearly quite intent on keeping him there—or at least keeping him from being elsewhere.  It was a delightful gesture—to be sure—but it still minimized his agency.  Being forced into something was a sensation Flash hadn't experienced since... well... since he had gone steady with a girlfriend/valkyrie/bully.

And he'd be lying to himself—at least on some small level—if he claimed that he didn't entirely enjoy that helplessness.

Before Flash knew it, he had gone about the living room, front room, and adjacent hallways—picking up the random junk he had found lying around.  It helped him concentrate... or perhaps not concentrate, as he waited for time to limp by.  Within half an hour, he had collected all of the scattered mess into separate piles placed neatly into the northeast corner of each room.  Sunset might be mad at him, but at least the junk had been compartmentalized, and Flash would be sure to ask her what to do with it when she got back.

Diligent or not, the whole ordeal left him feeling more than a little bit sweaty and anxious.  Plus, he had the delicious-yet-greasy taste of bacon lingering in his little mouth.  There was only one thing Flash yearned to do when his world felt unwaveringly yucky.

He took a shower.  His second within less than eightteen hours of being there.  He knew that Sunset wouldn't mind—even if she thought it was silly.  If Flash had a place of his own—or at least a permanent place of his own that wasn't held hostage by his folks—he'd take more than three showers a day.  He just felt so good feeling... good.  Squeaky clean.  Fresh.  Pleasantly-scented.  There were several types of soap that he possessed back at his last apartment, but they were likely lost in a trash compactor now.  Even as he scrubbed himself clean in the steamy domain of an old friend, he still couldn't get over the fact that he was now adrift... bereft of his own bed... essentially homeless.  It was more than clear why someone like Sunset would look at him and immediately want to help the boi.  Her kindness and—yes—even her teasing managed to distract him from the harrowing turn his life was making.  It was a bit too stunning for him to conjure up the proper gratitude.  So, instead, he showed his thanks by relying on proper memory:

After getting out of the shower, he laid a towel over the toilet, sat there, and proceeded to brush out his hair just like Sunset had the night before.  It was oddly therapeutic, and he found himself attempting to mimic the gentle motions the amazon had done with her hands.  It didn't feel nearly as heavenly on his own, but he managed well enough.  As he fixed his sapphire hair straight, the naked young man glanced around the bathroom.  It was very silly: the bathroom stall, sink, and towel racks were all clearly designed for an epically tall human being... but the toilet hung low to the ground—resembling a bidet.  Sunset wasn't kidding about the purpose and expense that went into constructing this house.  It was specifically designed so that a normal person could go number one or number two while the true owner did everything else.

That was another thing Flash couldn't get over.  Sunset simply had less biological functions to worry about.  He couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse—what magic had done to her.  On one hand, it seemed nifty to be able to eat and drink without fear of metabolic consequences... or perhaps there were still consequences but they manifested themselves differently?  Also, if Sunset didn't need to urinate or defecate anymore... did she still possess the same nether regions?  Did her tubes still end up flowing in the same direction, only completely empty?

Come to think of it... did magic do anything to her ability to produce a child?

A lump formed in his throat.  The sensitive boi couldn't help but feel immeasurable sympathy for the amazon/old friend... even if it was just a frightening theory at best.  Still, Sunset hadn't made any attempt to breach the topic, so he decided to keep silent about it on his own end.  In due time, he would find out more and more about the telepathic Element of Harmony—or so he was told.  At this point, Flash truly had no other recourse but to trust her.

Once dry and thoroughly brushed, Flash put the clothes back on—although he lingered in doing so this time.  As he was an avid fan of cleanliness, part of him regretted having to wear his briefs yet again.  This would make nearly two days in a row of wearing the same underwear... and for some reason that really miffed the boi.  Flash had always had the luxury of switching his... "intimates" on the fly.  But—as he was indeed now "homeless"—this was proving to be a new hurdle.  He didn't have another pair of briefs in his backpack.  Aside from the pants, shirt, and hoodie—all oversized—the rest of his wardrobe had bit the dust along with the rest of his possessions scooped up from his apartment.

With a somber sigh, Flash closed his eyes and slid the scratchy, cotton guy-briefs back up his slender frame.  First thing first—with Sunset's grace—he would go out somewhere to buy something... anything... to replace his wardrobe.  Something cheap that he could afford.  He'd even venture as far to purchase (insert audible shudder here) boxers.  Flash may in fact have been one of the tiniest-endowed-creatures on Mars, but that didn't change the fact that he liked to feel... protected "down there."  Wearing something loose and open like boxers secretly terrified him.  It was tantamount to dangling a canary from the ceiling of an enormous cave, knowing full-well that hidden crocodiles were present.  The poor boi crossed his legs at the absurd thought, and then came the time to adorn Pinkie's unwitting hand-me down.

Once again, the stupidly girly article fwoofed over his body like a cocktail dress... ... ...but this time he paused to look at the mirror from where he stood on the stool Sunset had placed there at the sink for him.  With his pixie-like features, long blue hair, and pouting lips... Flash looked like a shy younger sister who had gotten stuck with her older sibling's pyjama top.  Something deep inside Flash's sensitive chest fluttered, and he remembered his young self spending time with little girls his age and older—because he had no alternative.  He remembered how the young Flash endured such get-togethers... relished them, in fact.  There was a simple joy and elegance to embracing something that—given another circumstance, an alternative life—would have been looked on as "forbidden."  The daughters of his parents' house servants had accepted him as one of their own—a sweet little girl needing friends.  Here at age twenty-two and impossibly petite, he almost looked the part.  His eyes rested on the adoracute pastel image of Princess Peach winking up at him from the shirt's reflection and he felt a tingle all over... an inkling of that same innocence that once enchanted him before he was old enough to read.  But there was something else too... something he couldn't put words to... or was afraid to.

Sunset may have been teasing him with her choice of a "house shirt," but it was doing more to his fragile psyche than she could imagine.  Or—perhaps—the telepath knew more than she was letting on.  If this was all part of some devious plan, Flash wanted in on it... but he was afraid of what he'd end up finding out.  So—instead—he surrendered to the sweet cotton candy smell infused to Pinkie's article.  Relaxed somewhat, he slipped the pink socks back on and walked back into the house—fully clean and refreshed.

Along the way towards Sunset's bedroom, he passed by the door to the guest room...

...and he lingered.  His soft socks scuffled to a stop and he glanced at the door handle.  Just the night before, he had heard what sounded like tormented whimpering from within... but as soon as he mentioned it to Sunset, she had laughed it off like some sort of goofy spring break fiasco.  Flash's brow furrowed.  He licked his lips as he felt his fingers clenching and unclenching, all the while his beautiful blue eyes lingered on the door handle.

At long last, he forced himself forward with a burst of movement... leaving the door behind and entering Sunset's bedroom to fetch his phone and laptop.  Soon, he retired to the living room, climbing up onto the enlarged sofa and sitting cute and cross-legged with the unfolded computer on his lap.  True to her words, Sunset had charged the thing up fully.  The gesture brought a smile to Flash's face... until the desktop came up and he found himself blinking at an insanely pink background featuring Disney Princesses.

"The... fluff...???"

His eyes narrowed on a shortcut icon placed in the dead-center of his desktop.  He clicked on it, and a text file opened up.



Sorry, sweetie.  ;)  I simply couldn't resist.



Flash rolled his eyes with a sigh.

Nevertheless, he read on.



I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of running a virus sweep for you.  Didn't you realize that this thing was running on the slow side?!  You have to protect your stuff, Flash!  Also, the wi-fi password is "TireksRevenge3".  That's my favorite in the series.  But shhhhh... don't tell anyone!  qB^)



The boi ran a hand over his face, stifling a moan.

Was nothing sacred?

Not only did she abduct him from the CHS campus and virtually strip him...

...but she had gone perusing through his computer as well.

Flash truly was defenseless to Sunset Shimmer's intervening ways.  Part of him felt that—on some basic level—he should be righteously indignant.  But Flash was very bad at... being angry.  In truly beta fashion, he let it roll off his shoulders.  He linked himself to Sunset's router and clicked on his browser.

It loaded up in half a second, forcing him to blink.

"Wow," he squeaked.  Another blink.  "That is fast."  It usually took his computer half a minute to load up anything.  Maybe it was a good thing that he had the valkyrie back in his life.

Predictably—the first thing Flash did was check his e-mail.  He searched for a message from his folks... any message.

But there was none.

Nervous, he picked up his phone and activated it for the first time since waking in Sunset's house.

Also nothing.  There was no message from Magnolia... nothing on the call-waiting list... no message in response to his frantic pleas the afternoon before.

He had just been kicked out of his own apartment... virtually ostracized from the lives of his folks and sibling.  Did they simply not care about where he was or what had happened to him?  Did they—perhaps—just assume he was dead on the street and left it at that?

What happened to wanting him to follow in their footsteps?

Or was that no longer important anymore?  Had he run out of strikes?  Had their patience finally worn thin?

Flash sat there with the laptop weighted to his knees, grasping his mouth as he gazed into the upholstery of the room.  Tears were already welling up in his eyes.  In truth, there wasn't a day that went by when Flash didn't cry.  It was simply something he... normally did for therapeutic purposes.  It came naturally to the sissy boi.  T'wasn't something meant for melodrama or theatrics.  At so many avenues in his life, he felt encumbered by hopelessness, and a good long cry helped alleviate the thickness.

But this?  This was different.  This was the absent of order.  And the only thing that made any sense in Flash's young life—that gave him any semblance of a path to take—was the cornucopia of demands that his folks made... that his sister Magnolia Buckler had enforced.

And now...

...they were giving him radio silence.  It was nothing but the void... and Sunset's generosity and Pinkie Pie's fuchsia bedshirt were the only things keeping him afloat.

How lost would he be once he had failed them too?

Flash shuddered through another quiet sob, his eyes darting between beige purses and fur-lined coats and double-layered sundresses with brown accents and goddessdarnittoheck he was googling dresses again!  The amazonian telepath was right—Flash's most common pasttime was gently crying while silently gazing at galleries of women's outfits.

Flash quickly closed the search engine marked: women's autumn fashion color tag: brown.  He was about to shut off the laptop altogether...

...when he noticed an alert for a fresh new e-mail.

"!!!"

In a pallid blur, his delicate hand stroked the cursor towards opening it.

The message wasn't from Magnolia Buckler.  It wasn't from his folks neither.  Nevertheless, the open e-mail stole the breath away from him all the same.

It was a pre-generated message, animated in Adobe Flash—starring none other than Tinkerbell.  Drawn to digitized life, the bright-eyed Disney character waved a wand and then a series of elegant gold-on-pink font glittered to life:



HELLO AGAIN, OLD FRIEND!  IT'S SO NICE HAVING YOU BACK IN OUR LIVES, DARLING



Flash blinked; his lips pursed.  Sniffling, he glanced further down on the document.  There were six "signatures" lined up... all names that he knew from high school... all of Sunset's friends.  His eyes looked at the sender of the e-mail:  LadyRarity97@canterlotboutique.com.  Blinking, Flash looked at the middle of the animated message—just above the signatures:



WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!  BEST WISHES.  XOXOXOXO



A whimper escaped the boi's throat.  He practically leap-frogged over the laptop, fled across the house, and bolted back into the bathroom.  There—with trembling hands—he splashed water all over his face, attempting to drown out the ensuing sobs... and failing.

"Guhhhhhhhhh..."  He hiccuped and whimpered, seething through clenched teeth as he hunched over the edge of the large sink.  Tear drops fell into the faucet water as he clenched both fists and hissed into the dimly-lit air.  "Man up... man up ya frickin' sissy.  Why won't you man up?!?!"

Several minutes passed, and he eventually stopped hyperventilating.  He lifted his head, breathless and redfaced, until he finally gazed into his pitiful reflection.  A gulp, and he sputtered at the girly image he saw:

"You'll only disappoint them.  So man up.  Just... accept Sunset's generosity... then resume the search.  All is for nothing if your folks up and quit on you.  Do you understand?"  He tried to frown, but another wave of sobs came through instead.  He cupped his little palms over his eyes and wheezed.  "For once in your life why can't you act like a m-man?!?"

There was no response—not from Flash, not from the mirror, not from anything.  Flash sighed.  He wanted to feel angry, but instead all he could feel was guilty... guilty for letting down his parents... and guilty for producing the undesired outcome of the sweet message Sunset's friends had sent them.  It was more than evident by now that they were all waiting patiently to hear back about how he was fairing, and he couldn't even summon the strength to be happy or grateful for their empathy.  He really truly was useless.

With yet another sigh, he dried the water and tears from his face.  The day's "good cry" was over... for now.  He turned the faucet off... but lingered, gazing at the cup and toothbrush lingering on the counter.  Once again, he found the purple constellatory design on the objects to be hauntingly familiar.  Much like things he had seen in Sunset's bedroom.  In fact, they looked just like...

...just like the starry field that had appeared on Sunset's phone when she last received a call in front of him.

Flash chewed on his bottom lip.  Yet again, he chose to leave it be.  He exited the bedroom, shuffled down the hall...

...and lingered by the guest room door again.

"... ... ..."  He wrung his delicate fingers together, gazing at the doorknob.

A reflected pair of sapphire eyes gazed back.

Silence.  Reflection.  Squirming.  And then...

"... ... ...heck it."

Flash's wrist flung to the doorknob.  It was cold to the touch.  He turned the thing, half-expecting it to be locked.

But it wasn't.  The knob turned with the greatest of ease.  What's more, the room inside was dimly-lit with a rosy glow.  Whatever Sunset had been doing in there the night before, she had left the light on.

Slowly—curiously—Flash opened the door all the way.  He stopped himself before stepping in, though, because doing so—he discovered—would have meant a sudden drop.

"Huh?"

In the first few milliseconds, he thought he was looking into a set of basement stairs.

In the next few milliseconds, he realized the steps were only descending about three feet.  The room was situated lower than the house's general foundation.  But that wasn't the weird thing about it.

The weird thing was that the floor... the walls... the furniture... and even the ceiling was all uniformly coated with the same soft, squishy, laminated surface.  It was a fairly large room too—about the second largest compartment Flash had seen so far in Sunset's house, just after the front living room.  The light source came from thin fluorescent panels situated at even spaces across the ceiling in a semi-futuristic style, and they contributed to a distinctly rosy aura.

But that wasn't entirely the light's doing.  The "substance" texturing every surface of the room was akin to pink vinyl.  Or a bubble gum pink latex.  There were two noticeably large mattresses—or beds—but instead of cotton sheets they simply possessed plush pink surfaces, shiny and waterproof.  There were cushions—also pink and layered in latex material.  There was also a matching sofa... what looked like ottomans... and some sort of triangular-shaped piece of furniture.  In fact, there was a whole lot of oddly-shaped structures resting above waist-height to Flash's petite frame.  Like avante-garde future furniture.

"Uhmmm..."

The boi looked up.  He squinted.

There were objects sticking down from the ceiling in over eight places.  They were slinder and shiny and silver.  It took Flash a few blinking moments to realize that they were shower heads.

"Huh..."

The boi looked down.

He realized that the floor—shiny and plush and vinyl—was interlaced with a series of thinly-toothed metal grates.  While they were dry as a bone now, he realized that they had to have been drains.

Curious, Flash took his deepest breath since entering the place—inhaling through his nose.  He realized that the room had a wild hodpodge of conflicting scents.  Most were pleasant—sweet and sugary and even floral.  But beneath it all—or above it all—was this underlying muskiness that permeated every corner of the place.  It repulsed and allured him all at once.

Flash's eyes wandered towards the walls.  He found—fastened at random spots—shelves where half-empty tumblers were resting.  Scented candles.  Most of them had been capped off, and the tell-tale stain of soot lingered along the inner surfaces of the cylindrical glasses.  A few spaces away from these shelves were translucent panels—flippable lids, beneath which rested knobs and switches and other controls... ... ... for the lights?  The shower heads?  Both?

Something else caught Flash's eyes.  In the far corner of the place stood a pair of cabinets—tall, to match an amazon's height.  Curious, he shuffled down the steep steps.  His toes made contact with the floor, and even through the pink socks the room felt satisfyingly sterile and squishy to the touch.  There was a light "squelching" sound as he walked through the pink latex domain, approaching the cabinets on the far end.

Reaching up, he opened one cabinet.  It was filled to the brim—on every shelf—with towels, wash cloths, and potpourri.

"Uh huh..."

He closed this shut.

He opened the next cabint.

"Uhhhhh—"  His tongue clicked in the middle of his mouth as his slender grip locked on the opened cabinet door panel.

The shelves were full of... things.  Bright pink, purple, baby blue, and sultry red things.  Slender things.  Stubby things.  Beaded things.  Flash's eyes darted around.  He saw what looked like plugs—some jewel-studded, others narrow and ribbed—and then there were curved specimens with flared bases and tapering lengths and intricately sculpted "veins" and—

"Aahh!  Guh!"  He slapped the cabinet door shut and hopped back with a wincing expression.  The Princess Peach nightshirt flounced as he landed—but he wasn't the only one.

Th-Thap!  An equine dildo longer than the boi's forearm flopped freely onto the shiny pink floor.  It rotated to face a drain then wobbled to a stop, silicone testicles bubbling.

Flash couldn't choose between grimacing and giggling—until fate chose for him.

Whud!  The whole house shook as he heard the front door slamming from beyond.  "Flash!  Sweetie!  I'm back!"

"Oh gosh..."  Flash squirmed in place, dancing on pink cupcakes.  "Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh... uhm..."

"Sorry for taking so long!"  A valkyrie's footsteps.  "I made a stop along the way..."

"Uhhhh... erm..."  Sweating, Flash knelt down to grab the fake phallus.  He stopped at the last second, his fingers just millimeters from touching the obscene toy.  Fidgeting, he rushed up to the other cabinet, grabbed a random towel, and used it as a hand-guard, picking the unsavory object up like he was at an Ethiopian barbeque.  With careful motions, he hoisted the faux horse penis back into its home.  He sweated from how laughibly heavy it was.

"Twilight sends her love, by the way!"  The footsteps came closer.  Echoing down the hallway corner.  "The rest of the girls do, actually.  Did you check your e-mail...?"

"Hunf...!"  At last, Flash deposited the dildo into the cabinet and threw the towel into the adjacent one.  He slapped both containers shut.

"Flash...?"  The voice came closer... more worried.  "Where are you, sweetie?"

Stifling a whimper, Flash scampered across the pink floor of the "guest room."  He nearly tripped on the hem of Pinkie's bedshirt as he reached the stairs.  At last, he hopped outside, shut the door close, and leaned against the frame—

"Flash Sentry!" Sunset Shimmer stood like a rook, glaring down at him with her hands on her hips.

"...!"  He gazed up at her, eyes small as horrified pinpricks.  "...Sunset Sh-Shimmer!"

"What..."  She stepped towards him, cold and menacing.  Looming.  "...is the meaning of this?"

He gulped, forcing a nervous smile up at the telepath.  "The meaning of what—Guh!"  He yelped...

...for she was lifting him up by the waist until they were face to face.  He dangled helplessly in her strong grasp.

Her scowling faced matched the gesture perfectly.  "Flash... be honest with me."  Her brow furrowed.  "...did you clean up the house while I was gone?"

The boi blinked.  He looked at the floor far below, then up at the strong inquistor dominating him.  "I-I guess I couldn't help myself."

Silence.

At long last, Sunset broke character, snorting up a laugh.  "Hah hah hah... oh Flash..."  She leaned forward and eskimo-kiss'd him, rubbing her large nose to his petite button.  "You didn't have to do thaaaaaaaat."  She smiled and winked.  "Still... it was very sweet of you."

"It's the least I-I could do," he stammered.  There was a rattling sound.  Curious, he looked down at Sunset's forearm, just below where she was gripping him.  There was a bracelete clinging to her wrist—a bulky bracelet with large silver beads that glistened in the morning light.

"Well, you'll have to tell me where you put everything."  She put him down as quickly as he had been picked up.  He saw that she was carrying a shopping bag that she quietly took into the bedroom.  "Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  But I did kinda sorta know where everything was... ... ... even if everything was everywhere."

"I... uh..."  Flash wrung his hands together, glancing from her bedroom to the guest room that he had just scampered out of.  "I'm sorry..."  A light cough.  "...I know you didn't ask me."

"Don't be sorry!" Her voice echoed back towards him.  "The house looks better than it has in ages!"

"Couldn't we... uh... see this as my way of repaying you?"  Flash took a few meek steps forward.  "For... y'know... all the things you've been doing for me?  I-I mean... I can do more, of course!  Dusting... mopping... window cleaning... ... ..."  He fidgeted.  "...laundry."

"Hah!  You would love to do the laundry, wouldn't you?!"

His cheeks reddened.  "Sunset..."

"Relax, Flash..."  She stepped back out, holding something behind her back.  "If we wanted something in exchange for helping you out..."  Her words trailed off for some reason, and her eyes wandered across the lengths of the house.  The amazon seemed briefly flustered.

Flash's eyes narrowed curiously at that.

She shook it off with a toss of her fiery hair.  "Never mind.  Look what I got for you on the way back!"

He was already sighing guiltily.  "What is it, Sunset?"

With a cheesy grin, she brandished the object in question.  A bright pastel box which she forced into his grasp.

Lethargically, he took it, then squinted up at her.  "Disney Princess fruit snacks?  Seriously?"

"Ssssseriously."  She stuck a tongue out.  "By the way, did you like the new desktop background?"

"Did you give the rest of the girls my e-mail?"

"You answer my question first."

Flash rubbed his temple with a free hand.  "... ... ...I didn't hate it."

Sunset laughed yet again, reaching down to ruffle his sapphire bangs.  "You're so adorable when you're you."  The silver beads around her wrist rattled.  "Sorry if it felt like an invasion of privacy, but your computer really needed a tune-up, sweetie."  She lingered with her touch to Flash's head.  "Wow!  Did you shower while I was gone?  Feels like you followed my advice!"

"What... uh..."  Flash glanced briefly over his shoulder at the guest room, then back at her.  "...what did Twilight have to say?"

"Oh, we had a short meeting," Sunset said with a wave, walking out of the hallway.  "Over in a flash!  Heheh... no pun intended."

"And she's not upset or anything?"

"Why would she be upset?"

He knew he shouldn't have said it.  Nevertheless, it burst through his pensive lips:  "Because I'm taking up her spot."

Sunset stumbled to a stop.  Calmly, she glanced back at him.

"I may be 'adorable,' Sunset," Flash murmured.  "But I'm not dumb.  At least... I don't like to think I am."  He gulped.  "That's her cup and toothbrush in the bathroom.  And her things..."  He gestured towards her bedroom.  "They're spread all over where you sleep, too.  Where you both sleep."

Sunset was silent.

"Look, it's no secret how much you love each other... how much you've always loved each other."  Flash toe'd the floor with his socked feet.  "Even as distant as I was to you and the girls, I could tell how close you both were getting.  It's great.  It really is wonderful.  But... now that I'm here... and she's—like—sequestered somewhere else?"  He rubbed one forearm with his other hand, avoiding her silent gaze.  "And... and you keep treating me so 'lovingly' and stuff, Sunset—which is nice and all, but a the same time—it just doesn't seem right."  He took a deep breath, looking back up at her.  "She should be here with you.  But she's not... because I'm here, right?  Isn't that the truth?"

Sunset as already smiling.  "Oh Flash... it's not like that.  Not like that at all."

His heart sank for some reason.  "You... you and her aren't—?"

"Oh!  We are!  We totally are!"  Sunset waved a hand, beads rattling.  Her smile was a genuine, rosy one.  "Believe me... heh... Twi and I are mad about each other.  What—were you deaf when she called the last two times?"

"Uhhhhhhh..."

"Sweetie..." She motioned gently towards the living room.  "Let's have a talk about a few things, and it'll all make sense.  Come along."  She sashayed out of there on beautiful amazonian hips.  "And bring the fruit snacks!"

Flash blinked.  He glanced at the box clutched in his grip... then acquiesced with a sigh.  He gave the guest room one last look before leaving sight of it altogether.
> I Am Their Futa, I Am Their Poly, I Am a Conversation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strong yellow-painted fingernails ripped open a tiny plastic pouch and deposited a rainbow assortment of fruit snacks onto an amber palm.  Sunset Shimmer tossed the gummy treats into her amazonian mouth like she was popping pills.  Chewing liberally, she balled up the plastic scrap and deposited it into a waistbasket beside the enormous couch she was reclining lengthwise on.

"Mrmffff..."  She scarfed and chewed and swallowed.  "Hrmmfff... Twilight and I..."  She tongued the inside of her mouth, savoring the meager fruty juices with a soft smile.  "...first started dating in our senior year."  She rested her hands behind her head and laid back with a prolonged sigh, her cheeks rosying at the memory.  "Up until then, we had always been close friends.  I mean... pfftchyaaaa... ... ...the way in which we met and how we helped each other cope under the spread of Equestrian magic certainly cemented that.  But... I... uh..."  She lifted a hand up and brushed her fiery bangs aside as her eyes scoured the ceiling.  "... ... ...I guess things didn't start getting serious until well after our bodies began... er... 'transforming,' so to speak."

Flash Sentry nodded.  He sat on the furthest end of the couch from her.  The amazon's legs had to part ways so that her feet left room for his petite, squatting form.  He listened intently from where he sat, and in the meantime he pulled the length of Pinkie's bedshirt down so that Princess Peach properly covered his lower body—some sort of unspoken femboi etiquette.  He pulled a small plastic bag out from the fruit snack box and tugged and yanked and fussed with it.

"Anytime crazy magic happened..."  Sunset continued.  "It was up to me and Twi to figure it out."  She smiled cynically, albeit with a smidgen of pride.  "Hell... it's always up to us.  Twilight Sparkle is the smartest scientist I know and I... well... I'm the only pon—er... person with any experience in magic around here.  So... it was a match made in Canterlot High School.  Heh..."

The boi gave a polite nod.  His face tensed and his cheeks reddened as he fought and tugged and wrestled with the stubborn little bag—

Thwpp!  Sunset snatched it from the sissy's grasp, gave it the lightest twist, and opened it in an instant.  With a motherly smile, she handed it back to him.

Flash sighed... shamefully received his fruity gift... and returned his attention to Sunset.

"For several months there, we were continually observing and taking notes on what was happening to us and the other... 'Elements of Harmony.'"  Sunset cleared her throat, squirming slightly at the revelation to come.  "But to truly understand what was happening to our bodies, we had to... take far closer looks at our bodies.  And it was always super awkward getting the other girls to subject themselves to examination... sooooo..."

Flash turned over a disfigured baby-blue pumpkin coach in his hand.  His eyes darted back towards Sunset across the far end of the couch.  "You both pl-played doctor?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it."

Flash shrank into the cotton candy scented shirt.  "Sorry..."

"Don't be!"  Sunset stood up slightly, chuckling.  "It was funny, Flash!"

He merely trilled while popping the blue fruit snack into his mouth.

"Looking back at it all, it's just so... strange and funny."  Sunset Shimmer hugged herself slightly as she settled back down into a reclining position.  "At first, Twi and I both thought we could maintain an aloof scientific attitude about the whole situation... but—come on—we were high school girls and magic is inherently goofy and it was just a weird thing to be... growing so fast..."  Sunset breathed deeply through her nostrils, her eyes drifting aside.  "We laughed and giggled.  I mean—what else could we do?  Our bodies had become runaway locomotives and there was no telling when the craziness would stop.  Even though the rest of the girls were supportive, the pressure was stacked on top of us and... and the only relief we found was..."  She hugged herself tighter.  "...in each other."

Flash Sentry nibbled patiently on the silhouette of a red rose under a glass case.  "I almost wish I was still around at the time," he said.  The taste of strawberry filled his mouth and he smiled slightly.  "You deserved all the support you could get."

"Oh, we had more than enough, Flash."  Sunset smiled.  "We had each other."  Her eyes twinkled slightly as she spoke.  "Some of my best memories are the conversations we had.  Just... learning everything there was to discover about each other.  Twilight's adorable childhood days of learning.  My... so-so and ordinary pony upbringing in Equestria... that somehow thrilled her to bits.  I... I-I used to be mortified that I'd run out of pony stories from my youth and she'd get bored of me.  But that never happened."  A slight shudder, and her eyes moistened above a tranquil smile.  "Twilight was just... so happy to be around me... to see me.  I... I've never really felt such sincere infatuation like that before.  And it was all the more magical that I thought the world of her.  Like—genuinely... sincerely... with each passing day."

Flash paused between fruit snacks, blinking at the amazon.  "You... really are in love with her, aren't you?"

"Heheh... y-yeah..."  Sunset ran a hand through her hair until her upper skin flushed to match it.  She smiled drunkenly towards the ceiling.  "I really friggin' am."

Flash hung his head with a resolved breath.  "I guess I should be sorry."

She arched an eyebrow.  "What for?"

"For... for nearly a year..."  He squirmed where he sat.  "...you were stuck with me.  Almost seems like—in hindsight—I just held you back... delayed you from finding true love—"

"Oh, Flash, sweetie..."  Sunset sat up, lips pursed.  "Don't say that—"

"But—at least you turned a new leaf and found Twilight."  Flash smiled weakly towards the couch cushions.  "So I couldn't have messed things up too much—"

Her large hand cupped his cheek. She stared down at him, eyes narrowing.  "There was nothing wasted.  You must believe me."  Her lips curved in a warm smile.  "I loved you then.  Truly.  Just as I love you now."

"... ... ..."  Flash glanced aside... above... then back at her.  "Uhm... what kind of a conversation are we having?"

Sunset chuckled.  "An honest one."

"But... I... I-I think I'm lost..."

Sunset lowered her hand with a rattle of the beaded bracelet.  "Care to point me in the right direction, then?  Hmmm?"

Flash glanced at her accessory, then back at her.  "Have you... always liked—...?"  He bit his tongue in mid-speech, fumbled, and rotated fruit snacks in his tiny wrist like they were massage balls.  "I mean... first me... then Twilight..."  His eyes narrowed.  "Are you... into both?"

"I love people, Flash," Sunset insisted.  A beat, and she nodded.  "And ponies too, I suppose.  Can't forget—"  She took a sharp breath and shifted where she sat.  "I dig everyone... mmmkay?"

"Mmmmmmmm..."  Flash blinked.  "Just what is that, then?  Uhhhh... pan?  Pansexual?"

"It's called 'love.'"

He winced again.  "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for."  She stroked his shoulder, gazing down at him.  "I know what you're trying to ask, and—honestly—I don't really have a multiple choice answer to give you.  If it helps you to know..."  She folded her hands in her massive lap, gazing across the room.  "I... never thought much of mares before I came to this world... females, that is.  But I didn't really think much of stalli—... men either."

"So you... experimented?"

"I experienced," she said.  "And I hate to refer what you and I had as an 'experiment.'  I was... not the same person then as I am now."

Flash glanced at her, then at the couch again.  "But it was an experience, nonetheless."

"One that I wouldn't be without," Sunset murmured, her voice laced with melancholy.  "I only wished I had... made it a good experience for you."

"I... I think I know what you're going to say..."  Flash looked up at her, tensing up slightly in fear of the answer.  "But... I gotta wonder, Sunset... is all this some convoluted way of making up for it?"

"No..."  She calmly shook her head.  "You being here is all about the same thing that would have Twilight here... or the rest of the girls here, for that matter."

He opened his mouth to speak... paused... and exhaled through pursed lips:  "What do you mean... 'rest of the girls?'"

Sunset Shimmer blushed.

Flash blinked at that.

"Mmmmmmm..."  Sunset sat up straighter on the couch, her breaths growing firmer... more concentrated.  She looked as though she was about to run a ten mile marathon.  "...I've been... ... ...struggling with a way to word all of this, Flash... to you, I mean.  For the girls and I, it's all old hat... but to someone who... who doesn't know... who hasn't been with us—who hasn't been us all this time..."

"You and Twilight are intimate," Flash bravely suggested.  His mind wandered to the funky things he had seen in the guest room—but he quickly erased that thought before his telepathic friend could pick up where he had been.  "I-I mean... I get that!  And... that's totally fine."  He popped a purple sewing machine into his mouth, chewed, and smiled.  "Really!  I'm truly... truly happy for you two."

"It's... ... ..."  Sunset curled a single strand of hair around a finger.  "...not..."  She blushed and avoided Flash's gaze like a coquettish schoolgirl one-eigthth her size.  "...just the two of us."

"... ... ..."  Flash lingered in place, his mouth tasting of grape and sugar and confusion.  "... ... ...Twilight's pregnant?"

"What?"  Sunset snapped.  "No!  No, it's—"  She smacked her forehead, took a deep breath, and groaned into her palm.  "This should be so easy.  Why isn't it easy...?"

"Sunset, you told me when I first arrived here that you were going to be honest with me," Flash said.

"I know..."  The amazon whimpered like a child.  "...that's why I've been dragging my hooves—heels with it... because I thought being slow about it would make it all less weird."

"Weird?"

"Apply some lubricant, y'know?" Sunset said, and she laughed nervously.

Flash hopped over that last metaphor so that it wouldn't break his brain.  "Point is, I'm cool with whatever, Sunset," he said in an earnest voice, gazing up at her with soft eyes.  "So long as you're being honest."

She parted her fingers and glanced down at him.

He put on a tiny yet genuine smile.  "You've done so much to help me.  Maybe... somehow... this would be my way of helping you."

Sunset stared at him... and stared at him some more.  Her nostrils flared.  Harder.  Ardent.  Her hand blurred past him.

The boi couldn't help but flinch—

Thwpp!  She snatched another bag from the box, tore it open, and popped the treats into her mouth like she was inhaling wine samples.  She chewed-chewed-chewed.  Swallowed.  Then—

"ThegirlsandIallloveeachother."

The thunder of the "confession" ended as soon as it began, leaving Flash blinking in the wake of it.

"Well... of course you do...!"  He nodded.  "You're friends."

"No, Flash."

His bottom lip quivered.  "You're... n-no longer friends?"

"What—NO!  Of course we're friends!  And we love each other very much!  Thing is... we..."  Sunset breathed in through a wince and breathed out through a smirk.  Cathartic.  "...we all love each other as more than friends."  A gulp.  "Each and every one of us."

Flash grasped the last snack in between two dainty fingers, but he couldn't bring himself to swallow the lemon-flavored glass slipper.  "So... uh... you're... ... ...all going out?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"A m-manner of speaking?"

"I love Twilight Sparkle," Sunset stated.  "And I love Rarity and she loves Fluttershy and I love Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle loves Pinkie Pie and she loves Applejack and Applejack loves me and we both love Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash loves Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Sparkle loves Rarity and Rarity loves me and we both love Fluttershy and Fluttershy loves Applejack and Pinkie Pie and all three of them love Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash loves all of us and all of us love Pinkie Pie and she loves Twilight Sparkle who loves Applejack and me and... and... and..."

Flash watched—mesmerized—as Sunset Shimmer's face ran the gamut of ecstatic, hopeful, lonely, sultry, anxious, happy, horny, and melancholic then back to ecstatic.  In the end, she laid back on the couch, hugging herself... eyes closed as if she was inhaling the invisible scent of all the names that she just spoke of.  And it made her high.  Clearly.

"Mmmmmmm..."  She purred.  "I... I don't know if you can understand, Flash... what it means to be in the center of and on the outside of perfection, and knowing that you'll always flow in and out of it, always fulfilled and always protected—and yet you'll be able to fulfill and protect so much yourself.

"I..."  Flash shifted where he sat, trying to trace the air for words to formulate his understanding—or lack thereof.  "...I-I suppose I could use a little bit of help perceving."

"I... I-I think I'm overcomplicating it..."  She sat back up, shaking a bit.  It made the whole couch shudder.  "It's just... we... we're in love with each other, Flash."

"As in... all seven of you dating?"

"Dating.  Going out.  Holding hands.  Cuddling.  Snuggling.  Having dinner.  Watching movies.  Crying.  Laughing.  Feeding ducks by the pond."  She managed a smirk as her own speech calmed her.  "You name it—we've done it, and survived all these years through thick and thin."

"So... uhm... are we talking some sort of..."  Flash squinted.  "...some sort of poly—"

"Polyamory?  I see how you could conclude that," Sunset said.  "We've all talked about it ourselves... as if in some attempt to explain it.  But... it's not the same, Flash.  We're not just... casual swingers.  At least, I wouldn't put it like that.  We're the same friends we've always been.  Only... we're more."  She hugged herself with a cotent smile, positively beaming this time.  "We've always been more... as if it was destined."

"Destined?"  Flash squirmed.  "Like... how do you mean?"

"At first, I was afraid to draw conclusions—because I didn't want to detract from what we had... what we have... what we will continue to have.  Nevertheless... there is an invariable connection... and over time, the girls and I have come to accept it.  And... and we're not ashamed of it... or of knowing it... because our lives are all the better for it... for us."

"What, Sunset?"  Flash asked.  "What's 'it'?"

She looked squarely at him, appearing serious for a moment.  "You know how our magics—the power that makes us the Elements of Harmony—come with side effects?"

His tiny eyes traveled the lengthy miles up and down her amazonian figure.  "I... do seem to recall that."

"Well, there are... other effects that result from our empowerment," Sunset said.  "Some minor—like our immune system and the changes in our metabolism..."

Flash nearly dropped the last fruit snack.  "You call not being able to use the bathroom 'minor?'"

She carried on:  "And others are... well... major.  Like the size of our bodies.  Our interconnectedness and... and..."  She took a deep breath.  "... ... ...and the energy that binds us."

"Binds you?"  Flash blinked.  "Are we talking Yoda fluff?"

Sunset giggled.  She sat up and drew the gasping boi closer so she could ruffle his hair.  "No, Flash, what I mean is..."  She smiled down at him in the half-hug.  He could feel her warmth radiating in every direction.  "...our magic draws us to each other.  We're happier when we're together.  We're whole when we're together.  It took some time... but soon we all realized—Twilight and myself and the others—that being the Elements of Harmony is more of a oneness than something plural."

Flash could only blink.

"Yes, well..."  She positioned him around and lifted him slightly.  Soon, the boi found himself seated in her lap with the back of his head against her ample bosom.  In such a helpless position, Flash felt her hug him gently—yet closely from behind as she spoke romantically towards the walls of the room.  "...maybe there is no proper way of explaining it, really.  But it's... something that happened, Flash.  At first, it manifested itself quite coyly.  We started a band together... we had slumber parties... we'd go on road trips.  Sometimes... a lot of times—when we had every reason to be apart, we'd find excuses to be together instead.  Fluttershy would ask me or Pinkie Pie over to be with her at the shelter.  Rainbow Dash would always insist on having Rarity or Applejack around to cheer her on during a soccer match."

Flash was locked in place, powerless to do anything but listen.  Soon he felt Sunset squeezing his shoulders in gentle, loving gestures as she hummed on... waxing poetic about the matter.  He felt her heart beating heavily through her chest and into his everything.

"Soon enough... Rarity would be canceling openings at her fashion boutique just to have breakfast with the rest of us... and Applejack—the poor sap—she even considered abandoning her trip to Manehattan to visit her family reunion!  The only way we could fix that was for... all of us to go... and that meant Twilight missing an astronomy seminar at her university and... and we realized that maybe... just maybe... we had an issue."

Sunset took a deep breath.  Her big strong arms tightened around Flash, but not in a way that would hurt him.  He heard the rattle of her beaded bracelet as she murmured onward:

"Thing is... n-none of us wanted to fix this 'issue.'  While Twilight and I had been the first to officially 'date,' Fluttershy started going out with Rarity.  And Applejack started... spending lots of time with Rainbow Dash.  Those two had always given the rest of us some vibes—not to sound rude—but then they started inviting Pinkie Pie along.  Twilight and I would hang out with them, but then we'd find ourselves coming home with... w-with Rainbow Dash.  And... and we all knew what we really wanted to do, Flash.  We all knew... but we beated around the bush for so long until... well..."

Flash looked up at her, seeing nothing but the bottom of her chin.

"... ... ...we... simply... asked..."  Sunset gulped.  "Twilight asked me if it was okay that she went on a date alone with Rainbow Dash and... I-I was fine with it."  She shook her head.  "I don't even remember having an inkling of not being fine with it.  Rather... I was slightly worried over why I was so okay with it... but I didn't pay much attention cuz—that same night—I had asked Twilight if she'd mind if I went out on a date with Rarity and she was... okay!  And I was okay... and Rarity was okay and... and..."

"You weren't weirded out at all?" Flash asked, shrugging in her embrace.  "Any of you?  Jealous?  Afraid?  Angry?"

"No!"  Sunset exhaled.  "We were only weirded out by the fact that we were not weirded out.  Turns out—the moment that we stopped thinking about it—the sooner we could relax!  And we did, Flash..."  She squeezed his shoulders again, smiling across the room.  "We relaxed and... and we hung out like we always did before.  Only this time..."  She squirmed—squirmed with him in her grasp, like she was hugging a little doll.  "This time..."

He swallowed and said:  "You were girlfriend girlfriends."

"Heeheehee..."  Her whole body deflated with a happy sigh.  "Yeahhhhhh..."

For the first time, Flash felt claustrophobic in her slinking embrace.

As if sensing it, Sunset cleared her throat and loosened her grip of the boi.  "Anyways... before we knew it... we stopped being afraid of... being happier."

"So... you're all lesbians?" Flash asked.

"We're all us, Flash," Sunset insisted.  "It's not about labels.  Not with us.  It's... it's far far more complicated... and yet—it isn't."

Flash nodded.  "And it's all because of magic."

"Yes.  Yes it is.  And yet... we don't accept it exclusively because of that.  I suppose it's... a matter of hindsight."  Sunset exhaled.  "We're all so... wonderfully happy with the way things turned out that we couldn't imagine ourselves any other way.  And... it's helped us, Flash."

"How do you mean?"

"Being together... being close... being intimate," Sunset clarified.  "It's directly related to our powers."

"It is?"

"Mmmmhmmmm."  Sunset smiled, stroking his hair from behind like he was a kitten.  "The happier we are... the closer we are... the better the magic manifests itself."

"So... happy girlfriends make for happy superheroes?"

Sunset giggled.  "Something like that."

"You make it sound so perfect."

"I do exagerrate, I suppose," Sunset muttered.  "We have our fights... especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash."  Her eyes rolled.  "Celestia on a bike, Applejack and Rainbow Dash..."

Flash winced.

"But—!"  Sunset stroked his hair again, smiling pleasantly.  "They work out their shit in the end.  They always do.  Besides..."  She chuckled.  "Applejack and Rainbow Dash both argue with Rarity even harder... so every once in a while they'll just spend a night together and by morning it's all smoothed out.  Lubricated, even... hahahah..."

Flash cleared his throat.  "So it is an intimate thing."

"It's an everything thing," Sunset insisted.  "I know it may sound weird... but—it's all the world for us.  And... heh..."  Sunset rolled her eyes.  "Let's face it, Flash.  It's not like any of us are gonna see much action outside of our magical little circle of benefits."

The boi sniffled.  "That's sad, Sunset."

"Not really, it isn't."  She hugged him gently, speaking into his hair.  "I'm not.  Y'hear?  I'm not sad.  How can I be?"  A wink and a giggle.  "I've got six of the sexiest girlfriends in the world."

"But... mostly Twilight," Flash said.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmm-yes."  Sunset nodded.  "But mostly Twilight."

He managed the tiniest smile.

"For most of us... stuff like that comes in waves," Sunset declared.  "Rarity and Fluttershy will spend a month being exclusively with each other.  But then they'll start spending time with Pinkie Pie... then Fluttershy will date Rainbow Dash and Rarity will date Twilight and then I'll be with Pinkie Pie... but..."  A softer breath.  "Twilight and I always come back to each other... sorta like Rainbow Dash and Applejack.  I... don't know if you can understand where I'm coming from but... for us—us girls—time apart only means enjoying our future time together all the more."

Flash nodded.  "I... guess it is a lot to take in."

"Mmmmmhmmm."

"And... it's you and I respect you, Sunset," Flash said.  "You and the girls... so I'm not weirded out.  Not really, I mean."

She chuckled lightly, followed with a hum.  "Mmmmhmmm..."

"But... but something awful must be happening," Flash said.

Sunset blinked at that.  She looked down at the petite creature in her lap.  "How do you mean?"

His big sapphire eyes gazed up at her.  "Only that... well... I-I've heard on the news.  The Elements of Harmony have disappeared.  It's... no big secret.  Something's messing up your powers.  Does..."  He fidgeted in uncertainty.  "...does that mean you seven are breaking up?"

"On the contrary, Flash," Sunset spoke.  "We're closer now than we've ever been."

"Then..."  His adorable nose scrunched.  "I don't get it.  If everything's so perfect—and you girls are still so close—then what's stopping you from being the Elements of Harmony?  I thought your magic was related to your... well... your love."

"It is," Sunset nodded.  "But—as it turns out—there's more to it than that."

"Like what?"

Sunset opened her lips... hesitated... and sighed out the side of a smile.  "It's... complicated, Flash."

The boi was deadpan.  "More complicated than everything you just confessed to me?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!"

"Is that why you're hesitating?"

"... ... ..."

Flash sighed, gazing down at the last fruit snack still in his grasp.  It had stained a patch of his palm yellow.  "I appreciate you being honest with me, Sunset."  He popped the treat into his mouth; it wasn't a victorious gesture.  "Call me selfish," he spoke after politely swallowing.  "But I kinda sorta wish you would be honest with me faster."

She nodded, replying faster than he expected.  "So do I."

He raised an eyebrow at that.  Then he felt her squeezing his shoulders.

"Have you ever considered that maybe—just maybe—the girls and I aren't the only ones affected by magic?"

Silence.

"Huh?" Flash squeaked.

Sunset sighed quietly—it sounded both amused and exasperated at once.  Nevertheless, she ruffled Flash's hair and finally parted the hug.  "Tell you what..."  She plopped him on the furthest edge of the couch, stood up, and smiled.  "...what say we go for a drive?"

Flash fumbled where he sat.  "Do I have a choice in the matter?"

"Do you want to?"

"... ... ... can I have a choice in the matter?"

To which—Sunset merely laughed, and Flash immediately knew the answer.
> I Hear the Exposition of the Rain, Like a Prologue It Falls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Flash, honey..."  A beautiful brow furrowed over turquoise eyes.  "...what do you think you're doing?"

Flash Sentry—seated in the passenger's seat of Sunset's car—was presently wrestling with the millionth strand of silk sapphire hair.  After much fuss and snake-charming, he finally managed to loop the last length of the 'do up into an oversized baseball cap atop his crown.  The hat looked two sizes too big for the boi's fair head, and yet it was a gross and perfect match for the frumpy hoodie and slacks dangling off his petite figure.

In answer to the chauffeur's inquiry, Flash looked over, tugged the back of his cap snug, and nodded his obscured head.  "Getting comfortable."

Sunset Shimmer merely sat there with her hands on the wheel, engine idling.  She looked the boi up and down... but ultimately stared at his offensive cap.  "But... why?"

"Why what?"

"Why..."  She pointed all over his cranium.  "...do that?"

"Because... it's what I always do?"

"Seriously?"

He nodded, eyes thin.  "Yeah... ... ...?"

"Whenever you go out, you always hide your hair like that?"

"Well, since I'm too lazy to cut it, I have to."

Sunset Shimmer shuddered from head to heels.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh Flash..."  Sunset sighed, adjusting the rear-view mirror with a crooked smile.  "Whatever are we going to do with you?"

"Did I forget to thank you for washing my clothes?"

"At this point, I sorta wish you did."  Then—with a motherly swing of her arm—she reached over and past him.  "Here, sweetie.  Let me buckle you up."

"I—...!"  Flash froze, watching as the amazon's hand moved too quickly for him to protest.  (Cl-Click!)  Before he could blink, he was secured neatly in the seat.  She even finished with a loving pat on his shoulder.  Flash was slightly surprised she hadn't pulled a lollipop from her sleeve and given it to him.  "Uhhhh... ... ... thanks?

"Don't mention it," Sunset smiled, and switched the car into reverse.

Flash watched—with more than a little bit of awe—as her massive frame swung to cast a look past the rear seats.  The vehicle looked like a normal sports car on the outside, but on the inside the whole thing had been clearly designed for someone of amazonian frame... or perhaps a special custom chassis with huge basketball players in mind.  Flash's concerns over what such a rig must have cost were quickly annulled by how confidently and casually Sunset operated the vehicle, pulling them out of the driveway and into the subdivision road adjoining.

"Whew... what a chilly... grimey day...!"  Sunset's words danced along the gray hues of an overcast sky.  Moisture lingered along every hedge, rooftop, and sidewalk outside—and the exterior of the car was coated with a plethora of lazy rain droplets.  "Best time for a lazy cruise around town, huh?"

"Huh... ... ..."  Flash looked at how her long, long, beautiful legs effortlessly swept through the space beneath the massive steering wheel.  Sunset Shimmer pushed the brake and gas lightly, like kicking the surface of a pond.  She was wearing stone-washed jeans—enough denim to weave a tent for a boi like Flash to sleep under... or maybe three Flashes.  Pitifully, he glanced down at his side of the vehicle.  The boi's legs dangled like popsicle sticks off the passenger's side seat and the heels of his shoes scarcely reached the floormat.

"Imagine if I had found you a day later, Flash."  Sunset smirked at herself, switching the car into drive and aiming down the straightaway.  "You would have been soaked to the bone!"

"Well, I do like taking showers," he muttered, gazing out the passenger window.

Flash got a good long look at Sunset's house as they rolled down the road.  It was his first time consciously viewing the outside of it since they reunited.  The place was nothing like the urban pad where Sunset used to crash as a high schooler.  She now lived in an upper middle-class suburban neighborhood and her home blended amicably with the rest of the buildings (and accompanying lawns).  The foundation was huge, and—judging from some ornamental "window frames" positioned close to the roof—Flash surmised that the house was attempting to convey to onlookers that it was somehow two stories instead of one.  This—coupled with the fact that the driveway dipped down a shallow grade to reach the garage door—helped conserve the fact that the place was the domain of a giantess... or the next best thing closest to it.

"Hey, I'm proud of you," Sunset said.

Flash looked over, squirming in his seat.  "Hmmm?"

She smiled calmly at the traffic ahead, keeping to her lane.  "That almost sounded like a joke just now."

"A joke?"

"About taking showers."

"Oh..."  Flash slid his hands out from beneath his long sleeves and twiddled his thumbs.  "Sure.  I guess."

"Although you could work on your sarcasm."

"I'm not being sarcastic," Flash muttered.  "I-I really like taking showers."

"Well..."  Sunset shrugged at his literal reply, lips pouting.  "There goes my water bill."

Flash sank a little.  "I'm sorry—"

"Pfffft!  Hahaha!"  Sunset laughed, and the car weaved somewhat from the amazon's lungburst.  "What did I just tell you?!?"

Flash bit his lip to keep from saying anything.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Celestia..."  Sunset sighed.  "Pinkie Pie, I am not."  Awkward silence.  They passed through an intersection.  A second one.  "I still don't see how it's comfortable."

"How what's comfortable?"

"Having to fuss with your sleeves all the time," Sunset muttered.

Flash hugged himself—and his hoodie.  "It's snuggly."

"You could be snuggly in a cardigan.  Or a sports jacket."

"I... d-decided long ago that I don't like drawing attention to myself," Flash said.

"And stuffing all that beautiful hair up in that ugly cap of yours," Sunset said.  "Doesn't that get absolutely stuffy?!"

"Sunset..."  Flash's jaw clenched as he nearly hissed:  "Why are you taking me out for a drive, huh?!"

"It'd be nice for you to go out and see the sights for once—"

"I'm—... Sunset..."  He sighed, rubbing his head as if it was pounding.  "I... thank you for being so considerate, but you really don't need to waste gas money on my behalf."

"Were you wasting gas money for me back in the day?"

"Huh?"

Sunset shrugged, switching on a turn signal.  "We used to do this all the time, remember?"  She rolled them out of the neighborhood subdivision.  "After school.  On the weekends."  She smiled gently.  "By that—I mean you drove me around all the time."

"I... uh..."  Flash fidgeted, glancing out the window as convenience stores popped up.  "I guess I thought I'd be cooler if I showed off my car..."

"Well, it was a nice car," Sunset said.

"My folks bought it for me," Flash muttered.  "The only gift they ever gave me."  He swallowed hard.  "I never asked for it.  I used up so much gas in that thing just... going nowhere."

"Was it all wasting gas, Flash?"

He was silent for a bit.  "No..."  He leaned his chin against an arm that was propped against the passenger's side door.  "You... were the best thing to happen to that car, Sunset."

"Awwwwwwww..."  Sunset glanced briefly his way, cheeks warming.  "That's really sweet of you to say."

"They weren't... all bad conversations we had, y'know," Flash said.

The amazon bit her lip, looking back at the road.  "Even on the days when I did nothing but bicker and bitch at you?"

"It wasn't all... erm... B & B-ing," Flash murmured.

Sunset snorted.  "What?  You can cuss."

"Only when I feel like it."

"Figured you'd had gotten used to cuss words ages ago," Sunset said.  "I distinctly remember high-school-me filling your ears with—"

He was already shrugging.  "Sometimes you just... had bad days and needed to vent about it."

"... ... ..."  Sunset's brow hardened.

"Okay... most of the time it felt like you were having bad days," the boi muttered.  "But... being able to drive you around... and let you spill it all out... and just... let you unwind...?"

Silence.

It was the driver's time to fidget.  "Yeah...?" Sunset stammered.

Flash shrugged, smiling ever so slightly.  "I guess... I felt a little proud, is all."

"Proud that you could be my punching bag..."

He rolled his eyes and gazed at her.  "You never punched me, Sunset."

"I should have," she muttered.  "It would have been merciful, all things considered."

"You were a stranger from another world and you were trying to understand the absurdities of human life—"

"Still doesn't change the fact that I was an evil manipulative bitch who did just about everything but sit on you," she grumbled out the side of her mouth.  "A friggin' she-demon in the making... Luna help me."

Flash touched his delicate fingers together.  He felt tempted to say—nay, tempted to think—that part of him had gotten used to being the sole partner to an "evil manipulative she-demon."  Perhaps it was some sadsack half of him that misperceived his parents' hardass ways as a substitute for endearment.  Or maybe it was something far more shameful—the part of Flash that would make love to a brush handle—that was perfectly fine with such a she-demon "sitting on him."

Flash bit his lip all of a sudden.

Silence.

Flash's fingers clenched tightly together... he imagined actually relishing the thought of a she-demon sitting on him.

More silence.  Just the hum of the car and the hush of the wet, cold world beyond the windows.

Nervously, Flash raised his eyes to look at Sunset.

The telepath wasn't even registering him.  She kept her hands tight to the steering wheel as she shifted lanes in traffic.

Flash took a breath.  His eyes laid on Sunset... then on the beaded bracelet on her left arm—

"Hey, remember that place?"  Sunset Shimmer pointed at a random plaza.

Flash lifted his head and squinted out the window as they passed by.  "... ... ...Treehugger's Yoga Palace?"

"Pffft..."  Sunset snickered.  "It used to be a Blockbuster, silly," she droned.  "One of the last in the nation."

Flash blinked.  "I think that's where the Vape Station is now."

"Nah—that and the Yoga Palace occupy the same space.  Used to be one video store."

"Oh."  Flash blinked.  "Egads, that was long ago."

"Just before fall break," Sunset said.  "You were excited about it for some reason."

Flash shrugged.  "The end of an era..."  He glanced aside.  "Or so Magnolia told me."

"She... used to shop at Blockbuster?"

"No, but she owned stock with them once," Flash muttered.  "Right when Netfllix started and she thought the digital competition would bomb."  A long sigh.  "She told me it was her life's worst investment..."  He straightened his bulky cap.  "Besides Bitcoin, that is."

"I never knew how crazy humans could get over outdated media," Sunset mused.  "I swear... you had us spend an hour in that place on closing day.  You almost bought the entire Disney aisle."

"I did buy the entire Disney aisle," Flash hummed.

Sunset chuckled... then chuckled some more.

Flash gazed out the window again.  "We broke up a week later."

Sunset's chuckles stopped.

"But..."  Flash shrugged gently.  "...I had lots of movies to fill my free time."

They came to a red light, and Sunset took the opportunity to gaze at him.  "We didn't break up, Flash.  I broke things up."

He clenched his jaw.

"That... is one of my worst decisions ever," Sunset said.  "And considering I've betrayed Equestria—"

"You ended up okay," Flash muttered.  "Now you're with Twilight and... five other girls.  Six girls, Flash.  I call that a bargain of a tradeoff.  So... it was all for the best."

"Flash—"

"Please, let it rest.  Sunset.  I'm not mad.  I never was."

Silence.

There was a pitter patter.  Then light tapping.  A drizzle of rain swept lightly across the car and surrounding asphalt.

Sunset stared thoughtfully into the gray malaise.

"Is this what you wanted out of a joy ride through memory lane?" Flash muttered.

"Well... if you must know..."

The light turned green.

Sunset pushed gently ahead.

"...I wanted to talk about magic."

"Mmmmm..."  Flash turned to look at her.  "Oh really?"

She nodded at nothingness.  "Yeah really."

"Lemme guess..."  The boi smirked wrly.  "It's about 'friendship.'"

"Wouldn't be true magic if it wasn't," Sunset droned.

Flash Sentry kept his mouth shut.  Friendship with benefits, he thought, and his mind flickered purposefully to a fresh mental image of the pink latex room.

Sunset's hands kept tight to the wheel.

Flash squinted curiously at the telepath, then back to her left wrist—

"What was the first magical thing that ever happened to you?" the amazon asked.

Flash nearly jumped.  The seatbelt kept him in place.  "Uhm..."  He blinked.  "...magical?"

"You heard me."

"You're... talking literal magic or some sort of abstract metaphor—?"

She smirked at him, eyebrow raised like a 90s wrestler's.  "What universe are we living in?"

"Okay okay okay...!"  Flash squirmed in his seat.  "That's... th-that's an easy one."  He gulped.  "The night of the Fall Formal when you..."  He winced.  "... ... ...when that... terrible she-demon was vanquished..."

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm—"  Sunset  mmmmmmmmmmmm'd.

"—aaaaaaaaand she was forever exorcised of all her evil qualities and turned reformed and awesome and adorasexy the end!"  Flash smiled nervously.  A blue strand of hair fell out of his cap; he swiftly slid it back underneath.

"Think harder, Flash," Sunset asked.

His eyes narrowed.  "Harder?"

"Humor me."

He tongued the inside of his mouth.  The boi considered mentioning the first time he met an actual princess—Princess Twilight—but this had already turned into the worst possible moment and place to bring that up.  "Well... uh... I guess there were times back when I was shredding... y'know... in the band?"

"Ah yes..."  Sunset smiled brilliantly.  "The Master Chiefs."

Flash eyes rolled so hard that they nearly popped out of his skull.  He stifled a groan:  "I... always hated that name."

"Then why did you choose it?"

"I didn't.  The band outvoted me."

"It was all Thunderbass' fault, wasn't it?"

"Thunderbass... sure..."  Flash sighed dreamily, gazing out the windows and spotting a momentary break in the clouds above.  "... ... ...but... I-I couldn't stay mad at him."

Sunset listened.

But Flash wasn't talking.  He was merely smiling.  Smiling and gazing out the window.

Curious, Sunset glanced at her passenger in mid-drive—

"Ahem!"  Flash sat up straight, tugging the bulky lengths of his hoodie down—further over his lap.  "So... yeah... the Master Chiefs.  I know we never did any major gigs... but..."  He twiddled the air with guitar thumbs.  "...I swear, there were times when we just... got into the moment... and it was like I rose to a whole 'nother level."

"Pure magic, huh?"

"Well, from my perspective."  Flash shrugged.  "I... don't suppose that's the magic you're looking for."

"How come you stopped playing music with them?"

Flash's head hung.  "Oh... uh..."  He shrugged limply.  "I just... c-couldn't keep up with their energy."

"Couldn't keep up?"

"They were too metal... too metal for my taste..."  Flash winced.  "Or... or so I discovered."

"I thought you wrote songs for them."

"Yeah, but..."

Silence.

Sunset glanced over.  "But what?"

"They said that everything I made was... too 'pop' or 'ballad-y."  Flash muttered.  "I just... wasn't man enough for the image they all wanted.  So... I guess they just... replaced me."

"Flash, that's awful," Sunset cooed.

He shrugged.  "It was inevitable."

"You were the one creative soul in that whole ensemble!"

"I was a real bummer to work with," Flash droned.  "And they were right.  I wasn't... edgy enough to fit in.  Or at least charismatic enough to fake it."

"Who needs edge?"  Sunset smiled.  "Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow and I distinctly remember hearing you sing at the Summer Festival that one time."

"You mean right after our trip to Camp Everfree?"

"That's the one!"  Sunset grinned.  "Over in McCracken Park.  You played this breathtaking cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

Flash sank in his seat a bit.  "They s-said I was the only one in the band who could sing that."

Sunset giggled.

"That and..."  Flash ran a hand over his sighing face.  "...Walk Like an Egyptian."

Sunset giggled again.  "See?  They had a reason to keep you around!"

"Yeah..."  Flash grumbled.  "If our venues were nothing but quinceaneras and sorority parties."

"Awwwwwww, Flash..."

"Sunset, you may or may not find this hard to believe..."  Flash looked up at her.  "But the Rainbooms were the biggest thing in town."

The driver gulped.  "Uh huh..."

"And everyone who was anyone—with a guitar—had no recourse but to compete!"  Flash hugged himself, glaring over the glove compartment.  "Once Senior Year rolled by—and the Rainbooms were no longer part of anyone's life... the Master Chiefs had no need for... th-their soprano."

Sunset reached a hand up to brush her hair back.  "Well..."  The beads of her bracelet rattled.  "That's a shame."

"It's okay."  Flash murmured.  "I learned to live with it."

Sunset's eyes narrowed.  "How is pawning off your guitar 'living with it?'"

He said nothing.

So, after another turn, Sunset steered the conversation back on course as well.  "Well, Flash, what if I was to tell you that maybe—just possibly—magic was a part of your life long before the Master Chiefs or Rainbooms... ... ...long before the Fall Formal..."

"Sunset, I don't understand where—"

"Long before me."

"... ... ..."  He looked quietly at her.  "... ... ...how is that even possible?"

"Think about it."

"I am.  And I'm confuzzled," Flash said.

Sunset stifled a snort.

"I mean it..."  Flash's lips pursed.  "Before you?  But... there was no magic before you."

"Equestrian magic was in this world long before me, Flash," Sunset declared.  "The Sirens.  The geodes.  Wallflower Blush's memory stone."

The boi blinked.  "Who...?"

"To put it simply," Sunset said, "Magic has been here longer than me... longer than Twilight and the rest of the girls... longer than you—or Magnolia, or your folks or your folks' folks..."

"Yes, and?"  Flash blinked at her.  "What does that have to do with me?  I'm no magical anime girl."

Sunset Shimmer merely stared at the road.

"... ... ..."  Flash's eyes narrowed on the telepath's deadpan expression.  "...or is there something you know that I don't?"

Sunset flipped the windshield wipers on, clearing the rain streaks from view.

Flash exhaled through his tiny nostrils.  "Sunset... ... ...where is this conversation even going?"

"I used to believe that the girls and I were imbued with the power of the Harmonic Geodes for a purpose," Sunset said.  "As if... we were the ones destined to be the living human avatars of Equestrian magic."

"Do you... not believe that anymore?"

"Yes and no," Sunset remarked.  "It makes more sense that I—being a unicorn from Equestria—maintained some degree of low-lying magical energy in myself, and the rest of the girls also became vessels of magic simply due to being in proximity of me for so long."

"Ah..."

"But... it doesn't particularly explain the bond that the girls and I have," Sunset said.

"You mean..."  Flash bit his lip as he formulated a way to say it:  "...the way you all like to go skinny-dipping with each other?"

"It's simply too much of a cosmic coincidence that magic would choose to unite seven individuals who already got along as friends."

"Or... it could all just look like that in hindsight," Flash said.

"Hahahahaha..."  Sunset suddenly chuckled.  "'Skinny-dipping.'"  She smiled.

Flash looked at her.  "Did you hear what I said—"

"The girls and I have considered it," Sunset said with a nod.  "Twilight and I especially argue over it a lot."

Flash flinched.  "You argue?  Oh, that's sad..."

"Happens in every relationship, Flash," Sunset said.  "Even inexplicable enchanted lesbianism."

"Uh... huh..."

"But—when we work together—we learn more about how magic functions in this world than we ever could apart," Sunset said in a proud tone.  "And—to an extent—Twilight and I have come up with a way to measure it."

"No kidding..."

"Would I kid about this?"

"Are we talking... saiyan power-reading scouters or something?"

Sunset glared at him briefly.  "Magical anime girls... and now DBZ?  I thought you liked western princess films."

Flash shrugged.  "I've been known to cheat."

Sunset chuckled.  "I can't even imagine that for a second."

Flash hung his head.  "Yeah, me neither."

Clearing her throat, Sunset went on:  "What Twilight and I ultimately discovered is that all of our powers—the girls and I—have a distinct flow."

"Flow?"

"Yes.  A harmonic pattern of focused distribution, if you will," Sunset said.  "She nick-named it the Harmonic Fountain."

Flash's eyes narrowed.  "Why 'Harmonic Fountain?'"

"Because the leylines of magic that are focused within all of our essences—"

"You mean you and the other six..."

"Right."  Sunset nodded.  "Twilight and I discovered that energy resonates outward from us... hence why we are all able to exert so much magical force on the world."

"You mean... like how Applejack started being able to toss heavy stuff around and Rarity was conjuring those invisible diamond thingies and Pinkie was making stuff go all kersplodey...?"

"Right," Sunset said.  "The geodes fused with our beings, turning us into living gateways through which Equestrian magic flows outward.  This manifests in superpowers."

"And then you became the Elements of Harmony."

"Right."  Sunset made a turn, driving slowly through the thickening rain.  "And the amazing thing is—from as much as Twilight and I were able to observe—the leylines were conveying an endless supply of magical energy.  All these years... the Harmonic Fountain would never dry out."

"Until..."  Flash nervously gulped.  "...just recently."

Sunset sighed.  "Until just recently."

"You and the rest of the superher—... the girls," Flash chose to say.  "You've been losing control of your powers..."

"And having to temporarily retire the Elements of Harmony," the telepath grumbled.

"But... forever?" Flash squeezed his limbs together, gazing at her like a worried damsel.

Sunset slowly shook her head.  "I truly hope not.  And a good thing is..."  She looked over at him.  "There is hope."  A slight smile.  "Now more than ever."

"How so?"

Sunset looked at the rainy road again as she crossed an intersection.  "It didn't make sense for magic to spring from nothing and exhaust into... nothing.  Twilight hypothesized that there would be an opposite phenomenon to the Harmonic Fountain that would act as a means of counterbalancing the leyline flow and instigating harmonic feedback... thereby creating a loop so that the magic would essentially be recycled and redistributed... much like it naturally does in Equestria, albeit on a small scale because... well... this isn't Equestria..."

Flash tongued his teeth, trying desperately to follow along.

"Twilight named this hypothetical phenomenon the 'Harmonic Well'... and its function would be the polar opposite of the Harmonic Fountain.  Instead of exerting magic on the world, it would take magic... and repurpose it into being used by the Harmonic Fountain again."

"So, let me guess..."  Flash stuck his delicate hands into his hoodie's pouch.  He eyed the raindrops outside the car.  "...you and Twilight and the girls need to find this Harmonic Well in order to create balance with your magics..."  His brow furrowed in thought.  "... ... ...and that way you could be superpowered and awesome again?"

"Hmmmmm..."  Sunset smiled.  "That's about it."

"How... do you know that it's out there to be found?" Flash asked.  "This 'Well,' that is."

"There's a simple explanation as for why," Sunset remarked.  "For the Well to exist, the Fountain would have to exist.  These phenomena—regardless of their physical representation—would have to be essential to the nature of Equestrian Magic as it resides in this world.  One way or another, both the Well and the Fountain have made themselves manifest.  In the case of the Fountain, it was the geodes we stumbled upon at Camp Everfree."

"The same ones that eventually just... zapped their magical properties all into you."

"Mmmhmm."

"But what about the... other one...?"

"The Well."

"Yeah.  The one you all need."  Flash looked at her.  "You think there're some other geodes lying around in an ancient place snazzy and hidden just waiting for you and the girls to find them?"

"It... isn't quite like that, Flash," Sunset said.  "The Harmonic Well isn't the same as a bunch of rocks hiding deep in Camp Everfree."

"How do you know that?"

Sunset's fingers tightened on the wheel, and her voice had a trace of heaviness.  "Because I've already found the Well."

"You have?"  Flash asked, eyes blinking bright.  "Where...?"

"I'll tell you soon," Sunset said.  "But first..."  She pulled the car into a parking lot and idled to a stop.  "...I need your help with something."

"Help with what?"

"Let's just say... scientific verification."

"I... I don't understand what this is all about."

"Celestia-willing, you will.  As will I.  We both will soon."  Sunset flipped the windshield wipers into a faster speed and pointed out the windshield.  "Check it out."

"... ... ...?"  Flash craned his fair neck to see.

He hadn't been paying attention to where Sunset was driving them.  But now that they were parked in the cold autumn rain, he found himself gazing across a drenched street...

...and to a familiar high school courtyard where a mirror'd podium resided.

Sunset smiled down at the boi.  "Right where it all began."
> Press X to "FLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I... don't know if this is a g-good idea, Sunset," Flash murmured, fraught with fidgets.  The boi's shivering body was dry...

...which was because a seven and a half foot amazon was walking beside him across the school courtyard, holding an umbrella over his fair head.  Sunset bore the brunt of the raindrops—which was a light drizzle at that point, all things considered.  There was no conceivable, physical way that she could keep both her and his frame dry at the same time from sideways precipitation.  A noble sacrifice had to be made, and she smiled pleasantly into the moisture—unable to see his head through the umbrella cover.

"It's perfectly okay, Flash," the telepath assured him.  Her large sneakers splashed lightly in the puddles forming across the aged concrete.  "I know this portal like the back of my hoof... well... you know what I mean."  She winked through the umbrella's canvas.  "There's no way the magic can hurt you."

"No, not that."  Flash clenched his teeth.  "It's... kinda uncool to just waltz onto a school campus, uninvited."  He shook again from the cold.  The ends of his hoodie's sleeves dangled off his wrists like some adorable straitjacket's.  "Especially in this day and age.  We c-could get in trouble!"

"Not when you're a lifetime tutor with a non-expiring campus pass."

He craned his neck to look past the umbrella's cover.

She leaned down.  With a rattle of her beaded bracelet, Sunset produced her wallet and flipped it open to a plastic-sheathed card with the CHS logo on it.  Her smile matched the photo of the slightly younger amazon featured.

"Courtesy of Principal Celestia," she stated, adding a wink for punctuation.  "So long as the portal stays on campus, I'll always be relied on as this world's foremost expert on Equestrian magic.  Seemed like a good enough safety precaution.  Celestia's idea, not mine.  I'm rather flattered she thought of it first."

She slapped the wallet shut and slid it back into the purse dangling off her far shoulder.

"And—if you must know—yes, I do come back to campus to assist in tutoring from time to time."

Flash nodded.  "I bet you're a real surprise for the tiny freshman."

"Oh, they love me here."  Sunset smiled into the drizzle as they kept walking.  "Especially at P.E. basketball practice."

"Do you even need to jump to lay it in?"

"Let's talk about that later, Muggsy Bogues."  Sunset Shimmer scuffled to a stop and nodded ahead.  "Here we are."

Flash bit his lip before looking ahead of them.

The portal stood where it always did... looking as large and grandiose as Flash always remembered it—probably because he was as tiny now as he was back when he actually attended this campus.  He wondered if the portal ever felt different to someone like Sunset who—along with her friends—had proverbially exploded over the last half-decade.  From the looks of it, someone like her would have to duck just an inch or two in order to pass safely through the thing... assuming that mattered where magical portals were concerned.  And, in truth, "portal" was just the operative term that Flash had grown used to calling it... even when he wasn't ever truly involved in the chaotic happenstance flowing in and out of it.

The structure simply looked like a mirror—or more appropriately a series of four mirrors fastened around all sides to a rectangular solid.  The fact that the shiny surfaces were merely some glossy ether of between-world-essence was something that would be lost to the casual onlooker.  To the residents of Canterlot City and beyond, this thing was merely the base to a horse statue... a horse statue that had been violently destroyed by a random lightning bolt (and totally not by a former Crystal Prep Alumni turned into a magical demon bookworm with Equestrian powers).  Since then, the school simply never had the appropriate funds to rebuild the statue... or so the story went.  It had since become a beloved "eyesore" sitting in the middle of the Canterlot High School courtyard, and it made for a pleasant and familiar sight... save for the early/late times of the day when the glaring sun practically turned it into a weapon of Archimedes.

"It... never gets any blemishes, does it?" Flash asked.

"In hindsight, the magic blast from Twilight..."  Sunset took a moment to pause, breathe, and then reorient her words.  "The magic blast from Midnight Sparkle should have been powerful enough to have destroyed the entire foundation... not just the statue part."  She stood closer to the boi with the umbrella, making sure he was safely dry from the falling rain.  "What we figure happened is that the portal itself is... well... a hell of a lot stronger than any other force on this world.  I doubt there's any tool of man that could destroy the portal's base even if someone tried."

"So... that's kinda comforting..."  Flash fiddled with his sleeves.  "I guess?"

"Heheh..."  She chuckled cynically.  "It's friggin' comforting to me."

Flash nodded.  "But... uhm..."  He bit his lip, looking at his demure reflection on the wet surface of the "mirror."  He brushed a loose strand of blue hair back up into his cap as he spoke:  "What's kept people... and ponies... from going in and out as they choose?  I mean..."  He looked up at the massive woman holding the umbrella.  "Sure, you and the girls have moved on to more important things, but the Elements of Harmony have been graduates for over five years."

"We knew long ago that we couldn't be everywhere at once," Sunset said.  "So, to placate Principals Celestia and Luna—as well as ourselves—we came up with a solution."

"You did?"

"Well..."  Sunset smirked wryly.  "Princess Twilight came up with a solution."  Clearing her throat, she reached into her purse and pulled out a round object.  It resembled a shiny gray coaster, and as she held it in her palm a silver symbol lit up with luminescent energy.  "BEHOLD!"  She giggled aside.  "Hah... I love doing that everytime..."  Her brow furrowed with serious concentration after this...

...and a matching symbol appeared along the top right portion of the mirror panel that they were currently facing.  It looked like an upside down omega symbol to Flash... or—more appropriately—the outline of a horseshoe.  Before he could either gasp or giggle at that, the symbol finished pulsing.  There was a resounding chime: like a million xylophones being made love to somewhere beyond the rainswept mountains.  Then, with the elegance of late-90s CG fartmancery, the whole mirror rippled to life and settled still again.  Flash half-expected to see a dullfaced Keanu Reeves reflected instead of him.

"You taser'd it?" he squeaked.

"No, you adorable goofus," Sunset barked, putting the sigil away.  "It's a ward.  With a simple spell, I can shut this side of the portal off indefinitely."

"Indefinitely?"

"Well... until a sizable zap of magic shuts off the leylines of the spell," Sunset said.  "Which would either come from one of us on this side or the Princess and her allies in Equestria.  Then, afterwards, I perform an incantation and it seals up again."

"So... ... ... you taser'd it."

Sunset slowly sighed in defeat.

"But... erm..."  Flash couldn't stop staring at how nervous his reflection looked in the raindrops.  "Why exactly did you taser it?  If the portal is 'on' now, I'm not certain I should be standing so close to it."

"It's for a reason, Flash," Sunset said gently.  "Now... reach your hand forward."

Flash flashed her a nervous look.

She peeked back down from beyond the umbrella.  "We're not sending you through it."  Reflective drops of moisture clung gently to her crown, forming a soft halo.  "And even if it sucked you through—which it won't—I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"You... you sure?"

"It's perfectly harmless."

"There's no... Equestrian radiation?  I-I'm not gonna get horse cancer?"

"No, Flash.  You most assuredly won't."

Flash exhaled slowly.  "Then..."  Squirming, he wriggled his right hand loose from his sleeve and exposed it to the moist air, reaching forward.  "...I just...?"

In a blink, Sunset blurred her hand down to meet his wrist.  A millisecond later, she had thrust both of their hands into the reflection.

"Ackies—!"  Flash stumbled forward...

...and then he stopped in place.  It wasn't because of palming a flat surface.  Rather, it felt more as though he had settled to a stationary drift across a great ocean.  However, the water's surface was rippling directly in front of him, reduced to a tiny wall of shiny brilliance.  His nervous blue eyes wandered to where his and Sunset's fingers "waded" inches deep in the rippling material.  He wriggled one digit, then another.  He didn't feel resistance... but rather a million tiny tingling pinpricks that tickled his hand and sent shivers up his spine.

It was an awkward experience:  otherworldly, fuzzy, and more than a little bit alien.  But he was unfazed, standing in one place with Sunset protectively gripping his wrist.

The amazon in question raised her eyebrow.  "We okay, sweetie?"

"... ... ..."  Flash watched as the shininess surrounding his penetrating wrist settled still enough to reflect his awestruck expression.  "...we're okay."

She hummed knowingly, then released her grip of his hand.

Flash Sentry stood harmlessly in place, still digging his limb meagerly into the magical surface of the portal.  The more seconds ticked on, the more... inclined to reach in either further.  Perhaps it was not a force that drew people (or ponies) through the gateway, but rather a temptation.  He soon found he was capable of resisting it, and he stood in a calmer and calmer gait, rotating the hand now so that he could almost see a translucent facscimile of it materializing on the other side.

From his vantage point, there was no hand... no fingers... barely much of a limb to recognize piercing through.  If he was to guess, it looked to him as if his essence had been forged into a hoof beyond the ripples.

"Wow," he murmured in a girly tone, bereft of any scratching attempt to distort the naturalness of the outburst.  "Now that's different."

"How do you feel, Flash?"

He was too mesmerized by the visuals he was observing.  He reached in a little further and twisted the limb, seeing his forearm turn into a fetlock.

"Flash...?  Honey?"

He bit his lip and looked up at the patient telepath.  "Uhhhh..."  He gulped.  "Can I... pull out now?"

She smirked, rain droplets collecting along her brow.  "If I had a dime for every time I heard that."

The boi sighed.  "Sunny..."

"Heeeeee..."  She giggled.  "You called me 'Sunny.'"  Nevertheless, she placed a gentle hand on the boi's shoulder and pulled him back.

Flash retreated slowly from the mirror, and his arm fully formed.  He blinked at it, lips pursed.  For a breath or two, it looked as though the descending raindrops purposefully fell around the limb... ... ... at least until a few seconds had passed and some invisible aura had dissipated completely.

"That's trippy," he murmured, no longer anxious.  Just dazed.

"Flash..."

He looked up past the umbrella at his friend.

She leaned over like a mother to her child, gazing with concern at his expression.  "Are you feeling anything... familiar to you?"

"'Familiar'...?"

"Anything whatsoever that you've felt before?" she asked.  "It's okay if you can't put normal words to it."

"I..."  He gulped, gazing at the still-settling ripples of the mirror.  "I've never... uh... that is... erm... this was the first time I ever came this close to the portal, much less touched it—"

"Don't think about the portal, Flash," Sunset said.  "Think about you."

"Me?"

She switched hands holding the umbrella so that she could caress his chin gently.  "When you put your hand into that just now... it was exposed to pure, unfiltered Equestrian magic."  Her turquoise eyes narrowed.  "Was there anything you felt?  Anything that you may have experienced before?  Something... perhaps... from years ago?  Long before you and I even met?  Before you even attended this school?"

"I... I don't know what you're asking me to remember, Sunset," Flash said.  "It... it was really weird just now.  But..."  He slowly shook his head with a blank expression.  "...no matter how deeply I reached, I still couldn't find her."

Sunset stood back up, blinking hard.  "'Her...'?"

Flash's pupils shrank.  His mouth opened, but he was at a loss for words.  The reflection in the mirror receded further and further away, until all was the gray malaise of the soft rain around them.

"Who is... 'her?'" Sunset asked.  "Who were you looking for?"

"I... I don't know..."  Flash exhaled, slowly shaking his head.  "But now that I think about it... the mirror... the magic... ... ...it's a lot deeper than I expected."  He gulped.  "Empty."  A shudder.  "Like... like... I-I've been treading water there before... breathless... searching..."  A light whimper escaped his throat.  "Where is she...?"

As he said this, he felt a hot sensation across his cheek.  Flash ran a hand up to feel a single tear trickling against the cold moisture in the air.  He rubbed the warmth dry between two fingers, sniffled, and looked up at Sunset.  "Sunny?  What's... wh-what's happening to me...?"

She took a deep breath, gripping her fingers tighter around the umbrella handle.  "... ... ...mmmmkay..."  Her eyes went hard as she looked around the campus.  Then, at the last second, she brightened slightly.  "Alright.  I know what to do."

"Huh?"

She reached down and took the boi's hand.  "Come, Flash."

"Come?"  He blinked.  "Come where?"

She led him gently across the wet, wet campus.  "We're going on a trip together."

"Trip?"  He stumbled along, tugged by the amazon's strong, adamant grip.  "Trip where?"

"Not where."  She hummed pleasantly into the raindrops.  "When."





It was a patio lining the exterior to the school cafeteria.  A solid overhang protected six whole picnic tables from the surrounding downpour.  The ground, pavement, and school foundation was soaked with precipitation.  A consistent gray sheen engulfed the world, filling the air with a sleepy humidity.

Flash was too preoccupied with what had just happened—or what had not just happened—to bother taking in the soaked sights of the old school haunts surrounding him.  He blinked—more than a bit foggy—as Sunset raised his petite body up and seated him on the edge of one of the picnic tables.

"Okay..." the woman spoke.  "There."  She shook the umbrella dry, folded it, and leaned it upside-down against the edge of a seat.  "Now..."

Swinging her massive frame, the amazon slid one leg under the table, followed by the other.  She sat immediately facing the young man who was perched on the table top.

"Shhhhh..."  She sat up straight, her torso and head still slightly above his despite the height afforded by the boi's placement on the table.  "Just relax..."  She sat her purse on the table beside him and rested her hands on his shoulders, leaning in so that her beautiful, smiling expression was all his eyes could digest.  "...breathe... you're safe... we're both safe here..."

"What..."  Flash blinked, squirming as her frame engulfed his entire world.  "...what are you... what are we doing—?"

"Do you trust me, Flash?"

"I... uh..."  He squirmed.  The world around them was a long sleepy wheeze of rippling rainwater cascading over the edges of the overhang.  "Do I have a choice?"

She only smiled sweetly.  "You always do, Flash."  He watched as she raised a hand to her wrist and slowly—purposefully—slid off the beaded bracelet.  "Even when it looks or feels like you d-don't..."  She winced as soon as the bracelet was off.  For a brief moment, her eyelids hung heavy, and her upper frame wobbled ever so slightly... as if overcome with a sudden dizziness.

He blinked in mixed curiosity, concern.

But the amazon soon shrugged whatever sensation off.  She placed the bracelete neatly in her purse, took a steady breath, and rested her trembling hands on his shoulders.  She needed a breath or two to steady herself, and soon she was smiling placidly again.  There was a liquid quality to her following words, as if she was drifting down a warm river, increasing in volume and snaking lovingly around the boi's ears.

"Just breathe calmly, Flash, and follow my instructions."

"Instructions?"

"We're going on a journey together."

"But... we're just sitting here..."  He realized he could smell her breath, and it was delightfully spicy—sprinkled with the ever familiar lilacs.  "Uhm... sitting closely."

"There's..."  She tongued the inside of her mouth, her eyes reflecting the curtain of rain behind him.  "...there's a trick I've learned in the last few years, Flash."

"A trick?"

"As my powers got better... stronger... more precise."  She suddenly reached up and snapped his cap off.

He resisted slightly, but it was useless.

He freed the boi's long sapphire hair.  With loving hands, she brushed the strands straight, then cradled his hand in her massive palms, forcing him to keep looking straight at her.  His heart pounded; he couldn't help it.  It was the closest their faces had been in years.  Even back when they were dating teenagers, they didn't get this close often.  He could feel the heat radiating off her bosom and it made him tremble slightly—until her hands snaked their way back down to his shoulders and steadied him once again.

"Remember... the lucid dreams you had the last night?" she asked.

He bit his lip.  Eventually, he nodded.  "Yes.  H-how could I not?"

"In those instances, I simply... uncorked the bottle that is your mind and allowed it to overflow," she said.  "You were free to access thoughts and feelings that normally you wouldn't experience in full.  Flash, I can't make thoughts manifest themselves in other people's heads.  But I can grant them the power to see into themselves closer."  She caressed his face.  "But... if I went in there with you... inside your mind, side by side with your consciousness, then maybe I... maybe we can help you see more."

His mouth hung open.  "Buh?"

"I know it sounds silly.  Make-believe, even."  She giggled lightly, and the scent of lilacs and spice increased, tickling his tiny nostrils.  "But magic is rarely sensible... at least at a glance."

"Going... inside my mind..."  Flash winced.  "Like... like in that one film with Leonardo diCaprio?"

"If you wanna refer to classic movies, then—sure—it's just like Inception."

"Inception is considered a 'classic' now?"

"Flash, our minds are going to be united as one..."

"I mean, I know it came out nearly fifteen years ago, but still—"

"Flash."  Her brow furrowed slightly, and he was afraid the valkyrie in her might sink invisible talons in.  "This will be completely safe.  Even still... I need to know if you're okay with what I'm proposing?"

He shuddered slightly.  "Walking through my headspace with me...?"

"You'll be in my headspace too," Sunset said with a soft smile.  "If it's any consolation.  It takes two to tango with this telepathic trick of mind.  It always does."

"Just..."  Flash fidgeted.  "...how often do you do this, anyway?"

"At least once a week."

He blinked hard.  "Oh.  Uh... that's unexpected."

Sunset shrugged.  "It's been a good source of therapy for the girls.  I'm quite used to it."

"And... it's safe?"  Flash asked.  "Like... for you, that is?  I'm... not always keen on what my memories have in store for just myself."

She chuckled lightly.  "I've braved Midnight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash's ego, and the collective glitter-verse that is Pinkie Pie."  She stroked his cheek, purring:  "I doubt anything in that pretty head of yours is going to do me any harm, sweetie."

"And... uh... ... ..."

"No chance of frying you either, I promise.  Worse case scenario, we both snap out of it."

Flash glanced over his shoulder at the rain.

"We'll be safe out here.  If anyone or anything shows up, I'll bring us back."

"You can?"

She nodded.  "I can multitask."

"Okay... uhm..."  Flash looked at the purse, then at her, then back at the rain.  "Erm..."

"Please..."  Sunset cooed.  "I know this is an awful lot, and it must come across as very sudden, but I believe it will help."

"In... what way?"

"There's something I must understand," Sunset explained.  "The girls and I.  And..." She stroked his bangs.  "You as well, sweetie."

He bit his lip.

"I can't promise we'll find out everything... but I must see... I must look and find magic has done to you in the past."

"And... if you don't find anything?"

"I doubt I won't.  But, even if I don't..."  She smiled, close and loving.  "You'll always be magical to me, Flash."

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and eventually exhaled.  "Okay.  Let's... let's do it."

"Thank you, sweetie."  She cradled his hand in two strong hands.  "Now... just close your eyes and rest."

"Don't you... uh... gotta quote 'my mind to your mind' like Spock or something?"

"It doesn't work like in Star Trek."

He gulped, eyes closing.  "Better not cause any underwear stains."

"In your tighty whities?"  He heard her voice giggle.  "It'd just be an excuse for an upgrade."

"Wait..."  He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't for some reason.  "H-how long did you stare at—"

Then everything vanished under a cascade of hard white noise, more immense than the rain, and heavier than a hundred million shadows of that cold, autumn world.

And Flash fell.
> Here Comes a Thott--That Might Adore You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Or perhaps Flash Sentry was flying.

His brow furrowed tensely.  His eyelids twitched and shifted... until he realized he had no need for eyelids.  Or a brow.

He opened his eyes... or maybe they were always opened.  If he blinked, it was only because he felt obligated to.

Whatever the case, he looked.  And he saw.

And the landscape that stretched before him was dim.  Vague.  Encroached by shadows.  It felt like he was looking at the east horizon during sunset.  Or perhaps the west horizon at dawn.  Or maybe both at once.  The dueling penumbras of two separate spheres converged upon a dull meridian, stretching infinitely into a nebulous dreamscape.

He stood just to the left of the demarcation.  A dull thunder rolled in the distance, and several bright comets hung in limbo overhead, twinkling like a million lazy stars.  Breathlessly, Flash glanced towards his left periphery, and he surveyed the faded silhouettes and outlines of the town he grew up in.  There was Canterlot High School off in the distance... with the mall lingering closer... and dozens of halfway houses bordering the downtown district.  At some point, city limits blurred into thoughtscapes he loosely recalled from random moments in his childhood:  an amusement park, the office upstate where his folks worked, Magnolia Buckler's apartment, and a hundred thousand dismal shades of his thickly-curtained bedroom.

The boi exhaled... only he held no breath.  There was a brief moment of panic—in which he felt like spiraling into nothingness.  His limbs vibrated, but something anchored him in place.  There was an element familiar to the sensation—like the miraculous groundedness he sensed on the night that Sunset blessed him with lucid dreams.

Curious, Flash looked down at himself.  Gone were the oversized hoodie and slacks that he was used to wearing every dreary day of his corporeal existence.  Instead, a blast of the past hung off him like a limp flag: a dark jacket, a faded white t-shirt, and a pair of semi-torn jeans.  It was what he always used to wear during his days at Canterlot High... something tragically ordinary in its futile attempt to look “snazzy,” “cool,” and “masculine”.  He still had the jacket somewhere in the real world, and—to his undeniable shame—it would likely still fit on his petite figure after all these years.  A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and he smelled the cheap detergent that he always used to keep the same ol' outfit “squeaky clean” for weeks at a time.

“I must have looked so lame to everyone,” he grumbled.

“I found it adorable, personally,” Sunset Shimmer's voice hummed, but somehow it sounded... fuzzier.

“???”  Flash looked to his right.

He couldn't see Sunset.  Instead, he found himself gazing past the shadowed line dividing his world and the next: which turned out to be a beautiful rolling fantasyscape of emerald hills, snowy mountain peaks, and rustic farm villages spread out like rose bushes across a verdant glen.  High above the horizon's vanishing point, Flash spotted a series of castle spires towering majestically across a series of high granite plateaus.  The blue-and-rose tinged rooftops looked like something directly out of a Disney film, and the flabbergasted boi almost expected to see rainbows and songbirds blooming from the zenith.  His heart went a'flutter, and he wished actual breaths rolled through his dreamself if only he could lose them in a gasp at the sheer beauty of the spectacle—

“Flash?  Are you doing alright?  I know this is a lot to take in.”

“??????” he again question mark'd, gazing north and south.  He saw flowing rivers flanked by flowerbeds, open fields bespeckled with forests, and crystalline oceans filled with sea serpents.  Overhead, there flew a dragon or two... and a few other mesmerizing samples of exotic fauna.

“Just calm down, Flash,” Sunset's voice continued.  “I know it's a lot to take in.”

“Sunset?” Flash murmured, and his voice came out soft and squeaky... like a middle schooler tip-toeing into his freshman year over a sea of broken glass.  He cleared his “throat” and trilled again, looking left and right and left and right.  “I... I get that we're in some crazy, trippy thoughtfartica... but where are you?”  He clutched his nervous hands together in a distinctly unmasculine way.  “I'm... doing okay, all things considered.”  A gulp.  “But it'd be really cool to have you here with me right about n-now.”

“I'm right next to you, Flash.”

His eyes narrowed inquisitively.

“Just follow the sound of my voice.”

He looked all around, spying nothing but hills and farm villages—

“Try... lower... Flash.”

“... … …?”  The boi looked down.

A bright pair of turquoise eyes peered up at him... bigger than they had any right to be.  The eyes belonged to a housecat... only it wasn't a housecat.  It had pony ears, a pony tail, and pony hooves.  It also had a burning yellow coat, a mane like an autumn campfire, and a unicorn horn straight out of faerie tales.  Sunset's voice came out of the creature as it blushed and raised a forelimb shyly—as if it somehow couldn't get any cuter.

“Yyyyyyeah... so... uh...”  The equine ball of adorbs chuckled nervously and tossed its mane, glancing nervously aside with a shift of embarrassed fetlocks.  “...welcome to a subconscious representation of our combined mindscape.  The moment we enter, we assume our mental forms.  Errr... that is to say... we possess the 'self-image' that we most naturally associate with ourselves.  And in myyyyy case... ahem...”  She flopped back on her tiny haunches and raised her tiny forelimbs.  “Ta-daaaaaaa!  This is the pony me!  The real me... eheh...”

“... … ...”  Flash stared down at her, dumbfounded.  His jaw hung open as stars formed in his eyes.

“We need time for our separate psychic patterns to interconnect and relax,” Sunset explained, standing up straight in her serious pony body and bearing a serious pony expression.  “Until then, we have no choice but to maintain these forms.  In the meantime, I can teach you the basics of how to stay calm and cohesive in this conjured environment.”

“... … ...”

“Uhm... Flash?”  She arched a colorful eyebrow over her colorful eye.  One ear twitched fuzzily, then the other, also fuzzily.  “Flash?  Are you okay?  Uhm... is this experience too much for you to process so far, or—?”

“Oh...”  Flash fell to his knees.  “My...”  He threw his arms forward.  “...GOSH!”  He scooped the tiny cathorsegirlthingy into the tightest of hugs and squished its fuzzy cheek against his, nuzzling and squeezing and cooing:  “You.  Are.  So.  CUTE!”

“Aaackies!” Sunset gasped into a face-full-of-boi.  “Guh!  Flash, I—Gah!  N-not so tight!”

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeee-hee-hee-hee!”  The young man giggled girlishly, rubbing his cheek against hers before plowing his nose joyfully through a chestful of floof.  “Mmmmmmmm—ohgosh!  You do smell like lilacs!  Your soul is made of lilacs!  Your soul is lilacky and you're soooooo cuuuute!”

“Flaaaaaaaaaash!”  Sunset pouted briefly, only for her cheeks to turn a brighter shade of orange under his constant adoration.  “This is just the dream me!  The real me is a seven and a half foot woman squatting with you on a bench outside of—”  Her “breath” sucked in as her eyes crossed from a sudden... heavenly sensation.  “Ohsweetcelestia...”

Flash was scritch-scratching her ears, one after another.  “Ohgoshohgosh!”  He smiled from jawline to jawline, practically vomiting glitter between each joyous outburts.  “You're like a bag of kittens dipped in fuzz!  Just feel your ears!  Awwwwwwww!  Pony ears are amazing!”  More giggles, and by now he was cradling her in his arms like a tabby cat.  “Are your human-pony ears like this when you use your superpowers?”

“Muuuuuuuuuuu—”  Sunset's tail flicked as she melted in the boi's grip.  “Mmmmm-heheheheh...”  Her eyes rolled back and her forelimbs folded lazily over her fluffy chest.  “Twilight's ears certainly feel soft when I rub them... along with her... her...”  A bold blink, and Sunset shook her head, snapping out of it.  “Okay... enough with the ear-scratches.”

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww...”  Flash pouted, close to sniffling.  “But I wanna do this foreverrrrrrr...”

“We're not here for pony petting!” Sunset's voice cracked as she tried to regain her amazonian authority—failing.  “Seriously!  I mean it, Flash!  We've got some important trippy telepathic Inceptiony stuff to do!  So st-stop snuggling me already...”  She pony-pouted.  “Please, sweetie?”

He sighed sadly.  “Well... since you asked so nicely...”  He nevertheless boop'd his nose against hers with a lasting giggle, then placed her down on the ground by his ankles.  “Sorry, Sunny.  I just couldn't help myself.”

“Believe me, I understand the feeling.”  Standing once again on all-fours, the cat-sized unicorn dusted herself off.  “Whew... so that's what it's like to be picked up constantly.”

Flash still smiled, kneeling beside her.  “Perhaps you could consider it a fair exchange.”

“It's an exchange alright.  Fair?  Jury's still out on that.”  Sunset breathed in and out, then faced the dull line between converging thoughtworlds.  “Okay.  Lemme just assess the subconscious environment at hoof.”  Her brow furrowed.  “I recognize Equestria, alright.  Seems stable... so my side of the telepathic link is secure.”  She looked towards the gray facsimile of Canterlot High and its surrounding district on Flash's side.  “I... guess this is to be expected from your mind.  Although, for some reason, I was kind of hoping for something... … … more colorful.”  She felt her mane flouncing repeatedly, and she stomped a hoof while growling.  “Flaaash!”

“S-sorry...!”  he raised his hand from brushing her fiery hair.  “I... I-I just couldn't help myself.”  He touched two fingers together anxiously.  “Could... could you just let me comb it for a bit?”

“No, Flash—”

“Just twenty minutes?  Fifteen!”

“Now's not the time!”

“Awwwwwwww...”  Flash pouted again.  “But you're such a pretty unicorn!”

“Yes.”  She upturned her fuzzy nose with a stately pose of her front hooves.  “Yes I am.”

“Heeheehee...”

She squinted up at the boi who was inexplicably towering above her.  “... … ...you're really enjoying this reveal, aren't you?”

He cupped his rosy cheek with a girlish palm.  “Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.”  Another giggle escaped him.

She blew a tuft of mane hair out from before her eyes, then bore a proud smirk.  “Well, I'm glad you're so... tickled pink by my true self, Flash.”

“Are you ponies really this tiny?”

“What do you mean 'you ponies?'”

He stuck his tongue out.  “You know what I mean.”

“It's... a pretty fair representation of Equestrian-to-Human size ratios.”  Her fuzzy nose scrunched.  “For the most part.”

“So... you've always been cat-sized?”

“Would it break your brain to know that our housecats are even smaller?”

“Like...”  Flash Sentry gasped, eyes starry again.  “Mini-Chibi-Cats?!?”

“Can we please try and focus on what we're here for?”

“I'm sorry, Sunset...”

The unicorn sighed and lovingly patted his ankle.  “It's okay, Flash.”  She smirked up at him.  “If it helps you to know, I... sorta wish you saw this me a lot sooner.”

“Golly, Sunset...”  He continued smiling in awe at the equine specimen.  “If all this time I knew you were so little, fuzzy, and adorable...”

“Can't change the past, Flash,” she muttered, and those adorable ears flattened meekly.  “I certainly didn't treat you like someone who was little, fuzzy, and adorable.”

“That's okay,” Flash said.  And before she could protest, he finished:  “The truer... cuter you galloped out in the end.”  A wink.

“Pffft.  Sure.”  She trotted in a thoughtful circle around his legs, tail flicking.  “But, as irony would have it, I grew eleven times even bigger.”

He squinted at her.  “Do you ever miss being small, adorable, and cuddable?”

“Oh, I can still be cuddled, Flash.”  She winked up at the boi.  “It just takes some effort.”

He nodded.  “Sure.  But... from now on...”  He stood up straight, towering above the adorable telepath.  “I'm just going to pretend you're thirty cutetastic unicorns stacked up inside a sexy amazon suit.”

“Yeahhhhhhh...”  She droned.  “Good luck with that.”

“Heeheehee.”

Her eyes looked up and down, reflecting the boi's otherwise petite figure.

Flash blinked.  “What?”

“It's... it's nothing...”  Sunset cleared her throat, forcing herself to look at the bifurcated landscape.  “So... here we are.”

Flash nodded.  “It's... trippy... I guess?”

“You seem uniquely unfazed by it all,” Sunset said.  “No offense, Flash, sweetie, but you're usually more skittish about this kind of stuff.”

“Helps to have a magical talking cat-horse-person nearby to raise my spirits.”

“If you say so.”  Sunset toed the dark, shadowy line between worldscapes.  “It may be hard to tell, but the division is starting to blur.”  She looked towards the dual horizons as they grew uniform in their foggy color.  “Soon, we should be able to lucidwalk.  I hope you don't mind if I take the lead.”

“Those are pretty.”

“What are pretty?”  Sunset turned around and looked at Flash.  He was pointing skyward, so she followed his finger and spotted the hundreds of streaking comets hovering in the air.

“They're like... falling stars,” Flash stammered.  There was a flutter of wind, and it was only then that he realized how much... shorter his hair was.  He ignored it for the moment.  “I wonder where they come from.”

“Oh, those aren't stars,” Sunset explained.  “They're raindrops.”

He blinked down at the pony.  “Raindrops?”

Sunset grunted beneath her breath, firing her unicorn horn at a patch of earth.  A rocky pillar raised up, and she rode the platform until it was high enough above Flash that she could poke the “comets” with her hoof.  The first slew of them turned to splashing puddles that converged slowly in mid-air.

“Raindrops!  See?”  She smirked.  “It's a manifestation of the environment immediately outside our minds.”

“You mean...”  Flash's lips pursed in thought.  “...the rain... falling outside the picnic overhang at CHS?”

“It's where we're sitting, after all,” Sunset explained.  “As we enter and exit the mindscape, the sensations around us lose and regain focus.”

“Why's everything... so slow?”

“Because our thoughts are fast,” Sunset explained.  “And as we drift deeper into the subconscious, they'll only speed up, until the world outside becomes blurred and indistinguishable.”

“Is that... … ...normal?”

“Oh, definitely.”  The horse nodded.  She zapped the rock pillar, and it turned into a pile of feathers that swiftly descended.  She “rode” the feathers down and landed on soft grass, trotting leisurely towards the boi.  “Once you and I are fully synced, we'll be operating at mental speeds far faster than what it takes to communicate verbally.  Y'know... you can get an awful lot done in your brain while lucidwalking.”

“That's... pretty nifty, actually,” Flash said.  “I take it you've practiced this before.”

“More times than I can count,” the pony replied.  “Twilight once convinced me to bring her here so she could crunch her astronomy thesis a week ahead of schedule... … … until we both realized that—as smart as she is—the logic centers of her brain simply couldn't catch up to the speed of dreaming.  Sooooooooooo we went wind-surfing with Carl Sagan instead.”  A slight giggle.  “Best 'weekend' we ever spent in Neptunian Space Hawaii... with Star Wars paintball matches on the side.”

“Wow... how do you ever leave a place as amazing as this?”

“Let's... just say that there's far more alluring things about our corporeal lives to stick with rather than always coming here.”

“Oh yeah?”  Flash blinked.  “Like what?”

“... … ...”  Sunset raised a hoof to her fuzzy muzzle and coughed aside.  “I'll... explain in due time.”

Flash thought about pushing the matter, but realized this wasn't the time and place.  After all, of all the mindscapes they could go to, Sunset was the absolute best chauffeur here.  He knew better than to jostle that.

“Ah... there we go...” Sunset pointed at the comets above as they vanished in mid-drift.  “We're deep in the subconscious now.  I should be able to gain full control soon.”  She trotted about to face him.  “Assuming you're cool with that, of course.”

“I trust you, Sunny,” Flash said.

“I can also get out of this pony skin too,” she muttered.  “So weird having to talk up to you.”

“Uhm...”  Flash chewed his bottom lip.

She sighed long and hard.  “Yes, Flash?”

“Could you... maybe... st-stay a pony?”  He smiled crookedly.  “While we're here?”

“Eeeeeunghhhh...”  Her ears flopped as she rolled her eyes.  Eventually, the mare sported a tired grin.  “Just for you, sweetie.”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaay,” the boi squealed.

Sunset squinted her eyes, peering down the dim valley between clashing horizons.  “Usually... the best way to start taking control...”  She turned around and looked down the opposite equator.  “...is to focus on a memory... and bring it to the forefront.”

“Erm... how do we do that?” Flash asked.

“Through practice, mostly.  If you're not careful, you'll throw yourself in all sorts of crazy, chaotic directions.  One's mental temperament plays a heavy role.”

Flash gulped.  “I'm not sure I can be of much help, then.”

“Sure you can.  We just got to quick-start things, and then I'll take the reins.”

“Are horses allowed to make horse-riding jokes?”

She turned and looked up at him.  “You know, where I come from, we do have bridles and saddles and bits and the like.”

“Errrrr...”  Flash fidgeted.  “What for?”

Sunset waggled her eyebrows.  “Bored old married couples.”

“... … ...huh?”

“Sorry.  Old pony joke.”  Sunset Shimmer pivoted about to face “her” side of the dreamscape.  “Okay.  I'll show you how it's done.  Then... we'll have you recall a memory.”

“But... aren't you going to assume control of—?”

“It still involves the both of us to some extent, Flash.  Think of this as starting calisthenics.  Flexing of the mind, as t'were.”

He nodded shakily.  “Alright...”

“Try to remember a happy memory,” she said with a smile.  “Something that brings you great pleasure.”

“Something...”  Flash took deep breaths.  “That brings me...”  More.  “Great pleasure...”

“Where I'm concerned...”  The little she-horse licked her lips.  And—

SWOOOSH!

The round world unrolled beneath them like a carpet over a great sphere.  Flash's buildings and Sunset's mountains melted away, and in its place there emerged a tiny gazebo on the edge of a flat plateau, overlooking a quaint village with granite hilltops surrounding.  Two equines rested on cushions overlooking the western horizon.  One pony was super-super tiny, and the other appeared—to Flash at least—to be the size of a clydsedale... only it had huge wings, a pronounced horn, and an alabaster coat.  The mare's forehead shimmered like a torch.  Then—as if in direct response—the sun sank into the edge of the sky before both souls.

“Wowwwww...”  The tinier specimen stammered with the voice of a little girl.  Flash watched as the yellow-orange filly stood up, rearing its legs and cheering.  “That's so incredible, Your Highness!  Is this what it feels like every time?”

The larger horse chuckled with a motherly tone that Flash found hauntingly familiar.  “Every time, my little pony.”  She leaned her graceful head down to nuzzle the filly.  “After thousands and thousands of years, the spell still maintains it brilliance... even in dimming.”

“Are you going to raise the moon now?”

“In a moment, my student.  Contrary to popular belief, day and night don't follow each other directly.  There needs to be a buffer in between for the world to properly adjust to the change in temperature and luminosity.”

“How'd you find that out???”

“Through careful experience and application.  And—in the seasons—we schedule varies.  This is to maintain the equilibrium that had been set in motion by nature long before the Dimming.”

“Wowwwwwwwwww...”

“See?  Even Princesses of Equestria have room to learn and grow and adjust.”

“What's it matter?!  You're just soooo powerfullllll!”

The regal pony chuckled, then drew the filly in closer with a loving wing.  “It's not all about power, Sunset.  But also civility, patience, and restraint.”

“Uh huh!  Uh huh!  Now raise the moon!  Raise the moon!  I wanna see ittttt!”

“Heheh... all in good time...”

A larger version of the giggling filly trotted into view, and Flash remembered who he was there witnessing the event with.  “That's Princess Celestia and I,” Sunset Shimmer explained.  “Days after she approached me and my folks, announcing that she had learned of my talents and wanted to enroll me into her school as her prized pupil.”  A deep breath.  “I was six at the time.”

Flash did a double-take.  Gawking down at the pony, he pointed a nervous finger at the resplendent specimen.  “That's your world's Principal Celestia???”

“Princess.”  Sunset clenched her teeth.  “Princess Celestia.”

“C-careful with that word...”  Flash leaned back, hugging himself with a shiver.  “It triggers me.”

Ignoring that, Sunset turned to smile calmly at the scene.  “It used to be that thinking about this moment would only bring me guilt and regret.”  A long breath.  “But I've since learned to embrace the better parts of my past... the innocent parts.  Much like the things I love about my present... they anchor me.”

“I'm glad you've grown to accept yourself, Sunset,” Flash said.  “You're a wonderful person... er... pony... pony person thingy...”

“I get it, Flash.  I get it.”  She chuckled, waving a hoof.  “And thank you.”

He gazed at the two equines in the vision.  As the sun fully set, the stars poked through the heavenly veil, and their stellar shine glistened off the ponies' horns.

“So... uhm...”  Flash rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  “...is Princess Celestia your mom?”

Silence.

Eventually, Sunset spoke:  “Now you try and conjure up a memory, Flash.”

He blinked down at her.

“... … ...Flash?”

“Oh!  Right...”  He clenched his hands together nervously.  “Something... at brings me... great pleasure...”

“Something near and dear to your heart,” Sunset said.  “And—that brings you great pleasure—yes.”

His forehead tensed.  His knees buckled.  He looked like he was about to jump into an invisible river but wasn't aware which direction it was flowing.

Sunset squinted.  “What are you doing?

“I don't really know...”

“Try not to overthink it, Flash,” Sunset explained with a wave of her hoof.  “Just latch onto the first moment that comes to mind and if it sends a spark through your heart then latch onto it and—”

CRRRRUNCHHHH!

A series of cinderblock walls shot up out of the ground, nearly dividing the two.  Sunset and Flash collectively yelped as a forest of metal storage lockers sliced their way up towards a claustrophobic ceiling.  The light of the world flickered, accompanied by an electric buzz, and soon the two spotted a mirrored pair of souls careening against the opposite wall of a school hallway.  The two personas came into focus, and soon they spotted a snarling valkyrie looming intimidatingly over the cowering figure of a petite teenage boi.

“For the last time, you ungrateful little sissy, I'm not asking you to avoid talking to those girls... I'm telling you to avoid talking to them!”  A fire erupted through the average-sized girl as she glared down at her shivering beau.  “This is the second year that you and I are going out to the Fall Formal and if I'm gonna have a chance at being this year's Fall Formal Princess then we need the rest of the school to take us seriously!  Now are you gonna man up for once and do what needs to be done to protect our image or am I gonna drag those balls straight out of you?!?”

“N-no, Sunset!” the boi's voice cracked.  He then winced.  “I-I mean yes, Sunset!  I'll m-man up!”  He nevertheless whimpered.  “I promise!  I won't give anyone any bad ideas to gossip about!”

“Hmmmph... you'd better.”  The girl grumbled, walking away and bumping his shoulder hard for measure.  “As if I haven't enough stress as it is getting all these lame-o students to walk right, I gotta hand-hold a prissy excuse for a boyfriend the whole time.”

The small student's eyes fell to the floor.  “Yes, Sunset...”

With a snap of her finger, she signaled him to follow while carrying her heavy books down the hallway.  “Did you get the A/C fixed in your car?”

“Yes, Sunset.”

“About fucking time!  If I go for another hot minute cooking in that overpriced dick-compensator-on-wheels of yours, I'm liable to choke a puppy.”

“Y-Yes, Sunset...”

“And stop staying 'Yes, Sunset!  Yes, Sunset!'  For fuck's sake, Flash!  Grow a goddess-dayum spine, will you?!”

The boi-ish vision from the past said nothing.  He hung his head with a bit lip... before phasing through his identically tall yet older self.

“Ah jeez... ah jeez...!”  Flash Sentry yanked at his dream-hair and winced hard.  “I... I-I don't know how that came about!  I swear, Sunset!  I...”  He nearly hyperventilated.  “I didn't mean to bring back one of those memories!”  Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes.  “Please... please don't be upset!  I know what you told me just now but somehow... somehow I-I just—”

“It's okay, Flash.”

“Don't say that!”  He choked on a sob.  “You put all that behind you and for some reason I just had to dig in deep and pull it right back—”

“I said it's okay.”  He felt her tiny weight pressing against him.  The boi looked down and saw the adorable unicorn gazing up towards his face.  Her eyes were glossy, awash with countless emotions, but a sweet smile graced her fuzzy muzzle nonetheless.  “I'm not bothered.  And I'm not surprised either.”

He sniffed.  With a ghost sleeve, he rubbed his ghost face dry.  “Y-you're not...?”

“As all things, it's in the past,” Sunset said.  She slowly shook her head.  “Do not be ashamed of bringing it into a place like this.  I can't pretend that I didn't do or say those horrible things to you back then.  But—at least—I can do my best to make up for them.”

“I... I...”

“Shhhhh...”  She tapped his knee and smiled.  “It's okay, sweetie.  Honestly... it is.  Hey.  Hey... look at me.”

He sniffled and stared intently at her equine visage.

Her fuzzy ears twitched as soon as she knew he had the boi's attention.  “Think happy.  Think calm.  Think safe... … … I know you have it in there with you somewhere.  Now bring us to it.”

“I...”  Flash whimpered.  “I'm not s-sure that I can...”

“I believe in you, Flash,” Sunset said.  “You're capable of more things than you know.”

“Okay...”  He nodded.  “Okay okay...”  He nodded again, his eyelids growing heavy.  “...here goes—”

FWOOOOOOSH!

The world exploded with light.  Both Flash and Sunset had to squint into a newfound brilliance.  Concrete and brickwork materialized around them, flanked with trees and benches and street lamps.  The world was suddenly hot and humid—drenchingly so, and a barrage of ambient humanity echoed from just around some unseen corner of urbanity.

“Where...”  Sunset sniffed the air with her pony nose, sensing lavender and a million other conflicting scents.  “...are we?”

“I...”  Flash stood girlish and pigeon-toed under a partly-cloudy sky.  “...I don't know.”  He gulped.  “Somewhere loud.”

“You sure this is a happy memory?”

“I-I'm trying my best here, Sunset.”

“I know.  I know.  It's okay.”  Sunset waved her hoof.  She breathed in and out.  “It's... been a while since I last initiated a dreamwalk with someone who hasn't done it much.”

“Don't you mean 'not at all?'”

“You're a fast learner, Flash.  I can already tell.”

“Really?”

“Now... if we can just figure out when and where we are so we can judge your ability to recollect things...”  Sunset glanced at a nearby treeline.  She hopped and she hopped... but ultimately groaned in cute pony frustration.  “... … ...wish I had my seven feet back.”

“Hey... uh... Sunny?”

“Yes, Flash?”

“Maybe... you could see better...”  He blushed, fidgeting.  “...if I carried you.”

“... … ...”  She looked up at him.  “...alright, Flash.”  A soft smile to befit her soft voice.  “You can carry me, honey.”

And just like that, a blanket of apprehension flew off his features.  He brightened to match the day, leaning down to swoop her up into his arms like a kitten.

“There...”  She lay back in his embrace, forelimbs curled up.  “...happy?”

“Very.”

“Now...”  She pointed with one hoof.  “...take us around that bend in the trees.”

Clearing his throat, he sauntered forward, clutching the cat-sized pony in tow.  “Will do, ma'am...”
> To Thine Own Selves Be Pink
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Flash...”  Sunset Shimmer peered left and right through thin eyes as they rounded a bend in horticultural landscaping.  “Are we...”  The little pony girl exhaled through her little pony muzzle.  “...at Disneyland?”

“Disney World,” Flash Sentry corrected.  He hugged the dangling equine to his chest as he walked down an ever-evolving pathway.  One by one, colorful buildings of vaguely “medieval” design sprouted up on either side of them.  Bodies came into being along the path—first their legs, then their backpacks and strollers, then their faces and mouse hats.  The noise was thoroughly explained now: a cacophonous chorus of tourists murmuring, children laughing and screaming, and cast members heralding—all under the symphonic broadcast of upbeat classical music.  “Only... something's off about it,” the boi stammered.  “I know Florida's Magic Kingdom is way larger than the one on the West Coast, but I don't recall Fantasyland being quite this big.”

“It's not an accurate representation of the actual amusement park,” Sunset explained, repositioning her meager weight in his arms.  “But, rather, it's a reflection of how your mind interpreted it... presumably from experience.”

“Sure, I can buy that.”

“And from the looks of it...”  Sunset nodded her horn at how noticeably large the park guests were.  “...you must have been here last when you were a child.”

“About age eight, actually,” Flash said.

Sunset looked up at his chin above her flouncing mane.  “I never knew your parents took you to Walt Disney World!”

“They didn't.”  He sighed out his nostrils.

“... … ...Magnolia?”

“Concepcion did.”

“Concepcion...”  The pony's muzzle scrunched.  “I think I've heard that name before...”

“She was the housekeeper I knew the best while growing up,” Flash said.  “Housekeeper slash babysitter slash groundskeeper slash stand-in mom.”  A faint smile crossed his lips.  “She was always so kind... so patient... so affirmative.  She believed in me and my potential and would come up with newer and more unique ways to try and lift my spirits up every day... before and after school.”

Sunset nodded.  “I bet she loved you, Flash.”

“As well as she could.  I'm pretty sure she and her co-workers accepted me as an adopted da—...”  The boi bit his dreamtongue.  “...as an adopted son.”  He cleared his throat.  “And I... I got along pretty well with her children and godchildren.”

“Were Concepcion's kids nice to you too?”  Sunset asked.

“Heh... yeah, they were,” Flash murmured.  “It's just that...”  His words trailed off.

“Just what?”

He hugged the little pony closer to his slender chest.  At last, he sighed once more.  “I never felt like I was my true self around them.  I felt like... I was the kid of the rich people their mother slash parents' friend worked for... … ...and—for the longest time—I didn't really know how to deal with their kindness.”

“... … ...because your parents' and sister's acceptance of you was so cold,” Sunset stated.  “You felt that receiving anything else wasn't what you were 'supposed' to receive.”

“Sure, I guess.”  Flash glanced casually up at a doppelganger of Cinderella's Castle that stretched impossibly high into the stratosphere, blotting out the sun.  “So much in my life has been... second-guessing good fortune when it comes my way.”

“It might explain why you didn't just ditch me a few weeks into our relationship, Flash,” Sunset said in a somber tone.  “All of the cruelty and menace and overbearing intimidation I brought on...”  She swallowed hard.  “Must have just been sprinkling croutons into your salad.”

“Yes, well...”  Flash smirked slightly as he navigated around a congo-line of brightly-shirted Brazilians.  “...the dressing didn't hurt.”

“Flash...”  The pony's ears hung flat.  “It isn't supposed to be funny.”

“Sometimes you just have to chuckle at life, Sunset,” Flash muttered.  “For the last fifteen-odd years, I've taught myself how to laugh at everything on the inside.”  His shoes scuffled to a stop before a park bench.  “I wish I had learned how to do that sooner.”

Sunset followed his gaze.  She saw a slight specimen of youth, with hair like a spilled vat of sea-blue ink.  The child was a veritable pixie: fair and androgynous and tiny... hugging its knees while hiding into the geometry of the bench wearing knee-length shorts and a bright white t-shirt with some forgotten band name on it.  While the other park guests roared and marched and circulated all around him, the young Flash remained still, unmoving, and inevitably sunbleached by the bright Florida sky.

“I... don't think I've ever seen anything so simultaneously adorable and sad,” Sunset remarked.  “Were you... unsupervised?”

“Nah...”  Flash shook his head, nodding towards a space to the side.  “Concepcion and a few of her work friends where there.  She brought her kids.  They all brought their kids.”

Sunset watched as a bunch of children Flash's age—but mostly older—pranced and chased each other around their parents as the group paused by a Fantasyland storefront selling overpriced ice cream treats.  Another portion of the group was standing in line to meet with the Faerie Godmother.

“I've heard the tale told different times over the years,” Flash said.  “Basically, one summer, I was looking really down.  Moreso than usual.  So Concepcion brought it up to my mother—explaining how she felt that something needed to be done to lift my spirits.  My mom must have shrugged it off, saying, 'Why don't you take him to Disney World or something.'  And Concepcion didn't really understand English sarcasm so well, so she told my mom it was a good idea.  Then Mother likely just... waved her hand and got tickets for me, Concepcion, and a few dozen other people.”

“Your mother's superpower was always money-waving.”

“You're not wrong.”  Flash nodded.  “So we had this one bigass trip to Florida and... well... this is how it went down.”

Sunset grimaced.  “You look miserable.”

“But the kids—my acquaintances, the other children—they were having the time of their lives.”  Flash managed a warm breath as he stared down at his younger image while hugging a pony to his chest.  “I think I was okay with that.  More than okay.  Indirectly, I brought joy and happiness to so many others who probably would never have gotten a ticket to Disney World any other way.  I... I like that...”

Sunset blinked up at him.  “You like what?”

“Bringing others pleasure,” Flash murmured.  “Contentment.  It... it's gotten less and less easy over the years.  But—once upon a time—I used to be able to make others smile and giggle and have fun simply by existing.”

Sunset squinted at the sad little doppelganger.  “You don't seem to be existing very well here.”

“I was being a stupid little sad sack,” the boi grumbled.

“Awwwwwwwwwww...”  Sunset gave him an empathetic smile.  “Flaaaaaaash.”

“So much money poured into this vacation—and there I was being a frowny-face in the center of it.”

“You're not exactly frowning,” Sunset said.  “You just...”  She fought the urge to say it, but gave in:  “...look like you.”

“Concepcion did her best to try and cheer me up,” Flash said.  As if on cue, a middle-aged woman wandered over with a chocolate-covered banana and offered it to the melancholic child on the bench.  He took it in his tiny hand while maintaining a distant look in his eye.  “She rarely left my side.  But... y'know... she never forced me to smile.  That's something Mom or Magnolia would have tried to do... turning the whole vacation into an unnecessary dramatic scene.  But people like Concepcion were more patient... accepting.  I think she had faith that someway—somehow—I was likely smiling on the inside.  I can't blame her for being wrong... I didn't give her much to show for all of her efforts, no matter how kind she was to me.”  He watched as his eight-year-old self nibbled on the chocolate fruit.  “Wowsers, that's Freudian.”

“Funny...”  Sunset remarked.  “I kinda sorta figured that you of all people would have simply relished a week at Disney World.  Instead... you look so... displaced.”

“Nothing about where I was or what I was doing could change the fact that I knew my parents did this to... more or less get me out of their thoughts.”  Flash looked across the faceless crowds meandering chaotically through the dreamscape.  “Year after year, I came to realize that I was simply a shame to them.  This would only grow worse over time, and I... just could never find myself in a place where I could celebrate the moment... or enjoy life's riches—even when they were presented to me.  Somehow it just... felt wrong to give in.  In the back of my mind, I knew that something would have to change... I would have to change.”

“But... did you ever?” Sunset asked.  “Change, I mean?  When I found you a day or two ago, Flash, you had been evicted from the last home your parents provided you.”  The pony squirmed in his grasp.  “I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or nothing, sweetie, but if some part of you really and truly wanted to appease them... then why didn't you after all these years?”

Flash hugged her tight like a pillow as the spires and thatched roofs of Fantasyland sank all around them, giving way to a broad gray plateau.

“I... I don't know, Sunset,” Flash murmured.  Gently, he knelt down and allowed the little unicorn to stand on her own four hooves.  “As much as I wanted to fit in... to make others proud... I just...”  He winced.  “...I could never feel like I was right... like I'd be in the place... in the role that would make me feel happy—or at least content for the rest of my life.  So... I just... did nothing.”  He gulped.  “I settled for limbo.”

Sunset raised a hoof to tap her fuzzy chin in thought.  “...just when was the last time you felt like you were performing the role you were supposed to?”

"For the love of oats!  How useless are you?!?"

Sunset instantly winced at the sound of her own snarling voice.  As the world rippled through dreamscapes around them, she spun around to see two teenagers situated in a high school breakroom.  The taller of the two—an enraged valkyrie—was hopping on one foot, cradling her other ankle with a pained expression.

"Do you want to stomp my hooves—I mean—my toes off?!?"  The younger Sunset doppelganger's nostrils flared.

"I-I'm sorry, Sunset!"  The teenage boi shrank away from her, trembling.  "I'm telling you... I-I've never really practiced this before!  I... I'm afraid I'll just step on your feet again!"

"Give me a Goddess-damn break!"  The teenage girl face-palmed, sighed, then reached out with both arms.  "Come here, ya sissy."

"Eeep—!"  Flash flinched—but was soon yanked into Sunset's grip.  Then, with forceful motions, he was shaken into a dancing stance, framed by the dominant partner.

"Okay.  Look..."  The valkyrie frowned, but her upcoming motions were curiously gentle as she graduated the two of them into a slow waltz across the room.  "I've read enough on this shit to help us both practice.  But you're going to have to let me lead for a while."  She narrowed her eyes down on him.  "Do you understand what's happening?  This—what I'm doing right now—is what you'll be doing when we're dancing in front of everyone at the Fall Formal!  You have to learn my movements here and copy them when the time comes!"

"Okay..."  Flash gulped, his eyes misty as he stumbled to follow her motions.  "Okay, I th-think I can do this—"

"Don't think nothing!  Learn, okay?!  Friggin' grow a pair, will ya, Flash?!"  Her grip of his arm and shoulder tightened as she spun him around the room.  "And try to call me something more endearing.  No more 'Yes, Sunset' and 'Sure thing, Sunset.'  I need you to be my boyfriend in front of others... not my toadie!"

"Uhm... okay..."  Flash winced.  "...sweetie?"

"Snkkktt-hahahaha!"  Sunset smirked her way through an evil laugh.  "Ohhhhhhhh Luna on a bike!  You'd be absolutely hopeless without me..."

The pony watching all of this heard a heavy sigh.  Curious, she turned around to see her fellow dreamwalker leaning limply against a faded wall of the conjured room.

"I... I'm sorry, Sunset," Flash muttered, gazing past the shadows of their past selves.  "I... I-I really don't know why I keep bringing us back here..."  His sad eyes reflected her fuzzy face.  "It's not fair to you—"

"No.  No..."  She waved a hoof.  "I think this is important somehow."

His fair brow furrowed.  "How so?"

The unicorn kept waving.  "Just... just keep thinking—"

SWOOOSH!  The dancers behind them twirled, blurred, and reformed into two figures scaling a rocky hill on the north end of town.

"Will you frickin' hurry it up?!"  Sunset Shimmer grumbled, hauling a backpack with a telescope over her shoulders.  "Sheesh, Flash.  This is your own home town!  Don't tell me you've never gone hiking around these parts before!"

"I..."  The teenage boi painted.  "...have seen..."  He crawled his limp limbs up the side of the steep incline.  "...the sights..."  Sweat glistened in the setting sunlight.  "...of this place..."  He collapsed against a boulder, whimpering.  "...from down below..."  His eyes clenched shut.  "Ohhhhhhhh we're up high... oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh..."

"Unnnngh..."  Sunset rolled her eyes and turned right around, marching downhill.  "Where in the Hell would you be without me.  Honestly."

"Huh?"  The young Flash reopened his eyes, grimacing as the valkyrie stomped towards him.  "What are you going to do?"

"Shove your worthless butt down into the ravine.  What do you think?"

"Wh-what?!" Flash squealed like a girl.

"Haaah!"  The valkyrie smirked, lifting the boi up in mighty arms and effortlessly carrying the smaller teenager.  "I'm just making this easier, Flash.  Relax!  And grow a funny bone, will ya?!"

"I... I-I..."  He trembled, clinging to her as the strong girl carried them both uphill.  "...I thought I-I was supposed to be growing a pair of t-testicles..."

"Hahahah!  That too.  But somehow a funny bone seems even more possible."

"Sunset..."

"Heh heh... friggin' limp napkin of a man.  Why am I so crazy for ya...?"

"Because... I'm... ... ... nice?"

"Sure.  Let's go with that.  Now stop trembling or else I'm gonna drop your sorry ass halfway up the hill.  You really wanna miss the meteor shower, wuss?!?"

The observing unicorn snorted, then covered her muzzle as she chuckled.  Within seconds—however—she was grimacing.  "Ahem..."  She forced herself to look away from the scene.  "I'm... I'm sorry."  The mare's ears folded as she shook her head.  "None of that was ever truly funny... or joyful.  It's cruel to snicker at it, Flash."

"No it's not."

Blinking hard, the pony looked up at him.  "Huh?"

He bore a smile, although it was a weak one.  "Not... everything was so terribly awful, Sunset," he said.  Slowly, the boi walked over and stood by her side.  "I mean... sure... I took what I could get out of our relationship.  But... you... you grew comfortable to be with."

She hung her head, scowling at the earth.  "Nobody should ever grow content with cruelty.  Nobody."

"I'm not saying you're wrong."  He knelt down and ruffled her fiery mane.  "I'm just saying what happened.  For all of your angry and abrasive ways... you were always keen to take control."  He bore a gentle, tranquil expression.  "I... really need that in my life."  A sigh.  "I don't think it's all that shameful to say, anymore.  I need others telling me what to do... pointing and clicking... giving me directions and objectives.  Heck... if my parents were actually around me all the time—or my sister, at least—then maybe I'd finally be somewhere.  Instead I was... given a wide enough birth to be my depressed self and languish into nothingness.  That's the time when you found me and gave me something besides myself to dwell on every day."

"I never wanted to be like your parents," Sunset said, her voice scratching with a touch of sadness.  She sniffled and clenched her teeth.  "You deserved so much better—you still do... and I had to show up and drive your life even further into the ground."

"You gave me purpose, Sunset."  Flash fidgeted, gazing off into the nebulous dream.  "...and you gave me attention."  A soft sigh escaped his nostrils.  "That did more for me than you can ever imagine.  I even felt comfortable enough to... to..."

The pony arched an eyebrow.  "...to what?"

SWOOOSH!

The world shifted behind them, turning dark.  Stars formed overhead, and cosmic streaks shimmered past them, creating a cosmic light show.  On the top of a hill, lying beneath an erected telescope, two teenagers—a buxom redhead and a petite boi—rested with their bodies sprawled across blankets.  Together, they gazed at the meteor shower while the valkyrie rambled on:

“All my life, I've had this dream... this dream of being important... of being powerful.”  The past Sunset's eyes narrowed, reflecting the streaking heavens.  “So many pon—individuals where I come from are powerful but don't know what to properly do with their strengths.  They sit up high and pretend to be wise while the far corners of the world suffer with or without them.”  She shook her head.  “I never want to be like that—passive, predictable, by the book.  I want to take charge.  I want to exercise my power... and put those who are weak and wicked in line.  Remind them of their place... y'know?  We're all in this crazy thing called life together and it's a total waste if the climb goes anywhere but upwards.  Only I seem to be the one who knows how to make a difference.”

Flash Sentry watched the streaking stars, murmuring:  “Do you hate sand?  I hear it gets everywhere.”

The valkyrie's brow furrowed.  “Huh?!?”

The boi giggled, curling up in the grass.

While she was fuming, she didn't lash out at him.  Instead, the teenage redhead continued on:  “And once I've claimed my own throne—so to speak—then I will have finally settled down with someone who I can allow to be close... to bear witness to all my accomplishments... to know about all of my triumphs and failures and help me strategize for the campaign ahead.”  She smiled hungrily.  “It's not so much that I will have conquered my significant other... but he or she will know how I've achieved what I've achieved and they'd be happy to count themselves among them.”

The boi looked over, blinking.  “He or she?”

“You heard me, pipsqueak.”  The girl yawned, smirking into the meteor shower.  “This world has plenty to offer me in both places.  I have no problem admitting that.  Take you, for instance.  You're really just half a man... heh...”  She ran a hand through her hair while chuckling to the side.  “Guess when you're with me, I'm getting the best of both worlds.  Who'd a thunk it? Hahah...”

Flash Sentry's gaze wandered the night's sky from horizon to horizon.  “... … ...would you prefer if... if I-I was half a woman?”

“Didn't we already establish that?” the valkryie droned with a sarcastic smirk.  “Heh...”  She “punched” his shoulder and snickered.  “I'm only joshin' ya, kiddo.  Enough about me.  What's your big dream of settling down?”

“M-my big dream...?”  He clenched his teeth nervously.

“You heard me.  I rambled on and on about my quest for power.  How about you tell me your ideal scenario.”

“Like... like a fantasy?”

“Sure.”  She belched.  “Whatever.”

“... … ...”  Flash squirmed where he lay beneath the stars.  He clutched the sheet between him and the grass, took a deep breath, and finally stammered:  “I have... always... always dreamed of... of...”  He clenched his eyes shut.  “... … ...of b-being swept off my feet by a big handsome prince.”

The night air was deathly silent.

The boi shivered, but he took the opportunity to stumble forward with his words:

“Being found... being rescued by someone strong... powerful... handsome.”  He gulped dryly.  “Then being treated like the d-delicate flower that I was... and... and f-feeling compelled... maybe even obligated to... to th-thank them for rescuing me in... in any way possible...”  His cheeks burned.  “Even if... even if it m-made me uncomfortable... because their pleasure and th-their majesty is one-in-the-same and it'd be my duty to uphold it... and... and I would be rewarded lavishly in return—”

“Pffft—haah haah haah haah!”  Sunset Shimmer laughed bombastically.

The boi's breath sucked in and he curled away from her in the blanket.

“You... you... you...”  Sunset sputtered between wheezing chuckles.  “You're telling me... that... th-that you wanna get fucked by a knight in shining armor?”  She grinned wickedly.  “Wouldn't that make you—like—a friggin' princess or some shit?”

“Uhm...”  Flash trembled, curling up harder.  “...m-maybe...?”

“Hah hah hah hah hah hah!”

The boi sniffled.  A tear squeezed out of his eyes, followed by another.  He looked away and wiped his trembling cheeks dry with a limp wrist.

“Yeesh, Flash, I knew you were a sissy but I had no idea you were a full-blown fruit cake!  Hah... well—nuts to you.  I'm wearing the crown at the Fall Formal.  You'd better not steal it, ya hear?”

“Yes, Sunset...”

“At least in my dreams, I'm still wearing pants.  Fantasize all you want, but let's keep our priorities straight, mmm'kay?”

“Y-yes, Sunset... … ...”

On the far side of the hill, gazing from a nebulously lofty position, the unicorn Sunset Shimmer struggled to maintain her composure.  She sniffed, wiped a fresh tear clean off her muzzle, and turned from the scene altogether.

“That... wouldn't be the last time you tried sharing your heart with me, Flash,” the mare murmured.  “Over the course of the next few weeks, you let more of your true self show and... and I trampled it all to the ground...”

Flash was considerably better composed than she was at the moment.  “It was only a fantasy, Sunset—”

“It's more than that and you know it!” she exclaimed, angry and misty-eyed at the same time.  She trotted up to him and gazed up with a vulnerable expression.  “It's something you've cultivated all your life!  It's a source of joy!  Of contentment!  Of being—”

“It's just a distraction, Sunset,” Flash said firmly.  The boi adjusted the facsimile of a high school jacket framing his dreamself before sighing.  “An obsession.  A fetish...”

“Maybe with others.”  Sunset stifled a whimper, shaking her head.  “But not with you.”

He rolled his eyes, gazing off across the melting mountains and buildings of past Canterlot City.  “What... are we even doing here, Sunset?”

“Flash...”

“You brought me to this place in a search for 'magic in my life.'  And so far... all we've done is over-analyze my youth and make you feel horrible.”

“We're still on a quest for—”

“I'm sorry.”  He bit his lip, gazing down at the unicorn.  “I don't know why we keep coming back to the time you and I used to date.  It... it must be really hard for you.  I swear I'm not doing it on purpose.”

“No.”  She slowly shook her head.  “I don't believe you are either.  But... but I brought us here after letting you touch the portal.  It was in pursuit of something... a feeling... a memory... a sensation.”

“A name,” Flash muttered.

Sunset did a double-take at that.  “What?”

He ignored both her and himself.  “I... don't think there was much magic in the way we used to hang out together, Sunset.”  He gulped.  “No offense.  I mean... even if the way you treated me can be seen as objectively awful, I wouldn't want to be without the experience and memories I've gained to this day.  Nevertheless... 'magic' it was not.”  He shrugged.  “You came into this world with a really messed-up plan.  You crash landed into me.  I bore the brunt of it.  Then—after Princess Twilight and the Elements intervened—you shaped up for good... the good that you always had in yourself.”

“Flash...”

“I was just your whipping boy.  And that's okay.  I can live with that, Sunset—”

She raised a hoof to his leg.  “But you can live with so much more.  You could have... but whenever you brought it up... I just snuffed it all out.  I laughed at you... shamed you... and silenced you at every turn.”

“Oh Sunny...”  Flash knelt down and stroked the mare's mane.  “I might be a sissy... but I'm no airhead.  Doesn't take a genius to know what you've been trying to do for me since you took me in at your place.”  He smirked crookedly.  “The fruit snacks.  The desktop background on my computer.  The friggin' bed shirts that you've been leaving me—”

The cat-sized pony shook her head.  “This isn't about that, Flash.  This is about who and what you've been endeavoring to be your entire life.”  She stood up on her hind legs and pressed her front hooves to his side so she could stare closer into his face.  “It all flows from somewhere... and I think... I truly believe that something magical in this world recognized it and carried its essence to you.”

“Carried its essence...?”  Flash grimaced.  “Sunset, what are you talking about?”

“Something has happened to each and every one of us—the girls and I.  And I believe that you are among us.  You're also affected.  Similarly... but differently all the same.”

“How... do you know this?”  He shrank from her, brow furrowed.  “Is this some Equestrian nonsense—?”

“It's not nonsense, Flash.  I... I've suspected something for a while.  I just didn't realize it could have been you until... until I found you.”

“Is that why you brought me here?”

“Flash...”  The pony pressed against his arm, her voice emphatic.  “When the girls and I become one with the Elements of Harmony... when we 'pony-up' and perform superpowers... we are harmonically in tune to what we love in life... what we love to do... where we love to be.  This has come to encapsulate all of us.  We now share this love—in more ways than one—and it empowers and enlivens us.  I believe the same thing may be true with you—but you've always been alone.  And you've always harbored this secret joy and harmony alone.”

“If so, that's news to me,” he droned.

“I don't think it is,” Sunset remarked.  “I think you know exactly where to look.  And—what's more—I think I can help bring us both there.”

“To what?  To the 'magic?'”

“Just think, Flash...”  Sunset insisted.  “Think about what makes you truly happy.”

He fought the urge to groan.  “Haven't we already been through this?”

“No.  We've only run through the cycles of what you believed would make you happy,” Sunset said.  “The outer layers of gray pretense and excuses.  Your parents threw money at you.  I threw insults at you.  But in all such cases, you were like a light that was snuffed out.  Your fantasy could never become reality.  You lived under a shadow... and you accepted that as the most you could ever get.  And you never bothered to crawl out from beneath that rock because you knew that the light you'd be exposed to would be far dimmer than the fire that birthed you.  So you settled for limbo, Flash.  For so many years you languished... while the walls of your cell crumbled and decayed... and the whole world beyond turned into your prison.”

“... … …”  The boi gaped at her.

“When... were you... the happiest, Flash?”  Sunset reached up and caressed his face with her hooves.  “Just... relax.  Concentrate.  I'm here with you, alright?  I'll lend all of my strengths.  All of my telepathic talents.  You may not know it, but you're the source of my power right now.  Perhaps... you've always been...”

“I... was happy...?”  The boi's words slurred.  He brought a hand out and rested it against the mane of the pony he was kneeling before.  “...so... unbelievably long ago...”

FWOOOOOOOSH!

The entire world turned pink.  Bright.  Rosy.

The cherry-scented air was full of giggles.  The laughter of innocence and femininity.

Sunset and Flash looked aside.  Both breathless.

No less than eight children were gathered in the room.  The bed was pastel pink.  The carpet was a fluffy salmon.  Bright girly cartoon characters dotted posters and vinyls on the wall.  The curtains and lampshades and closet matched the estrogenical ensemble.

Then there—positioned in the center of the room—was a five year old “boy.”  He wore a shiny pink princess gown that was two sizes too big over his t-shirt and shorts.  He held a scepter in his hands, trailing with pink streamers.  There rested a cheap plastic tiara on his head...

...and he had the dumbest grin on his face.

The girls forming a circle around him giggled and laughed—but not at his expense.  Their smile shared the same brightness as his, and they cooed and coddled and complimented with each passing second:

“Awwwwwwwww!”

“You're so pretty, Flash!”

“Doesn't my lil' sister's dress look so good on him!”

“You make the most adorable princess, sweetie!”

“Nuh-uh!  Don't do a bow!  Do a curtsy!”

“You're a princess now!  Princesses curtsy!”

“I'd bet you'd love to do a twirl!”

“Yes!  Give us a twirl, Your Highness!”

Giggling, the elegantly “dressed” youngster did as instructed.  All of the older children laughed and applauded.

“Yaaaaaaaaaay!”

“All hail Princess Flash!”

“Heeheehee!”

“You're just tooooooo precious!  And to think my sister wanted to give away this dress to Good Will!”

“You wanna take it home with you Flash?  Huh?”

“Ohhhhhh I bet he does!”

“Awwwwwwwww!  Look!  He's blushing!”

“Don't you mean she's blushing?”

“Heeheehee...”

“You make such an adorable girl, Flash.”

“She's got the hair for it!”

“Heehee!”

“The favorite princess of the faeries for sure!”

“Oh!  Oh!  We gotta do his makeup!”

“Yes!  Would you like that, Flash?  Would you like to look even prettier?”

“I think he does!”

“Look at that smile!  I don't think I've ever seen him smile like this before!”

As the room lit up with more and more merriment...

...Sunset's lips pursed in wonderment.  “Are these Concepcion's godchildren?”  A blink.  “They... they're...”

“They're so sincere...”

Sunset looked at Flash.

He bore a deadpan expression—albeit one awash in tears.  He sniffled, gazing at the scene with distant eyes.  “Everything was just... right.”  A shuddering breath.  “They were never making fun of me, Sunset.  I was hanging out at Concepcion's house while Magnolia Buckler was away and... and the children and I were playing games and... one of the girls joked about dusting off their little sister's tea set.  And... and I wanted soooo much to play along.  And they saw it... they saw how much I wanted to be 'pretty' and...”

The boi watched his childhood self twirl one more time.  He tripped backwards and one of the girls caught him.  The room erupted in giggles as the older children took turns hugging him, pinching his cheeks, and giving tiny kisses on the forehead.  The young Flash was red as a beet, and he hugged the scepter to his chest, awash with warm fuzzies.

A tear trickled down the cheek of the older dreamself.  “...and I was pretty, Sunset.  I was everything I wanted to be.  And they were happy for me.  Happy for themselves.  No sarcasm.  No patronizing.  The whole pink room was alive with joy... because of me.  I was the center of attention... the center of their world.  Maybe it... only lasted for an afternoon, but... but...”  He sobbed once... twice... then emerged with a tearful smile.  “...I would happily live there forever.”  He wiped his cheek dry, shuddering.  “If I did... maybe I would finally find her...”

Sunset gave him a surprised look.  “'Her?'”

Flash was suddenly at a loss for words.

“Flash...”  She pressed against his knees once more.  “Look at me...”

He reluctantly pulled his gaze off the childhood memory, gazing into the equine's face instead.

Sunset's eyes narrowed.  “...this is a precious... precious moment for you.  But...”  Ears folded.  “...I do not believe it's when the magic happened.”

“You... d-don't...?”

“I think it actually happened before this,” Sunset insisted.  “And this memory—this naturally occurring moment—merely brought the magic in your heart to the forefront.”

“I... I don't understand...”

“You have to take me back, Flash...”

Flash blinked in confusion.  “Take you b-back...?”

“You can feel it in your heart.  I know you can.”  She smiled hopefully.  “Now... help me bring it to the forefront of your mind.”  She pointed at the bedroom.  “Focus on the happy little Flash in the princess dress.  Think of the experience as a tributary belonging to a great river.  Then... follow the flow to its source.  Concentrate, Flash...”

His dreamself shivered.  His eyes clenched shut as sweat replaced his tears.

“You're not that far away,” Sunset continued.  “It's there.  Bubbling.  Frothing.  A well-spring.  Hot and wholesome and passionate.”

A dense mist billowed through the bedroom, blanketing all of the occupants.

Sunset gasped.  She turned about on nervous hooves, gazing in every direction.

Flash squatted low beside the pony, clutching his head in both hands, breathing heavily.

“Just... just relax, Flash...”  Sunset stammered, all the while gawking nervously at the impenetrable fog coalescing around them.  “...don't force it.  Let it happen on its—”

A halo of clear light illuminated the interior of a limousine.

“—own.”  Sunset blinked, staring at the phenomenon.

There were voices.

Distant.

Muddled.

Then... the legs of a toddler formed, accompanied by hands.

An unbelievably young Flash Sentry crawled out of the limousine.

A door hung open.

Gravity shifted.

Asphalt.

Sunset watched with mute anticipation.

The halo of light spread—brightening.  Sunset saw the POV shift.  The fog parted ways to show the legs of Concepcion.  Just a foot or two away, the family chauffeur knelt before a broken tire.  He and Flash's caretaker sweated and grumbled as they struggled to fix the limo's wheel.

A toddler's mumbling cries of curiosity and joy...

The POV swung around.

The fog shifted.

Flash's legs waddled forward.

Asphalt gave way to grass... then to concrete...

Sunset Shimmer trotted forward, watching as the vision of the ground shifted like ice beneath her.  Her ears twitched and her muzzle hung open as she tried to make sense of where the child was going.

Lines in the concrete shifted as the toddler veered left... then right... then straight forward.

Finally... the shiny base of an enormous structure appeared.

“What...?”  Sunset leaned forward.

The face of a mirror stretched up and up—past the fog... past the stratosphere.

And that's when Sunset gasped.

“The portal...!”  She spun around twice.  “...CHS!  That's where the limo broke down!”  She winced.  “Flash... he wasn't being surpervised right now.  They didn't see... didn't know—”

A toddler's gasp.

“...?”  Sunset spun around.

The POV focused on the mirror.  Sunset expected to see an adorable toddler Flash Sentry.  But that's not what she saw... nor what he saw.

Instead, there hung a train of sapphire blue fabric... shifting... flouncing... embroidered with azure flowers and trailing floral patterns.

Sunset blinked, strung between confusion and wonderment.

Toddler Flash gurgled.  The fabric in the mirror shifted—twirled—as if registering the sound.  It was then that Sunset realized that she was staring at the hem of a ballgown.  Someone in the mirror was kneeling low... someone massive.

The POV looked up.

So did Sunset.

The first thing she saw was a pair of sea-blue eyes.  Deeper than any ocean.  Something framed a motherly smile.  A cascade of cosmic blues.  Then—slowly—that motherly smile turned sisterly... for the figure was shrinking... descending... diminishing... until the beauty and purity of that expression hung level with Flash's.

He—and Sunset—were staring at a little girl suddenly.  At even proportion with the viewer.  Gowned in radiant blue splendor, with hair that twinkled like lake water at dawn.  A smile hung between them... then grew closer as the fog gently nudged the toddler towards it.  Flash's tiny little hand reached out... and a tiny hand reached back.  When contact was made against the glass, it was like a million cold daggers tickling the heart.  Sunset gasped through Flash, losing her balance, teetering forward.

And...

...the nymph in the mirror caught her—caught him—with a kiss.  And it hugged her from all sides, cradling her in the warmth of the undying day, soothing her with the symphony of a looming night.  All was smooth and graceful and serene, like a dance with no ending or beginning, and Sunset—Flash—was being led into a fragrant beauty that no flowers could match.  And when he sobbed—and when she giggled—there was only one name on the tongue.

But when it was pronounced...

...the very breath of it shattered the world.





Flash Sentry awoke to the sound of Sunset Shimmer's high-pitched yelp.

He gasped, falling back atop the picnic table.

Milliseconds after, his ears were deafened by the cacophony of falling rain all around the overhang of their hidden spot on the CHS campus.

Whimpering, Flash Sentry shifted his weight forward and sat up.  He gazed nervously at the amazon seated before him.  “S-Sunny...???”

“Aaaaaugh!”  Sunset stifled a shriek, clutching her head through her tossed hair.  She heaved and shook in place, and a tiny whimper left her obscured face, followed by several more.

Flash paled in concern.  “Sunset...”  He reached a hand forward.  “Sunset, are you okay?”

“Just—!”  The valkyrie hissed, causing him to flinch.  She clutched her skull harder and shook from head to toe.  “Just g-give me a d-damn second!  It was so... it was so... so...”  A sniffling sound, and Flash saw her bringing her hands to her face.  “Ohhhhh Celestia...”  She cried into her palms, but the voice beyond the overwhelming panic was laced with something sweet and delicate.  “Oh sweet Celestia... I've never... never felt...”

Flash grimaced.  A lump formed in his throat.  “Oh I... I'm so sorry, Sunset.”  He sniffled.  “I-I don't know what happened... but somehow I feel that this is all my fault—”  He gasped as he was suddenly and fiercely pulled into a tight embrace.

“Just... sh-shut up...!”  Sunset grunted, but the anger very swiftly melted away as he pulled the boi to her bosom, forcing him to straddle her as she practically drowned the trembling twenty-two year old into a smothering, amazonian embrace.  “Just... please Flash... I need...”  Her whole body shook, culminating into a vibrating murmur as she nuzzled the top of his head, speaking into his shiny blue hair.  “...I need to hold you for a bit, okay?”

“Uhm...”  He murmured against her upper chest, blushing.  “Okay...”

“Oh Goddess...”  Sunset legitimately cried.  She sniffled, and laughed for a moment, then cried again.  Her arms squeezed tighter as she practically rocked the boi in her embrace.  “Oh Goddess... that memory is just... just...”  Sunset sucked her breath in.  “... … ...have you lived with this your whole life?!?”

“I... I don't know...?”  Flash blinked.  He then found a reason to blush harder.

Sunset was kissing his neck, then his ear, then his cheek.  She followed this up with an even deeper hug—if that was possible.  “It's so... beautiful, Flash...”  She next kissed his forehead while stroking his back.  “You're so beautiful.  So precious...”  A hot shudder.  “Why would you ever... ever try to hide away from any of that?”

“I... I don't understand, Sunset...”  He fidgeted, trying to reposition himself more comfortably in her embrace.  She relented, turning the hug into something more akin to a cradling.  “Did... did you find the 'magic' or something?”

“Yes...”  She nodded, finally starting to recover from her sobs.  She tossed her hair back, and for the first time Flash saw how tear-stained her face was from waking.  “Yes... I definitely found the magic...”

“So... uh...”  He bit his lip.  “What exactly is it—?”

“Shhh... just... just need to recover...”  The amazon gazed off into the rain, holding and stroking him.  “Just... need to hold you, Flash.  Please... just...”  Her eyes closed, and it looked as though a healing warmth was spreading through the woman from top to bottom.  “...just let me hold you...”

Flash glanced at the wet world, at the lengths of CHS, then back to her.  “Yeah.  I... uh... think I can do that...”

“Hmmmm...”  She smiled tearfully and gave his body a light squeeze through his hoodie.

All the while the rain continued its cold autumn downpour, like a meteor shower in fast forward.
> Psychological Orifices Exposed On Stream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Half-an-hour of relaxing silence later, and the rain had not let up.  It did—however—slow to a lazy trickle.  Beams of sunlight peaked in over the rooftops of Canterlot High, catching the drops of moisture with kaleidoscopic refraction.  A further break in the clouds allowed the full brunt of autumn to breeze through, and it chilled the two souls seated at the picnic bench.  So Sunset hugged Flash closer, warming him.

And she spoke:

"I sensed it before I found you, Flash."  Sunset Shimmer's voice was soft, toasty, motherly.  She stroked his silky-blue hair as she gazed beyond his head at the glowing, gray world  "The Harmonic Well.  I trust my Twilight's intuition.  I knew it was more than just a hypothesis... but an actual manifestation.  An other to the magic that brims from our beings.  A yin to our yang.  And it couldn't have just been a cluster of magic or a gem or an artifact.  It had to be a person... as the Elements of Harmony themselves are magic."

A warm breath escaped her lips.  She made sure her amazonian arms were completely wrapped around the boi's tiny frame, as if to cocoon him protectively from all sides... and guard against the chill of the afternoon winds.

"I just didn't think it would end up being you, Flash," she cooed.  "A random stranger?  Maybe.  Another soul here from Equestria?  I had my suspicions.  But... But I never thought it would manifest in someone so close to me..."  She stroked his bangs from behind.  "Someone that I care for so very much..."

He struggled to look back at her, eyes blinking brightly.  "I'm... I'm the Harmonic Well?"

"Mmmmhmmmm..."  Sunset nodded, gazing at the moist clouds beyond the overhang.  "The complement to our Harmonic Fountain."

"But... but how can you be so sure?"

"I knew the moment that I picked you up from before the portal a day ago."

He grimaced slightly.  "You... you knew...?"

"I came to you because all of us had sensed the hypothetical Well drawing nearer... and intensifying in magic.  Twilight's instruments—they confirmed what the girls and I had already suspected.  For weeks... as our powers drained... the Elements of Harmony could just feel the manifestation of the Well increasing.  So much so that we swore that we could reach out and touch it.  It got so intense that we chose for one of us to go out and make contact directly."

"So... that's how you found me..."  Flash murmured, his brow nonetheless furrowed in doubt.  "But... how...?"

"Yes, Flash?"

He turned around to look up at her to the best of his ability.  "How were you certain...?"  He gulped.  "How are you so sure that it's not just some crazy coincidence?"

She merely smiled.  "Because the moment I came close to you... I regained my powers."

Flash blinked.

"I had been without telepathy... alone and naked within the confines of my own skull," she said, clenching her teeth slightly.  "Most of the girls had lost abilities that they used on direct command:  Applejack's strength, Rarity's constructs, Twilight's telekinesis. But I?  I could no longer dance with the thoughts and emotions and feelings of all the people I loved.  It... it left me feeling so very cold, Flash.  And... more than a little bit scared..."

She reached her mammoth hand down and caressed his chin before framing his face in beautiful, manicured fingers.

"But that all changed when I met you.  Even before I even saw you... and I approached the campus... I knew who you were... and..."  Her face broke into a tender smile as her eyes grew moist.  "I was so overjoyed, Flash.  Not only had we found the solution to all of our problems... but I had found a dear friend... one whom I missed... and loved very much..."

He gulped.  "I'm... the reason why you're telepathic again?"

She nodded.  "Yes, sweetie.  It's everything that Twilight predicted.  The Harmonic Well inside of you responds to the Fountain inside of me... as it would respond to the rest of the girls."  She stroked his cheek once more, smiling further.  "When I'm near you—when any of us are near you—our powers are restored.  I'm... recharged... so to speak.  I have every reason to believe it will happen to the rest of the Elements of Harmony as well."

"Like..."  He squirmed slightly in her warm embrace.  "...how long does the recharge last?"

Sunset's eyes briefly darted towards her purse, situated atop the picnic table.

Flash caught it.

"Not... erm... too terribly long."  Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat.  "But... one thing at a time, Flash.  It's just..."  She chuckled lightly.  "A truly cosmic joy that you of all people would play this part."

He bit his lip slightly:  "So... you didn't seek me out because you sensed the Well..."

Sunset sucked her breath in as if she had just been stabbed.  "Oh, Sweetie..."  Her voice shook with tangible remorse.  "I wish that I had... I wish I had looked for you sooner, knowing what you were going through... what I had done to you and... and how alone you had been rendered after all that had happened."  She stroked his face—but her hand was shaking.  Tears welled up in her eyes.  "You've been so sad and so dejected for so long... and it all could have been avoided if I just reached out to you—like the friend that you are to me... that you always have been..."

He reached a dainty hand up and grasped her large wrist.  "Sunset..."  She gazed at him ardently.  "...I chose to ghost on the whole lot of you..."

"Doesn't make it right that I let you."  She sniffled, tears running down her face.  She rubbed one dry on her amazonian shoulder and heaved, causing his whole body to rock gently in her grasp.  "You were in such a precious and fragile state, Flash—when we dated—and all I did was shit all over you."

"Sunny—"

"It's true!" she exclaimed, then steadied her sad breaths as best as she could manage.  The valkyrie held her ex closer, murmuring into his tiny neck.  "You needed someone to support you... to nourish you... to restore the magic inside of you."  She gulped.  "And here we are... five years later... and us girls are needing the exact same thing from you and... and it's not right..."

"Sunset..."  Flash murmured against her fiery red hair.  He winced, struggled, whimpered, and pushed at her massive limbs with his thin wrists.  "Sunset...!  Please!"  His girlish voice cracked.  "Look at me!"

She did so—reluctantly—with puffy eyes and a stretch of crimson bands trailing over her sad face like a veil.

He took a deep breath, maintaining composure.  "You're saying that... this Harmonic Well is inside me—that you've sensed it for all this time leading up to now—and because of this I have the ability to restore what you and the girls have lost?"

"It..."  Sunset gulped, slowly nodding.  "Everything confirms our suspicions, Flash..."

"Then... then isn't this a good thing, Sunset?"  Flash remarked.  "Isn't it for the best that I find a way to help you seven?"

"Flash..."

"Especially after all that you've done for me now?"

"Flash, sweetie, I..."  Sunset grimaced for some reason.  Slowly, the hug drifted apart, so that he was balancing against the edge of the picnic table—as far as the paranoid amazon could distance herself from him.  "I... I-I..."

He blinked worriedly at her.

With a sharp breath, Sunset reached into her purse.  There was the tell-tale rattling of beads, and Flash watched as she swiftly slipped the bracelet back over her wrist.  As soon as it was on her person, she breathed calmly into the moist silver light of the afternoon.  Another few inhales and exhales, and she spoke with renewed calm:

"It's not as simple as you think."  She wiped the last of her tears dry, sitting tall and proper in front of the boi on her lap.  "There's... a reason... Flash... for why I... I'm taking my time with... with..."  A hard gulp.  "Nothing is ever simple with Equestrian Magic," she blurted.  "I may know a lot about you and about this Well/Fountain relationship, but there's a lot more to be learned."

"Are you ever going to tell me more so that I can help you with—?"

"Flash, my primary concern is getting you someplace happy... safe... and situated," Sunset said.  At last, her smile returned, and the majestic woman caressed his face.  "All this kerfluffle about magic—the best thing it's accomplished was leading me to find you.  I... I think that's the mark of destiny, Flash.  And I don't want to ruin that... not now that I have a second chance to make things right with you, sweetie."

He calmly breathed.  "Yeah... okay... I... I-I guess I can understand that."

"I'm glad that you do, Flash."

"But answer me this..."  His eyes narrowed.  "If you knew that I was the Harmonic Well all this time—what with your restored telepathy and such—then why did we just now do the Vulcan Mind Meld thingy?"

"You mean why did I bring you here to CHS and then engage you in the dreamscape?"

"Yyyyyyyyyyyeah..."

"Well, Flash..."  She squeezed his shoulders.  "Maybe you don't think it's important to see in its fullest... but I want to know about the magic that was instilled in you."

"And did you find it?" Flash asked.

The amazon's hulking body nearly fell right off the picnic bench then and there.  She blinked incredulously at the boi.  "Didn't you see?!?"

"See what?"

"At the end... with the mirror..."

"I..."  Flash squirmed in her lap, avoiding her gaze.  "...things sorta got foggy after that moment with..."  The sides of his face grew rosy, and the tiniest of smiles bloomed across his lips, accompanied by a warm trilling.  "Mmmmm... with the girls and the dress..."

"So you remember that at least?"

"Yes, Sunny..."  He sighed heavily, hugging himself.  "I've always remembered that."

She reached down and tilted his chin up to face her again.  "...why do you say that so sadly?"

He merely blinked.  “Sadly?”

Her lips pursed in confusion.  “Flash,” she said.  “That was a beautiful, wholesome moment.  I only know so little about you and the family of your former house-servants, but it looks like they brought you to a moment of complete happiness and innocence that your sister and your folks never—”

“It was just one moment, Sunset,” Flash said, gently pressing her hands away.  He gazed up at her with a deadpan expression.  “And I've spent far too long in my life looking in on it... giving it more weight than it deserves...”

“How could you say that?”  Sunset winced.  “Sweetie...”  She caressed his hair despite his protests.  “There's more to it than one moment.  They allowed you to be yourself... with no strings attached... with no expectation of anything whatsoever...”

“We were just kids,” Flash muttered, avoiding Sunset's gaze all of a sudden.  “And as I've grown older, I've allowed myself to be bound by silly little fantasies.  It... isn't fair to the girls who befriended me to attach so much to them... to what we did when we hung out.”

“But... I don't think you know what I know, Flash,” Sunset said.  “Or seen what I've seen.  Or maybe you have but you've forgotten...”

He closed his eyes and sighed.  “Just drop it, Sunny—”

“I can't drop it, Flash.”  She tilted his chin up.  “And I won't.  Now look at me.”

His face merely tensed.

A slice of the valkyrie hissed through the amazon's teeth.  “I said look at me.”

Wincing, the prissy young man squeezed one eye obediently open, followed by the other.

“Now...”  Flash absorbed his entire perspective.  “...you had an experience when you were super young.  For a short while, you were unsupervised on the CHS campus.  You walked up to the mirror.  And you... found something.  You met someone.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “Does this ring a bell?  Any bell whatsoever?”

Flash stared at her.  His skin paled slightly, and beads of sweat formed along his brow and neck.

Sunset merely blinked worriedly at the matter.

“I... th-think...”  Flash wheezed at first, but cleared his voice to speak straighter.  “I think you're looking too much into a weird, repressed memory, Miss Cleo.”

“Flash...”  Sunset stroked his cheek.  “Honey... why are you doing this?”  She breathed warmly, sadly.  “Why are you always doing this?”  She braced his pretty face with both hands so she could stare into him more intently.  “Have you done this your entire life?  Denied something so precious to you and punished yourself for it?”

“What you call precious...”  Flash clenched his teeth.  “I call an obsession.”

“It's a magical resonance inside of you, Flash—”

“It's a stupid, dumb fetish.”  He reached a hand up to clutch her wrist, but he wasn't strong enough to break contact.  “And I'd be better off forgetting all about it.  You would be better off to not encourage it.”

“But why, Flash?”  Sunset looked him up and down.  “Haven't you considered that maybe... just possibly... something great and powerful and beautiful in this universe is on your side in all this?  The same side of you that remembers that adorable little child feeling free and happy and loved in that princess dress—?”

“It's not as innocent as you think, Sunset,” Flash said hoarsely.  His nostrils flared.  “There's another half to it.  A gross, disgusting, selfish, demeaning half.”

Sunset's reply was swift and calm.  “And you think that's a bad thing?”

Flash Sentry blinked.

Sunset smirked sweetly.  “Trust me.  I know a thing or two or three or... seven... about being 'gross' and 'disgusting' and 'selfish' and 'demeaning.'”  She stroked his hair slowly, smiling into him.  “And I've discovered that it's not only okay... but it's fulfilling... in more ways than you can guess.”  She shook her head.  “It won't tear you down.  It won't render you useless.  All this time, you've been fighting it, but what have you gotten for the struggle?  Limbo?  A life in the shadows?”

He squinted at her.  His lips opened thinly.  “... … … what are you trying to turn me into, Sunset?”

“Yourself.”  She squeezed his shoulder.  “Yourself, Flash.”

He gazed back at her.  Eventually, his eyes cast themselves aside.  He exhaled slowly.  “I don't know what to tell you, Sunset.”

“That's okay, sweetie.”

“I just...”  Another sigh, and his already limp body went limper.  “I just don't know...”

“Shhhh... you don't have to.  Honey, come here...”  And she leaned him forward.

He didn't resist.  The boi lay against the amazon's bosom, his arms folded gently between them.  He lay the side of his face along her upper chest, staring out at the rain and mists.  The former valkyrie's embrace was soft, comforting—yet also firm and controlling.  He felt safe with her... but also nervous and intimidated.  In truth, it was a feeling he always had around his former girlfriend, only now it was... delivered so cherishingly.  So much more gently and affirmatively... with the purpose of coaxing something out of him, instead of outright forcing it out.

It... felt nice.

And yet, a part of him—a purely selfish and repressed part—almost wished the bully in her would surface more.  If only a little bit.  He didn't dare think about it—not with how his lower half was currently positioned in proximity to the large woman's lap.

A shudder ran through Flash's body at the thought.  He felt gross, guilty, and worthless.  He clenched his eyes shut and surrendered to Sunset's closeness... and the delightful lilac perfume permeating throughout.

“... … ...Flash, sweetie?”

He breathed against her chest.  “Yes, Sunny?”

“I've got to ask...”  He felt her hand stroking the back of his head.  “...remember how in the dreamscape I was my pony self?”

“Hmmmmm...”  He very nearly giggled right then and there.  A smile blossomed across his sleepy face, but he fought it hard enough to reply in a calm tone:  “Yes.  I remember.”

“After our subconsciouses merged, I could have changed my appearance to anything else.  But even though I had control, I stayed a pony.  After all—you seemed to like it so much.”

“Yeah...”  Flash exhaled.  “I guess I did.”

“But... I can't help but wonder... … … why did you appear as your high school self?”

He bit his lip.

“Those drab clothes... … ...those worn shoes and that slick, boyish hairdo...”  Sunset Shimmer stroked his back.  “... … ...is it because that's what you wore when you and I last went out?”

“You were the telepath during our dreamwalk,” Flash said.  “Can't you tell me why?”

“I absolutely can.  But I want to hear what you think.”

He squeezed an eye open.  The boi caught the amazon's left wrist in her peripheral.  The rainy afternoon light glinted twice-as-silver off her bracelet's beads.

Sunset was quiet.  Waiting.  Patient.

After a breath, Flash spoke:  “It's just like you being a unicorn, Sunny.  I'm... reflecting my true self in that place.”

Sunset merely nodded.  “Hmmmmmmm...”

Flash's brow furrowed.  “What, you don't believe me?”

He felt her stroke his hair again.  “Let's just say, I understand a whole lot more about you than I did the previous day.”

He shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to make of that statement.  This entire experience had been... mind-blowing, to say the least.  Before entering the dreamscape, Sunset had promised him that his head wouldn't be “fried” by it all.  And while she was technically correct, the awkwardness and straight-up oddity of the venture were starting to catch up on him.  The more he thought about what had just transpired, the more he felt naked and... more than a little bit violated.  At least, that's what the logic centers of his brain told him.  The slowly increasing beat of his heart told him something else, and he wasn't entirely sure he could live with what it sounded like.

“What... uhm...”  Flash squirmed against the massive woman cradling him.  “What do we do now with... with...”

“Yes, Flash?”

He bit his lip.  “This... this whole Harmonic Well thing.”  Part of him wasn't entirely sure that he believed it, but he felt like trusting Sunset—at least in this area.  She was doing a fine job of holding him—maybe she could cradle his destiny as well.  “Supposedly, I can restore you and the other girls' super powers?”

“Magical abilities.”

“Sure.  Those too.”  Flash gulped.  “But... like... what does that mean, exactly?  Do you all need help?  Do... do you need me to visit the others or something?  Like... what are we to do now?”

“That depends, Flash.”

“On what?”

He felt her squeeze him gently.  “On what you want to do.”

The boi was silent.

“Just be honest, Flash.  What do you want the most right now?”

“I... uh...”

He shifted against the warmth and lilac.  He felt like a child in her embrace, and yet the smell of her perfume and the sound of her voice reminded him with every breath that she was his former girlfriend—almost even a lover.  It was a very strange blend of being... and while he felt like he should have felt grossed out or even turned-off... there was something very tantalizing about the sincerity coming from Sunset's end.

His heart beat faster and faster... but he corralled it with a steady thought, reeling everything back into his gut—where a different sensation fountained forth.  One that gurgled from his center.

“I... could really use a bite to eat,” he said.

She giggled lightly—again with that young womany sound that couldn't possibly belong to a giant but did.  Magic.  “Fair enough, Flash.  Let's head back home, shall we?”

Part of him flourished quietly inside from the word “home.”  He decided to say nothing of it.

“As much as I'd love to stay here and cuddle you forever...”  She gently parted the hug, picked him up, and placed the five-foot-boi on his feet.  Flash wobbled from having to use his own strength to stand for the first time in mental millennia.  “A change of scenery would do us better,” Sunset continued.  She stood up from the bench, her head grazing the top of the overhang.  “Someplace warm... relaxing... drier.”  She picked up her purse and then her umbrella.  “Looks like most of the storm has passed.  Should be smooth sailing.”

“What... uh...”  Flash straightened the lengths of his hoodie and glanced up at her.  “...what exactly do you do to relax these days, Sunset?”





“FUCKKKKKKKKKKK!!!”  Eyes burning, nostrils flaring, the valkryie hollered into the boom mic of her headset.  “You goddess-damn worthless garbage cunt!!!”  She leaned forward in her gaming chair, practically spitting at a 3D-Animated Japanese stereotype cavorting in the middle of three panoramic monitors situated before her atop an elaborate desk.  “Why'd you have to pick sniper, huh?!  Roll a different hero, you sniveling little menstrual stain!”  She pounded the steel-alloy surface of her furniture before re-grasping the mouse.  “I swear to Celestia, if you keep throwing like this I'll share your Battle.net tag with half the Internet to piss on you for all of eternity!”

From the far side of the office, Flash Sentry blinked.  He sat in an easy-chair four sizes too big for him.  A paper plate was balanced on his lap, and he was halfway through nibbling on a grilled cheese sandwich.  Partially scared—yet partially entertained—he ate calmly as he watched his former girlfriend heave and holler from where she was gaming.

“Fuck me with a chainsaw!”  She dramatically flipped her hair and frowned before a web camera aimed squarely at her frowning face.  “This is why Blizzard is going downhill these days, folks!  They shouldn't have brought Hanzo back for this game.  He was best being canonically dead in Overwatch 2.  But nooooooooooo... they had to resurrect him as a zombie cyborg in the third installment!  GUH!  I never thought I'd live to see the day where I actually missed Jeff Kaplan!  Jesus Fucking Christ... am I gonna have to carry this entire team with my heals?”

A brief moment of silence—aside from digital explosions and bullet impacts.

“Oh!”  She suddenly brightened, eyes glittery and smile glamorous.  “ChooChooGamer08!  Thanks for the sub, by the way!  And SmokinKenobi!  Hello there!  Thanks for the bits!  Always a pleasure having you watching, gyrrrl!”  She winked at the camera.  “Don't worry, folks.  Shimmercode's on the up and up... I.  Just.  Gotta.  Shove.  Some.  Heals.  Up.  This.  Worthless.  Team's.  Noobhole!”  A sideways chuckle as her in-game character flew in to rescue teammates from an enemy flank.  “You know how it is!”

Flash nibbled and nibbled, watching with sweaty anticipation.

“This is it... the last charge for the control point...”  Sunset Shimmer leaned in, licking her lips as her headset rattled.  “Come on... come on... save your ults your friggin' useless sad-sacks—” Her eyes twitched.  “Their tank is alone!  GetHimGetHimGetHimGetHim!”  An explosion rippled across the center gaming screen.  “Wooohoooo!  Way to go, Alpiner!  Fuck his shit UP!  You're welcome for the heals, by the way!”  She smirked at the webcam again.  “Gotta give it up to the programmers for finally designing a Canadian hero—amirite?”

The entire screen lit up with gold as victorious fanfare filtered out of Sunset's earphones.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that is a super win!”  She slumped back in her chair in a sweaty huff, wrists pounding on the desktop.  “Ooo-ra!  GG!  EZ!”  Her hands clapped in view of the webcam.  “Way to go team!  All except for you, Zombie Cyborg Hanzo.”  She gnashed her teeth.  “I hope your family dies slowly in a gas fire overnight.”

Silence.

“Thaaaaanks for watching you beautiful Shimmercoders!”  Sunset giggled, keystroking several adoracute sound effects and animated gif sprites into existence across her stream.  “Eee-hee-hee!  Oh!  Don't fret!  I'm not out for the count!  I just gotta go do a little bio... y'know what I'm saying?  But stay put!  When I come back... it'll be time for some chillin'-and-killin' with Sunset's Friday Free For All Mode!  Peace out, ya beautiful animals!”  She blew a kiss at the webcam (“Mwah!”) before suspending the stream.

Flash gulped down the last morsel of his grilled-cheese sandwich.  Swallowing, he looked over at Sunset.  “Today's Friday?”

“Okaaaaaaaaaay...”  Sunset leaned back—and back further, stretching her long amazonian limbs ensnared in the gaming chair.  “Whew... that session could have gone a lot better... but... then again...”  She shrugged with a casual flip of her hair, as if she was still broadcasting.  “...it's when things go to shit that viewers donate the most.”

“Donate...?”

“Oh yeah, Flash!”  Sunset smirked, pivoting the chair to face him.  “I've been Shimmercoding for over four years now!  I love to game and... people love to watch me rave and rant while I love to game.”

“Wow... I... uh...”  Flash glanced at the advanced, expensive PC rig.  “...I-I had no idea that... that—”

“That this was my hobby?”  Sunset crossed her legs sexily in the chair.  “Let's face it.  I never did share an awful lot about my interests back when we were dating.”  Her eyes rolled suddenly and she endured a brief face-palm.  “Unless 'obsessing over the Fall Formal crown' counted as an 'interest.'”

“You... uh... you're certainly passionate about your hobby...”

“Oh... pfffft...”  Sunset waved a hand.  “That's just a persona, Flash.  People love to see my Shimmercode self projecting rage and hostility.  And since Twitch has gotten less lenient about its policies over the years, I've been able to put on a great show!”

“Just how many people watch you?”

“Well—as of last month—I'm sitting on about three hundred thousand followers and a little over four thousand subscribers.”

“Is...”  Flash fidgeted in the stupidly large chair.  “...that a lot?”

“Pffftchyaa!”  Sunset nodded.  “It's nothing to sneeze at!”

“Well, I'm very happy for you, Sunset.”  He bore a sweet smile.  “Looks like you found a great way to make money.”

“Oh, this isn't my main source of income.  I just do this on the side.”

“Then... what is your job these days?”

“Aside being an Element of Harmony?”  She stretched back in the chair, breathing through clenched teeth as she popped her amazonian joints.  “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh—I work as an Innovative Technological Consultant at Cadenza Corp.”

Flash blinked.  “Buh?”

“But that's... er... part-time, really.”  She fidgeted slightly in her seat.  “All of us—the girls, I mean—we... can't really afford to have full-time jobs... what, with all of the magical disturbances popping up more and more chaotically across the region.  We're almost always on-call... which—as you can understand—has been rather strained as of late.  Still... it doesn't stop Applejack from working on the farm... or Rarity from managing her fashion career.”  A proud little smile crossed her lips.  “And Rainbow?  Rainbow coaches for girls' soccer.”

“Well, that sounds wonderful, Sunset,” Flash said.  “And I like the fact that you found something to.”

“Mmmmm-yeahhhhhhhhhhh...”  Sunset spun around slightly in the chair, giving the office arrangement a dull glance.  “...although I must admit that it's not always something that I'm proud of.  Hamming it up for an audience was always Rarity's bag.  And Pinkie's.”

“Do they game too?”

“Not with me they don't,” Sunset grumbled.  “And I don't blame them.  I'm... awfully awful when I'm in character.”

“I don't think it's awful, per se...”  Flash daintily fiddled his fingers together above his lap.  “To me it seems that... that you found... erm... an outlet for all of the anger and frustration that used to drive you.”  He looked up at her with a brave smile.  “It's like the old Sunset found a home...”

She swiveled around in the chair until she was gazing thoughtfully at him.  “Wow, Flash...”  A loving smile rippled across her soft face.  “...you really are my ex-boyfriend, aren't you?”

He blushed slightly.

“That's exactly how I see it too.  And—quite frankly, heh—anyone who thinks I mean any of the things I say seriously on the Internet should have their head examined.”  She took a sip from an oversized can of soda on the desk, stifled a burp, and thumbed towards the computer.  “Hell—for all I know—I'm an outlet for these viewers too.”

“Why... uh... is everything so big?”

“Hmmm?  Oh!  You mean... THIS.”  Sunset gestured at the enormous chair, desk, soda can, headphones, and everything else surrounding her.  Even the doorframe in the back, the pictures hanging on the wall, and the table in the corner—all within view of the webcam—were exceptionally large... even for the amazon's house.  “Well, from the viewers' perspective, Flash, everything dwarfs me.  They don't know that I'm a seven-foot-six-inch superheroine in hiding.  To them, I look just like any other young adult vixen trying to cash in on the Twitch craze.  Ahem... no offense to any young adult vixens trying to cash in on the Twitch craze.”

“I see.”  Flash nodded, looking down at the easy-chair and how far away his feet dangled above the carpet.  “I guess that makes sense.”

“Since... I... t-technically am a young adult vixen trying to cash in on the Twitch craze...”  She cleared her throat and smiled again.  “But still... sad truth is that a huge chunk of the stream-viewing audience would... probably be weirded out by how LARGE I am.”  She shrugged.  “It's... sort of a microcosmic slice of the real world.”

Flash cocked his head to the side.  “What do you mean?”

Sunset blinked at him, then threw on an innocent smile.  “Oh sweetie... I guess you can't be faulted for not considering it.”

“Considering what?”

“The girls and I?  Ever since magic did this to our bodies?  Well...”  She pivoted back and forth on her chair, gazing off towards the far wall of the place.  “...we don't exactly blend in with the world around us.  Going out to just buy bread is... an ordeal, to say the least.”

Flash's heart sank.  “Oh...”  His eyes grew misty as the boi cupped a hand to his sad face.  “Oh Sunset... that's awful...”

“Ehhhhh...”  She tossed a hand.  “An Element of Harmony gets used to it.  Besides—we have each other!”  A wink.  “And as you know, we've got all the benefits we need.”

“Still.... you and Twilight and the others do so much to protect the people of Canterlot City and beyond from innumerable dangers.”  Flash pouted.  “It's just terrible that they'd not pay you the respect you deserve.”

“We're not in this for respect,” Sunset said.  “And—all things considered—the less attention we attract, the better.  This world has changed dramatically—and the girls and I are part of that change.”  She winked.  “So are you—I'm convinced.”

He merely bit his lip.

“And... when or if I get frustrated...”  She gestured at the PC rig.  “I just sign on here!  Screaming and raging and slaying realllllllly gets the frustration worked out... eheheheh... if you know what I mean.”

Flash bore a crooked smile.  “Same ol' Sunset?”

“Not quite.  But close enough.”  Sunset twirled once more towards the rig.  “Whelp... about high-time I signed back on...”

“What?”  Flash blinked.  “But... I thought you told the chat room that you were going to do something...”  He squinted.  “Go 'bio' or whatnot.”

“Heeheehee... that was just an excuse for me to chill and talk to you, sweetie.”  She winked.  “I use that excuse all the time to pace myself.  After all, the girls and I haven't had to 'bio' in years.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...”  Flash slowly nodded.  “Well that's advantageous.”

“Hey... hey...”  She snickered, patting her knee.  “You wanna hop on my lap and pretend that you're my baby brother?”

Flash reeled back in his seat, grimacing.  “What?!?”

“Come on!  It'll be fine!”  She snickered some more.  “From the webcam's point of view, it'd be the perfect scale!  They wouldn't know the difference!”

“Eww!  Ewww, Sunset!  No!”  Flash's face turned red as a beet as he squirmed and hugged himself.  “I... I don't want to be on any streaming service—!”

“Awwwwww... come onnnnn...”  She waggled her eyebrows.  “You don't want to sit on my lap for all the world to see?”

He was sweating profusely by now.  “I... uhhhh... erm...”

“Hey!  Why don't you go throw the Princess Peach shirt on, brush your hair, and then we can pretend you're my baby sister!”

“Uhhhh... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!”  Flash grabbed the plate, hopped down from the chair, and scampered breathlessly across the room.  “I-I gotta go shower!”

The amazon laughed bombastically as he fumbled with the doorknob and fussed his way through the exit.  “Of course you do, ya little squirrel!  Thaaaaaanks for watchiiiiing!”

“You're welco—I-I mean... go to Hell, Sunset!”  Flash's voice cracked adorably as he stomped a foot.

“Heeheehee...”  Sunset blew a kiss.  “Close the door behind you, sweetie!  There's a fresh set of towels and soap waiting for you!  I also made the bed with new sheets!  Should be warm and fresh!  Hop in if you want an early nightcap!”  She watched and waited for him to close the door.  Flash did so, hiding his blushing face.  Alone in the office, Sunset endured a long warm breath with a smile.  “Goddess, I could just eat him up.”

She pivoted towards the webcam, took a deep breath, and—

“One.. two... three...”

She tapped a button on the keyboard and the stream went live.

“Welcome back, Shimmercoders!”  A slight chuckle, and she adjusted her headphones while smiling lavishly into the camera.  “Isn't life great?  Mine certainly has been as of late.  Now... let's ruin that with some savage pwnage!”
> Ikari Shinji Ain't Got Nothing On This Guppy (And Other Wet Bits of Pruning Self-Deprecation)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blissfully hot water cascaded over Flash Sentry's tiny body in the center of the massive shower stall.  As warm steam caressed his naked flesh and soapy suds cleansed his long sapphire hair, the boi wondered why he didn't do this more than once a day.

Because this wasn't his home—and he was lucky to have it.

Flash sighed.  Sunset's shower was a wonderful place to relax in... and yet he was having trouble doing so.  At most apartments that his folks provided for him, the shower stall was a typical size—which meant he could more or less position himself against a wall where he could lean and still feel the full front of the expelling faucet water.

Here—however—this wasn't quite so possible.  While the toilet may have been designed for non-amazonian visitors small enough and untouched-by-magic-enough to use them, the shower was clearly meant to accommodate those of Sunset's ilk.  This meant that Twilight and the other girls must have also frequented the bathroom (but mostly Twilight, Flash assumed).

Additionally, this meant that the poor boi had to stand towards the further half of the stall—an arm's length from any wall—in order to be properly soaked by the warm jet of water.  It left him feeling awkwardly adrift in the otherwise-succulent moment, and his weak legs struggled to keep his delicate figure upright against the hot spray.

Flash Sentry typically showered in the dark—well, not pitch-black darkness.  A single nightlight usually applied a low ambient crimson hue to the experience, and Sunset's bathroom was no different.  Flash didn't think much of it, but at some point long ago he got into the habit of taking showers without a bright overhead light on.  This was done for several unspoken purposes, some of which may or may not have had something to do with how hesitant the growing boi was in accepting the prissy, feminine body bequeathed to him by fate.  But—more to the point—this dimness combined with the warm moisture allowed the young man to relax.  And—most importantly—to think.

And the thoughts came onto Flash like the hot water droplets rolling down his nubile frame.  The sheer heaviness of everything he had just endured that day stole the breath from him in tiny, pent-up gasps.  Funny—he hadn't previously taken a moment to stop and let sink in just how bizarre an experience the “dreamwalking” was.  Perhaps Flash could chalk it up to Sunset's guiding presence and his unmitigated trust in her.  Maybe Flash was simply... accustomed to weird magical bullshit by now—which is why he didn't immediately freak out when Sunset merged consciousness with him.

In any case, even a sissy like him had to admit that he took the entire experience like a champ.  But now—as he was naked and alone with his thoughts and breaths—he couldn't stop the monsoon of thoughts and worries and concern pelting him from up high.

He had—without a shadow of a doubt—exposed himself fully and completely to Sunset Shimmer.  This felt like something more intense than trust; this was akin to complete and utter subservience.  Any other self-respecting man would have told a woman like that “no, stay the hell out of my thoughts.”  Either Flash didn't have a spine or he lacked an ego or... something... but he just allowed this tall monster of a valkyrie whom he hadn't seen in years just waltz into his deepest core and cartwheel around.

But perhaps it wasn't as mortifying as he imagined.  Sunset Shimmer was every bit a... gentleman?  Gentlewoman... … ...yes, that sounded better.

She hadn't compromised Flash's trust.  She didn't do anything invasive, although it might look like it from an outside perspective.  She first made sure that he was okay with the procedure and she had been kind and thoughtful and nurturing the entire time that they ventured through their combined mindscape.

Nevertheless, even Flash had to admit that there were too few opportunities for him to say “no.”  The towering specimen of femininity had essentially whisked him off on a car ride and taken him into the middle of a rained-down high school without his say.  What if he had said “no” at some point?  Would she have respected it?  Would the tall, towering, dominant amazon have relented to the twenty-year-old waif's will?

Could Flash even have summoned the strength to defy her?  What if all of Sunset's kind words and gentle ways were merely a ruse—and she was just the same old valkyrie that once forced him to carry her books and take her places and listen to her rambling, powermongering speeches?  What if all the niceness and pomp was just pretty fluff on the surface and Flash was being dominated and manipulated as selfishly always?

That would mean that nothing about this was healthy or right or wholesome.  Sunset would just be controlling Flash like she always did, but this time with a soft and gentle and loving veneer taped to the outer surface.

And Flash...

Flash couldn't pretend that he didn't like the thought of it...

The boi shut his eyes, hanging his head against the hot flow of water.  His fists clenched at his side, but not in anger.  He felt himself flinching... his toes turning inward as his abdominal muscles clenched... sharply.

He thought about all the times recently when Sunset picked him up as if he was a small child.

He thought about how she'd position him on the bench facing her... how she'd sit him on her lap... how she'd hug him close to her bosom...

He thought about her silly threat to seat him like a little brother (or “sister”) before the webcam...

He thought about the times she offered him fruit snacks or tucked him into her extremely large bed or even reached over to buckle him into the car's passenger seat...

All these things—Flash had allowed, or at least he thought he “allowed”—because Sunset Shimmer had been incredibly nice enough to let him into her home and give him a place to eat and sleep after his parents and Magnolia had excommunicated him.  Whatever job or hobby or acquaintanceship Sunset usually enjoyed—she was now throwing on the backburner in order to pay him exclusive and unbridled attention.  From the very first time since Flash woke up to see her glorious amazonian self, he felt an unshakeable guilt... not to mention shame.  And the coddling and loving ways she treated him only made it all the worse.  So what if she did little (or large) things that made light of how tiny and demure he was?  It didn't feel right to conflict with that, and Flash felt any masculine urge to resist her ministrations diminishing with each passing hour.

And... in more ways than one... he actually looked forward to seeing what she would do next... even if it would humiliate him.

Or... perhaps... especially if it would humiliate him.

Flash felt himself breathing harder and hotter in the warm wetness.

His thoughts lingered on the moments in the dreamscape when his subconsciousness brought memories of his months of dating a teenager Sunset Shimmer to the forefront.  He meant it when he told Sunset Shimmer that he never meant to have the two of them relive those moments.  However, those memories kept reappearing—and almost always to the modern Sunset's chagrin.

Flash never meant to hurt her.  He was quite certain that there was no hidden remorse that was wishing to guilt or shame her while they had been dreamwalking.  The truth is, Flash was more than convinced that his mind chose to relive those memories not because of the pain involved... but due to the pleasure.  It may have sounded gross at first suggestion, but a large part of Flash savored the old sensation of being told what to do... being told where to go... being forced to walk to an authoritative voice's dictator decree.

But being talked down to?  Being insulted?  Even being slapped and shoved a few times by the terrible valkyrie of Canterlot High?  He'd be lying if he said that he remembered those moments fondly.  And yet—as pathetic as it tasted in his mouth to admit—Flash would also have been lying if he said he outright loathed those impactful moments all the same.

The boi knew there was something completely... sick about the whole issue.  He knew it was nauseating to admit to appreciating “hard love”—otherwise known as abuse.  Flash wouldn't wish such a thing on other people.  And—as much of a sissy he had grown to be—he had enough self-respect to not wish it upon himself.

Nevertheless, looking back—especially now of all moments—Flash was starting to see those “dark times” with the old Sunset Shimmer in a far... hotter light... as hot as the steamy water flowing across his neck, chest, and ultra-sensitive nipples.  It was far more complicated than a femboi like Flash needing a polar opposite person to justify his submissiveness.  It was more than his fragile self having been sculpted by his unloving family to accept negative reinforcement.

The fact of the matter was...

...Sunset Shimmer had found him again.  And she was so very angelic now... and motherly... and kind... and nurturing.  All these amazing things that a partner—or simply a human soul—could ever possibly ask for, and there Flash was receiving it with no strings attached (as far as he knew), and he hadn't even asked for such gentle kindness.

And... as selfish as it sounded... Flash wondered... Flash fantasized...

...over what it would mean to receive all of that kindness... along with the “cruelty” of the old Sunset Shimmer as well.

A slight whimper escaped his cherub lips.  He ran a shaky hand through his wet silk hair.  Toes curled and uncurled against the hard tile as hot water droplets popped all around him.

How amazing... how blissful it would be for the old Sunset to toss him mercilessly around... only for the new Sunset to catch and snuggle him immediately afterward...

Flash's breathing quickened.

The whole thing sounded even stupider as his mind started rationalizing it.  But it really wasn't up to his mind, per se.

At that point during the shower, Flash was feeling a familiar hotness spreading up through the core of his being.  It was something he usually felt on his lonesome—in the comfort and seclusion of his own apartment.  It was the same kind of hotness that led to many a ruined pillow case... and it closely resembled the insatiable adrenaline that ultimately escalated into The Great War of the Brush Handle.

Flash breathed.  Flash shuddered.  Flash soaked.

What if both the old Sunset and the new Sunset were embracing him at once?  Playing a game of tug of war?  Settling on taking turns.  Being rough.  Being gentle.  Being abrasive.  Being smooth.  Calling him names.  Cooing at him like a pet.  Biting his neck.  Nibbling his ear.  Sitting on his face.  Holding him to her bosom.

And before Flash knew it, the hotness had sunk back into his core—carrying with it a molten weight that cried for gravity to take over.  Soon, Flash found himself sitting down on the hard tile floor of the stall, panting and panting harder into the hot spray of the shower that continued to pelt him from above.  He knew what was going to happen next, and he knew there was very little he could do to fight it.

His right hand—his dirtier[ hand—wandered a silky, serpentine path down his body.  It tickled past his ribcage and slithered down the slope of his hairless abdomen.  Slowly, his legs spread, like a blushing bride's in the rain.  He closed his eyes at times like this, as if protecting himself from the pangs of shame that were about to blossom—among other heart-stopping spikes.

Sunset Shimmer had done so much for him.

He tilted his head to the right, angling his nostrils away from the trickle of water running down his tightening face.

So very much for him...

His fingers fanned out, snailing slowly over goosepimpled wet flesh.

...if only there was a way to do something for her.

His breaths came quicker as his fingers wandered further down.

To please her...

The shower droplets grew to a thunderous volume, magnified by his fiery senses.

Even if it meant his own discomfort.  Even pain.

Flash's thighs spread further.  Knees locked.  Calves tightened.

She deserved everything for what she had done... for who and what she was.  This was Sunset's home.  Her domain.  Her sanctum.  As long as a tiny thing like Flash was there with her, he may as well have been the same as the rest of her property.  An object.  A toy.  A means to an end.

And then Flash's fingers ran into something in the shower-water.  An obstruction—and a tiny one at that: a lost acorn in an ocean of steam.

His lips frowned beneath closed eyes.  There was no denying the sensitivity and preciousness of his member, but—more often than not, and especially at times like this—he hated how it merely got in the way of a perfectly sensuous moment.  The fact that it always refused to grow turgid only added insult to injury.

His fingers caterpillar'd delicately around it, sliding past his equally minuscule coin purse, until they feathered the edge of their lurid destination.  Almost immediately, a gasp rose through Flash's body and his water-soaked torso rose with the humid breath. 

Flash was no stranger to anatomy books.  On that same note, the boi was no stranger to how... strange his personal erogenous zones were.  But—as many an intimate, lonesome night of pillow-humping and comforter-hugging had taught him—he certainly wasn't one to complain about his petite anomaly of a body worked.  Instead, he relished... as slowly and intricately as it took to relish: summoning feelings from far deeper than most young men his age could be arsed to—no pun intended, or perhaps every pun intended.

And with such a misty cloud of practice unleashed from his being, he began tickling and kneading the fringes of his perineum—starting at the base of his tiny sperm bank and stroking slowly towards the holiest of holies.  He'd slide three dainty fingers towards that desperate hotness, only to stop halfway, pause for breath, then apply some pressure... gently kneading his way back to the testicles.

“Mmmm-ghhhh...!”  Flash's vocalization was so laughably on point that it deserved its own bubble across a black-and-white doujinshi page.  At least—that's how he would often “visualize” his own outbursts:  perhaps to prevent himself from cringeing at how predictable and girly he sounded.  There simply was no escaping it.  The poor boi was a loose bottle of gasps and moans whenever he played with himself.  And it wasn't for show—nor was it some exercise in roleplay to induce himself into a higher stage of arousal.  Touching himself in certain places—no matter the mood, really—produced these sounds from his core.  It was like the erotic equivalent of stepping barefoot over a nail, and his entire body jolted every time the sincere noises came from him.

But he realized he was overthinking this.  That was Flash Sentry's biggest problem.  Overthinking things... no matter how abstract or carnal.  He had been a bouncing ball of anxiety ever since Sunset picked him up at the CHS campus.  But now—at this very, very wet moment—he was desperate not to think at all.  Just touch... treat... and violate.

The boi clenched his eyes tighter, and the rest of his body followed suit.  His legs went tight as iron as he resumed the gentle strokes to his sissy taint.  In truth, his fingers were only moving back and forth a few centimeters—but from the way his nerves frothed and crackled, he may as well have been swinging his arms wildly into a hot, immeasurable breeze.  He felt his muscles liquefying, tensing, and relaxing in repetitive motions to match his naughty digits.  The kegel muscles beneath his groin came alive—perhaps the strongest muscles in Flash's entire body—and he felt the splatter of shower water from his limp, waving manhood.  His eyes were closed, but even he couldn't shake loose the familiar image in his head: a partially-coiled hose that flared more and more at the useless end, wanting for a hardness that would never come... that the boi long came to realize he would never ever need.

Flash Sentry's sexuality was special and unique.  He didn't wield a hard steel sword that longed for impaling.  Rather, it was as though he lived perpetually with just the sheath—and every once in a while he felt the desperate need to fill that sheath with longing... only to gently and lovingly empty it.  And when the lust boiling hotly inside of him was finally released, it came in a slow, trickling flow... one that taunted and tortured him for sometimes minutes at a time.

He truly... dearly adored that “torture,” and oftentimes he would fight for an entire hour to achieve it.  Such was an uphill battle that took the full arsenal of Flash's mind, heart, and body.  It was a battle that he was quite accustomed to losing.

In many ways—Flash admitted—it was a battle he imagined women fought all the time.  He didn't know if that made him unlucky, adorable, sad, or all of the above.

But right then—in that hot shower stationed within Sunset Shimmer's home—he fully concentrated on the battle once more.

“Mmmm-fffuuuu...”  Flash tried clamping his own mouth shut.  He failed.  His lower body was rising—his tiny fanny lifting off the tile, dribbling with moisture.  The position was causing his neck and shoulders to ache, but the pain merely pushed him forward—as he pushed is fingers further.  Deeper.  Hotter.

An insatiably hungry hotness lingered at the end of his wandering digits.  He crested the edge of that forbidden horizon.

At this precise moment—almost every time—his frantic mind would leap to the same, reserve fantasy.

After a full night of glamour and dancing in the castle ballroom, a princely night in shining armor had taken the demure princess boi up to their bedroom suite...

Only, this time, something was... different.

...as the charming beau unbuttoned the princess' blouse and bodice, the hands possessed a fiery tone.  The same could be said for a burning head of hair... contrasted by loving, turquoise eyes.

Flash's fingers reached the dip of his sensitive hole, slipping playfully towards the squeaky-clean sphincter, meeting resistance where shower water had collected.  Hot.  Practically boiling.

As soon as he made contact, a high-pitched squeaked escaped his lips.  But his fingers weren't the only stimulus.

The knight tossed her hair back.  She sat her Amazonian frame on the royal bed, smiling softly down at her lover.  Motherly.  And yet her arms were a vice-grip when she heaved the gasping princess into her embrace, cradling her to her bosom, enfolding with massive, strong limbs.

He was hyperventilating at this point.  His tiny body was at a forty-five degree angle, his lower self raised against the falling shower stream as his fingers stroked cruel circles around his entrance.  The muscles contracted, trying to deny himself the invasion his heartbeat so desired.  So—he had to distract his body with more pleasure.  Or pain.  Or—goddammit—both.  His left hand—a shaking instrument at best—snaked its way opposite of his right.  It ran up his bare chest and towards his right pec... zeroing in on the diamond-hard areola.

Only it wasn't his hand.

Her massive palm slid up his palpitating chest.  All the while, his gaze was locked in on her turquoise eyes.  Penetrating.  Shattering.  And yet—she caught the falling pieces of the whimpering princess with her smile.  The voice that came out of her was hot, breathy, predatory—and it chilled the knight's lover to the bone.

“Tonight, I'm going to make you wish I'd left you at the dragon's lair.”

Two amazonian fingers came together across the princess' left breast.

“Scream for me, your majesty.  Get it out of your system now.  You won't be needing a voice for what I make you do later.”

And with that conjured, Flash bit an invisible bullet... and pinched his right nipple.

He felt his spine shattering from head to toe.  His knees buckled and his head rocked to the side as the shower stall vibrated with a deliciously anguished cry.  His whole body rocked with pain.  He felt his sphincter muscles tightening, clenching, then releasing.

That was the moment his hand needed.

Stealthily—without a second thought—he slipped his index finger inside himself.  At long last, he was one with the hotness.  His entire palm quivered, and yet he slipped the violation inward... deeper... approaching the first digit.

Already, the heat was leaking out of him, up through that limp manhood that anyone—including himself—might consider worthless.  A drop of pre-cum had escaped, positively invisible against the overwhelming volume of shower water, and yet scalding enough... potent enough to implode an entire planet through its core.

Flash's butt shook in the wet air, but he applied more pressure to his nipple—giving it a twist.  Another vibration, like a gunshot going off in an echo chamber.  His finger slid past the second digit, finding room amidst that velvety tightness to bend... to caress.

It took little effort at this point, but Flash had found his prostate.  The invisible lump felt enormous in the delicate sanctity of the moment.  But this was no time to think—only for molesting.  He kneaded and stroked it with growing eagerness, and he felt a second drop of flame birthed at his penis head... followed by a second.  A churning fountain of pleasure was slowly manifesting in his groin, and he knew it would blossom into a long, slow burn, like the stamen of a flower perpetually ignited.

Whatever spirit that was along for the ride found itself jostled between the pain of his squeezed nipple and the discomfort of his penetrated hole.  So it anchored itself to the tiny fluid slowly oozing out of him, and Flash allowed his fantasy to ferry that quivering soul into a land of ecstasy.

The valkyrie was laying completely on top of the yelping princess, hands wrapped around from behind and playfully assaulting her through her laughing weight.

The knight was forcing the princess' sobbing face into her bosom, moaning like a true amazon warrior in heat as she felt the tongue and tears struggling to please such aching breasts.

The conqueror was straddling the princess' head, squeezing her blushing cheeks with massive, womany thighs while her aroused sex grinded across the submissive's face.

The charming prince was kissing the princess so hard that the damsel scarcely had room to breathe, meanwhile her massive hand was forcing the boi's fingers down into her own sex, soaking both of their hands as the amazon moaned so loud that the sissy's skull might shatter—

There was a knock-knock-knock on the bathroom door.

Flash's bulging eyes flew wide open against the shower water.

The knocking repeated, followed by Sunset's motherly voice:  “Flash?  Is everything alright in there?”

“... … …!”  Flash's body quivered at an awkward angle—one hand to his breast and the opposite finger stuck up his butt.

“I could have sworn I heard you calling me.  Did you need something?”

Flash gnashed his teeth, stifling a whimper.  He tried commanding his body to do three things at once.  Unfortunately, the brain focused exclusively on un-sodomizing his rear, and the rest of the muscles simply went limp.

Thwap!

He landed like a cold piece of meat against the floor of the shower.

“Ouchies!”

The presence outside the bathroom door shifted.  “... … ...Flash?”

“Uhhhh... uhhhhhm...”  Aching all over, a tearful boi sat up and tried answering.  He got a mouthful of faucet water, gargled, spat, then shifted position so he could summon the breath to sputter:  “Nothing!  I... uh... thought I had misplaced the soap, but... I-I found it now!”  He grimaced.  “In the... s-soap tray...!”

Silence.

At long last, there was a response:  “Okay!  Just checking on ya!  Take all the time you need!”

With that said, Flash heard the footsteps of the telepath marching away.

The telepath.

He facepalmed hard.  The shower water was still hot and steamy, but now it felt like knife-hard sleet.  There was no telling how long he had been writhing there—like a pig in heat—mauling himself in another person's shower.

In another person's home.

The home of a friend... someone who had taken him in out of the goodness of their heart.  And for a moment there, Flash couldn't give two shits about a heart.  His mind had been focused on other organs, and none of them belonging to Sunset.

The boi was used to feeling waves of guilt after a... “personal session.”  But this was different.  He hadn't violated himself—he had violated the sanctity of the shelter his good, loving friend had given him.  He knew that if he was in her position, he'd be grossed out by it.  And with her telepathic abilities and all, there was no telling to what extent she was mortified...

...and to what extent she had decided to hide it.

A hot bead of moisture kissed the shower air—but it wasn't from his lower half.  Flash felt the first of many sissy tears forming.  Sniffling, he hugged his knees to his naked chest and shivered under the once-soothing shower water.  Another sigh, and he hung his head in shame.

“... … …friggin' sicko.”

It was the brush handle all over again.

He couldn't get out and dry himself fast enough.
> Have a Nice Day (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Kayfabe)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry's dainty little feet—still moist—carried his freshly-showered body over soft carpet.  It wasn't long before he was standing in the tall doorframe to Sunset Shimmer's bedroom.  There, the amazon in question could be seen tidying things up along the dresser and far desk.  While she hummed pleasantly to herself in a womanly cadence, she wasn't entirely... doing the best job of making the place look uncluttered.  Nevertheless, she seemed to enjoy the task at hand, and when she turned to greet the pixie-esque houseguest it was with a loving smile.

"There you are, sweetie!"  It was always a strange, new thing for Flash when Sunset Shimmer spoke with such affection, but nevertheless soul-soothing.  "Heehee... got yourself nice and soaked, huh?"  She turned to the bed to give its pillows a few more lasting fluffs.  "Can't say I blame you.  After my living conditions... uhhhh... 'improved,' I started enjoying longer and more luxurious showers.  So don't you start feeling guilty or nothing."

Flash hung his head with a deadpan expression.  He looked beyond the fuchsia hem of Pinkie Pie's Princess Peach bedshirt dangling around his tender frame.

"Agh... I'm talking too much again."  Sunset Shimmer shrugged.  "Age-old habit of mine.  I always ramble to fill in a silent moment here or there.  Most people do it when they're anxious.  But me?  I always seem to do it when I'm feeling cheerful.  At least that's what Twilight claims.  I may be the psychic, but she's usually the one who's on-point about everything.  Heh."

Flash bit his lip, avoiding her gaze.  He thought about where he had been just minutes ago.  He thought about where his hands had been minutes ago.  Sunset had done so much for him; she didn't deserve this sick pervert lazing around in her beautiful home.

"As you may have noticed, I called it quits on the stream early."  Sunset Shimmer stood up, stretching her leviathanesque muscles.  "Mmmmmm... yeah... the team I was assigned to absolutely sucked at DPS.  I started bitching at them, but the moment they caught on that I was Shimmercoder, they started throwing.  Hmmf.  A-holes.  I know my internet audience digs it when I get super rage-y... but sometimes it's just not worth ruining a whole night of gaming."

The boi nodded.  He didn't particularly know why.  He rubbed one arm with another and looked off towards the side.  He focused on how large Sunset's walk-in closet looked.  In the penumbra of the bedside light, he thought he saw a gaggle of dresses that could absolutely engulf him.  This dreamy thought swiftly snowballed into reminding him about the shower again, and he cringed.

Sunset saw it.  "Flash?"  Her massive self strode over, shadowing the petite young man.  "Ohhhhh Flash, honey.  Why the long face?"  She leaned over and tilted his chin up to face a wry smirk.  "I used to be a horse-lady, remember?  I know a long face when I see one."

Flash fought his entire being to sandbag that.  In the end, he sighed.  "Thanks for the use of your shower, Sunset."

"You're... welcome...?"

He rubbed his arm again, gazing across the room.  "And the bed.  And the roof.  And the grilled cheese sandwich and... and... mmmmm..."  He plucked lightly at the hem of bedshirt.  "...your friends' pyjamas."

"Flash, if all of these generous things were meant to turn you into a complete sad sack, I would have been content to just toss you in the hamper for a week."  Sunset placed her hands on her hips while raising an eyebrow.  "What's gotten you so down in the gizzard?"

He said nothing.

"Let me guess."  The telepath's eyes narrowed.  "The events of today caught up with you?"

He said nothing.

"Literally deep-sea-diving into one's brain can be a rather heavy experience."

He said nothing.

"Was it unpleasant hearing me get all gutter-mouth on the stream?  I know we both agreed it's cool that I can compartmentalize my rage these days, but you dealt with the worst of it in the past.  I apologize if I upset you, honey."

He said nothing.

"Well..."  A soft breath, and she effortlessly whisked him off his feet, carrying him over towards the vanity.  "So long as you're going to stand here like a sad doll, I might as well treat you like one."  She planted his little tush on the oversized ottoman and turned him towards the mirror.  With a motherly smile, Sunset snatched a brush off the vanity table and positioned herself behind him.  "I see you already forgot my advice on properly grooming your hair immediately after a shower."  A light chuckle.  "No big dealie.  Just gives me the excuse to explore your lovely locks once more."

He sat obedient, docile, and quiet.  Meanwhile he felt her large hands working around his scalp, straightening his bangs, removing tangles—tug after tiny tug.

"What's the age-old myth?"  Sunset tongued the inside of her mouth as she hovered around him, caressing and treating his threads.  "A hundred brushstrokes every side before bed?  Heh... yeah, I know.  It's an out-dated thing.  Today's methods of shampooing, soaping, and drying one's hair sorta clashes with a gazillion brush strokes.  But... still... it sounds princessy, doesn't it?"  She winked at his melancholic reflection in the mirror.  "Or at least Vitorianesque."  A narrowing of her eyes.  "... ... ...Edwardian?"

He merely swallowed.

Sunset continued brushing and brushing, her eyes darting between his hair and his reflection.  "... ... ...Flash, you gotta give me something.  I haven't been a one-mare-show since that one time I tried to entertain an entire battalion of Celestia's finest guards."  She fussed with a tangle or two, smiling once her work paid off.  "And—to be honest—they were a finer audience than you are right now."

Flash sighed.  His eyes closed gently.  "... ... ...I should have spent time pursuing college applications today."

"Hmmm?"

"Job openings.  Inexpensive apartments..."

"Oh..."  She stifled a snort, towering over him even when leaning over.  "We're back to that, are we?"

"I'm serious, Sunset."  His sad eyes reopened, but once they saw his tiny reflection, they glanced towards the make-up and beautification products across the vanity.  But when he felt his heart leap upon seeing those, he guiltily stared at the floor instead.  "I had half of the day alone to myself.  I could have spent that time actually trying to establish a good future for myself.  Instead... I just..."

"You just what, Flash?"

He bit his lip, fidgeted, and finally blurted:  "I just soaked up your hospitality."

"Ohhhhhh sweetie..."

"I-I'm serious, Sunset!"  His tiny fists clenched against the edges of the ottoman.  A sore lump formed in his tiny throat.  "If we're not careful... I-I'll take advantage of all the kindness you've shown me!  All the stuff you've spent to make me feel at home here."  He sniffled slightly, looking aside.  "Just like I've taken advantage of my folks' generosity all these years.  And what do I have to show for it?"

"Y'know, for having such a lovely, harmonious voice... you're really addicted to one note, huh?"  Sunset laughed at herself.

Flash clenched his eyes shut.  "Sunset... I'm feeling really... really bad about this..."

"You should try not doing that."

"What—living like a useless sloth in your house?"

She leaned in and squeezed his shoulders from behind.  "Feeling bad."

"I can't help it..."

"Sure you can."  Sunset stroked his hair with her hand this time, smiling warmly.  "Something as pretty... as adorable... as beautiful as you?  It'd be a shame to wear it all so sadly everyday.  How about a change?"

"That's what I'm needing to do.  Change."

"We're not thinking about the same kind of change, I don't think," Sunset said.  "What if—Flash, hear me out—what if..."  The hands gripping his shoulders rapped their fingers playfully back and forth across the ruffles of the shirt.  "...all the things you've ever desired to do... all the things you've ever desired to be... you just... embraced.  Because whenever you've fought it in the past, you've forced yourself to face your family's ice cold expectations instead.  But you don't ever want to do what they want either—not really.  So... you've always settled for 'limbo,' as a means of punishing yourself.  Well..."

She suddenly slid in.  As her amazonian girth occupied the ottoman, her arms lifted the gasping boi until he was seated in her lap.  She hugged him closely from behind, forcing him to look at the two of them reflected so intimately in the vanity's mirror.

"...what if—to break the limbo—you simply accepted the happier option?  The rosier... frillier... pinker option?"

He squirmed in her grasp.  "Sunset, I can't afford—"

"But what if you could?"  She smiled, giving him a light squeeze.  "Huh?"  She leaned her head down, nuzzling his silk blue hair and giggling into his forehead.  "What if you could get everything you ever wanted?  Everything you've ever pushed away from yourself... everything you've ever deserved?   And—as a show of thanks—you got to look and act and be as cute and huggable around a place of comfort and safety?"

"I... I..."

"How does that sound, sweetie?  Hmmm?  Be honest..."

"That sounds..."  Flash couldn't help but grimace.  "...like being a pet."

"Huh."  Sunset dryly delivered.  "Imagine that."

"... ... ..."  He blinked curiously at her.

"I love you Flash," Sunset said casually through a sigh.  "But... blessed Celestia... you're an iceberg that refuses to melt sometimes.  Heh..."  She shook her head, smirking.  Another squeezing hug, and she kissed the top of his head.  "Tell you what!"  She pivoted him so that the two were looking face to face.  "Let's start you out slow."

"Start me out on what?"

"Indulging, silly bean."  She winked.  "What would you like to do tonight?  And don't you dare say 'whatever you want, Sunset,' or I'm gonna shove you up a chimney."

"I... don't get it..."

She rolled her eyes.  "I already showed you what I do to relax, silly bean."  She tapped his button-nose.  "How about you show me how Flash Sentry relaxes."

He rubbed his face, blinking at her.  "How... I relax...?"

"Heehee... that's right."

"I... uhm..."

"Well?"  She reached a hand up to brush his bangs aside.  The silver beads of her bracelet rattled.  "I'm waitiiiiiiiing."

He glanced aside, his face contorted cutely in thought.  At last, his mouth muscles relaxed.  "Oh, uh... I think..."  A sideways giggle, breathy and thin.  "...I can think of something."

"Oh yeah?  What?"





Grainy TV footage showed a menacing man in black tossing a masked figured off the top of a sixty-foot tall metal cage.  The camera waved, attempting in vain to capture the moment of bodily impact.  A large crowd of rowdy onlookers howled in bloodlust across the arena as the feed switched to a shot of the masked man lying limp atop the shattered remains of the Spanish Announce Table.

“Good God almighty!  Good God almighty!”  The commentator howled in an Oklahoman accent.  “They killed him!  As God is my witness, he's broken in half!”

The crowd continued to roar through the speakers of Flash's laptop.

The boi sat cross-legged on the huge living room couch, and smiling from ear-to-ear like a dumb little pixie.  He looked from the laptop on the table in front of him and towards the amazon to his left.  “Heeeeee... that's a classic line, right there!”

“... … ...”  Sunset Shimmer gazed at the ongoing carnage with a perpetually furrowed brow.  “... … ...you don't say.”

“Granted...”  Flash squirmed back and forth, his voice taking on a curiously chipper tone as he pointed at the recording.  “Jim Ross was sorta self-programmed to say that sort of a thing.  I mean... when you're constantly on the road and having to improvise wrestling commentary, it's understandable that you say certain lines more than once.  But this particular moment with Mankind goes down in history.  Like—nobody but him and 'Taker knew that this was going to happen!  But it gets even crazier afterwards.  That's why the King of the Ring '98 is so legendary!”

“I... see...”  Sunset Shimmer continued squinting incredulously at the laptop.  “...so... is the match over?”

“Heck no!”  Flash's voice cracked.  “I mean—at the time they probably thought as you did!  You hear that?  Even Lawler's convinced!  And you're gonna see Terry Funk and a bunch of other backstagers coming out to check on Foley and wheel him off... but Mankind was the king of hardcore!  Heehee!  He still is!”  Flash pumped his little girly fist.  “Foley is God!”

“Evidently so...”  Sunset Shimmer bit one side of her lip, then the other.  Her round turquoise eyes reflected several striped jerseys as referees huddled around the collapsed wrestler on the laptop.

Flash stifled another giggled as he hugged himself and leaned forward off the couch.  After a minute, he gave Sunset a glance... then a second.  The boi's eyes fluttered curiously.  “Is something the matter, Sunset?”

“Hmmm?”  She looked towards him, snapping out of the moment.  “Oh!  No.  Nothing... nothing's the matter...”

“Is this too violent for you?”

“Pffft!”  She rolled her eyes and waved a hand.  “No.  Noooooo.  I'm basically a superhero.  I've seen worse.”

“Well, I guess... this is technically a bloodsport.”  Flash rubbed the back of his head with a nervous smile.  “I can see how that might be offensive.”

“I'm not offended, bothered, or grossed out, Flash.  It's just that I...”  She ran a hand through her hair and squinted awkwardly at the laptop.  “...I didn't... particularly expect this as the sort of thing you watched during your free time.”

“Why?  What did you expect?”

“What did I—?”  She snorted, smiling sharply.  “I think you know what I expected.”

Flash shrugged.  “I've gotten into a wrestling kick as of late.”

“Define 'as of late.'”

“Erm... sometime after you and I... uh... stopped hanging out.”

“Ah.”  Sunset nodded.  “I see.”

“I forgot what started it.  Maybe it was a rabbit hole night on Youtube.  But I started getting hooked on late 90s era Attitude Wrestling.  And... and...”  Flash giggled, pearly whites glinting in the living room light as he gestured at the noisy footage.  “...and it's just so surreal!  How stupid and fake and yet clever and real it all is!  Was!  Was.  Erm... modern professional wrestling isn't quite this savage.  At least not in the high-paid circuits.”

“Personally, I'm glad for that.”

“It's... kind of a sucky industry, really,” Flash commented.  “Both then and now.  But especially more so then.  And yet... it's there.  It exists in various formats for us to look back on and...”

“Throw up?”

“Be enlightened,” Flash said with a wink.

“Ahhhhh...”  Sunset slowly nodded.  “But of course.”

“Redneck feuds with evil bosses?”  Flash nodded.  “Attitude Era's got it.  Runaway beer trucks?  Attitude Era's got it.  Supernatural blood feuds between long lost brothers?”

“I detect a pattern.”

Flash giggled yet again.  “It's just so silly... and yet awesome in a way.  People put their heart and souls on the line to deliver fart-level sophistication.  There's... some strange nobility to the sacrifice.  And—in the end—the company that fought hardest to get noticed won out over their wicked competition.  It's like a televised world war.  With slightly fewer deaths.  Slightly fewer.”

Sunset pointed.  “Who's that bald dude in the suit?  He looks vaguely familiar.”

“Oh, that's Sgt Slaughter,” Flash commented.  “He was the commissioner for the company at the time.  At least on-screen.”

“Sgt Slaughter?!?”  Sunset Shimmer chortled.

Flash smiled at her.  “I'm surprised that you never heard of any of this.”

“I was barely alive in the nineties,” Sunset Said.  “And neither were you.”

“Plus you were a horse.”

“Not much wrestling where I come from,” Sunset admitted with a nod.  “But we do have competitive stampedes.  And—boi—lemme tell you...”  She waggled a finger, smirking.  “When the pony galloping at the front steps into a gopher hole, it's a sad story for everypony behind.”  A sideways sigh.  “Except for the runners who are pegasi.  Lucky bastards squeeze out of everything...”

Flash giggled... and giggled some more.

Sunset gazed at him.  Slowly, a warm smile formed.  “But this is nice, though...”

“Heeheehee...!”  Flash hugged himself, leaning back in the sofa.  “Glad you can see the entertainment in it.”

“No.  I mean... sure.  But...”  She ran a hand through her fiery locks.  “What I meant was hearing you laugh.”  She breathed out her nostrils.  “I think this is the happiest I've seen you since I picked you up at CHS.”

“Hmmmmmmmm...”  Flash managed a tranquil smile, his eyes glued to the noisy scene on the laptop.  “Well, this is how I chill.”

“Watching big sweaty men banging each other?”

He paled slightly.  Sweat formed along his fair brow.

“HAH!”  Sunset leaned over to pat his knee, smirking.  “I'm only teasing you.”

“I just... like the pageantry,” Flash murmured, blushing slightly.  “Classic wrestling is like a car crash in slow motion... with chairshots.”  He gulped.  “If 80s or 90s basketball had frog splashes and piledrivers, I'd be falling asleep to footage of that too.”

“You fall asleep to this shit?!?”

Flash blinked innocently at her.  “Don't you have guilty pleasures that you put on repeat to doze off to after a long day?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“I...”  Sunset shrugged.  “I dunno.  These days, I... rarely... … ...”  She cleared her throat delicately.  “... … ...rarely ever fall asleep alone.”

Flash cocked his head to the side.  “You've been without the other girls lately.”

Sunset let loose a long, melancholic sigh.  “Yeahhhhh...”

“It's because of me, isn't it?”

“Yes—NO!”  She winced from amazonian head to amazonian toe, making the couch rock.  She waved her hands at him.  “It-It-It's not BECAUSE of YOU!  I... I'm just needing to—... that is I'm just trying to—...”

Flash giggled again, smiling drunkenly at the woman.  “It's okay.”  He stuck a tongue out.  “I'm just teasing you.”

Sunset gave him a wicked glance.  “Hmmmff...”  She folded her arms.  “You should know better than to be snarky around a telepath.”

“Yeah...”  Flash said.  His eyes darted to her bracelet, and he swallowed.  He resumed looking at the “wrestling” footage, squinting hard.

Sunset noticed it.  “Having a hard time seeing, sweetie?”

“It's alright.”

“I didn't ask if it was 'alright.'  Are you having trouble seeing it?”

He sighed, smiling tiredly.  “You're a big woman.  And you live in a big house... with big furniture... and big spaces in between.”

“Ah.  I see.”  Sunset shifted her weight.  “Well, maybe I can fix that for you.”

“Nah, that's alright—”  But Flash should have known that he had no say in what was happening.  His breath left him as he was scooped up off his fanny.

With towering limbs, the sexy giantess plopped the two of them lengthwise across the massive sofa.  She laid him down with his back against her belly, then placed the laptop between her abdomen and raised knees.  Once the young man was lying comfortably against Sunset—with her bust as pillows for his cute little blue head—she snaked her arms around him and held him close.

“There we go...”  Her warm voice shook through his slight, sensitive frame.  “Say stop once you can see it well enough.”  And she shifted her well-toned legs, pivoting the laptop closer to his point of view.

“Stop.”  He droned.

“Heeheehee...”  She leaned down and kissed his forehead.  “Now... isn't that better?”

“... … ...”  He gulped, his ears turning red at the softness on either side of him.  “I'm afraid to move my head.”

“Don't be.”  Sunset gave his ribcage a slight squeeze before resting her chin into the nape of his neck.  “They can't hurt you.”  A wink—one that he likely couldn't see.  “Not unless you want them to.”

Flash said nothing—instead focusing on the footage before them.  Footage that he had long memorized.

“Wowers...”  Sunset remarked, watching with renewed interest.  “So much for the stretcher!”

“Yeah...”  Flash dryly exhaled.  “Mick Foley was made of something else...”

“They allowed this stuff back in the day?”

“Totally...”  Flash nodded, settling into Sunset's... everything as she embraced him.  “Live television was a great deal edgier before you ever came through the portal.”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders around the boi.  “Television is television to me.”

“They don't have that back in Equestria, do they?”

“We... have the means of capturing motion pictures.  But not on the scale of broadcasting that human multi-media accomplishes.”

“Is that why you love video games so much?”

“Maybe.  But—if anyone asks—I just tell them that gaming speaks to me.”

Flash giggled breathily.  “What's that even mean?”

She tightened her hug slightly, as if relishing in the sensation of his giggling frame against hers.  “It means it puts me in a happy place and I relish in it.”

“Heehee... well... I'm glad for you, Sunset.”

“I know you are.”  She nuzzled him from behind, gazing casually at the laptop.  “You're an empathetic little cherub, Flash.  Ever since I first met you, I've admired how you glean joy from others' happiness.”

“That's kind of you to say, Sunset.”

“Well, it's kind of you to be, sweetie.”  She blew at a lock of hair, exposing his delicate little ear.  She rested her chin against his shoulder once more, breathing slowly: gently rocking his fragile frame with her hold.  “... … ...I wish you'd let me return the favor.”

“What do you mean?”  Flash reached a hand through her imprisoning arms to point at the laptop.  “We're watching something I like, aren't we?”

“You know what I'm talking about.”

He clammed up.

“I shouldn't have laughed at you that day we went stargazing,” she murmured.  “And all those little moments to follow...”

“I forgive you, Sunset,” Flash said.  “You're a good person... a better person.”  He squeezed one of her arms with a tender little hand.  “I don't hold any grudges—”

“And I'm immeasurably happy to know that, Flash,” Sunset said.  “Believe me, I couldn't ask for any more.”

“Then let it be.  It's alright, Sunny!  There's nothing to salvage.”

“Isn't there?”  Sunset gazed at his close profile.  “For you, I mean?”

He bit his lip.

“If... I could turn back time...”  She snaked a hand up to caress his face and chin.  “...and go back to that night... and just let you speak your peace... I absolutely would.”  She gulped.  “In a heartbeat.”

“What's unspoken that you don't already know?” Flash murmured.  “You're the resident telepath, Sunset.  You know all that there is to know about me.  And even if you didn't...”  He sighed.  “...I gave enough lousy hints while we were going out just how... unmanly I was...”

“It's not about what you aren't, Flash,” Sunset said.  “But it's about what you are... and how much more of it you could be.”

He squirmed in her grip.  The boi was stuck between an amazon and a legion of bloody wrestlers.  There was no escaping this moment, and the seven foot six hostess must have known it.  Planned it.

“Tell me, Flash,” Sunset cooed in a motherly tone.  “Won't you just tell me?”  He could sense her smile through his peripheral vision.  “I would so very much like to hear all about it in your own words.  What's the use in tip-toeing around the matter anymore?  Don't pretend like you don't want to share with someone... anyone.  Might as well be me, huh?”

“... … ...”

“Y'know...”  She chuckled as she tickled his ribcage with a strong barrage of fingers-fingers-fingers.  “...if any other young man got offered to share his kinks with a drop-dead-gorgeous babe like me—”

“Ack!  Stopit-Stopit-Heeheehee—!”  The ultra-sensitive sissy wriggled all over from her torture.  “Quit it!”  He huffed and puffed, red as a beet.  “I'll tell you, alright!!!”

“Hmmmmmmm—“  She kissed the back of his head and chuckled.  “Knew I could convince youuuuuu.”

“And...”  Flash fought for breath, still recovering from the tickle-assault.  “...they're... not... all 'kinks.'”

“Well, why don't you elaborate, sweetie?”

Flash lingered.

Sunset waited.

Flash closed his eyes.  He trembled slightly.  Then—like a babbling brook, or a trickling faucet—he acquiesced to the dominant amazon's request...
> The Masturbation of Our Discussion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If you saw something in my mind, Sunset... something that somehow... influenced me and my thoughts and my... er... proclivities... then I'm afraid that I don't remember it.  That's a memory that's only been exposed to you."

"Well, let's just concern yourself with what you do remember, Flash."

"Okay..."

"Was that moment with Concepcion's godchildren your first time embracing femininity?"

"No.  I mean... yes?  It's the first time I ever experienced it... uhm... outside of my mind.  But even before then... for as long as I can remember, really, I... I've liked girly things."

"Mmmhmmm."

"But... I-I guess I should probably put that into context.  Uhm... ... ... It's not so much that I like girly things, but rather... I like... I-I've always liked that which I've perceived as 'girly.'"

"Uh huh."

"Cuz... what does it mean to be girly?  Or a woman?  Well... I mean, hypotheticallys peaking... you're the biological vessel for conceiving and birthing infant members of your species.  That's it—the meat and potatoes of it.  Or just the meat."

"Heehee..."

"I don't believe... I've never believed that there's any legitimate psychological definitions to being a woman.  Yes... chemicals are different between sexes.  Hormones are different.  But... when it comes down to it... to the essence of a person... well... it's all conditioning.  We're people—plain and simple.  Now gender roles... that's different.  That I have... always seen as a construct of society... something imposed by culture and tradition and—"

"You believe everyone is born gender neutral, then?"

"... ... ...huh?"

"Most people these days will contend that gender is something that only an individual can determine for themself.  Now... if they—if we are all born gender neutral and somehow society turns us one way or another—"

"Oh!  Uhm... I-I wouldn't know anything about that, Sunset.  Seriously... I... we shouldn't have to analyze it that hard."

"You sure?"

"Uh, yeah...?"

"Cuz... heehee... you were gettin' in there pretty deep, Flash.  I couldn't help but ask an analytical question—"

"What I mean is... mrmmmm... … … I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry for, sweetie?"

"I'm not trying to talk down the facts of... uhm... being a gender or being transgendered or... wh-whatever.  In truth, I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah.  Why... do you not believe me?"

"You're telling me that you've never thought of it, Flash?"

"Thought of what?"

"That you might be transgendered?"

"Huh?  Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"I mean... you've been fixated on feminine things all your life.  You're thoughtful.  You're empathetic.  You're less aggressive... more passive..."

"That... that's just me, Sunset."

"Hehehe... fair enough.  Not saying it shouldn't be you.  But I also imagine that most biologically-born males who have felt the same way you've felt and have—"

"—grown the way I've grown...?"

"... ... ...it would shock me if it never crossed your mind."

"I... I can't lie, Sunset.  I have considered it once or twice.  But... then again... with the way my body is?  How it works?  How it doesn't work?  I've often wondered if I was dropped here on Earth by aliens."

"Heheheh... I'm sorry.  Do go on."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Sunny.  It's a perfectly reasonable question.  But... I've always been acutely aware of my masculinity.  I... I know you may find that strange."

"Not really, no."

"You don't?"

"Flash, you tried ever so hard... ever so desperately to portray yourself as 'masculine.'  It stood to reason that you had something you wanted to defend.  To preserve—convincingly so."

"Are you talking about when you and I dated?"

"Even after that.  It was... it is such an uphill battle for you, Flash.  At first, I thought it was cute.  Okay... I lie.  I still think it's cute.  Hehehe... ahem.  But... uh... that's not... it's not my place to find amusement in something that you... struggle with...?"

"I can't pretend that it's not been a struggle.  I just... can't 'man-up' like society expects me to.  Like I expect for myself.  And yet... there's stuff about me... very tiny stuff that... that I just can't get rid of.  And, to be honest, I don't ever want to get rid of it."

"Mmmmhmmm."

"Because even in all the years that I tried... fought to be more... uhm... m-macho?  Yeah... I... uh... well... I-I knew it was because I was fighting to restore something... not to attain something.  It... I wish I could explain it, Sunset.  But I feel... changed.  Every day... every hour... every second of my life I feel as if I'm... me... and yet I'm not me.  It's like... I'm a me that some celestial entity took a shrink ray too.  Or... perhaps... a pink ray to."

"… … … ... ... ...you okay, Flash?"

"Yes.  Why do you ask?"

"I just felt a tiny shudder go through your body."

"It's... uh... it's the tooth coming out of Mick Foley's nose.  As much as I love this match, I can't stand to look at that camera footage close up."

"Flaaaaaaaaaash..."

"Okay.  Okay.  Okay.  Here's the crux of it..."

"Heheh... do tell."

“No, I mean it!”

“Mmmhmm.  I'm waiting, sweetie.”

"I... I like girly things... and femininity... deep down because... b-because I see a contrast between that and who I am."

"... ... ...really?"

"Yeah.  I mean... isn't it obvious?  In my mind... in my heart I'm a guy.  A dude.  I'm masculine.  Just like the young man you s-saw in the dreamscape, remember?  How my dream-self was represented?"

"Mmmhmm.  I do remember, Flash.  I have to admit that I was surprised."

"I feel as if somehow... long ago... something happened to me to... change the outside of this.  Of all this.  But I'm still a dude.  And... and..."

"... ... ...and what, Flash?"

"I... I kinda... mmmm..."

"Spit it out.  It's okay."

"I can't spit it out.  I can't force anything out.  I... I'm just not built for it.  Even if I'm designed for it."

"I'm afraid I don't follow..."

"Ugh.  I know.  I know I'm not making any sense.  But... Sunset... Sunset—all my life, I... I feel like I should have been someone else.  A different me.  Like... it's as if I'm in the wrong universe.  The wrong reality.  I should be something... far stronger... far bigger... but I'm not.  And... and all my life, there's been this force steering me towards something else.  Like... I was made for a tough mattress... but I keep being pushed towards a bed that's way too soft... night after night."

"You poor thing, Goldilocks."

"Sunnyyyy..."

"Heeheehee... go on, Sweetie."

"And... y'know... I've fought this push for so long.  Trying to man-up to friends around me.  Trying to be a proper boyfriend to the likes of you.  Trying to... uh... t-to be a responsible son to my parents.  But none of it works out.  Or... in the end... I-I just don't have the willpower to make it manifest.  And... and I-I just have to admit to myself that... that I-I kinda like where I'm being pushed.  I would absolutely love to... ahem... to snuggle up in that s-soft bed.  Provided... uhm... the sheets were clean and it was floral-scented and easy to wash..."

"Uh huh..."

"And... and the reason I would like it is that... it'd be a relief to me... after having fought that battle for so long.  And... uhm... uhhhhhhh..."

"What, Flash?"

"It's just that... erm... mmmmmmm-mmmmmm..."

"Celestia, you're red as a beet!  We must be getting close to the truth!"

"Mmmmmmmmmm..."

"Sayyyyy ittttttttt..."

"I... I-I love knowing that such a soft b-bed isn't m-meant for me...!"

".... ... ...huh?"

"I... I find feminine... girly... dainty things so... mmmm... p-p-pleasing... gllp... b-because... I... I-I acknowledge the gap between who I am and... th-the role that I feel drawn to play..."

"You... enjoy seeing the contrast between reality and expectation?"

"Life sucks, y'know?  I mean... in general.  It does.  For a lot of people.  I can complain about myself, but I won't.  That would be ignorant and cruel to all the people who have been legitimately dealt with the heartless cards of fate.  Those who can't afford to change... or transition... or acclimate.  But... for me?  I... I-I would... uhm... I-I would relish the idea of being in a suit th-that's not mine."

"Don't you mean a dress?"

"Guhhhhhh..."

"S-sorry..."

"Don't be, Sunset..."

"Because—I think I see what you're getting at, Flash.  And it's something I've thought of when I've done research on transvesticism."

"Huh?"

"Cross-dressing."

"Oh.  R-right.  Uhm..."

"Because that's the key thing, isn't it?  Many crossdressers are already set in their own gender identity, but they choose to immerse themselves in an identity that they don't personally associate with, and the emotions that come out of such an experience are considered pleasing... comforting..."

"Y-yeah.  Sure.  I can buy that."

"Granted, that's not why everyone crossdresses, but... maybe you see where I'm getting at."

"Actually, I think you see where I'm getting at, Sunset.  Mmmmmmm... there's always... there's always this sense of... of mischief..."

"Heehee... yeah..."

"A sense of peculiarity... of trespassing... of deviance—oh shoot.  That's a bad word for it, isn't it?"

"I think there are lots of old words that—when used for it—come across as 'bad' as well."

"... ... ...is it wrong that I like the 'badness?'"

"Depends on the context.  And audience—I suppose."

"R-right..."

"So long as you are not attacking anyone or shaming people—"

"Except those who want to be shamed."

"Pffft—What?"

"Ah jeez.  Never mind that.  Forget I said that."

"Hah—What?  Flash, no!  Elaborate!"

"No no no no that was gross.  I'd rather not get into it."

"What if I want to hear something 'gross?'"

"... ... ...really?"

"Heh... you think you're gonna get another chance at this?"

"Another... chance...?"

"Big buxom woman?  Cuddling you close?  Asking you to share 'deviant, gross, bad secrets?"

"Alright-alright-alright—"

"Hehehe... chuuuuuu—"

"Ackies!  St-stop smothering me!  I-I'll share!"

"Hahaha... goddess, you're so cute."

"Yuh huh.  Uhm... where was I...?"

"You wanna lie in some big metaphorically abstract soft bed."

"Right..."

“... … ...by yourself?”

“Mrmmmm... one step at a time, Sunset.”

“You mean one ballerina step at a time?”

“Gaaaaaah—will you stop teasing me already?!?”

“I can't help it!  Whenever I make you blush, you seem to get closer to the heart of it all!”

“I... I...”

“The big... fluffy... pink... l-lacy heart of it all...”

“Phweeeee...”

“S-See?!  Hahaha—It gets you so flustered!  Flash, honey, you're good at being super-analytical when it comes to your feelings and concerns and persuasions.  But—when it comes to desire?  You should treat it exactly like fear.  Face it directly.  Dive in deep!  Rip the band-aid off!”

“I... I just... it's... it's all so very... mmmm... s-silly...”

“... … ...do I need to tell you to tell me?”

“H-huh...?!”

“Do you need a strong, tall, intimidating-yet-caring authority figure in your life to force you into making the move?”

“I... erm... oh gosh...”

“You really don't like making decisions on your own, don't you?”

“Sunset...—“

“I'm not trying to ridicule or guilt trip you, sweetie.  It's just... it's your thing.  Doesn't take a mind-reader to see it.  You... like being given orders, don't you?”

“I... I-I...”

“You like it when someone else carries you.  Moves you.  Forces you.  Dominates you.”

“What are... I... you... hoooooo boy...”

“Hmmmmmmm... so short of breath all of a sudden, are we?”

“Guhhh... Sunset, could... mmm... c-could I just—”

“Flash...”

“... … ...”

“Flash Sentry.”

“Eep...!  Y-yes?”

“You're a girly little pink sissy at heart and you love it.  And you're going to tell me why.”

“I... I-I...”

“... … ...NOW”

“Guhhhhhhhhhh—I l-like soft, cute, pink, cuddly, pretty things!  I-I want to be surrounded in prettiness!  I w-want to be pretty!  I want to be adorable, sweet, sugary, and candy-coated!  And yet I also wanna be spicy, attractive, fabulous and... and... and...”

“Yes...?”

“Vulnerable!  I-I want to be vulnerable!  Delicate!  Malleable!  Fragile!  I want to be so helplessly prissy and yet so inescapably precious that everyone would want to protect me.  Defend me.  Fight for me.  And... and...”

“Go on.  You're making good distance.”

“... … ...I want people to want me.  Like... like society says that men want women... pretty girls... sexy ladies.  I... ah jeez... I want to be a princess, Sunset.  Not a queen—not a powerful ruler—but a princess... a pretty and dressed-up figurehead.  I want to be a treasure for all of the superficial reasons that most self-respecting women don't want to be it... or have learned to move beyond it.  I want to be... to be the object of desire... that is drilled into people's skulls from infancy by media, advertising, and propaganda.  I want to be something that most women struggle to maintain.  A look... a smell... a sense that takes countless time, effort, and sacrifice to achieve.  I want to be that impossibly innocent thing that middle school girls roll their eyes at and high school girls forget about and college girls revisit with melancholic nostalgia.  I want to feel excellent in my beauty... but bottomless in my worth—a self-defeating object that revels in its two-dimensional artifice.  I... I want to be something simultaneously priceless and pathetic... because very few others have the courage to be it.  I want to... to be used to bring others joy, satisfaction, pleasure.  Even if just by looking at me... acknowledging me... as I've become.  I... I want to be... to be... mmmmm... what you j-just called me, I guess...”

“What?  A girly little pink sissy at heart?”

“Yeahhhhh... … ...good gosh, I didn't even need to say a single thing, did I?”

“Hahahaha... well of course you did, Flash.”

“Mmmmmm...”

“Does it feel any better?”

“... … ...it feels alright...”

“What even is a 'sissy,' anyways?”

“You're the one who called me it.”

“Only because you've thought that word multiple times yourself.”

“... … ...I did?”

“Since I picked you up at CHS, and even years back shortly after we stopped dating—”

“Yes yes.  I get it.  Gosh... I hate telepathy.”

“Don't lie, Flash.”

“Ugh...”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“What does—”

“—the word 'sissy' mean?  Well, it's me, isn't it?”

“Is it?”

“Just look at me, Sunset.  I'm a string bean.  I'm a waif.  I'm a flighty fart of a human being.”

“Those all seem... quite negatively connotative.”

“That's 'sissydom' for you.”

“But does it have to be like that?”

“... … ...”

“Or—perhaps, Flash—there is a certain degree of pleasure... nay... pride that comes in accepting the term?”

“Uhhhh...”

“Assuming that you've accepted it.”

“I... I erm... it's a back-and-forth thing, Sunset.”

“Sure, I'll buy that.”

“You can... erm... be into the things that I'm into... uhh... without... b-being... something like that...”

“But...?”

“... … ...but why hold back, huh?  I mean, I guess that's the way I looked at it at some point in my life.  There's... there's something at the end of the long, pink, lace-embroidered road.  And... and why stop halfway there?”

“Why indeed.”

“I... I... oh Sunset...”

“Let it out, sweetie.”

“I... snff... I would just love... to... to just spend one evening going the whole nine yards.”

“Heehee... and what would that entail?”

“Mrmmmmmmmm—dressing up.  Glpp.  Dressing up... like... well... first, a pedicure.  A milk bath.  Skin moisturizing.  Getting my hair done up just right.  Makeup.  Not me doing it—I would stink at it.  But... getting it done professionally.  Professional help.  And... and underwear.  The prettiest and most f-feminine ever.  A brassiere—even if I would never need it.  Who cares.  A girdle too.  And a slip.  And... and p-p-petticoats... squee(!)  And the fluffiest ballgown ever.  Pink.  Everything pink.  Drowning in pink.  Even if it looks nasty—it has to be pink.  The color's an optical illusion to the human eye, but—if you ask me—that makes it worth yearning for all the more.  And... and to dance with someone.  Someone handsome.  Someone... who would actually find joy in being with someone as small and delicate as myself.  Someone whom I can make happy... make the whole exercise worth it.  And... and just to twirl in his arms... to laugh and be happy... to be a name... to be a song... to live out something in one of those Disney films or faerie tales or Hallmark gift cards—you name it.  I know it's fake.  I know it's silly.  But if I could somehow just... make it real for one night... … … yeah, I... I guess it's just pumpkin carriage nonsense, but that's... that's it, I suppose.  That's the fantasy...”

“Do you only ever dream of a one-night situation, Flash?”

“No, Sunset.  I... I imagine more.  Cuz what's a fantasy if not something that reaches forever into the unreasonable?  What I wouldn't give to... feel soft and smell fragrant and taste sugary all the time.  To have my own room to come back home to.  A woman's room.  A girl's room... with that floral, powdery, perfect-pink little girl room smell.  I know there's no such thing.  Women are people and people are at perfect liberty to smell awful, no matter how they're built.  But the idea... the ideal... birthed in sitcoms and department store commercials but somehow possibly... just possibly achievable through sheer determination.  And to immerse myself in that fluffy cute cleanliness forever... warm and soft and happy... a thick fluffy pink bed where I can lie down and giggle and stare at the stars and make wishes forever and know that none of them would ever come as kissably true as this.”

“Heehee... mmmhmmm...”

“I... I relish the idea of losing two hours at the start of the day just showering, brushing, moisturizing, making up, and dressing up... and just as much sacrificed time dressing down to sleep in the evening.  The concept of... essentially torturing oneself to meet the aesthetic demands of society.  I mean... it stinks!  It really stinks, Sunset!  In the real world, it's absolutely stupid and unfair.  I won't pretend to say that women should go through with what's oftentimes demanded on them.  They don't deserve any of that nonsense but...  … … good golly gosh alive... I would happily sign up for that nonsense.  Gllp... Wearing layers of clothing.  Sandals and exposed toenails.  Tight pants or shorts with no room for pockets.  Even... even... even using... uhm...”

“I know what's coming next.  Go ahead and say it, Flash.”

“Ghhh... h-hygiene products.”

“Torture indeed.”

“Just the idea of carrying a purse in public just... g-gives me shudders all over.  You ever think about that?  Why do women have to carry purses around, anyway?  It's like a pink ball in chain.  If society was fair, we'd endeavor to find ways where half of the population wouldn't have to lug around a bunch of unneeded weight and cosmetics.  But... I'm not talking about what's right... just what I admire.  What I envy, for some crazy reason or another.  And I... don't want to be a living insult to women.  I don't think... any person like me does... or intends anything cruel or unsympathetic by desiring what we do.  But... but there exists an ideal, Sunset.  And... and I guess that ideal means more to us than they do to others.  It's the ideal that... that entices me... that entices many...  and... and I would... gl-gladly be up for the challenge.  To be that image... that ideal... that fantastical figure of allure.  And... and knowing that I'm from the outside looking in... that I'm a young who perceives himself as a desperate vagrant stuck outside the walls of true femininity... well... that just makes the allure m-more... alluring.  It's... it's... it's all just—”

“A lifestyle.”

“I... was going to say a 'fetish,' Sunset.  It's all fetishiziation.  Plain and simple.  It's not about respect.  It's not about realism.  It's about... imprinting personal satisfaction and pleasure on... an object.  Or a series of objects.  Or... in vague terms... a status of objectification.”

“A role.”

“Exactly.”

“Tell me something, Flash:  What if you suddenly got to have all of these things realized.  What if all the stuff you just described you could be?  You could wear?  You could embody?  Like... a snap of the finger, and it was real?”

“... … ...a snap of a finger?”

“You heard me.”

“If... I could be all of these things... all of these pretty things... snff...”

“Yes... … …?”

“I... snff... well... I... I think I would sit down on the edge of a pink bed in a pink room before a tall dressing mirror... and... and I would just cry.”

“Oh?”

“Just... cry.  Have a good... long... cry.  Until my makeup ran.  And then I would clean my face... make myself pretty again... and cry some more... I... snff... dang it... gosh dang it...”

“Shhhh... it's alright, sweetie...”

“No, it's not alright.  Snff... I'm sick, Sunset...”

“No you're not, Flash.”

“I am.  My brain's broken.  I'm obsessed.  All these years—fighting reality and unwilling to smell the roses—I just can't shake loose this obsession.  It's pathetic.  I'm pathetic.”

“You're nothing of the sort, honey.  Shhh-shhh-shhh... it's okay to cry, sweetie.  But let's not undue everything.  Especially after you've come so far in telling me this.”

“What's even the point?  I... I-I'm sorry, Sunset.  But... you've been so kind and generous to me and all I-I've done is waste your time...”

“Well... not exactly...”

“I don't know how you could possibly say that...”

“Well, because I have another question for you.”

“Snff... oh yeah?  What's that?”

“What if... I was to tell you... that you can live out this dream.”

“... … ...”

“Even right now. This very night.  This very hour.  Going forward.  With the sky as your limit.  You could live a life as pretty and girly and princessy as you've always dreamed?”

“... … ...”

“What would you say to that?”

“... … ...”

“... … ...Flash?”

“... … ...”

“... … ...Flash?  Did you hear what I just said, sweetie?”
> I Know You I Eavesdropped With You Once Upon a Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry lay still and silent in Sunset's arms.  The amazon's embrace was gentle—but ultimately inescapable.  There was nowhere to run to evade that last question.

And what a question:  What if Flash could start living a girly, princessy, sissy life from that point onward?

Flash had indulged Sunset's curiosities.  He had humored her with this... amateur frolic through fantasy and self-analysis.  And—apart from the trailing embarrassment of having been essentially forced to spill his most sacred beans by the authoritarian valkyrie—he had been relatively enjoying himself.  In truth, he'd be lying if he said he didn't appreciate Sunset taking the reins and demanding that he 'fess up.  But it was all still a matter of hypothetical rambling.

… … … wasn't it?

Now, a true shiver ran through Flash's narrow spine.

What if Sunset was actually serious?

She couldn't have been.  She hadn't been serious about anything since he fell in her lap.  Well... she had been serious about her concern for him and his well-being... but everything about the tall, ravishing woman's demeanor had been facetious, teasing, and more than a little bit mischievous.

And yet... beneath all of it... there lay a tender foundation... the same softness and angelic empathy that was cuddling him close on that couch.  Stroking his hair.  Humming tenderly and giving him light squeezes when he divulged the most tender of topics.

What if she was serious?

There was no way Sunset could actually have been considering such a thing.  She should have known better.  For all of her statements of concern for Flash's happiness and well-being, she wouldn't ever risk yanking his chain and getting his hopes up over something that he had spent the wiser slivers of his life completely forsaking.

Wouldn't she know how monumental such a proposition was?

Wouldn't she realize how much it would enthrall him...?

...if only just to crush him?

No.

The universe didn't work that way.

It never worked in Flash Sentry's favor.  At least—not in favor of his dreams.

“Dream big, Princess.”  That was a marketing statement Disney once used in advertising.  Flash always dwelt on it because the saying both tantalized and depressed him.  What more could a princess do than dream?  For reality—even if pursued—would only ever be a let-down.  And he knew better than to hope.

And Sunset—what did she know?  Sure, she could read into his mind... but not into his future.  She only wanted to make him happy, and even if she was remotely serious about something—anything—that resembled the pink, pastel wonderland of the lonely boi's mind, he knew better than to humor it... or humor her.  She'd only destroy him with the shadow of such an artifice.  Flash wasn't about to let Sunset's very own empathy backfire in her face.  He still admired her too much to make a farce out of her gentle, sweet kindness.

At first, he thought about finding an excuse to leave that very place.  That moment.  He contemplated pretending to have to throw up and then sprinting straight towards the bathroom.  But he knew it wouldn't fool the telepath.  So...

...he just absorbed himself with the sweaty men in tights slapping each other's oily chests in the ring.  As his eyes lost themselves in the laptop's old wrestling footage, he allowed time to fill in the gap between him and the amazonian house guest.

Until Sunset shattered it:  “Do you not want to answer, Flash?”

Flash growled inwardly.  He had to keep his frustrations inside.  If he tried to vocalize it, he'd sound like a raspy kitten pawing at the air.

“Do you know what I want, Sunny?” he murmured.

He felt her stroking his blue head of hair from behind.  “Tell me, sweetie.”

The boi navigated a lump in his throat.  His mind centered itself, and soon he didn't have to create a lie whatsoever.  “I want this,” he confessed, relaxing into the soft bosom of the woman holding him.  With perfect timing, a soft smile crossed his features.  He wasn't even acting.  “Just... to feel warm... toasty... safe...”

It didn't take much to convince her.  “Oh, honey... of course...”  Her arms rested around his chest.  The air smelled of spice and lilacs.  “And to be honest, I'm digging it too.”

“For real...?”

“Yeah.  Just having you here.  Sharing something you enjoy.  Talking straight from the heart.”

Flash's eyes thinned, and he drank in the moment through a cloudy skull.  There was no denying that—yes—for months... years, even—he had dreamt of something like this.  He had hoped that someday his lonely nights spent watching old videos or trendy internet clips could turn into something that would be intimately shared.  That instead of hugging a pillow he'd be hugging someone's strong arm... or he'd be lying against a chest with his ears serenaded by a handsome heartbeat.  That idea used to form a tranquil blanket that would rock his lonely heart to rest.  Now, he felt the march of Sunset's heart through her bosom as she held the boi close.  And—from what Flash could tell—she was every bit as thrilled to have him there as he was... was...

...happy.

For the briefest of moments, with no regrets and no strings attached, Flash was happy.

“I...”  Flash curled up slightly, going fetal against the woman's center of gravity.  He cooed through tired lips as the world around him grew dimmer and duller.  “I-I'm digging this too...”

“I really wish you would answer my question, though.”

Goddess damn it.

Flash clenched his eyes shut, fighting off a brief wave of irritation.  “Sunny...”

“Haha... I get it, sweetie.”  He felt her hand stroking his hair and face from behind.  “You've been through a lot today.  First, waltzing through the dreamscape.  Second, watching me stream Overwatch 3.”

Flash giggled—but it came as a series of light gasps.  He yawned, his noodly limbs stretching cutely.  Mayhaps some distant part of his subconscious summoned this sudden wave of slumber.  In any case, Flash was happy for it.  This meant that he could distance himself from the discomfort of where their conversation had lumbered.

“You are... too good... t-to me, Sunny...”

“Hard to match your own sweetness, Flash.”  She felt a gentle kiss to the back of the head.  “Would you like to go somewhere special this evening?  Hmmm?”  Flash was certain he heard the air crackling from her telepathic capabilities.

“No... just...”  He pivoted away from the laptop slightly, drifting apart from the noise of the arena and the crowd that chortled through the computer speakers.  “...just wanna be here...”  He yawned.  “With you.”  He yawned again.  “... … ...let me dream of this.”

There was a breathy chuckled, and Sunset's arms returned to the soft embrace.

“Dream like a sissy?  Talk like a sissy.”

His last waking thought was to giggle at that, but he failed.  Instead, he thought about a world that could have been.  A fantasy realm where he could have been that princess doll that he always dreamed of.  A happy place... a glittery place... where he could be whisked away by Prince Charming and carried off to a rapturous, romantic getaway.  It had only ever been a vision—but now the valkyrie shared it too.

And that in and of itself made the dream as real as it ever could have been.

Flash knew better than to expect more.  While succumbing to unconsciousness, his thoughts of Sunset were only of admiration.





The boi's faith was not misplaced.

Flash's sleep was blissfully blank—a relief to his exhausted mind.  Instead of navigating a convoluted dreamscape, the young man was pleased to drift darkly through a warm recess of collected thoughts and moods: all of them delightful.  What he wouldn't have given to experience such tranquil sleep back at his own place.  He knew he had the amazon to thank, and not because she manipulated his mind.  But rather, she had done everything in her power to make him feel loved and accepted.

It was never Flash's intention to trample over her gratitude.  No doubt any other male individual in his place would be practically groveling before Sunset at this point.  It's just that... he had a truly difficult time accepting her gentle-sweet kindness for what it was... or more specifically for how it was directed at him.  All his life, he had grown so accustomed to the coldness of his family, the ridicule of others, and the bullying of everyone else—including Sunset herself.  Well, the past Sunset.

It was just so... strange to be treated the opposite... to be appreciated... to be relished.  Most of Flash wasn't willing to believe in the goodness that Sunset was exhibiting.  The rest of him acknowledged it... but refused it... probably because he was so accustomed to an absence of empathy.

And—as always in situations like this—Flash's emotions turned inward.  Negatively inward.  He hated himself for not thanking Sunset more... or showing his gratitude in some fashion or another.  He constantly rebuffed her affections and scoffed at her inquisitive motions.  It was more than just an excessive show of humility.  He was actively trying to pretend that he wasn't worth all of the good vibes Sunset was practically steamrolling his way.

At some point, this had to change.  But Flash was more than a little bit scared of what this change might mean.  Nobody had ever tried to approach the dull surfaces of his being before—much less attempt peeling it off in favor of replacing it with a glittery new coat.  Who would he turn to in the event that the entire undressing drove him mad with confusion and fear?

It was then that he realized that maybe... just maybe... he had Sunset to turn to.

Sunset... and six other amazons who were so worried about him that they had sent him a Tinkerbell e-mail the day previous.

It was an e-mail he hadn't replied to.  And Flash felt guilty about that too.

He felt guilty about so many things.  It was a regular emotion; better than any alarm clock.

The boi stirred awake, stretching his arms and legs.  He felt nothing but cool sheets and the scent of lilac and fabric softener.

His delicate eyelids fluttered open, and he saw the shadows of Sunset's bedrooms from the light in the adjacent hallway.

Sunset had carried him to bed.

He had fallen asleep and...

...she had taken him there and tucked him in like a small child.

Somehow the logical realization of this tickled his heart more than the sheer comfort of the bed.  For the briefest of moments, Flash's joy barely superseded his self-loathing, and he found the courage to smile.

Then another part of his body tickled—his ears.  There was a voice murmuring from the hallway.  Breathy.  Terse.  Desperate:

“I'm telling you, Twi, I need another pair!  Pronto!  As quickly as you can whip them out!”

There was a silent pause.  Flash didn't hear anyone respond.  Without making too much of a stir, he lifted his head from the large bed and peered towards the hallway light.

Sure enough, he saw the tall shadow of the valkyrie pacing anxiously back and forth.  She was holding a cell phone to her beautiful head.

“... … ...Yes.  Yes.  I know that you already gave me a second one for backup.  But I've used it up already!”  Another pause.  Flash saw Sunset raising one hand as if the woman on the other end of the line could see her gesture.  “Just like I said!  It's all 'dried up!'”  There was a rattling sound, and Flash could see a faint silver reflection of the bracelet on her wrist.  “I don't know!  Maybe if you were h-here and able to examine it, you could tell me!”

Another pause.  A sigh escaped Sunset's lips and Flash saw as she rested her head in her palm.

“Yes.  Yes, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry, Twilight but... but I'm not making this up.  The first one wore out in a matter of hours, and the second one is already starting to lose its strength.  I... I-I'm afraid of how I'm going to deal in the morning.  Who knows how long it's going to last.  And we both know it isn't a good idea for me to be around him without these—”

Her feet scuffled to a stop and Flash saw him staring into the wall.

“... … ...are you kidding me?!  Twi, I'm not making this up!  It's gotten worse!  The feedback is way... way more intense than either of us have estimated.  Maybe it's because I'm the only piece of the Harmonic Fountain or he's the only representation of the Harmonic Well but... b-but...”

She leaned against the wall, visibly shaking.

“... … ...it's so hard, Twilight.  I'm doing everything I can to be there for him.  Because I love him... and Flash deserves it.  He deserves our help.  But... but if these stupid things give out, then... then... I... I-I'm afraid, Twil.”

Her voice wavered as a sniffling sound came from her gullet.

“He's at such a tender, vulnerable point in his life and he deserves so much.  He deserves so much more than all this magical crap that's rolling in from all sides.  I-I know you and the girls are chomping at the bit, but... b-but I don't know if this could possibly work out in his favor.  There's... there's gotta be more to it.  Maybe the Harmonic Well has manifested elsewhere or in someone else or... or... I... I-I just can't... I-I don't want to hurt him!  I wish you could understand.  It's not the allure talking.  I love him, Twi.  I love him so much just like I love you and all the girls and... and...”

A longer space in silence.

Sunset shuddered, rubbing her face and sniffling.

“Yes, I know you're not—”

A beat.

“Yes, Twi.  I understand.  You're all better than that.  I just—huh?”

Another beat.

“I... I know.  Thanks.”  She sniffled.  “Thank you, Twilight.  It's just so hard... it's so hard it's so hard it's so hard...”  She slumped against a wall in the hallway and held a hand over her face, shuddering.  “I wish... I-I really wish you could feel it too.  What I've felt.  For the few chances I've had to savor it.  His emotions... his thoughts... his dreams.  They're so precious, Twilight.  They're precious and he's precious and... and I'm scared that this will only do more harm than good.”

There was a long pause as Sunset listened in.

She responded:  “But you gotta understand, Twi.  I don't want it to just be all chalked up to the magical feedback of the allure.  I want to take care of Flash's spirit.  We made some amazing strides today.”  Silence.  “More than the dreamwalking.  He's... he's opening up to me.  And... I-I really think he's feeling happier about himself.  Of course, with the guards, that's difficult to expressively confirm—but I know him, Twi.  At least... better than anyone else these days.”

Silence.

“No, of course I wouldn't insinuate that you and the girls only want—”  Sunset stood up, sighing heavily.  “I know, Twi.  I know.  And I'm really sorry for bothering you about it all at this hour.”  She began pacing again.  “Of course you are.  Of course you are and I'm so happy for that.  But, still, I'm sorry.  Here I am bitching and moaning and you're there working around the clock on ways to help me.  Just... if it isn't too much to ask for... I really really need you to whip out another pair guards.  Hell, four if you can manage.  I know that's asking for a lot, but the feedback is just... too intense.  I... I-I think it might reflect Flash's mood, and the more he warms up to me... well... y-you get the idea...”

A pause.  Sunset was gradually sounding calmer.

“Well, you've got the book.  Just tell the Princess that I'll make it up to her.  She knows how important this is to us.  Plus, I'm sure that—deep down—she's just as concerned for Flash as we are.”

Silence.

Sunset chuckled.  “Oh, she's got Spike working on it?  Terrific.  You give him a good word for me while you're at it.  I miss the little mutt.”

Flash could see Sunset's tall body relaxing.  A soft breath rolled through her.

“I know.  I know.  Thank you.  I'm... I'm sorry to be a bother.”  She brushed a hand through her own hair.  “Thanks, Twi.  I'll... I-I'll be fine...”  Her cheeks turned rosy in the scant, visible light.  “I love you.  I love you so much and I miss you.  I miss the girls too.  Especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash.  The angry side of me could really really use a battering ram right about now.”

She locked in place, then snorted a laugh—catching herself so as not to “wake” the soul in the adjacent room.

“No kidding?  Both Fluttershy and Rarity?  Awwwwww... well isn't that sweet.  Well, that's nice.  I'm so happy for you, Twi.  I hope you're all thinking about me at some point.  Heheheheh... I'm kidding, girl.  Goddess... I could practically hear you blushing over the phone.”

She cradled the instrument close, her voice practically purring.

“I love you.  I really, truly do, Twi.  And I can't wait for you to be in my arms again.  I know it's only been a day... but it feels like forever.  I never thought I'd lose my sanity this quickly.  It's not just the guards' fault.  You can't fix a sad little puppy... heheheh... okay—bad joke after talking about Spike.”

There was a space in dialogue, and Flash sensed the amazon gazing towards the bedroom.

“Yeah.  Totally.  I mean... there's still a lot to work out, but... but I-I think he's coming around.  He just needs to know that people care.  That's the most important thing, Twi.  I... I hope you and the girls understand.  I want to take care of him first.  Even if the Harmonic Well thing is true—which, so far, looks to be the case—I just want to make sure he's going to be okay.  I owe it to him, but it's more than that.  This universe simply... wouldn't be right if such a soul continued to suffer.  I love him and I want to make sure he's okay... more than okay.”

Silence.

“Oh, but wouldn't that be fucking fantastic?  Heheheh... oh goddess... I-I really can't wait for you to meet him.  You and the girls would adore him.  Fluttershy will practically eat him up.  Heeheehee...”  A breath.  “Yeah, I'm wishing for that too.  But I gotta keep my priorities straight.  One step at a time.  One way or another, we're gonna work this out for all of us... but right now I gotta keep it straight and narrow.  He's my priority at the moment, Twi.  Otherwise, I wouldn't be the one taking care of him.  But... we've already been over that a million times.”

She nodded.

“Thanks, Twi.”

She nodded again.

“Great.  That's a great idea.  You give them to Cadance and I'll come up with an excuse to go see her tomorrow.”

A beat.

“Hell, maybe I will!  No harm in the two of them crossing paths, right?  Hahaha... although your BBBFF... I don't knowwwwwwwww... hee hee hee...”

She sighed.

“Sure thing, Twi.  I love you, bae.  From the bottom of my magical unicorn heart.”  She kissed the air besides the phone.  “Mwah.  Sleep tight.”

Click.

The amazon hugged herself, leaning against the bedroom doorframe.  She remained still, contemplative, and more than a little bit melancholic.  She raised her hand, examining the beaded bracelet in the dim light.  Another sigh rolled through her...

...and suddenly she turned towards Flash.

“!!!”  Flash went limp, lying curled-up beneath the lilac-scented covers with his eyes shut.

She heard the heavy steps of the valkyrie drawing near.

The air rippled with the heat of her being.

The woman's presence lingered there... soon accompanied by a whispering voice:

“Sweet dreams, Flash Sentry...”

He squinted one eye open, hoping she wouldn't notice in the shadows.

The boi saw her hand reaching out, but it didn't make contact.  She lingered in place, then drew her wrist back with a defeated sigh.  She filled in the gap with a happy breath:

“Everything's going to be alright, princess.”

She stroked her own hair... turned around...

...and left the room altogether.

Flash drifted in anxious confusion... until it wore him out.  And he slumbered yet again.
> It's Bring Your Sissy to Work Day!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An animated Princess Rapunzel raised her two-dimensional hand, levitating a bright yellow lantern across the sparkly background of Flash Sentry's laptop screen.  Elaborate golden font appeared, trailing with flowers and flanked by cartoon frying pans:



You're the light of our life, Princess!



Beneath this was a separate text box, where appeared the words:



Hope you're doing better, Flash!  Don't let Sunset snuggle all the fun outta ya!  XOXOXOXO!  Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy!



Flash Sentry nibbled on the last of his buttered toast.  He gulped, then took a steady sip of orange juice.  All the while, his eyes remained pensively glued to the e-mail that had been sent to him overnight.

“...just gotta drop by Cadenza Corp,” Sunset Shimmer could be heard saying.  In the kitchen behind Flash, she was standing before the sink, washing dishes in the early morning light.  “I pay them regular visits, and I've been... uhhhh... a little be delayed this week.  Heheh... I-I don't mean to imply anything by saying that.  But... I gotta make a stop at their labs, is the long and short of it.”

Flash blinked.  His eyes drank in the super girly, glittery e-mail once more.  Then—with his mouse cursor—he backtracked to the main inbox of his e-mail account.

Everything had been checked “read.”  There was still no message from Mother, Father, or Magnolia.

He bit his lip.

“I'd say that it'll be a quick visit, but—truth is—they're always finding ways to steal my time for as long as they can.  Heh...”  Sunset placed plate after plate in the dish drainer as the faucet ran.  “Sometimes I think they all have a crush on me.  But the actual truth is that they really really rely on my knowledge in Equestrian magic over there.  Twilight can only help the Corporation so much, and our mutual friend from the Princess' court only comes to make house calls with the girls at the manor.”  She switched the faucet off and dried her hands with a dish towel.  “Hell, if she did visit the lab instead, I'd be out of a job.”

Flash clicked on the refresh button.

The inbox reloaded.  Still there were no new messages aside from what Sunset's friends sent.

The boi sighed.  Leaning back from his crumb-covered plate, the young twenty-two-year-old murmured:  “Sunny...?”  He pointed at the latest Disney-themed e-mail header.  “...do the girls think that I'm dying or something—?”

“I know!”  Sunset leaned over him, towering with a bright and bushy-tailed grin.  “Why don't you come with me!”

“... … ...”  He blinked.  “Come with you where?”

She rolled her eyes and ruffled his silky blue hair.  “To Cadenza Corp, silly!”

He fussed, shaking his head so he could see past his bangs once more.  “Uhhhh...”  He brushed his locks smooth and watched as Sunset reached over to take his plate and utensils.  “...Cadenza what now?”

“The laboratory belonging to the people I work for.”

“I... thought you had a career as a superheroine.”

“I do.  Assisting at Cadenza Corp is... uhhhh... part-time.”  Sunset marched back to the sink and washed Flash's plates.  “And believe you me: it's a small price to pay for all of the rich things my friends and I are paid.”

“You're... funded?”  Flash squinted.  “The Elements of Harmony, I mean?”

“Why—of course we are, sweetie!”  Sunset winked over at him.  “Secretly, granted.  But what did you think?  We were all mooching off of Twilight's parents?”

“I-I didn't know that Twilight Sparkle was rich—”

“Aaaaaaaand with the Elements of Harmony being out of order for nearly a friggin' month...”  Sunset clenched and unclenched her jaw, sighing.  “Let's just say I'm not about to shirk my responsibilities when duty calls.”

“And duty calls... today?”

“I've been putting it off.  But I really... really need to show up and take a look at the projects they're working on.  Give them some advice.  Magical advice.”

“I see...”  Flash nodded.  As he looked aside, his mind wandered to last night... when he had awoken in Sunset's bed.  He had heard far more than the amazon had likely expected.  Unless—of course—her telepathic abilities had made up for it, in which case there was nothing to fuss over.

Or was there...?

“I think you should come with me!”  Sunset said.  Just like the morning before, she was all sunshine and rainbows.  Practically high.  Perhaps... in afterglow.  “It'd be a learning experience!  Besides...”  She turned around and leaned back against the kitchen counter.  From the scale of things, she almost looked like she was a petite teenager again, standing in shorts and a t-shirt and rocking back and forth on the tips of her toes.  That smile ever tender and friendly.  Loving.  “...it could do you good to get out of the house.”

“We got out of the house yesterday, Sunset.”

“I know.  But it was rainy and gloomy and all you had to talk to was me.”

Flash genuinely puppy-eyed at that.  “What's... so bad about talking to just you?”

“Awwwwww... honey...”  She reached over and squeezed his shoulder.  “Think about all the days, weeks, months you've spent cooped-up in the apartments your parents gifted you.”

Flash shuddered.  “Must I...?”

“Point is, I wanna draw us away from that!  Let's get some sunshine into your life!  Brightness!  Positivity!”

“You've got duties to attend to, Sunset.  But so do I.”  He looked back at his laptop.  “I've still got to get on board with...”  He paled slightly, remembering once again that there was absolutely no response from his family.  “With... with... with...”

“All in good time.”  She leaned over like a bosomy right angle and hugged the seated boi from behind.  “Come on!  Let's live in the moment!  See some new places!  Well... new for you...”

Flash squirmed where he sat.  His eyes trailed to the wrist of the woman embracing him from behind.  A beaded bracelet settled to a stop in the morning glow.  Somehow—even with the sun's godrays pelting it at full force—the silver looked tarnished.  Faded.  Flash almost swore he could see through the thing.

“We're just... gonna dip in and out so you can help with your benefactors?” Flash said.

“Shouldn't take too terribly long.  Maybe we can do some shopping on the way back.”

“I...”  Flash bit his lip, looking aside.  “...I dunno.”

“Heehee!”  Sunset patted his head and scampered off.  “Come on!  It'll be fun!”

He started sliding out of his chair, adjusting the lengths of the Princess Peach bedshirt.  “Lemme just get back into my hoodie and—”

“Nuh uh!  You're not bummin' around in that drab getup for a second day in a row!”

“C-Could I just wash it really quick before we go?”

“There's no time!  But don't you worry, Flash!  I've got something that you can wear!”

Flash blinked hard.  “... … ...you do?”





“Flaaaaaaaaaash!”  Sunset Shimmer leaned against the doorframe to her bedroom.  She wore a black leather jacket with orange and yellow accents.  A red t-shirt and dark black jeans completed the look.  The amazon tapped her shoes impatiently against the edge of the wall.  “Come on out already!  We can't keep Cadenza Corp waiting!”

Silence.

She narrowed her eyes, leaning her head closer to the doorframe.  “Flaaaaaash???  What's taking so long???”

A squeaky voice echoed from within.  “What's the deal with these pockets???  I can't fit anything in them!”

“Never mind the pockets!”  Sunset smiled, arms folded.  “How's everything else fit?”

“It... they... uh... they fit just fine... I guess...?”

“Then what's the big deal?  Come on out, silly!”

“I dunno... something feels off.  C-can't I just go and put on my normal sweatclothes?”

“Nope!  No can do!”  Sunset shook her head.  “I threw those into the wash about five minutes ago.”

“Five m-minutes ago?!?!  You didn't tell me that!”

“They were still moist and smelly from all the rain yesterday!”  Sunset leaned towards the door, eyes narrowing.  “You're telling me that you wish to wear stinky, smelly, damp clothes?”

“... … ….okay, you've got a point.”

“Heheheh...”

“But I really really really wish that you had told me before—“

“I had it all taken care of, Flash!  It so happened I've some hand-me-downs that could fit you!  Now come on out!” Sunset exclaimed.  “I want to see how they look!”

There was a smattering of silence on the other side.  Then, the door to Sunset shimmer's bedroom opened with a click.

Curious and excited, Sunset Shimmer took a step back from the door and craned her neck to see.

At long last, the little fae of a boi stepped out.  Without the full quintuple-x pyjama top—or the extra bulky hoodie—Flash looked considerably smaller and more delicate than he already was.  The twenty-two-year-old was dressed in a short-sleeved green blouse with blue denim jeans.  It was simple, conservative, and plain—yet the slimness of the outfit (and especially the jeans) showed off his effeminate, slightly curvaceous figure.  A brown belt with tiny silver rhinestones completed the look.  He stood in the light of the hallway, toeing the carpet with a sheepish look.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww...!”  Sunset cupped her hands by her smiling cheeks.  “Oh sweet Celestia... you look even more adorable than I ever imagined in that!”

“I... guess...?”  Flash squirmed visibly.

“Does it feel comfortable?”  Sunset leaned in.  “Be honest.”

“It... fits almost perfectly.”

Sunset's eyes narrowed.  “Then why are you squirming?”

“I dunno.”  Flash flexed his arms, glancing at both his peripherals.  “The sleeves are... sorta puffy.”

“Are you telling me you hate 'puffy'?”

“... … ...”

“Still...”  Sunset leaned back, scratching her chin.  “I feel like something's missing...”

“Sunset...”  Flash sighed.  “Do I really gotta go out wearing this—?”

“Oh!  Of course!  I know!”  The amazon practically pounced on the ground in front of the boi.

“Gaaah!”  Flash flinched, nearly falling over.

A kneeling amazon steadied him.  “Don't.  Move.”  She reached her giantess hands in, fiddling around Flash's left ankle.  Then his right.  Within seconds, she had swiftly rolled up the legs of the jeans by a few inches until they were just below his knees.  This evidently accomplished something, and she stood up with a bright grin.  “There!  Now, turn around.”

“Sunset—“

“Turn.  Around.”

Gulping, the boi did a slow, skirt-less twirl.

“Heeeeeeeeehehehe!”  Sunset let loose a girlish giggle of delight, clapping her hands.  “I knew it!  Wow... that's on point!  I gotta say... I never thought it'd look so good on you, but I guess you're just so adorable you make anything sparkle, Flash!”

“If... uh...”  He rubbed his feet against an exposed ankle.  “...you say so.”  His eyes narrowed at the rolled-up legs.  “Is... that really necessary?”

“Oh hush.  You've got kissably beautiful skin, Flash.  Let the air have some fun, won'tcha?”

“Uhhhh...”

“And don't worry.  I've got some sandals for you to try on.”

“Sandals?”  He winced noticeably.  “But... isn't it autumn out?”

“Unless it's the dead ass sleet of winter, there's no excuse to not wear sandals,” the amazon said.

“But you're not—”

“It's either that or ugly-ass oversized brown boots.”

“... … ...”  Flash blinked.  “Sandals it is.”

“Follow me into the living room!”  Sunset exclaimed, walking with a smile and a skip to her huge step.  “Don't wanna keep Cadenza Corp waiting any longer!”

“I... I'm sorry—”

“Don't be!  Just come along!”

Flash stepped after her.  He blinked, feeling the a/c of the household breezing past his exposed ankles and arms.  Even he had to admit—wearing those large, girly pyjama tops around the house helped him feel snug and comfy.  But something about this outfit and its absolute zero restrictions made him feel... lighter.  And free-er.  Even the normal sweatclothes that he wore out in the open before he reunited with Sunset always made him feel a tiny percentage like the Michelob Man.  He had an affinity for needlessly thick, obscuring, and drab wardrobes.

In hindsight—Flash realized—he typically wore those bulky, thick clothes as a means of combating the lithe, girlish figure that fate had long bestowed him.  When he didn't, a good number of people looked at him.  Stared, even.  Most of them men his age and older.  He'd be lying if he said that a very hidden part of him didn't enjoy that... to some degree.  But, practically-speaking, it was just awkward and distracting.  And he had a life to live—a life of drifting from apartment to apartment while doing tiny things to appease the demands of his family.

And—with each passing day—it truly felt as if that dull, drab life was coming to an end.  It may have felt weird in a lot of ways, but the things Sunset insisted on Flash indulging in felt like a breath of fresh air.  It was only right now that it felt like she was being more... insistent on the challenges/changes.  Flash couldn't help but remember a foggy conversation he had enjoyed with the telepath the night before.  What if... what if he was being dragged towards the point of no return—?

“Here ya go!”  Flash nearly ran into a pair of brown-and-green sandals being dangled in his face.

“!!!”  He hopped back with a start, but nervously took the pair in his girlish hands.  There was a tiny, crimson cluster of apples in the centerpieces where the toe-straps met.  “It... uh... kinda seems juvenile?”

“You kinda seem juvenile!”  Sunset Shimmer said, sticking out a tongue and chuckling.  “Come on!  We don't want to be late!”

“Uhhhh...”  Flash slid one sandal on, and then the other.  He wasn't expecting the wedges in the heels to be quite as thick, and he teetered a bit upon first standing.  “Guhhhh—“  He breathed out the side of his clenched teeth.  “I was... s-sorta hoping to bring my phone...?”

“Yes yes yes.”  Sunset turned towards the sofa, rummaging through a pile of things.  “And you have other important things that you usually carry around with you.”

“But...”  Flash fidgeted, plucking uselessly at the sides of his jeans.  “...these pockets couldn't even fit postcards.  How am I going to—?”

“How else?”  Sunset Shimmer turned back around, brandishing a soft felt burgundy object.  “Ta-daaaa!”

The boi blinked, frozen in place upon seeing the object.  “... … ...Sunset, that's a purse.”

“You're a purse!”

He sighed hard.  “Sunset—”

“Here!”  She practically tossed it at him.  “I already put your stuff in it!”

“Mmmf!”  He caught it to his tender chest, his eyes darting to peer down the half-open lid of the bag.  He could already see his phone, hand sanitizer, wallet, the pocket-knife that he never used...

“I took the liberty of adding a few things,” Sunset said, grabbing her own purse.

Flash squinted.  “... … ...Tic-Tacs?”

“Heehee... can't go anywhere without a packet of those!”

“Sunset...?”  He bit his bottom lip, hugging the article awkwardly to his green blouse while looking up at her.  “What's wrong with my messenger bag?”

“Well, for one, you insist on calling it a 'messenger bag.'”

“... … ...huh?”

“Seriously, Flash.  You've carried that thing around for how long?  Since graduating CHS?  You're already used to bag-life.  Why not upgrade?”

“How's this an upgrade?”

“Uh...”  Sunset leaned over to glare at him.  “Because it's small.  Light.  Accessible.  And not a stupidly dull, drab, big, oversized, brown 'messenger bag.'”

“But... b-but...”  He rubbed one exposed cankle with another, glancing nervously out the door.  “...what if people see me out in public with it—?”

“Then bonus!”  Sunset grinned, stretching her arms out.  “Add that to the high score!”

“Sunset...”

“Oh, excuse me, princess.”  Sunset snorted back a laugh while smirking wickedly down at the boi.  “But just who was rambling sleepy-drunkily about the pure joy of carrying a purse out in public last night?”  She waggled an eyebrow.  “Among other things?”

Flash's heart jumped... then sank... then jumped again.

She had him there.

All things considered—knowing even a fraction of the full conversation he had had with Sunset the evening previous—she was going to have him in a lot of places.  This was a losing battle from the start.  He might as well accept defeat with dignity.

Flash took a deep breath, steadied himself, and slid his wrist through the handstraps of the purse.  “Alright...”  His voice was adorably scratchy, despite his proud and tall stance.  “...let's get this over with.”

“Oh no no no no no no sweetie.”  Sunset shook a finger.  “You're gonna break your fragile little wrist if you do that all day.  A purse that size?  You gotta hook the larger strap cross-body... over your far shoulder.  I promise it's waaaaaay comfier.  Like this!” She pulled the strap of her own purse over her head so that it crossed over her ample torso.  At last, the bag itself rested effortlessly against her hip, with easy-access for her hands.  Nevertheless, the amazon struck an adorable pose.  “Ta-daaaa!  See?”

“...alright... erm...”  Flash nevertheless struggled with the stupidly easy motion.  At long last, he had the burgundy bag resting against his hip with the strap crossing over from his shoulder.  He resembled a daughter mimicking her mom.  “Uhm... ta-da...?”

“Heehee!  Right on!  Now turn around again.”

“But—“

“Turn arounddddd...”

Sighing, Flash slowly did so, his arms lazily outstretched like a tired ballet dancer.  The bag lifted a bit until he came to a stop.  “There.  Are you happy—?”

Flash!  Sunset finished snapping a photo with her cell phone.  She swiped right, grinning.  “Perfect!”

“Sunset!!!”  Flash's voice cracked, and his cheeks matched the color of the purse.  He clasped both hands together, shivering and pigeon-toe'd.  “What are you doing?!  Delete that!  Delete that!”

“Why should IIIIIII?” she cooed, plinking away at the screen of her mobile device.

“But... that...”  He whimpered.  “Who are you sending it to?”

“Nobody for you to be worried about.”

“B-but that's st-still somebody!”

She slid her phone back into her purse and winked down at the boi.  “Flash, sweetie, even if I sent it to the worst dictators on this planet... the most it would do is brighten their day with how utterly adorable you are.”

He stood in her shadow, gnawing on his lip.  “I... uh...”  He absent-mindedly fiddled with the taut strap of the purse.  “I... I... I...”

“Oh goddess.  One of these days, I'm gonna eat you up.  I swear.”  She walked over, squeezed his shoulder, then turned him towards the front door.  “Let's bounce.  Maybe the autumn air will cool you down.  Heheheheh...”





Flash squirmed in the passenger's seat, resting the purse in his lap.  He raised a finger and poked at the poofy shoulders of the green blouse.

“I swear... there's something familiar about this outfit...”

“So, ever since the geodes were found in Camp Everfree,” Sunset Shimmer was speaking as she drove the car down a narrow country road flanked by forest.  “There've been other manifestations of Equestrian Magic... distilled into physical constructs.  Twilight and I together built a device that could root them out.”  She winked aside.  “In truth, it was mostly her genius design.  I just helped her figure out a formula by which it could detect magical signatures.”

“I mean... it's obvious that it's been worn before,” Flash muttered, glancing down at the rolled-up legs of the jeans.  Even that looked familiar.  “But by whom...?”

“As the Elements of Harmony, we need to protect the citizens of this world from all magical threats.  This includes Equestrian magic that may appear inert... but still holds a chance of manipulating the environment or people around it.”  Sunset cruised the vehicle around a hilly bend in the road.  “But sometimes we find... nodes full of constructs that are simply energy batteries for magical leylines.  These we donate to Cadenza Corp's Industry Division... so that they can experiment on making new and safe ways of mounting non-lethal defense.  Y'know... in case the Elements of Harmony lose their abilities for good?  Someone good and virtuous could take our place in a non-threatening way!”

“...but I haven't seen this purse before...”

“Also, there's an effort to harness the power of the Equestrian constructs into new forms of boundless energy so that we can power microscopic machines to aid in the battle against cancer—but I've already hinted at that the other day...”

“...because if I did, I would have remembered it.”

“Flash!”  Sunset's face scrunched.  “Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?”  Flash looked up at her.  “Something something magical horse batteries?”

She chortled.  “Dang it, Flash—this is serious stuff!  Slowly, bit by bit, the Elements of Harmony and Cadenza Corp are saving the world!  I'm trying to tell you—it's a supremely wonderful thing!”

“Right.  I believe you, Sunny.”  Flash nodded.  “And... you're getting paid for it?”

“Heh...”  She smirked.  “The girls and I are being supported for it.”

“Like... the house you live in.  They built it for you—even made the furnishing and stuff for how super tall you all are.”

“Very good, Flash.”  Sunset nodded.  “They did the same for the rest of the girls.  Plus... there's the manor...”

Flash squinted.  “The manor?”

“Oh yeah.  Didn't I mention that?  Anyways, that's where Twilight and the rest have been hanging out as of late.”

“... … ...”  Flash looked out at the trees and shrubbery passing by the forested road.  “You girls... also have a manor...?”

“Look.  It served a different purpose before we moved in.  But... yeah.”  Sunset cleared her throat.  “I try not to brag about it.”

“There's a lot you must try not to brag about,” Flash murmured.  “I keep finding out, bit by bit.”

“Yes, well... I'm mostly focused on making sure you come out of your situation A-okay,” Sunset said, briefly reaching a hand over to squeeze his shoulder through the puffy blouse sleeve.  “Maybe you can forgive me for making the revelations... uhm... only when they need to be made.”

“So long as you're not hiding a massive shotgun under your clothes or something,” Flash muttered.

“Hahahahaha...”  Sunset laughed nervously.  “Haaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha...”

“...?”  Flash looked over.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha...”  Sunset sweated a bit.  Her hands gripped tighter to the wheel.  “Heheheheheh... heh heh... hoooooooooo boy...”

Flash was silent.  Even as Sunset continued chuckling, unabated.  His eyes glanced to the silver beads of her bracelet, then back to her.  “So... we're just in and out for you to check on their experiments?”

“Hahaha—oh!  Uh... yeah!  Totally!”  Sunset gulped hard, wiping the sweat dry.  She looked beautiful and composed yet again.  “Cadenza's got their best people working on it, but they still don't fully understand how to harness and control magic.  So Twilight and I stop in every once in a while to brush them up and do a little overview.”  She blinked.  “I've already been over this, haven't I?”

“Yes you have.”  Flash nodded.  “You seem distracted, Sunset,” he droned.  The boi remembered the amazon pacing outside the bedroom door the previous night, looking frazzled and anxious.  “Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn't I be?”  Sunset craned her neck.  “Ah!  Look!  We're coming up on the entrance gate.”

Flash watched as the car veered off onto a side-road.  A large pink-and-gold sign read “CADENZA CORP INDUSTRIAL FACILITY” in bright, reflective font.  Up ahead, Flash could make out a security gate.

“It won't take long for us to pass through,” Sunset said.  “They all know me here.  We're practically family.”

“But... uhm...”  Flash squirmed in the passenger seat.  “What will they think of me?  Won't they be concerned that you're bringing a stranger along?”

“Naaaaaaaah.”  Sunset smirked, reaching for her purse.  After fishing around, she produced a magnetic card.  “Hell, they'll probably think you're my baby sister.”

“Sunsetttttttt...”

“Heehee!  Face it, Flash.  You're too adorable to be threatening.”

The shift in the vehicle's path caused Flash's image to be reflected slightly in the car's inner windshield above.  He had the first opportunity to see over half of his body in that getup.

“Why... is it so familiar...?” the boi whispered.

“Probably because you've got a dollop of country town flare in ya, Flash.”  Sunset rolled down the window and greeted the security guard at the gate.  “Hiya, Frank!  How's the kids?”

Flash looked down at his sandals.  His eyes centered on the plastic apples clustered at the toe-straps.

“Growing inches every day!  Who's the pretty one, Miss Shimmer?”

“This is Flash.  'Pretty' is the word!  Like a sister to me.  Say 'hi,' Flash!”

But the boi was too busy paling and grimacing.  “Oh my God...”  He hugged the purse to his chest.  “These are Apple Bloom's clothes!”

“Whelp!  Gotta drop on in!”  Sunset waved as the gate lifted.  “See ya, Frank!”

“Give my love to the boss lady!”

“Sunset...!”  Flash squeaked, gawking at her as he hugged the purse tighter.  “Why am I wearing Apple Bloom's clothes?”

“Because they fit you,” she calmly hummed, aiming towards a parking space.

“But... but...”  Flash bit his lip.  “It's weird... isn't it?  She had these on when she was a middle schooler.”

“No she didn't.”

“... … ...she didn't?”

“Heehee... you're puny, Flash.  But not that puny.”  Sunset settled the car into a stop and shifted it into park.  “Those are hand-me-downs from when Apple Bloom was in her Junior Year.  Turns out she had a massive growth spurt.”

“She d-did?”

“Yeah.  You probably weren't paying much attention cuz you were too busy being you.  Also you graduated.  But you should see Applejack's 'baby sister' now!”  Sunset put on a wry smirk, wagging her eyebrows.  “She's about 6'1” and drop-dead gorgeous.  No joke—she's in the supermodel business.  For a while there, Applejack was scared that she had 'inherited' a bit of her Amazonian magic nonsense... but... nope!  Just a really, really ripe apple.”

“Huh...”

“So yeah.  I'm pretty sure Apple Bloom only wore that outfit you're wearing once.  She was too busy becoming a human skyscraper.  At least... that's what Twilight said that Rarity said that Applejack told her when she gave Rarity who gave me the clothes yesterday morning.  The girls all made a bet on whose outfit would fit the best.  Rainbow still thinks Scootaloo's will look good on you.  Rarity's still banking on Sweetie Belle—but she ended up the shortest of the three little scamps.  Heheh... even now that they're a second year into college.”

“Wait...”  Flash's eyes narrowed.  “...just how many outfits are you trying to throw on me—?”

“We're heeeere!”  Sunset popped the car door open and stepped her massive self out.  “Just on time, too!  Who'd a thunk it?  Heehee!  Come, Apple Flash!”

“Ennnnngh...”  Flash girl-stepped out of the car and pensively followed the amazon towards the main buildings, clutching the strap of his purse the entire way.

The autumn air nipped at him playfully, exacerbating his soft goosebumps.
> Bring Your Sissy to Work Day 2:  Straight to DVD
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The main structure of the Cadenza Corp Industrial Facility was quite impressive—not to mention fancy in its architectural grandeur.  The exterior was made of a white, dappled concrete, and much of the central facade was circular in its arrangement.  From a bird's eye point of view, one might think the complex resembled petrified fungi growing white and firm in the middle of a dense forest.  Even the far more standard buildings that flanked the facade had an organic look to them, with bent window frames to match the playful curves that the concrete foundation afforded.

All of this was surrounded by the most gorgeous lawn conceivable.  Low hilltops of springy grass swam up and down in verdant waves, encompassed by bright white paths shaded by trees and accompanied by colorful flower bushes.  To reach the entrance of the Cadenza complex, the amazon and her femboi had to ascend a healthy rise in terrain and walk a lengthy path that exercised their limbs in an invigorating way.  During such a trek, the facility's facade appeared to them over the grounds—resembling in no small part that one structure that was overused as an establishing shot for the heroes' base in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers among several other bits of mid 90s televised sci-fi and fantasy.

It was a rather unfortunate shame that Flash Sentry wasn't paying much attention to any of these details.

Rather—he was far too encumbered with the heart-racing reality of walking outside in the sunny morning light, wearing a high school girl's outfit and carrying a burgundy purse.  And it wasn't as if he was wearing a flimsy miniskirt or a revealing halter-top.  The boi was used to wearing long, frumpy, bulky sweatclothes... so wearing knight's armor would undoubtedly feel like skipping around naked.  And this was an undeniably feminine green blouse with tight jeans to boot.  The fact that the legs were rolled up—something he still didn't quite understand Sunset Shimmer doing—only accentuated just how light, exposed, and vulnerable he felt.

Oh... well, there you have it.

And every time Flash fidgeted or tried to adjust his gait, he'd nearly-trip on the wedges of his sandals.  They weren't high-heels by any means, but they did give his every step an extra lift, and the world felt like a tilting gravity well with each sidewalk panel he and Sunset traversed.  His delicate toes were exposed—courtesy of the sandals—and his ankles tickled with the cool autumn air kissing his hairless skin.

He heard the growl of tiny engines and smelled freshly-cut grass.  No doubt Cadenza Corp had hired landscapers to tackle the grounds that morning.  There was no telling how many people were looking at him and Sunset over the green hilltops.  Half of Flash feared that someone may have been gawking.  The other half hated himself for not having better feet to look at—prettily painted toenails, at least.  His mind rocked back and forth between both opposing takes, and it throttled his poor sissy heart with each oscillation.  Nervous—and more than a little bit scared—he kept close to the amazon's side, clutching the cute purse that clung to his side like a screaming beacon of sparkles and estrogen.

He did feel like the teenage daughter to Mommy Sunset.  Did the stars plan this?

At long last, they rounded the final bend in the surrounding park path.  The central facade of the complex came back into view.  It was then that Flash realized that there were plenty of visitors' parking spaces situated within a stone's throw of the entrance, despite all the distance that he and Sunset had just walked.

The boi clenched his teeth.  She meant for them to walk this way.  Was this an intervention in physical exercise?

Just then, a small child in a labcoat came walking the opposite way.  It was only when the worker came within a few yards' distance that Flash realized it was a full-grown adult.

"Morning, Miss Shimmer!" the man said, nodding his head with a pleasant smile.

"Hiya, Todd!"  Sunset waved, looking down at the individual as she and Flash passed him.  " Lovin' the goatee!"

"Couldn't help it!  Sunburst is infectious!"

"Hah!  Isn't he, though?"

"Well, I'm done with my shift!  Have a good day!"

“You too, Todd.”

Flash blinked, glancing back at the man.  He turned and looked ahead—seeing that a bunch of children were milling about in front courtyard of the facility.  Only they weren't children either.

"Hi, Sunset!"

"You're coming to visit today?"

"Shucks.  And we just went on break!"

"Hey."  Sunset pivoted about, shrugging at the group of off-the-clock technicians while she sidestepped.  "Who knows?  Maybe you'll come back in time to help me take notes."

"The boss will be happy to see you."

"She's here, then?"

"You betcha!  Making the usual rounds through the labs!"

"Great!  I look forward to it!"  Sunset snapped a finger-gun at the group and walked on.  "Stay smart!"

"You too!"  Sunset gently patted Flash's shoulder, waking him to the moment and gesturing towards the front doors ahead.

Flash nodded nervously, scampering to keep up with her massive gait.  He had spent so much of the past thirty-six-plus hours in the sole company of an imposing amazon.  In that time, he had forgotten how puny regular-sized people were in contrast to the seven-foot-six Elements of Harmony.  Being around Sunset for so long made Flash feel like the tiniest boi in the world, and—in truth—he secretly mourned the loss of that sensation while in public.

But then they approached the front entrance where a pair of tall security guards stood, and Flash was tiny once again.

“Sunset...”  One guard tipped his hat and nodded at her.  “Got a summons?”

“More like I'm thinking ahead,” Sunset said.  “Although, I do think the Doctor is expecting me today.”

“I see you brought company.”  The other guard turned and looked down at Flash.  “Family?”

“Next best thing,” Sunset said.  “I'd like to introduce you to my precious friend, Flash Sentry.”

Another tip of the hat.  “Good morning, Miss Sentry.”

Flash opened his mouth to respond, but his brain broke.  It wasn't the first time someone had mistaken his “gender,” but something about this particular occasion was so... blatant.  The fact that he wasn't wearing his usual cocoon of sweatclothes certainly came to mind.  But that his identity could be misconstrued... so easily...?

“You know the drill, Miss Shimmer,” one guard said, whipping out a metal detecting device.  Its handle and central frame glowed with a strange blue energy source Flash couldn't put a name on.  “Should be over in a sec.”

“By all means.”  The amazon stretched her arms out, fully compliant.  Flash watched as the guard walked around her, having to stretch his burly arms up to properly “scan” her neck and shoulders.  “I swear, they really should get you poor boys a stool,” Sunset said.

The guard examining her chuckled.  “Only if you keep paying these visits weekly, perhaps.”

“Still, I gotta wonder.”  She arched an eyebrow, smirking.  “Who do they expect to possibly impersonate any of us?”

“Same question I've been asking.”  The guard stepped back, clicking a button or two on the wand.  “But—procedure is procedure.  You know how it is.”

“Indeed.  Are those new C-12 models by the way?”

“Yup!  Straight from the lab!  No doubt Sunburst will be asking how well they performed.”

“And how well did they perform?”

“Exceptionally!”

“Hahah... alright!”  Sunset looked at Flash.

Then the guards looked Flash.

Flash blinked—then jumped slightly in place!  “Oh...!  Uhm...”  He stretched his dainty arms out, awkwardly.

“Will only take a sec, sweetie,” Sunset said.

“She's telling the truth,” a guard said, having to lean over slightly in order to accommodate for Flash's petite posture.  A slight static energy tickled at Flash's skin as he waved the curious technology over and around the boi's figure, just inches from his precious flesh.  “Best that Cadenza Corp has to offer.  Built here in these very labs!”

“That... uh... s-sounds spiffy,” Flash stammered, shivering noticeably.

“It won't hurt you, darling,” the guard said, making Flash's tender heart flip over with a gazillion conflicting emotions.  “Cadenza Corp is all about safety... even if you were packing a dirty bomb in that purse of yours.”

“Eep!”  Flash's breath sucked into his throat.  “I'm not!  I'm n-not, honest!”

The other guard chuckled.  “Your friend could use a sense of humor, Miss Shimmer.”

“Flash... doesn't get out much.”  Sunset winked down at the boi.  “I'm aiming to change that.”

Flash's nostrils flared as he stared ahead, still stuck in a T-pose.

She had planned this...

“Alright, ma'am!”  The guard stepped back, sheathing the wand.  “You're both good!  You may proceed...”

Flash's cheeks reddened.  He had been ogled up close by a man whose job it was to ogle people up close for safety... and still Flash had been addressed as “ma'am.”  Back in the day, he would have possessed the knee-jerk reaction to bark at the man and ask for a rexamination.. but...

...today was different.  And his heart was a'flutter.  Flash gently grasped the strap of his purse and strolled ahead with a quiet flip-flop of his sandals.

“Uhm... th-thank you, gentlemen,” he murmured in as casual a voice he could muster.

“At your service,” one said, hat tipping.

Flash bit his lip and walked close to Sunset.  The doors opened automatically and the two had to wait for Sunset to bend her body low... and shuffle slowly through the entrance so that her amazonian frame could fit inside.  From then on, she walked proud and tall, and at any moment a slight sneeze might send her beautiful crown through the overhead ceiling panels.  She smiled down at Flash—and at first he thought that she was proud of having entered such an encumbering doorframe.  But then he realized that she obviously endured that every week here and instead she was proud about something else.

“Well, that went delightfully, didn't it?”

Flash took a deep, huffing breath.  “This was all your idea.”

“So what if it was...?”

“Of all the days you would have forced me to wear Apple Bloom's hand-me-downs,” Flash muttered.

“First off, nobody forced you to do anything,” Sunset Shimmer said calmly.  “Was I assertive?”  She shrugged and nodded at herself.  “Most certainly so.  But at no point did you positively say 'no' to the outfitting, Flash.  So careful who you blame.”  She squinted down at him with an evil smirk.  “Besides, if you wanted to have someone force you into wearing something then I would have chosen Sweetie Belle's hand-me-downs!”

Flash covered his blushing face.  “Gosh dang it...”  He wanted to be angry at Sunset, but instead he was feeling a... different heated emotion.

“Heeheehee...”  Sunset chuckled as the two made their way across a squeaky clean, brightly-lit lobby.  Their footsteps echoed in such a way that it masked their conversation from passing receptionists and lab workers.  “I don't know why you put so much stress and anxiousness into it, Flash.”

“Into what...?”

“Don't play dumb, sweetie.  You're anything but.”  Sunset moved the two of them towards a waiting elevator.  Flash took note of every average human being whom she towered above.  “If nothing else, today should teach you that you can easily live that dream of yours.”

“Sunset...”  Flash started to sigh.

“Besides... even when you tried to act masculine in public, exactly where did it get you?”  She winked aside as they reached an elevator.  “I looked and listened to you just now—with the guards?”  She reached into her purse with a rattle of the beaded bracelet.  “You stood natural.  You talked natural.  You looked natural, Flash!  And what did you get in return?”  She swiped the card, and a beacon on the elevator console lit up.  “Respect and acknowledgment.  Was that so terrible?”

“They were j-just being polite...”

Sunset leaned down, speaking in a low and emphatic tone.  “They were treating you like a lady.  Which is how you've always wanted to be viewed and treated!  Admit it!”  She leaned back with a faux look of “shock.”  “Oh wait!  You already did!  Last night!”  And she proceeded to chuckle like some haughty anime girl, only without raising the back of her wrist to her mouth.  That kind of anime girl.

Flash stifled a girly groan.  “I should have kept my big mouth shut.”

“Well, first off, two things.”  Sunset gestured.  “One... it's not that big of a mouth.  And second...”  The elevator doors chimed.  “...for once in your life, Flash, won't you accept the fact that you can live these dreams of yours?”  She smiled down at him.

He looked pensively back, biting his bottom lip.

The elevator doors opened.

Two young female lab technicians stood inside with clipboards.  Once they had reached the lobby floor, they exited briskly, giving polite nods.  “Morning, Miss Shimmer.  And ma'am.”

Flash shivered again.  Clutching the purse, he bird-stepped into the elevator.  Sunset followed closely behind, bearing a dumb grin.

“Mmmmmm...”  Flash shrank in the corner, his face turning beet red.  “...let's just get this over with, please?”

Giggling like a triumphant succubus, Sunset slapped the button in question.  The doors to the elevator shut, and they descended into the basement levels of Cadenza Corp.





“Flash, sweetie...?”  Sunset Shimmer addressed him, as she was inclined to do.  The elevator hummed and vibrated around them in its slow descent.  “I just have to ask...”  She adjusted the weight of her purse and gazed down at the slender boi.  “...why do you fight against it so?”

He clammed up, gazing down at his curling toes in his sandals.

The amazon continued in a gentle, motherly tone:  “Was it something someone said to you?  Long ago?  Did your parents shame you for wanting girly things?  Or Magnolia?  Or classmates?”

The boi fought a knot in his throat.

“I've been in your head, Flash.  I've felt how beautiful and innocent and pure the sensation is for you.”  She smiled sweetly.  “I've felt the tickling excitement of that deeply hidden, naughty part of you as well.”  A deep breath, and the telepath's voice wavered slightly:  “And I felt the boundless joy when fate reached out and touched you—literally—thereby manifesting this world's Harmonic Well.”  Her eyes grew misty, but she swallowed the borrowed memory away with strong resolve.  “I know you may not believe me, but all of these wonderful, amazing things could be yours.  What makes you want to keep it from happening?  Is... is it that you enjoy being on the crest of something so monumentally breathtaking?”

At last, he muttered a response:  “Why are you so intent on changing me?”

“Hmmm?”

He gazed up at her.  “All my life, I've lived on that... so-called crest.  From the first memories that I could recall, I knew that the universe had done something to... alter me.  Maybe... y'know... not all of us are as fully trusting in a transformation as you and the girls have been.”

Sunset cleared her throat and smiled delicately.  “I'd say it's done alright by the seven of us!”

“But how do we know it'd be the same for me?  Why are you so insistent on it?”

“Flash, I—”

“Why are you going to such extreme lengths to... t-to cater to something that really shouldn't be running my life?”  Flash grimaced, his eyes nevertheless wide with earnest.  “Sure, pursuing a few kinks here and there might make me happy... but n-not forever!  How could that even be p-possible?!  You can't misconstrue lifestyle and career!  It's... it's just not a realistic possibility in this world...”

Sunset ran a hand through her fiery bangs, glancing away from him.  “Uhm... one might say the same about magic... being 'unrealistic' and all...”  A weary smile crossed her lips.  “But I learned to embrace that.  And there's been no regrets.”

Flash sighed, gazing down at the floor once more.  “I just... don't understand why you're so adamant.”

“And I'm not asking you to give up a fight you've struggled with your whole life, Flash.”  Sunset aimed her smile at him.  “But... rather... to consider fighting for something that would make your life better.”

“How do you even know that it will?”

Sunset bit her lip.

Flash sniffled, hiding his face.  “I... I'm sorry, Sunset.  You're trying so hard to make me feel better about things... about myself... and... and I-I must be coming across as the most ungrateful piece of crap...”

“Oh no...!”  She moved towards him.  “No no no no no, Flash!  Don't you ever feel bad because of my—”

The elevator panel dinged again, indicating that they had reached the bottom basement floor.

Sunset winced.  She looked to the doors as they were opening, and then she cleared her throat.  “Let's... continue this conversation after the meeting.  Okay?”

Flash sighed, straightening a long blue thread or two.  “O-Okay...”

“Bad timing on my part.  But...”  Sunset sighed, staring ahead and composing herself.  “...well... this is a visit I had to make,” she said in a monotone voice.

Flash glanced up... then at her beaded bracelet.  It rattled as she walked briskly ahead.  Nervous, he followed swiftly behind—just as the elevator doors closed after him.





The lower basement level of Cadendza Corp Industries looked like something out of the last act of a Resident Evil game.  Only it was well-lit.  And it had plenty of bright-eyed lab technicians.  And there were safety rails lining every platform.  And it was nicely air-conditioned.  And the working staff looked evenly-integrated and healthy.

So, in short, it didn't look like a Resident Evil level at all.  But Flash was at a loss for words, save to label it as a pleasant, bright, and all-around clean assortment of metal and concrete stages compartmentalizing a multitudinous array of partially-assembled equipment that belonged in all conceivable science fiction.  Only it was considerably less fictitious, and 'splayed out in front of him and Sunset, with very real yet curiously glowing crystalline diodes powering up energy cores for innumerable projects in mid-construction.  There was a tingle to the air; the basement smelled fresh, springy, and moist... but without any moisture.  For such a sterile environment, it felt brimming with untapped electrical energy.  The scientists moved about their stations, bustling with energy—but with nary a sweatdrop of anxiety to be found.

In the very center of the room there rested what looked like a large ATV fitted with VTOL engines instead of wheels—but that wasn't even remotely the most interesting thing.  Flash blinked as he passed by what looked to be a large cylindrical jar of luminescent dust; the glowing sediment was levitating and animated to assume the shape of a beating heart.  A few tables over, two scientists were working on a mechanical arm with joints that... appeared to be magnetically attracted to one another.  Last but not least, Flash caught sight of a translucent energy shield straight out of Overwatch 2, and he jumped with a slight girly yelp when the thing contracted into the size of a lemon with the single application of a tesla coil spark.

“Shhhhhh...”  Sunset reached over in mid-step and gently squeezed Flash's shoulder.  “Stay calm.  Nothing can hurt you here.”

Flash gulped, practically huddling by her thighs.  “Everything just looks so... pointy and sparkly.”

“Mmmmm... yes.”  Sunset nodded, gazing at the multiple operations as they walked along the outer fringe of the chamber.  “But you at least like half of those things.”  She stuck her tongue out like a teasing older sibling.  “Or maybe both of those things and you just don't want to admit it.”

“Sunnnnnyyyy...”

“Will you relax?  You're among friends here!  My friends!”  Sunset smiled.  “And my friends are yours.”

He was about to respond—

“Miss Shimmer!”  A technician walked by, gasping and waving with a smile.  Her hair was in an unkempt bun, spilling scarlet bangs with berry purple streaks.  “So nice to see you!”  She hugged a clipboard to her chest and grinned from ear to ear.  “Are you here to test out the PONE MK VI?”

“Sorry, Moondancer!”  Sunset did a graceful mid-walk curtsey and shrugged.  “Unless Sunburst can rope me into it, I'm just here to examine notes and meet up with the boss lady.”

“Well, if you can spare a few minutes, I really really think you'll be impressed with the latest upgrades!”

Flash's face was scrunched.  “What's the PONE MK VI?”

Sunset glanced over her shoulder as they walked.  “The Personal Operative Neural Enhancer.  It's a computer interface system that responds to brain waves and optical movements.  Powered by a crystalline mana leyline circuit.”

“It...”  Flash blinked.  “...sounds like a unicorn fantasy DBZ scouter.”

“Because it is a unicorn fantasy DBZ scouter,” Sunset Shimmer droned.  “Only it's compatible with Linux.”

“... … ...huh.”

“Miss Shimmer!”  A man could be seen waving from two stations away.  “Check this out!”  His co-workers flailed and winced as he unceremoniously lifted and waved a large, glossy helmet with glowing visor lines.  “Aerodynamic!  Adjustable for any degree of meta-transformation!”  He ran a hand over the built-in ear guards.  “Equine-friendly!  Isn't it smashing?”

“Absolutely!”  Sunset waved from afar.  “Simmer down, Doctor Turner!  I'll be sure to test it in due time!”

“Hah!  You're speaking to the resident expert on time!  Tell me!”  The man smirked.  “Have you decided on the date that your sabbatical will end?”

“That... uh...”  Sunset smiled awkwardly.  “...that's a conversation worth having with your boss, not me!”

“Well, if you insist!  Nice having you visit, madame!  Ta!”

“None of them...”  Flash blinked at the group as they moved towards a raised office along the far end of the laboratory.  “...seem all too weirded out by us.”

“And why should they be?”

“Well... no offense... but...”  Flash looked at her and raised his hand super high for emphasis.  “You're you...”  He stretched his hand down low as far as he could while remaining upright.  “And I'm me...”

“Did I tell you or did I tell you?”  Sunset paused to face him directly.  “These are my friends.  They don't judge me for who and what I am.”  She bent over slightly so she could clasp his hands in hers.  “And they won't judge you either.”

Flash blinked.  He squirmed guiltily, gazing aside as he muttered:  “You knew that this would be a friendly atmosphere that you'd be taking me in.”

“Well, of course, sweetie...”  Sunset caressed his face, smiling.  “As much as I love seeing you squirm, I'm not out to make you miserable.”  A gentle breath, and Flash could smell sincerity and lilacs.  “I just want you to feel what it's like to be free... to be you... the you that you've always wanted to be.  And it's okay.  Really!  It's not all that bad...”

He sniffled, hiding back a sob.  “I'm sorry for talking so badly of you and what you're doing for me...”

“Hey... nothing to be sorry for!  It's just... well... with you, Flash... heheh...”  She winked.  “We both know it takes tugging the leash.”

His muscles clinched suddenly.  The boi's upper flesh turned rosy.

“Ohhhhhh...”  Sunset stood up with a knowing nod.  “So you like that word, huh?”

He stamped his sandal'd foot.  “Sunnyyyy!”

She giggled mischievously and turned around.  With a motion of her womanly hand, she led him further through the fringes of the laboratory.  “I don't want you to ever have to feel alone, Flash.  If nothing else, a place like this shows that we're all in this together.  Not just me and the girls, but our friends' friends.”

“And your friends' friends' pocketbooks,” Flash murmured.

“Mmmhmmm.”  Sunset nodded.  “No denial there.”

“So...”  Flash squinted aside at all of the fantastical projects being worked on.  “...if the people here at Cadenza Corp know about you and the girls and the Elements of Harmony and Equestrian Magic...”

“Yes...?”

“... … ...what's to stop them from sharing this info with the rest of the world?”  Flash blinked up at Sunset.  “I mean... that's a heck of a lot of secrets to entrust to an entire facility of people!”

“Welllll...”  A scrawny masculine specimen in a labcoat walked up, adjusting a thick pair of glasses over his smiling expression.  “...when you're given the handsome kind of payment and benefits we've got, you'd even be flippin' quiet about aliens living in test tubes under the lobby!”  He let loose a nasally laugh, and Flash couldn't help but notice a glorious shine to the young man's fire-bright goatee and neckbeard.  Seconds later, he coughed delicately and gestured with a blush.  “We... uhm... we d-don't have aliens living in test tubes under our lobby.”

“Sunburst...”  Sunset loomed over the man, slapping a friendly hand down over his shoulder.  “Been a while!”

“You too, magical shimmering horse lady!”  The so-called Sunburst adjusted his glasses again, glancing at where her hand made contact with his shoulder.  “You're not trying to steal the latest pages from my homewritten novel, are ya?”  He winked up at her.  “Eh heh heh heh...”

“Sorry, buddy.”  Sunset shook her head with a sigh, leaning back.  “Not employed at the moment.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh... so it's still the dry spell, huh?”  Sunburst stroked his fuzzy chin, one eye squinting.  “Y'know... if we could just get you to cross over to the other side and acquire some of those extra-precious bio-mana-condensing fluids gathered by our four-legged associates, then maybe we could mix it with a few blood samples and—”

“Sorry, Sunburst.  But you've read the notes.”  Sunset cleared her throat.  “The Princess of Friendship already tried it.  But don't you worry.  I'm... uh...”  Her eyes darted at Flash, then back to Sunburst.  “...I'm working on a fix.”

“Is it a permanent fix?”

Sunset gulped.  “One thing at a time, Sunburst.”  She gave a shake to her wrist, and Flash heard the rattle of her bracelet beads.  “I came here for something—”

“Oh!  I know!”  Sunburst practically jumped in place with a flap of his labcoat.  Flash was faintly reminded of the lead protagonist of Disney's ambitious film Atlantis... a picture that he only got halfway through when he realized the featured female heroine would not be wearing a ballgown.  “You're here to test out the Cosmic Cloppers 2.0!”

“... … ...”  Sunset exhaled through a frozen, weary smile.  “...I beg your pardon?”

“Y'know!  The hyper-extended running boots we're designing for field-use!  We've added propulsive enhancements to the leaping capabilities!  It should make for excellent mountainous and urban accessibility!”

“Yes.  That sounds great.”  Sunset's eyes narrowed.  “But did you really have to name them—?”

“And seeing as you're the least physically mobile of the Elements, you'd be perfect for testing out the Cloppers' weight and balance!”  Sunburst pumped his fist in the air.  “Oh, Awesome Archimedes, what good fortune that you're here!”

“Sunburst, that all sounds nice and good, but I really just came here for—”

“Oh!  God's hooks!  Where are my manners?!?”  Sunburst slapped his own forehead and turned to bow towards Flash Sentry.  “Good morning, Miss!  Welcome to Cadenza Corp!  Any friend and fellow scholar of the brilliant and resplendent Miss Shimmer is a friend and fellow scholar of mine!”

Flash fought a crooked smile.  “Why... how nice of you, Mr. Sunburst.”

“Wait!  Don't tell me...”  Sunburst pointed with a smirk.  “...I know who you are!”

Flash blinked.  “You do...?”

“Okay, Sunburst...”  Sunset Shimmer tried to block the conversation with her massive womanhood.  “That's quite enough—”

“Of course!”  The goatee'd man leaned forty-five degrees to peer around the amazon's hips.  “I've seen the family photos!”  He grinned.  “You're Miss Applejack's daughter!”

Flash sweated.  “... … ...uhhhhh—”

“Sunburst, that's quite enough, ya mangy little brain puppy—“ Sunset spat.

“Er... no... wait...”  Sunburst winced.  “Applejack's... cousin?  Malus... Bloom?  Bloomburn!  Your name is Bloomburn!  Wow, you got tiny—!”

“Okaaaaaaay, Sunburst...”  Sunset gripped the man's shoulder and forced the two of them to walk towards the center of the labs.  “How about this.  If I agree to test out the mana-boots for you, will you then let me get to reviewing notes from the past week?”

“Hah!  Why can't we do both?!  Eureka!  I'm brilliant when I'm in the zone, aren't I?”

“Ehhhhh—uh huhhhh—”  But Sunset was soon drowning in little scientist people all bustling excitedly around the tall buxom Element of Harmony.  They drew her into the center of the chamber and bombarded her with prototypes, diagrams, and a bevy of nerdy, nerdy grins.  “Haaah... hoo boy...”

“I'll fetch the boots!”  Sunburst gestured across the room.  “Moondancer!  Time Turner!  Grab those files from last week, will ya?  It's go time!  Excelsior!”

Flash tried his hardest to contain a barrage of giggles naturally forming in his chest.

“Uhm... Flash... sweetie...?”  Sunset waved from across a sea of labcoats.  “Uhhh... why don't you go take a seat, alright?  This will only t-take a moment!”  She gulped, wincing as she was further and further submerged in the scientific mess.  “I hope.”

Flash nodded.  “O-okay!”  And, in truth, he quietly reveled in the chance to sit down.  His poor, tender feet were killing him.

As commotion drew to a happy buzz in the center of the room, the boi delicately limped his way to a thinly-framed sofa resting beneath the overhang of an office built into the basement wall.  He sat—wincing—and peeled one sandal off a foot.  He flexed his toes, relieved to be free of both the pressure of the straps and the constant balancing-act of the slight height the articles gave him.

And yet...

...a very quiet and demure part of him felt somewhat... proud that he had endured such prolonged discomfort to get there.  Flash wondered if this was the sort of unnecessary pain suffered by one half of the gene pool who were compelled by culture at a young age to wear such things on their feet that would keep their pretty toes exposed.

And then Flash wondered just how sick and demented he was that he would take a baseline sort of pleasure in such a notion.

No...

Flash rubbed the back of his heel.

No, it's not that he felt that women deserved to experience such discomfort...

He gazed off into the lengths of the laboratory.

But himself...?

A delicate smile formed across his face.

...a sissy?

That smile immediately fated... melting into a wince.

Were... Sunset's “methods” finally getting to him?

A nervous sigh escaped his throat.  With a shrug of his shoulder, he let the burgundy purse slide off his figure and settle into the seat at his side.  Almost protectively, he pulled the bag over and sat it in his lap, just above his crossed legs.

“... … ...”

Or maybe...

The boi squirmed where he sat prissily, still rubbing his aching heel.

...it was always inside him, just waiting for someone... somewoman stronger to coax it out?

Fighting a lump in his throat, Flash looked down at his foot.  He wriggled his clothes for good measure... pondering if they would look good in a color that matched the purse...

“You really should paint them berry blue,” a rich, womany voice spoke out of nowhere, looming above Flash.  “I think it'd be a lovely match for your eyes.  And hair.”

“Gah!”  Flash jumped in place—and just like that, his purse flew off his knees and toppled to the ground.  The contents thereof rattled loosely across the concrete laboratory floor.  “Oh... shirt!” he femmecursed.

“Good grief!” that voice above him melodized, drawing in closer.  “I'm terribly sorry!  Why, you're a jittery thing, aren't you?”

“It's not even my purse!” Flash's voice cracked, and he winced, wishing he could just keep his mouth shut.  “I... uh...”  He squatted down low to pick the things up.  “Lemme just—gaah!”  He forgot his other leg was wearing the sandal, and the off-balance tossed him to the side like a limp doll.

“Ssssshhh... there there...”  The voice was warm, like a caretaker's.  Flash sensed a curvaceous pink shape melting gracefully to the floor beside him like a wax flower.  The air was rich with spicy perfume, like the inside of the most expensive French boutique imaginable.  “Allow me.  It's the least I could do.”

“I'm sorry!”  Flash stammered.  “I didn't mean to—“  And he paused in mid-blink.

A magnificent specimen of womanhood was crouching before him, an act of nimble grace made all the more spectacular by the fact that she was performing this feat in a tight-yet-modest pencil-skirt.  Flash watched as well-manicured hands liquidly scooped up the contents of his bag, with immaculate nail-polish that shined like gold in the laboratory light.  He was too transfixed with the ballet-like ease with which this angelic businessperson accumulated all his things that he failed to take notice all of the curious extras that Sunset had stealthily added to his kit:  a triad of hair ribbons, a pink brush, a packet of facial wipes, and what was undeniably a miniature can of mace spray.  All of this was packed neatly and expertly into his purse within the span of ten narrow seconds, and Flash's eyes met hers.

Rose pupils, infinitely dazzling.  Off-set by glamorous touches of teal eye shadow above her thick lashes.  A soft skin that looked like fuchsia velvet.  And a fountainous head of hair, alternating luxuriously between gold, pink, and regal violet bands.  The woman stood tall, proper, and pristine—clad from head to toe in a modest yet authoritarian business dress.  Her smile was a tranquil one, delicately maintained to dam in so much bursting splendor, and her lusciously curvaceous frame made every other soul in that chamber look like a living rectangle.  Never before had Flash seen someone look so much like a supermodel and a prime minister all at once.

“Are you quite alright?”  The woman reached a hand down.

Flash took it.  Her fingers were warm and sisterly to the touch.  He let loose a tender gasp as she effortlessly hoisted him up into a standing position.  He was alarmed—humbled, even—to see that his brow was nearly even to her chin level.  It was the closest he had come to staring absolute femininity straight in the eye, and it almost made him fall down again.

“I'm used to flattering others with compliments but not flattening them.”  She smiled sweetly and handed the purse back to the boi.  “Here you go.  I do hope everything is in order.”

“Yes...”  He squeaked, taking the purse and hugging it to his chest.  “Everything is beautiful.”  A wince, and he hugged the purse tighter.  “I-I mean... everything is you...!”  He winced again, and he hugged the purse till near-bursting.  “I-I-I mean... beautiful is everyyou is—uuhhhh... uhmmmmm—!”

“How 'bout...”  The woman gently took the purse from his grip and led him—and the bag—back to the sofa.  “...we start over.”  She sat the both of them down, facing him with her hands folded neatly in her lap.  “You're a new face around here.  And a pretty one at that.”

“You...”  Flash stammered, his voice catching in his throat, turning higher and higher in giddy incredulousness.  “You think that... that I'm...”

The woman hummed through a chuckle and merely gave a queenly nod.  “Is that so hard to believe?”  Her eyes darted towards the center of the room.  “I saw you come in with Sunset Shimmer.  She... does have a habit of making the prettiest of friends.”

Flash gulped.  “Then... y-you must be one of her b-best...”

The businessperson merely smiled at that.  “My my... we are all just... chock-full of compliments these days.”  She straightened her already perfect bangs and looked him over with a warm, contemplative breath.  “Am I right to guess that you are Flash Sentry?”

“You...”  Flash nearly whimpered.  “...you know me?”

“That I do.  Courtesy of a photographic memory.  Or at least... my beloved Shining says I have one.  Not that it matters, Flash.  You're a great deal more memorable than you give credit.”

“Wait...”  He squinted, hand raised.  “...I do know you.”

“Oh?  Is it all coming back?”

“The Friendship Games... Canterlot High... Crystal Prep...”  His eyes narrowed.  “... … ...that cross-city fair where they had the 'Dunk-a-Dean' game!”

“Oh yes...”  Her eyes rolled pretty and painful across the laboratory.  “Truly unforgettable, that weekend.”  She sighed into a wry smile.  “I swear I had nightmares of hearing rubber balls striking metal targets for months afterwards.”

“Dean Cadance!”  Flash chirped.  “Or... no... wait...”  He squinted.  “You became Principal afterwards... right?  Principal of Crystal Prep?”

“A proud time of my life,” Cadance said with a nod.  “But I much prefer Doctor Cadance nowadays.”

“Oh...”  Flash scrunched into his seat, legs dangling with guilty, curled toes.  “I-I'm sorry!”

“Don't be.  You didn't know.”  Cadance leaned back in her sofa seat and exhaled slowly.  “Truth is, Flash, we've all spent far too much time away from each other.”  She glanced towards the bustling center of the chamber.  “From what I hear, Miss Sunset is attempting to remedy that.”

“You know her these days?”  Flash said.  He spent a few seconds blinking stupidly, and then he sat up with a bright expression.  “You're the 'boss lady' of Cadenza Corp?”

“Hahahaha...”  Cadance swept her bangs back again with a dry smirk.  “Oh, how I love Pinkie Pie... but I truly truly wish that her impulsive nicknames didn't stick so easily.”

“Still... you're the one who's funding Sunset and the Elements of Harmony and... uhm... all their super big houses and cars and stuff.”

“That's a rather simplistic way of putting it,” Cadance said.  “Perhaps you may or may not believe me when I tell you that Sunset, Twilight, and their friends have given me far... far more priceless gifts in return.”

“I... I should have figured it out...”  Flash sat cutely on his sofa seat, swinging his legs childishly as he smiled up at the corporate executive.  “You're the sole heir of Cadenza Corp!  That explains so much.”

“And you're a proud family member of one of our biggest partners in the pharmaceutical industry,” Cadance said.  “Although most experts might deem us 'rivals.'”

Just like that, Flash's smile faded.  He looked towards the floor.  “Yeah, well... I guess that's true too.”

Cadance cocked her head aside with a thoughtful expression.  “So... perhaps not so proud.”

“... … ...”  Flash remained silent.

Cadance leaned in.  “I hear that Sunset found you in some pretty rough straits the other night.”

“Mmmmm...”  Flash nodded without looking.  “She took me in.  I... I owe her a lot.  I really do.”

“And she's been... taking care of you this whole time?” Cadance asked softly.  “...Flash?”

Blinking, he looked up at her with an eyebrow raised.  “Uhm... yes?”

Cadance remained deadpan.

“Er... why?”  Flash's brow furrowed.  “Is there a reason why she wouldn't be?”

Cadance looked off at Sunset, Sunburst, and the crowd of ecstatic workers.  After a firm breath, she stood up.  “How about... we continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable?”

“... … …?”  Flash merely blinked up at her.

“It's just up the steps,” Cadance gestured with a smile.  “Overlooking this very room.  I know for a fact that Sunset's gonna be headed there soon to meet with me anyways.  We can greet her together.”

Flash nodded.  “Uh... sure!  Okay...”  He slid his sandal back on, picked up his purse, and stood up.  “Is... is everything okay?”

“I should say so.”  She winked back at him as she led the way.  “Girl talk!”

Flash chewed on his lip, blushing as he looked aside in mid-step.  “Uhm... Miss... er... Doctor Cadance?  I... uh... I think you should know s-something about me—”

“I know all about you, Flash Sentry,” Cadance stated.  After ascending the small set of stairs, she opened the door into her office for him.  “And it's quite alright.  More than alright.”  She smiled.  “I promise.”

He gaped at her.  “Did Sunset tell you?”

Cadance merely smiled.

Flash rolled his eyes.  “Twilight.”

“Mmmmhmmmm.”  Cadance led him inside.  “No surprise, I'm sure.  She does tell me everything.”

“How is Twilight Sparkle these days?”

“Hasn't Sunset told you?”  Cadance held back a proud laugh.  “Drop dead gorgeous!”

“Heh...”  Flash stepped through the door, smiling crookedly.  “You all really are the best of friends.”
> Bring Your Sissy to Work 3:  The Netflix Adaptation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry's recollections of Dean Cadance were few and far between.  He first caught sight of her at the Friendship Games between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep.  That was when he was in his junior year—just a quiet, melancholic boi still recovering from two failed relationships.

He didn't have a name to put on the woman from the uptown academy, but he certainly had a word for her:  'gorgeous'.  In fact, 'glamorous' might have also sufficed.  There was no denying that the first time Flash saw the Dean at the famed scholarly competition, his heart went all a'flutter.  But not for the reasons one might expect from most teenage males.

Yes, Cadance was beautiful—alluring, even.  But everything about the way she dressed, the way she moved, the way she expressed herself, the way she wore makeup, and the way she expressed genuine empathy and kindness in every little gesture simply riveted him.  They were all things the tender boi dreamed of emulating... even if it was only a pipe dream.

There were more than a few times when Flash fantasized about what it would be like to be zapped with a magic wand and then (POOF!) transform into an actual, biological woman.  This particular scenario dwindled over time as the boi progressively focused more on femininity over being female, but he always imagined himself... or herself being a petite, spritely, adorable young adult with a pixie-like demeanor.

Cadance—on the other hand—was the type of woman Flash knew that he could never possibly be... even with all the combined magic wands of the multiverse being flung at him at full godmother'd force.  Cadance was buxom, shining, full-bodied, and luscious.  She could be a Barbie doll, but Flash in comparison would only ever be stuck as a Precious Moments Confirmation Girl.

But that didn't stop him from admiring the Dean of Crystal Prep from afar—not in a creepy, lustful way... but with a wistful heart that hoped... dreamed that he could someday come across as fabulous, graceful, goddess-like, and desirable as she.  And the fact that Cadance seemingly never desired to drown in all the affection she deserved only inspired him.  Instead, she was all about servicing education and mentoring innocent (and not so innocent) youths.  After the Friendship Games, Flash heard by word of murmur that Cadance had become the Principal of Crystal Preparatory Academy... and he honestly felt happy for her... if not sad that he would never once again be graced with her exquisitely womanly presence.

Or so he thought...

...and now he was sitting—more like squirming—in a chair in the woman's office, flanked by broad windows that overlooked the noisy laboratory where Sunset Shimmer was assisting an excited group of highly-paid nerds.  Cadance was a different kind of woman than Flash had remembered, and yet somehow she was even more awesome... more impressive.  She was dressed to the nines, in a modest gray business suit that her curvaceous figure inescapably made to look like a supermodel's cover outfit, and there he was dressed in Apple Bloom's high school hand-me downs, looking like a blushing farm girl who had just fallen off the hay wagon.

His delicate hands nervously squeezed the faux leathery lid of the burgundy purse in his lap as he watched Cadance sashay over to a chair and sit casually beside him.  She crossed her fabulous legs and smiled his way—a friendly, sisterly smile.  It was a good thing that Doctor Cadance still possessed the genuine kindness as her prior years of educational administration.  Being in the same room as her made Flash aware of all his tingling nerves, and the idea of an alternate "her" being even remotely flirtatious made his fragile mind fracture on the cusp of shattering.  From just a few feet away, he could smell her expensive perfume, and it was both saucy and sweet all at once.  This was a woman who was fully aware of the omnipotent power of her sexuality, and yet she held all deadly armaments clammed up safely inside herself like Black Bolt on the dark side of the moon.

“I love your hair,” was the first thing Cadance said, and Flash's heart fluttered once more.  The woman's rosy eyes shone as they fixated sincerely on the boi's crown.  “That's the first thing I noticed when I saw you at the baking competition at the Friendship Games.  Such shiny, smooth, seemingly manageable hair.”  She weathered a stately giggle.  “It's a shame we didn't have a beauty competition as an event.  You would have given several of my own pupils in the Shadowbolts a run for the money.”

Flash knew that he was blushing.  He shrank in his seat, almost hoping the burgundy of the purse would off-set his rosying skin.  “You're really... really... uh...”

She arched an eyebrow.  “Honest?”

The boi cleared his throat.  “I was going to say lovely, but... sure...”

Cadance's eyes darted briefly to his squirming limbs.  “I see that excessive compliments make you uncomfortable.”

“I...”  Flash managed a lengthy breath, allowing his arms and legs to get their shakes out before relaxing.  “...I'm trying to get used to them...”

“I get the impression that you don't get many compliments, Flash,” Cadance said.

“I...”  The boi looked aside.  One finger toyed with a lock of the praised hair, anxiously.  “...I-I haven't exactly lived a very social life.”

“You haven't?”  Cadance cocked her head slightly to the side.  “Well, that's rather unfortunate.  I had hoped that someone like you acquired a deep social net.  You did graduate from Canterlot High after all.”

“I... wasn't very active in events following the Friendship Games,” Flash said, murmuring.  “There was that one trip to Camp Everfree... but I barely did anything for the three weeks we spent there.  By that point, I had sorta... drifted away from most of my fellow classmates.  In the following year, when they announced a special cruise for senior students during spring break, I just... opted out.”

“Awwwww...”

Flash shrugged.  “I didn't even attend graduation.  My grades were... okay.  It's not that I gave up on studies... yet... but I guess that would come later...”

The boi grimaced suddenly, his heart palpitating.  All it took was just a few kind words from Cadance, and suddenly he was regressing to a high school larva.  This woman was the executive of a massive corporation—she was no longer a teacher or a guidance counselor.  What right did he have to steal from her time and attention?  Besides, there was no need to spill everything about himself.  She wasn't a telepath, after all.

“Uhm...”  Flash wheezed , cleared his throat, then faced her directly with a courageous smile.  “But... Cadenza Corp!  Wow!”  He crossed his legs—or tried to—in an effort to emulate the professional woman sitting beside him.  “I-I feel silly for not putting two and two together!  Of course you're the genius who runs this operation!”

Cadance smiled wryly.  “'Genius' is a somewhat strong word, Flash.  But I'll gladly take it—if only to help boost my own confidence.”

“You... uh...”  Flash's eyelashes fluttered.  “...you need help with confidence?”

“These are difficult times,” Cadance said, relaxing slightly in her seat as she gazed out the windows onto the basement laboratory.  “Magical times.  No doubt even a young, attractive recluse like you keeps track of the news.”

“Er... kinda sorta...?”

“Magic is invading our world from another universe,” Cadance said.  “Manifesting itself in the oddest of places.  Mutating wildlife.  Possessing people.  Threatening citizens.  It's a miracle that a world-wide crisis hasn't broken out yet.  Only... it's not a crisis.”  She looked over at him.  “The Elements of Harmony have intervened—possessing that very same magic and using it to corral the seemingly chaotic energies so that it can be contained, preserved, and even harnessed.”

“So...”  Flash blinked thoughtfully.  “You stepped in.”  Another blink.  “To help them?”

“Someone had to, Flash.  They're just seven young women.  Just yesterday, they were seven young girls.”  Cadance smiled wistfully.  “I happen to be the mentor... and former babysitter... to one of them.”

Flash exhaled.  “Twilight Sparkle.”

She nodded.  “And I soon realized that Twilight was stepping into a world far bigger and more important than anything I had ever dealt with or could ever deal with.  The stars were too perfectly aligned; I knew what I had to do.”

“And... you gave up your school administration career?”

“And inherited my family's company early,” Cadance said.  “Although...”  A calm smile.  “I didn't give up anything.  I merely put it to the side... at least until magic becomes more uniform and safe in this world.”

“Wow.  You're really... selfless!”

“Mmmm.  Perhaps.  It was simply the right thing to do.”

“Still, sounds heroic.”

“What the Elements of Harmony do is heroic,” Cadance said.  “I'm merely giving them the help and support that they need.”

“I... uh...”  Flash glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Sunset.  “...I've been told that you've bought the girls... the women all their houses.”

“Yes.  And converted an old country manor for them.  Also provided them transportation  Basic amenities.  Shared connections with local fashion and the like...”

“That's... so kind...”

“I wouldn't have it any other way,” Cadance said matter-of-factly.  “I love them all, Flash.  Not just Twilight—although she is like a sister to me.  But... the entire seven of them... they represent more than just pupils or peers.  They're the single reason any of us in this world are still breathing without wild magical mishaps leaping violently down our throats.  The moment I recognized that, I knew I had to step in and use my science doctorate and business degree to lend them a hand.”  Her eyebrows arched.  “And the payback has been priceless.  I do not hyperbolize when I say that they've given me more than I could possibly give them.”

“This lab... Sunset Shimmer's assistance...”

“The Elements of Harmony have harnessed the power that they've contained.  I've put my finest scientists into studying the intricacies of Equestrian energies.  What we've learned—we've applied to the pharmaceutical division, and now we've expanded into our industry branches.  We're making important breakthroughs—not just in medicine—but also in transportation, safety, and defense.  Right now, I have a dedicated team working with the local government to establish a new police force that can deal with metaphysical threats when the Elements of Harmony are busy elsewhere.  But that isn't even the most important project at the moment.”

“Then...”  Flash blinked.  “...what is?”

“Manifestations of Equestrian magic have allowed us to harness energy at a microscopic level.  We've found ways to eliminate tumors via breakthroughs in nanotechnology.  Within a few years—I'm convinced—we may very well be on the road to eliminating cancer altogether.”

Flash's breath caught in his throat.  “Now that you say that... I-I vaguely remember Sunset hinting about such a thing.”

“And, if successful, then Cadenza Corp might single-handedly upset the entire medical industry,” Cadance said.  “The resulting economic turbulence would undoubtedly shatter my company—and several others—requiring new and unique ways of stabilizing the worldwide economy.”

Flash grimaced.  “That... isn't something I even thought of.”

“But it's still an unfortunate reality,” Cadance said.  “That's why we've been investing so heavily in all of these side projects.  It is my hope that I'll have new avenues of industrial pursuit at the ready to inspire the rest of the market by the time I play my hand.  And yet—my accountants and I have already crunched the numbers.  There's no way we'll come out of this without suffering heavy losses to the company's prestige.  And yet...”  She took a firm breath.  “It's a move that I am still willing to make.”

“For the sake of those suffering...?”

“And for the sake of the world at large.  If the Elements of Harmony are willing to make sacrifices, then so am I.  It's a delicate partnership... and we're seeking prosperity above profit.”

Flash smiled, genuinely misty-eyed.  “If only there were more people like you in the world.”

Cadance smiled back.  “I think those we already have is quite enough.  Plus you, of course.”

Flash blinked.  “What about me?”

“Well, you're a very important person, Flash.”

He was squirming once more.  “I... don't see how anything I've ever done could somehow measure up to—”

“The first and most important step...”  Cadance raised a finger, narrowing her vision on the young boi's gaze.  “...is learning to respect yourself.”

He gulped hard.  “That's... uh...”  He gazed down.  “That's a difficult step.”

“And why is that, Flash?”

And somehow, she had made the conversation about him again, as if it was somehow more important than all of the unbelievably amazing things she had been talking about thus far.

“It's no big deal...”

“It most certainly is.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Nobody is unimportant,” Cadance said.  “And nobody is ever alone either—no one deserves to be.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I've learned that,” she said.  “And embracing what I've learned is what has made my company, my friendships, and my partnership with the Elements of Harmony so profitable.”  Her eyes hardened.  “Not the money.  If you measure success by sheer profit, then you aren't looking hard enough.”

“I guess... I haven't had much light to look by,” Flash spilled.

Cadance brushed her bangs back with a thoughtful expression.  “And just who snuffed out that light, Flash?”

“I did, I guess.”

“Or your family?”

Flash looked up at her.

Cadance looked back.

Flash gulped.  “I guess Sunset isn't the only person who wants to psychoanalyze me.”

“Sunset cheats.”  Cadance smirked.  “I'm more interested in how you interpret your thoughts than what they look like under a microscope.”

“What if I told you that I'd rather not talk about it?”

Cadance shrugged.  “Then we won't talk about it.  I just wanted to make sure you had the opportunity.”

“And I don't with Sunset?”

Cadance was silent.

Flash squinted at her.  “What... do you think is happening between us?”

Cadance leaned back in her chair, breathing deeply as she searched for the words to convey:  “I know... that she found you alone and unconscious outside of Canterlot High School.  I also know that it's because you've been... more or less ostracized by your family.”

“Did Twilight tell you all of that.”

“She did indeed,” Cadance said with a nod.  “But I garnered the latter facts from expectations.”

“Expectations?”

“I've met your parents more than once, Flash,” Cadance said.  “At conventions.  Business meetings that I attended alongside my mother from a young age.  This might come across as somewhat pretentious, but I've known your parents longer than you've been alive.  And—to put it mildly—I don't find their Spartan actions all too terribly surprising... or laudable.”  She gazed sympathetically at him.  “It was a year or two after graduation that I found out you were their offspring.  And I wished... I hoped that I could somehow reverse time and have you transferred to Crystal Prep after the Friendship Games so I could have monitored you more closely.  Reached out to you sooner.  I'm quite sorry.”

“That's...”  Flash clutched a dainty hand over his chest.  “...really touching.”

“Then you agree that a younger you needed such intervention?”

He blinked hard... then looked away from her.

The woman was quiet.  Calm.  Patient.

“My parents never made me fail at my college classes,” Flash muttered.  “They never made me sever all contacts with my friends, my mentors, my bandmates.”  A dull sigh.  “They never told me to spend all those long weeks, months, years lying in bed... too afraid to go outside but also too lazy to make the best out of it all inside.”

“They also never bothered to help you not do or become any of those things.”

“...?!”  Flash looked at her.

“...”  She looked back.

“Yeah... well...”  Flash adjusted the grip of the purse in his lap.  “I'm past the point of no return.  So what does any of that matter?”

“You still matter, Flash.”

He smiled faintly at her.  “Your sympathy is sweet, Miss... Doctor Cadance.  Ahem.”  He brushed a strand of blue hair over his hair and exhaled.  “But... I've already got someone helping me.”  He gestured out the window.  “Sunset Shimmer.  She's doing her best.  And... uh... I-I guess I should be giving her more credit...”

“Are you satisfied with how she is helping you?”

Flash blinked at that.  He stared at Cadance to see if the wise woman's gaze would shift, but it didn't.  “Uhm... I guess...?”

“Your satisfaction matters as much as you do, Flash.  They're inseparable.  Never forget that.”

“She... I...”  Flash cleared his throat.  “She's been trying to get me to open up about... stuff...”

“And is that the right path to take?”

“I guess...?”

“Does it feel right?”

“Doctor Cadance...”  Flash hugged the purse to his chest, trembling slightly.  “I'm... not entirely sure what you're wanting to get out of me.”

At that moment, Cadance sighed slightly, even though her empathetic gaze remained the same.  She leaned back in her seat, flexing her fingers in some contemplative gesture.

Flash saw it.  He looked at her again.  “You're not so sure what you're wanting to get out of me, either... are you?”

She bore a smile.  “You're a very intelligent one, Flash.  Has Sunset told you that?”

“I'm sure that she would.”

“She cares for you very much,” Cadance said.  “All the girls do.”

“Oh... for sure!  Uh... they've sent me e-mails... the girls, that is,” Flash said.  “Telling me how much they care for me in silly... pretty... cute ways...”

“And Sunset?”

“It's... like I'm her whole world all of a sudden...”  Flash murmured, gazing out the window.  She saw the amazon levitating slightly.  It would have startled the boi—had he not noticed the hoverboot “Cloppers
' that she was wearing.  They lifted her up on glowy-blue energy while Sunburst and the rest of the lab technicians applauded and film the event.  Sunset Shimmer struck a ridiculously heroic pose before curtsying goofily in mid-air.  “Part of me is tickled pink that she's back in my life again... and so friendly and helpful too...”

“And another part of you...?”

Flash sighed, gazing back into the depths of Cadance's office.  “I'm... worried, I guess...”

“About...?”

“About why I've suddenly become the center of her world again.  And the other six as well.”  Flash clenched his jaw.  “For five years... five long years... I didn't exist to them... or t-to anyone.  And I know that's my fault.  I know it's all on me.”  He sniffled.  “Still... if Sunset always had the same concern and love for me that she suddenly does now... … ...”  His words trailed off.

Cadance folded her hands together.  “You wonder why she didn't try to seek you out sooner.”

Flash sighed.  “She... the Elements of Harmony have had far bigger things on their plate to deal with.  And I know that.  And... even though I know that... I still wonder.  And every time I feel like talking to her about it... well... I-I just remind myself that she's a telepath and... and...”  A gulp.  “Mmmmm... what's the use, y'know?”

“Has she not told you why you're important to the Elements of Harmony?”

Flash looked at her, blinking.  “How did you...?”  He shook his head.  “Of course!”  The boi leaned forward in earnest.  “She's explained to me the whole 'Harmonic Fountain' and 'Harmonic Well' relationship.”

When Cadance didn't look even remotely fazed by that, Flash Sentry continued:

“She told me that... that the girls and I... that all of us respond to one another on a magical level,” he said.  “She told me that being the Harmonic Well—it... it makes me very rare and special and that they've been looking for me for a long time... even without knowing that the Harmonic Well would be... well... me.”

Cadance calmly nodded.  “And you know what that entails?”  An eyebrow slowly lifted.  “And you're okay with that?”

Flash's lips pursed.  “Okay with what...?”

Cadance's lips matched.  “Being the Harmonic Well for all seven portions of the Harmonic Fountain?”

Silence.

“Is...”  Flash breathily murmured.  “...there something I'm supposed to know about it?”

Cadance's eyes darted to the windows.

Flash's did too.  Below in the labs, Sunset Shimmer had landed.  She stripped of the “Cloppers,” bowed to the applauding technicians, and made her way to the stairs to Cadance's office.

The two looked at each other.

“Is...”  Flash's eyes narrowed.  “...there something I'm not supposed to know about it?”

Cadance steeled herself with a breath, then relaxed slightly as she said:  “More than anyone, Flash—besides perhaps my dear husband Shining Armor—I trust my Twilight.  And if Twilight Sparkle trusts Sunset Shimmer, then so do I.”

Flash blinked nervously at her.

“Nevertheless, I want you to know, Flash...”  Cadance stood up, gazing firmly down at him.  “That no matter what happens... no matter what you think... no matter what you feel... no matter who you trust or what you fear...”  She leaned over and rested a womanly hand on his shoulder.  “...you can always come to me and Shining.  For answers.  For help.  For advice.  Even for shelter.”

Flash's mouth hung open.  “Sh-shelter...?”

“You will always have friends, Flash,” Cadance added with a smile, and her hand went to his hand—clasping it with a sisterly touch.  “And if anything or anyone should make you uncomfortable, even within the constraints of trust and love, do not feel ashamed if you need to reach outside of where you're at.”  Something small dropped into his palm, and Cadance released her grip.  “I may not have been around to give someone like you an escape before, but—if need be—I will from here on out.”

He blinked, bereft of answers.

“It was lovely talking to you.”  She picked a bag off her desk and stepped towards the door in time to meet the amazon mounting the steps outside.  “I do hope I get to again sometime.”  She then opened the office door and threw on a bold smile.  “Sunset Shimmer!”  She leaned up to share a hug with the towering valkyrie.  “Ohhhhhhhh goodness!  I must borrow those ridiculous boots the team's working on just so I can hug you properly!”

“Hah!  Well, maybe next time Twilight visits you can practice them on her!  Say, have you seen Flash?  I could have sworn that—”

“Flash's feet hurt.  It's high time they get some rest.  But you and I?  We've got some business to attend to, don't we?”

“Uhhh—”

“And some... notes to exchange, yes?”

“Oh!  R-right!  Definitely!”

The office shook from Sunset's heavy shoes descending the stairs.  Cadance followed her at a graceful pace.

In the meantime, Flash looked at the tiny thing that the businesswoman had deposited in his hand.  It was an eggshell-white card with her name, phone number, and e-mail displayed.  Possessing that was tantamount to having one of the world's top billionaires transmit a direct hotline into his grasp, and the deposited it swiftly inside his purse with a noticeable shiver.

In fact, Flash was trembling all over.  He kneeled on the chair, peeking anxiously through the window.

He saw Sunset and Cadance standing side by side on the far end of the laboratory, beyond a sea of technicians and experiments.  Squinting, Flash watched as Cadance opened the bag she had picked up from her office desk.  Reaching inside, she produced three silver-beaded bracelets—before dropping them back in and giving the satchel a shake, indicating there were even more within.  She then handed the bag to Sunset...

...who took the gift and hugged it to her chest.  The amazon looked immeasurably relieved, and she smiled at Cadance, resting a hand on her shoulder as they continued their amicable conversation.

Flash's trembles continued.  Only this time...

...he was frowning.
> When Sissidom Hits the Fan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were many things in life that Flash Sentry had a distaste for.

They were mostly “things.”  Gross things.  Disgusting things.  Cringey things.

On a few occasions, they were even people—mean people.  Cruel people.  Violent people.  Ignorant people.

But then—in rare instances—such things turned out to be states of being that Flash Sentry despised.  At least in regards to himself.  Usually just being Flash Sentry was enough to render the young man depressed.  But then there was a state of being even worse than that, and as such it was a scarcity whenever it happened to occur.

Flash loathed being angry.  It was the worst emotion of all.  His aversion to it went beyond being a mere ineffectual sissy.  Anger—at least in Flash's experience—magnified all of his other negative emotions: such as sorrow, doubt, guilt, and conceitedness.  There was very little in existence that Flash was proud of, and yet anger made him coddle those very tiny and indefinable things as if they were his lifeblood.  On top of all that, being angry only accelerated the rate at which Flash did, said, and perceived stupid things, which only added extra blinding layers to his already inordinately unbearable ignorance.

So when Flash Sentry found himself feeling angry at Sunset Shimmer—the only person who had done anything of merit in his lonesome existence—he realized that he could not contain it for very long.

This came to a shuddering boil one hundred feet from the exiting Cadenza Corp Industries.  Flash and Sunset had parted ways with Cadance and company.  Sunset was packing an extra weight of “unmentionables” to her purse... and Flash was barely dragging his.  The boi scraped the sidewalk with his frown while Sunset strolled on ahead, flanked by verdant lawnscapes that mirrored the happy-go-lucky shine of her innocent eyes.

“I don't know about you, but I'm feeling refreshed!”  Sunset beamed.  Sunset hummed.  Sunset moved with a  veritable skip to her gait.  “Like I just took a quick, cold, autumn shower!  Heeheehee!  Funny how a simple 'how-do-you-do' with old friends can bring out the best in a morning!”

Flash said nothing.

“Mmmmmmmm... alicorns alive!  The weather's so bright and crisp!  Let's do something today, Flash!  What say you?”  Sunset tossed her crimson hair into the dewy breeze, grinning into the bright blue yonder.  “I know I said we should take you shopping.  But what about a country drive?  With the windows down?  Oooh!  You should tell me what kind of music you've been listening to all these days!  I've got satellite radio!  You could share it for the road!”

Flash said nothing.

“Better yet... how about a walk in the park?  I mean... hah... this is a great park and all... but I mean one closer to downtown!  Like where we used to go when we dated!  Only... it'll be different this time!  Better!  Happier!  You have my promise on that, sweetie!”

Flash said nothing... and his sandals scuffled to a stop.

Sunset did not realize this at first.  She had strolled a good twenty feet ahead when the boi's voice finally broke his end of the so-called conversation.

“Alright, Sunset,” he droned, his voice breathy.  Scratchy.  He couldn't even try to sound intimidating if he tried—which is what made the tone so alarming.  “What's the catch?”

“... … …?”  Sunset Shimmer stopped on a dime.  She blinked, and then she swiveled around.  “Huh?”

He was still glaring at the ground.  The purse hung from his right hand on the full length of its strap, where it nudged the sidewalk.  Without returning Sunset's gaze, Flash repeated:  “What is the catch?”

“Catch...?”  Sunset's first reaction was to chuckle.  She shook her head with an incoming shrug.  “Flash, honey, what are you even talking about—?”

“A telepath who doesn't know what I'm talking about?”

“Huh—?!”  She still look humored...

...which only served to tick him off even more.  “I may not be the brightest, smartest, and sharpest of young men in this world, but I'm n-no idiot.”  He clenched his teeth, still refusing to look her in the face.  Judging by his own shakes, he knew what would happen to his already-misty eyes if he did.  “I know you didn't bring us here j-just so you could show me around and check on research notes for Cadenza Corp!”

“Flash, I was with Sunburst and Cadance for well over—”

“You came here because you needed more of those weird bracelet thingies!”

The amazon stood in sudden silence, her mouth agape.  The woman was teetering on the brink of something...

...so Flash threw his next words to push her over.  “The same bracelets that Twilight made for you... that you told her over the phone last night that you needed more of!”

Her fingers gripped tighter to the strap of her purse.  Her weight shifted left and right, and even in Flash's peripheral he could tell that the valkyrie was fidgeting for an excuse.

But the boi wasn't about to grant her the breath she needed to formulate one.  “Sunset, I know that you're only wearing those things because you have to... that they do something for you when you're around me.”  He swallowed a lump down his throat.  “And I know that... th-that when you wear them... you can't read my thoughts like you normally c-can!”

She tightened her jaw, fidgeting more.

Flash couldn't contain his shivers at this point.  He looked up at her finally—and he knew that he wanted to frown... to make sure that his anger registered somehow.  But he also knew that such an attempt would fail.  Instead, tears streamed down his sissy face, and he hated himself for it.  Channeling that passion, he let loose as vehemently as he could:

“And I-I know that you think I don't notice any of these things.  Or if you do realize that I've noticed... then you're choosing to act like it doesn't matter.  And if so—is that seriously how little you think of me?  Of my intelligence?  Of my ability to... to absorb the weight of whatever's going on?”

She cleared her throat and took a pensive step towards him.  “Fl-Flash...”  It was dry.  Weak.  Exposed.  “Please... sweetie... if you could just—”

He stamped a foot down—stinging his sensitive heel through the sandal's thick wedge.  “Stop yanking me around, Sunset!  I-I know I'm not the strongest p-person there is in this world.  I know I've buried myself a hole in this st-stupid life I've lived.  I know that—most of the time—I tend to yearn for someone to mold me, control me, even coddle me.  But while all of this may or may not be true... at the end of the day... don't you think I deserve respect?!”  He sniffled, bringing a dainty hand up to wipe his cheek dry, an act that failed to work.  “For Christ's sake, Sunset... all my life I've done nothing but fail my parents.  I know that nobody does anything unless they expect something in return!  No matter how friendly or wholesome the motive, there is always... always a price!”

“Not with m-me, Flash...!”  Sunset stammered.  Pleaded.  Her face had paled noticeably, as if she was watching a loved one careening off the railing of a bridge.  “With me and the girls, there isn't—”

“There is always a catch!”  Flash shrieked.  A pigeon or two scattered out of the boughs of a nearby tree and he spent a few seconds composing himself for the next outburst.  “In high school, I limped my way out of our little social circle.  I own that, Sunset.  I was the one who ghosted on everyone.  Not you or the girls.  And for five years, Sunset... five whole years... you and everyone else was satisfied with me having disappeared off the face of the map.  Suddenly—without any explanation—you're back in my life, trying everything humanly possible to pamper, tease, and nurse me... as if those five years never happened!  As if we never broke up from an abusive relationship!  As if life suddenly didn't force us apart with... w-with magical bullshit and superhero shenanigans and the secret hidden existence of a five-foot-nothing sissy boi with nothing to give, prove, or claim in this world—”

“But I want to fix that, Flash!”  Sunset exclaimed, a little louder and bolder, as if to shake him out of his hysterics.  When it didn't work, panic flashed across her face again and she forced it into a furrowed corner through a smile.  “All of the mistakes that I made... those years th-that I... that all of us just let you waste away... I want to make it up to you—”

“For what, Sunset?!”  Flash flailed his arms out.  He was sobbing, and yet his expression was rock hard.  Determined.  Livid.  “For what in return?!  I've got nothing to give you and the girls!  Nothing!  Except... except for this 'Harmonic Well' nonsense that I still don't know anything about!”

“I pr-promise you, Flash...”  Sunset steeled herself with a deep breath.  It was strange that a towering amazon would look so floored by a tiny waif's ranting display.  “...it's no cause for alarm.”

He gnashed his teeth.  “Then why does Cadance make it sound like it is?”

“... … ...”

“Why did she insist on handing me a business card so that I can talk to her outside of this little circle you and the other Elements of Harmony have built?”

“... … … you had a talk with Cadance?”

He frowned at her.  “Is that a problem?”

Sunset only grimaced—as if the pain came from deep within her own gut, and not from Flash's response.

“Is there a reason why I shouldn't have talked with Cadance?”

“Flash... I trust Cadance with my life...”  Sunset gulped.  “She provides for me, Twilight—for all of us.  But even still...”  She gestured with a shaky hand.  “...there are things about this... about us that she doesn't understand.  That she can't understand.”

“Isn't that a good reason why I should take her concern into consideration?”  He breathed easier.  While still tearing up, Flash was far more composed than the valkryie at this point. “Isn't that a reason why I should be worried that she seems worried for me?”

Sunset bit her lip.  She looked conflicted on who to defend and who to argue against.

“What is it about the 'Harmonic Fountain' and 'Harmonic Well' that would make someone like Cadance concerned, huh?”  He waved his purse-hand.  “What's causing you to drag your heels with explaining everything to me?  What makes you want to cuddle and fluster me during the day and then march angsty circles while on the phone with Twilight at night?!”

“Flash—“

“What's with the bracelets and what's with inviting me into your home and what is the damn catch?!”  He fought the urge to whimper, his tiny hands clenching into fists.  “This isn't the first time I've been left in the dark, Sunset.  Please... I beg you... don't be like my family.”  A tear rolled loosely down his cheek, and he didn't bother to stop it.  “I... I-I've got nowhere else to go now...”

She was silent for a long time.  The woman looked at Flash... then past him.  Each breath looked windy and windier, as if something had knocked her lungs loose.  Deflated her.

In a slump, she pivoted about... heading seemingly nowhere...

...but then Flash realized that she was limping towards a nearby bench.  Lumbering as if all the weight was on her shoulders, the amazon squatted down.  It was a ridiculous position that she was forced to take; the bench was clearly meant for far smaller people.  Sunset's legs rose up higher than they were supposed to, and she hugged them closely as she gazed depressingly into the sidewalk and flanking lawnscape.

Flash felt innumerable pangs of sympathy for her, and yet the sensitive boi stood his ground.  Waiting for a response.  Waiting...

...until the words finally mewled out of Sunset's anguished mouth.

“Flash Sentry, I love you.  I truly do.  I want the best for you.  I want you to experience every dream come true and every wish in your heart fulfilled.”  She cleared her throat, staring into the grass and shrubbery around them.  “Finding you once again was an absolute joy.  Your existence is a treasure to my heart, and I am fully prepared to go through the lengths that are required to assure that an old friend of mine—an old ex of mine, even—gets back on his feet again.  Whether that means being a common factor in my life or moving far away, so be it.  Even if it means you going back to your parents and restoring relations with them and Magnolia and pursuing a business degree as they always intended... I would be fine with that too.  You mean the world to me, Flash, and not only will I fight for you and your dreams to the bitter end... but I know for a fact that all of my friends will too.  Twilight... Rarity... Applejack... Fluttershy... Pinkie Pie... Rainbow Dash... we all love you, Flash.  And we would never... ever do anything to harm you.”

She closed her eyes... took a deep breath... and exhaled just as slowly.

“...but I cannot lie to you.  There is a catch.”

He stared at her.  Quiet.  Patient.

“There's a catch and... I know it.  We all know it.”  Sunset gulped.  “Cadance knows it.  And—for the most part—she accepts it.  Or... at least... I thought she did.  But things are... different now.  They aren't the same as they've always been these past five years.  There's a new element in the mix, Flash.  That element is you.  It's something the girls and I have long suspected, even when we didn't know it would be you specifically.  But when it did turn out to be you... I-I guess it wasn't that much of a shock to us.  With Cadance... well... I guess I haven't put too much thought to it.  But being in her place... it makes sense... in that nothing really makes sense.  Outside of the Elements of Harmony... the stuff that we take as normal and usual must appear... fucking batshit insane to the rest of the world.  Heh... Quite frankly, I don't blame Cadance... nor do I hate her.  And... and I don't blame you...”

“What...”  Flash slowly walked closer to where she was awkwardly seated.  “...is so 'insane', Sunset?”

“You have to understand, Flash...”  Sunset sniffled, and the first vestiges of sorrow crept through her facade.  Genuine and fragile—unbecoming of such a strong valkyrie.  “...while it's true that I was elated to see you again.  Another part of me was...”  Her face contorted into a sad grimace, but she fought it off with a determined glare into the treeline.  “...was devastated.  Because the moment I knew that you were the Harmonic Well, it just made everything so... so damned complicated.  I want what's best for you.  I truly do.  But at same time... for some goddess-damn reason the fates had decided to assign these roles to you... and to us... to everyone.”  She gulped.  “I'm supposed to be the expert on Equestrian magic but I never asked for this, Celestia damn it... I never asked for—”  Two tears ran down her cheeks, and she was quick to dab them dry.  Finally, she looked towards Flash with a quivering mouth.  “I'm sorry, Flash.  I'm sorry that... things had to be so friggin' weird...”

“I don't want apologies, Sunset,” Flash said firmly.  His heart hurt to continue, but he did anyways:  “I want answers.”

She flinched, as if struck with a full-fledged punch.  Nodding, she looked off again.  “Right.  Right.”  Her fingers anxiously rapped along the top of her knees.  “Right-right-right-right-right... uhm...”  She sniffed, wiped her cheek again, and stammered to speak:  “Do you remember h-how I t-told you that... uhm... that... th-that the girls and I... uh... we... w-we all love each other?”

Flash nodded.

“And-and-and-and that it's... it's directly related to the magic that empowers us?  The Elements of Harmony?  How... h-how we're all manifestations of the Harmonic Fountain?  And that our connection... our union—as it were—is buffered and boosted through each other?  And our closeness with each other?  Our... our... intimacy with each other?”

Flash... slowly nodded, although he was giving Sunset a wary squint.

She locked eyes with him, and she was trembling slightly.  “Well... uhm... I-I-I c-can't emphasize that latter bit enough.”  She ran a shaky hand through her hair and tried to smile—it came out rattling and crooked.  “We... we are very... very intimate with one another, Flash.”  She was breathing rapidly, as if giving birth to this confession was a painful labor before the young man.  “Every morning.  Every day.  Every night... in ways that you couldn't even believe.”

Flash's eyes wandered off her for a second.  He couldn't help but remember something that he had been hiding from her... if only because she was evidently hiding it from him—

“I know that you know about the guest room, Flash.”

“...!”  He threw her a surprised look.

She swallowed hard.  “Not using telepathy,” she said, shaking her head.  “I've known since yesterday afternoon.  There are gaps in my power loss, Flash.  Glimpses that I can afford—into your head and then some.  Besides...”  She sighed—almost guiltily.  “I caught enough subconscious details to glean from when we both merged in the dreamscape.”

He rubbed his arm pensively, glancing at the ground.

“I knew that you heard me on the first night, Flash,” Sunset said.  “You likely thought I was experiencing emotional distress, locked away in that ridiculous place.  Truth is... I was attempting to... make up for the absence of the other girls in my day-to-day routine as of late.  And from what you saw in that place... I bet you know how I went about doing it.”

Flash cleared his throat.  “A few... ideas c-came to mind...”

“I was hoping... that... uh... th-that you would mention it yourself,” Sunset muttered.  “On your own volition.  That I wouldn't have to coax it out of you... or that it might come to a boiling point of confusion or distrust.  But—who was I kidding?”  She rubbed her forehead, sighing hard.  “I was just stringing you along... wasting time... looking for excuses to keep from touching upon the truth.”

He tried not to groan.  “Which is...?”

“... … ...that whatever empowers the Equestrian magic of this world,” she eventually spilled, “It's through an inexplicably sexual filter, Flash.”  A gulp.  “An erotic one.”  Another.  “A perverted one.  You see, Flash...”  Sunset gazed at him intently.  “Twilight, the Princess and I have all come to a singular theory—based on all of the magical evidence we've collected from the flow of leylines in this world and how they manifest themselves... chiefly among the Elements of Harmony.”  She weathered a courageous breath.  “And we have every reason to suspect that the artificial nature of the portals means that... this universe was also artificially created.”

Flash blinked through the cosmic blowing of his fragile, girly mind.  “Wait... this universe is fake?”

“Not fake, Flash.  Just created.”  Sunset gestured.  “The portals opened a pocket dimension from which most of the natural laws of Equestria poured into a rapidly expanding bubble that grew into this complex parallel living universe in rapid but slowly decelerating time... all on account of an act of equine sorcery committed long ago that was so strong and so mind-numbingly complex that no alicorn alive or dead in the history of my culture has any solid record to explain it.  The only truth that can be gathered is form the evidence that we—the Elements of Harmony—have gathered since magic made a sizable explosion in manifestation here.  Now the true nature of this universe is coming to life—capitalizing on the theory that whoever built the portals to come here wanted something that was specifically obvious.  They wanted a universe mostly deprived of magic so that whenever they wielded it, they had the impact of gods.  But that wasn't the half of it, for there was something even greater that they wanted.”  Sunset's words poured out of an embarrassed expression.  “Relief.”

“Relief?”

Sunset slowly nodded.  “They wanted an escape.”

“Escape from what?” Flash breathed.

Her eyes settled on him.  “Their inhibitions in their home dimension.”

His mouth hung open in blank thought.

“Flash, I can't pretend to tell you how the stars aligned when this pocket dimension came into being... or why it is that upright simians walk this planet and run cars on fossil fuels... or whether or not somewhere in this great, vast, expanding universe there's another set of celestial pony sorcerers and sorceresses making even newer pocket dimensions to stampede through...”  She brushed her bangs back and huffed.  “But one thing is definitely for certain.  The beings who punched holes through the barrier between our worlds wanted to do a lot more with them.”

“How s-so...?”

“They were horny Flash,” Sunset said, glaring at him.  “They were a bunch of horndogs and they created this universe so that a nondescript cabal of them could come in here, play god, and get their jollies in the process.”

“You're saying that...”  Flash squirmed where he stood, hugging his purse to his chest.  “...that this universe... me and humanity's entire existence is a gigantic magical horse brothel?”

“Only for those who practice magic these days,” Sunset explained.  “The original... erm... seeders are long gone.  Since then, magic has only manifested itself in objects... phenomena... geodes and crystals...”

Flash gulped.  “Then you came along.”

“Well...”  Sunset gestured.  “...there were the Sirens before me, and they lived on this planet for a long time.  Just the three of them.”  Her brow furrowed.  “Who knows for sure what bacchanalias they may or may not have engaged in during their stay... although Twilight and I have some intense theories...”

Flash blinked.

“But—you're on the money, Flash.  Not long after I came into this world—and the Princess intervened—magic has been rapidly elevating with increased frequency.  At long last, they focused on us—me... the girls... the Elements of Harmony.  And... and... we... uhm... we are every b-bit the horndogs that the visiting pre-cosmic progenitors were...”

“But...”  Flash's brow furrowed.  “...you... carry yourselves so well.”  He squirmed.  “Er... I-I mean with such dignity and respect.  You don't come across as perverts.”

“That's because we keep it to ourselves,” Sunset said firmly.  “Among all seven of us.  Deeply.  Intimately.  Away from the rest of the world.  And...”  She gulped.  “It... it sustains us, Flash.  It restores the balance in our harmonic magics.  Without... without release... we cannot perform spells.  We cannot be superheroes.  And... uhm... that's a release best shared together.”

“I... see...”

“And not only do we lose our powers... but we get... on edge.  We... lose our ability to think.  Our ability to reason and make rational decisions.  We become angry... unpredictable... anxious... borderline sociopathic.”  She clutched her skull and shuddered with emphasis.  “We suffer... pains.  Emotional.  Physical.  Neural.  Spiritual.  The same force at work in us that no longer requires us to eat or drink to stay alive makes us hunger for something else.  And... with our deep friendship and respect and closeness... we've... w-we've been able to make do.”

Silence.

She sighed, her eyes darting towards the sidewalk.  “Until now.”

“So...”  Flash's brow furrowed as he thought out loud.  “Having sex for you girls is like... recharging?”

“Sometimes just being close is enough.  Cuddling.  Sharing a bed together.  Laughing and kissing and kissing.  But... in the end... it always... always require more.”  Sunset took a breath.  “But lately... over the past few months... it's... not been working.”

“It hasn't?”

Sunset shook her head.  “I mean... we can salvage our sanity and our peace of mind... barely.  But our magic, Flash.  Our gifts that we use for protecting and saving this world... what makes us the Elements of Harmony—it has not been recharging.  The system we've shared and enjoyed so far... just isn't enough.”

“Then... what do you plan to do?”

“We already know what we need to do.”  Sunset's body was slowly starting to tense up.  “And we also feel deep within our guts what we want to do.  The solution is... in s-sight.  But... b-but just because it's in sight doesn't mean it's... accessible... or... or even right.”

“What is it...?”

“The same thing that we've been searching for all this time, Flash... that we—the Harmonic Fountain—have already found.”

The boi gawked at her, his lips hanging open.

“Flash... sweetie...”  She slowly raised her head to look at him again, and it was with a vulnerable, worrisome expression.  “The same way the girls and I feel and long for each other... we also feel in the exact same way drawn to the Harmonic Well... only by a magnitude of a hundred.”

Silence.

Then—at long long last, Flash Sentry let loose the sissy squeak that was heard around the world:  “You all want to bang me?!?”

This inevitable outburst echoed more than a little bit, and the nearby shrubbery rustled as if the whole universe had come alive with hair-raising shock.

“Shhh!  Shhhh!”  Sunset Shimmer hissed at him—then hated himself for hissing at him.  She promptly keeled over, clutching her fiery head in her hands as she took steady breaths, concentrated, then replied in a straight tone:  “... … ...the Harmonic Well is what was designed in this universe to restore the magical energies within the Harmonic Fountain.  And—as magic has been known to work so far among living manifestations—yes, Flash... it all comes down to deep, personal intimacy.”

“So you all want to bang me?!”

“No we do not all want to bang you!”  Sunset finally looked up, serious and deadpan.  “Honestly, Fluttershy would just settle for cuddling.”

“You're actually flippin' serious?!?”

“Flash, honey, why—“  She shook her head and frowned with a brief flicker of the valkyrie's usual fury.  “You honestly think I'd tell you all this bullshit as a farce to somehow make you feel comfortable?!?  I've basically admitted to pulling my destitute former boifriend out of a back alley so I could slowly mold him into being a sex tool for a bunch of horny amazons!”  She snarled.  “How do you think I feel?!  Do you think I enjoy being in this position?!  Equestria's very own cross-dimensional boislut pimp?!?”

Flash leaned back, grimacing.

Sunset blinked... then deflated into the tiny bench with a sigh.  “Oh Flash...”  She sniffled, hugging her knees to herself again.  “How I wish... by the Goddesses how I wish the Harmonic Well wasn't you.”  Another sniffle, and tears formed in her eyes again.  “Don't get me wrong.  I'm so... so very glad that you're in my life again... but I only found you because I sensed the Harmonic Well.  And now that you and it are both one in the same... I... I feel as though I can't connect with you in the way that... that you need it.”  She gulped.  “Like a respectable human being.  And not someone... or something that I wanna... th-that I would wanna...”

He squinted at her—as if wondering if this entire revelation was just some bizarre dream.

She swallowed a sad lump down her throat.  “They've put so much pressure on me.  The girls, that is.  They know that you and I once were an item.  We have history, Flash.  Perhaps they figured that—out of all of us—I'd be the best to approach you.  But they have no idea how hard that makes it for me.  Even with my telepathy—which comes back whenever I'm near you—it only gets worse and worse.  Cuz I sense every vulnerability and fear and need blossoming within you and I want to tend to you, Flash!  I want to take care of you and put you on a good path... because you're so amazing and fragile... and yet so delicate and powerful.  You need someone who can believe in you... and can do all of their best for you.  But... you're right.  There is a catch.  And damn if it isn't frustrating... day in... day out... I... I've had to resort to emergency measures, Flash...”

With that said, she raised her and so that the beaded bracelet caught the sunlight in a silver sheen.

“These... are neutralizing geodes.  They're powered by crystals that either manifest here in our dimension... or are ferried over from Equestria, courtesy of Her Majesty Princess Twilight.  But the design of these particular geodes cause them to nullify Equestrian magic.  So long as I'm wearing this, I can't perform my spells as an Element of Harmony.  We used to use these things back in the early days, about four years ago, so that Applejack could hug her family members without fear of popping their heads off with super strength... or so that Pinkie Pie could bake a cake without blowing up a building.  In my case?  It keeps me from reading others' minds.  But that's not what makes it so useful here.”

She slipped the bracelet off, only to cradle it in two hands for Flash to see closer.

“In edition to nullifying my abilities as an Element of Harmony... it also counteracts my... symptoms as a member of the Harmonic Fountain.”  She cleared her throat.  “Not only are your thoughts unreadable to me.  But your... your...”  She fidgeted for the right words.  “...you essence as the Harmonic Well have less of an effect on me.”  She managed a crooked smile.  “I say less because... the way you resonate to the Harmonic Fountain is far greater than even Twilight had predicted.  And with each day it magnifies more and more.  So... yes... I came here to Cadenza Corp so that I could get plenty of replacements and backup...”

Flash was breathing harder and harder, almost seething.  “This is absolute bonkers...”

“Without these geodes, Flash, there's nothing keeping your essence as the Harmonic Well from affecting me at full force—”

With an angry squeak, Flash lunged forward and snapped the bracelet from her grip.

The amazon gasped, eyes wide as she nearly fell out of the bench.

“Do you have any idea how crazy all this sounds?!?”  Flash waved the bracelet around with a disbelieving frown.  “'I'm magically horny for you and I gotta wear these rocks to keep myself in check!'  Sunset, these are the words of a serial stalker!  Not the girlfriend at CHS I once knew!”

“Flash—!”  She wheezed, clambering to stay upright on the park bench.  She was short of breath and sweaty all of a sudden.  “Flash, please, give that back to—!”

“Have you gone insane?!”  He leaned towards her, gritting his teeth.  She only shirked away, but that didn't stop him from sputtering:  “You expect me to buy all that—?!”

“I'm begging you!  Don't—!”  Sunset's entire body flinched.  In broad daylight, the shape of the woman's nipples appeared like diamonds poking through the bust of her blouse.  Tears streamed from her eyes, and they sizzled like steam when one... two... three flickers of glowing pink light emanated from her twitching pupils.  She teetered on the verge of hyperventilation, and the poor amazon's frame almost shrank in how terribly she was flinching... crawling to the far end of the bench and full of shivers.  “Flash... please...” She cried.

Flash's face paled as he witnessed the desperation and vulnerability in her expression.

Sniffling, she looked away from him, holding a hand up as if she was warding away a vampire.  Her voice limped out through her lips, tiny and foalish.  “...I-I know I may sound like a hypocrite for s-saying this... especially after all the w-ways I've flustered and t-teased you... but please... please don't toy with m-me like this!  For... for y-your sake if n-not for mine.  I... I'm scared, Flash!”

The mother of all sore lumps formed in Flash's throat.  He immediately wilted, pulled down by the weight of the most immense guilt he had ever tasted.  In shaky hands, he gladly held the bracelet back towards her.

She grasped it in a blur.  Their fingers made contact, and Flash thought he saw a tiny spark of pink electricity bouncing between them.  Within milliseconds, Sunset had slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.  But the hyperventilation didn't stop.  So—desperate—she reached into her purse and grabbed two fresh ones that Cadance had given her.  She slid these onto her opposite wrist...

...and finally... finally calmed down.  She shut her eyes and breathed steadily, as if cruising to a slow stop at the far end of a roller coaster.  Reaching up, she smoothed her bangs and wiped the still-streaming tears dry from her face.

“I hope you... n-never have to know what it feels like...”  She spoke in a wavering tone.  “...to not be sure if you can control yourself.”

Flash bit his lip.

“Flash... sweetie... I know you're upset... confused... angry... and I don't blame you.”  Sunset sniffed.  “I would be too... if all of this was revealed to me in one sudden, shocking burst.  That's one reason why I wanted to graduate your journey into finding the truth.  But the real reason is far more cowardly.”  She finally opened her eyes, and the pink glow was gone, replaced with a turquoise malaise.  “I had hoped that... in slowly revealing the truth to you... while also catering to your needs and your wants... I might not just soften the blow of the truth... but maybe even make you accept it... even revel in it.  Because, let's not kid ourselves here, Flash... there's a lot about the Harmonic Fountain and the Harmonic Well that makes us... compatible.  I really, truly believe that.  And... quite frankly... I will continue to believe that—even if it upsets you to know it.”

But Flash wasn't entirely registering her words at this point.  He was still reeling over what he had just done... and what his own anger and confusion had made him do.  He had never seen Sunset look so vulnerable, scared, and hurt.  The fact that he was the one to bring that upon her was all the more nauseating.  A real man might know how to quietly deal with such a “crime.”  But Flash Sentry was not a real man.  He was a sissy—and as sissies do:

“Oh gosh, Sunny...”  He whimpered.  “Oh Sunny, I'm so sorry...”  He limped forward, clutching his face as tears streamed down.  “That was so awful... so very awful of me...”  He cried, his eyes clenching shut as he fell towards the bench.  “So very awful awful awful...”

“Shhhhhh—!”  Sunset very easily caught him, holding him close.  “It's okay, Flash—”

“It's not okay!”  He lay across the bench, sobbing into her knee, shivering all over.  “How c-could you ever forgive me?!”  He hiccuped and whimpered.  “You've done so very much to me and... and I treat you like dirt!”

“I'm not angry, Flash.  Do you understand?  I'm not angry with you.”  She stroked the small of his back.  “How could I ever be angry with you?!”

“I just... I just don't understand...”  He shivered and shook.  “I don't... understand...”

She looked off, patting his heaving shoulders.  “Neither do I, Flash.  In the end, neither do I.”

Minutes passed in tense silence.  The two sat together in the confines of nature, with the full brunt of the sun glistening off their tears.

When Flash's sobs finally relented, he found himself staring past Sunset's legs into the grounds surrounding Cadenza Corp.  He felt tired, hungry, numb—all the above in a swirling mess of emotions, cocooned in an impermeable shock that refused to dissipate.

“Flash...?”  Sunset gently squeezed his shoulder.  “I... I honestly can't tell at the moment.  So, please...”  She sniffled.  “Tell me what you're thinking.”

He hesitated for a moment.  Then—at last—helplessly murmured:  “I want to go home.”

Sunset nodded in contemplation.  “Well... there's always my home.  Would that suffice?  For now?”

Flash slowly nodded, still tired and numb.

“But Flash, I need you to know something...”

He clenched his eyes as another wave of guilt at his recent actions rolled through him.

“Flash—Look at me.”

He reopened his teary gaze, glancing up to see that the valkyrie was staring down at him.

Sunset's eyes were full of both fury and determination.  “I promise you.  I promise... I will not hurt you.”  She slowly shook her head.  “I will never... ever do anything to harm you.”

He blinked at her.  His little body shifted slightly—

“I don't care what the Harmonic Fountain and Harmonic Well have in store... your providence is my priority.”  She bore a tender smile as she caressed his dainty chin.  “We've come this far.  I'm not about to have it any other way.”

He didn't reply.  Even if he could, they both somehow knew it wouldn't make the situation any less awkward.

All Flash could do was trust her... even if he knew she had every reason to crush him.

But—all things considered—he always knew that.  So it didn't really make the situation any different.  That—if nothing else—was enough to give him the strength and relief to stand up.

Aside from Sunset's guiding hand, of course.

“That's it, sweetie.  And don't forget your purse.”
> Much'a'Dorks About Nuttin'
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry's entire life had long been a grand exercise in the word “awkward.”  Remaining tiny and frail while all the other boys around him grew up was awkward.  Having to get used to an eternal affinity towards cute, pink, and lacy things was awkward.  Having to pass himself off as an adult after graduation while all the fellow citizens towering over him insisted that he was actually a "teenage girl" was awkward.

Trips to the DMV were awkward.  Moments spent sitting in the library were awkward.  Trying to drive a car while sitting on two phonebooks was still awkward.  Being carded for everything under the sun was awkward.

Then there were the physicals at the doctor's office or trying to have a conversation with Magnolia Buckler or going to a job interview.  In every facet of Flash's existence, he had explored insurmountable corners of cringe.  It had come to such a boil that he was certain that he had toughened his metaphorical skin for every anxious, unnerving, unsettling thing that could be experienced in life.

But nothing could possibly have been more awkward than that car-ride home with Sunset Shimmer after the Cadenza Corp debacle.

Flash Sentry's eyes remained locked on the door of the glove compartment in front of him.

Sunset Shimmer's eyes were glued to the road.  Or—at least—that's what Flash Sentry hoped.  There was no sound, no titter, no inclination that anything was happening... save for the icy glide that the vehicle took down the country highway, gliding downhill and towards the main body of Canterlot City.

Biting his lip, Flash finally braved Sunset a glance.

The amazon did not so much as return a blink.  Her expression was neither angry nor happy, but instead a perpetual state of sour deadpan.  She looked like a puppy who had scampered twenty miles from home... only then to contemplate whether or not she had made a stain on the carpet, and now she had to return to the scene of the maybe/maybe-not crime while only managing the speed of bubbling molasses.  Her every breath was tense, guarded, as if afraid to shatter a massive glass bottle containing all her remaining fears in.

Every single one of these observable details sent pins and needles into Flash's tender heart.  He winced, looking back at the dashboard... losing his mind and concentration in the dappled black surface of the car's psuedo-leathery finish.

He had been so... so assholish to Sunset.  Barking at her like a mangy hound.  Yanking the bracelet out of her grasp.  Putting her into a place of sudden and startling vulnerability.

And the worst part of it was—a part of Flash was glad that he had forced her to expose her own weakness.  It wasn't that doing so gave him some masochistic catharsis.  Much rather, Flash now knew that Sunset could be just as pensive and nervous and fragile as him.

Still—no matter which way he looked at what had just transpired outside of Cadenza Corp—Flash Sentry needed to ascertain the truth behind this current situation.  And that truth had been exposed to him... through the fear that had flickered through Sunset's panicked eyes... through the way that she had sweated, trembled, cried.

Maybe the valkyrie of Canterlot High days gone by would have been evil enough... crazy enough to have put on such a wildly convincing act as a farce.  But that was doubtful.  Nothing about who Sunset was—before or after she-demon-fall—necessitated showing herself as weak.  In fact, she was always a strong woman... always a confident spirit.  She maintained it not so much for herself, but for her friends.  And—for the past few days—she had been maintaining that confidence for Flash's sake.

And he had just shattered it in a single blow by so much as creeping towards her while her bracelet was off.  A bracelete that he had snatched off in an impulse of brazen anger—his most detested emotion.

No.  Sunset hadn't been faking her panic, and neither was she faking her current malaise.  Besides... why would she choose to do so?  In fact, why would she fake anything that had come to light in their most recent conversation?  It couldn't have been that she was crazy.  The e-mails from her friends and the vague words of warning from Cadance all made sense now.  They fitted the grand narrative that Sunset had related to Flash, even if that grand narrative scarcely made a bean-flick of sense.

But... to comprehend this situation was simply... too absurd for the poor boi.

Sunset... Twilight Sparkle... all of the rest of the girls...

...they wanted to sex him up?

He was somehow a living magic battery for all seven of them?

This was also inexplicably tied to the very fabric of the pocket universe that he didn't know he lived in all this time?

God was a lecher?  And also more than one?  And ancient?  And a horse?

God was multiple ancient horse lecherous magician pony people thingies?

Flash's toes curled within the straps of his sandals.  He looked down at them... at his partially rolled-up jeans... at Apple Bloom's hand-me-down blouse and the burgundy purse in his grasp.

Did Sunset Shimmer dress him up because she knew that a hidden part of Flash secretly enjoyed the notion...?

...or did she simply treat him like a doll because she secretly straightened her "kinks" out of doing so?

Flash propped his chin against his hand and gazed out the window.

And what if...

He tensed his muscles.

What if... ... ...

The boi's jaw clenched.

... ... ... ... ... ...what if both his and her wants had actually come close to meeting in some holy, happy center?

He sucked his breath in.

Had he ruined such a possibility?

Flash looked nervously out the corner of his eyes, over his shoulder.

Or had Sunset?

The young woman took a deep breath.  With icy motions, she wordlessly clicked the turn signal on.  The car angled its way onto a side road that led towards the heart of town.  The traffic appeared, thin and trickling at first, then growing denser with each plaza and gas station that they passed on the way home.

Flash chewed on his bottom lip.  He let his eyes wander back out the window.  But try as he might to relax, his heart only pulsed harder and colder in his sensitive little chest.

It was over, wasn't it?

It was all over.

Two days...

Two short days of being welcomed into a safe home... being given a warm bed... being immersed in the scent of lilacs and the touch of pink and lace and soft-soft-soft everything...

...and now it was all over.

Flash has reconnected with a dear old friend.  True, she had been cruel to him in the past, but all of the many little things she had done in forty-eight short hours easily made up for what she had done to him for fifty-two-odd weeks back in high school.

For the briefest of moments, Flash felt loved.  He felt adored.  And—even if he protested to some degree like a spoiled brat—there was no deying that he felt respected.  Sunset had done nothing but compliment and flatter and encourage him.  Hell, she had even gone out of her way to help him embrace the fluffier, girlier, sissier portions of his inner self that he had denied for so... so very long.

And in the end?  He had taken a big crap all over that.  He couldn't have been arsed to show his gratitude.  He couldn't even reach deep enough into himself to summon gratitude.

And why should he have been surprised?  All of these years—during high school and in the time following—Flash had drowned himself in the same absence of hope.  He never really climbed out of the quagmire that he had carved for himself.  Sunset couldn't be blamed for crashing into the wall that was Flash's impenetrable neuroses.  If he couldn't help himself... how could anyone else?

So... it was all over.  It had to have been.  The hospitality... the warm showers... the delightfully large and fluffy bed... he could kiss that all good bye.

It was back to limbo for Flash.

But... even worse than that...

...in ruining all of this, Flash had sliced off the last limb that ever bothered to reach out to him.  Sunset Shimmer would never possibly lend him the same grace and mercy that she had attempted to over these past few days.  And—by extension—he might as well kiss 'good bye' to Twilight and Rainbow Dash and all of the rest of the Elements of Harmony.  Superheroes!  He had given up on being absolute best buds with God-blessed Superheroes!

The car rocked.

Sunset had hit a slight bump in the road.

Catching his delicate breath, Flash flung her a desperate look... as if hoping that would shake an emotion out of her stonefaced expression.  Any emotion.

But she conveyed nothing.  Sunset's calm turquoise eyes reflected the median in strobelike flickers.  It was like that one moment from Disney's A Goofy Movie... at least before Reddit and the rest of the Internet ruined the screenshot's geuinely poignant moment through excessive meme-ing.

Stifling a simper, a sighing Flash looked out the window, once more absorbing himself in the passing urbanity.

But...

What would it have meant to be 'best buds' with superheroes?  For Flash...?

Would he have been their friends?  Or—if Sunset was to believed—would he have been more like a doormat?

The boy's lower muscles tensed.  His mind flickered back to a moment spent in Sunset Shimmer's shower.  A naughty moment.

And that recollection brought his mind back to countless other “naughty” moments spent at past homes in bed, humping the pillows as he imagined being used, enjoyed, and—yes—even abused by handsome phantoms far more glorious, mature, and sexualized than he.  It was always... always a fantasy of Flash to be the source of another person's pleasure, even if it was to his chagrin.

Who was Flash kidding: especially if it was to his “chagrin.”

Flash wouldn't have described himself as a masochist.  But there was no denying the fact that in almost every moist fantasy he had ever had—he always imagined himself at the very very bottom of the proverbial barrel, where all of the humours from relieved partners hotly collected.  It wasn't entirely because he had low self-esteem, although that was true.  But—rather—he had more confidence in himself being a tool... a means to an end in an erotic scenario... as opposed to a strong and capable vehicle for ferrying a partner to bliss.

In some ways—most of them sissy ways—Flash found the role that he desired based on a gross overamplification of objectified hyper-femininity.  Passive, submissive, obedient, indebted—these were all qualities that he fantasized exemplifying, with a consistent sprinkle of coquettishness and coyness.  And it wasn't that Flash somehow believed that all women were meant to constrain themselves to such a specifically designed nature.  But someone like Flash?  Hell to the yes.

Nevertheless, Flash never truly imagined—even for a tiny fraction of a second—that he would ever actually find himself in a position to experience anything of this nature.  Overwrought as he was with life, academics, and ennui, the young man had long forsaken any and all expectations of losing his virginity (brush handles aside).  There was a brief spark of feelings when his high school self went out with Sunset Shimmer—and most of those emotions flavored with fear—but  the valkyrie never wanted more from him than status and acclaim.  With Princess Twilight Sparkle, it was a different situation altogether.  Flash never expected anything from her except to bask in her prettiness, and he beat himself up for months... years after she went silent... mostly for having fallen in love with a feeling and not a flesh-and-blood being whom he'd possibly get to “know” sometime.

All in all, for as romantic and dreamly as the boi's heart could be, Flash had fed it nothing but pipe dreams for the entirety of his life.  There was nothing to prepare him for the suddenly real possibility that a living soul might want to jump into his pants—a seven and a half foot tall living soul at that.  So it would come as quite the shock that such an eventuality might descend upon him.

And... as it would seem... it more or less had.  Through Sunset Shimmer.  Even now, in that abominably quiet car ride, after all that Flash had pondered and mulled over, it was just now starting to throttle him.  His heart jolted and twitched in tiny, frightened starts, and he was glad that Sunset Shimmer was wearing the... … ...anti-magic bracelet thingies so as not to read his frazzled mind.

Sunset Shimmer wanted to bang him.  She needed to bang him.

This wasn't his “conceited male ego” ego mutating the truth to fit some horny narrative.  She had spelled it out to the boi in curiously logical detail.  Her factual statements were backed up by the rules of magic which—as it turned out—were existentially mind-boggling.  According to Sunset, the entire universe was basically created so that she could bang him.  And not her alone—but the other members of Harmonic Fountain... the Elements of Harmony.

The universe wanted seven gigantic amazons to bang Flash Sentry.

His toes curled and uncurled again as he tried not to breath hotly against the window of the passenger's side.

Was there ever something so simultaneously daunting and exciting all at once?

Flash may have been a delicate porcelain doll of a virgin, but—if he really put his heart and mind to it—it wasn't too terrible a stretch of the imagination to perceive himself and his ex-girlfriend performing some hot calisthenics between the bedsheets.  He didn't particularly understand the how's and why's of Sunset's self-proclaimed “allure” that attracted her enchanted self to him, but that wasn't the crux of the issue.  He knew her well enough, admired her well enough, and—even if he might have denied it—trusted her well enough to allow himself to join her in a place of such vulnerability, intimacy, and tenderness.

She was a sexy woman.  A dead-sexy woman.  Sunset was an accomplished prodigy—intelligent, athletic, nimble, courageous, and loyal.  What's more, her forwardness and confidence and outpouring of affection made her irresistible from all angles.  She also had nice legs.  It's not that Flash loathed breasts, but he had a greater affinity for things he could see better at his height.

If all of... that wanted to share a bed with Flash, then he was supremely flattered.  Scared, yes, but ultimately flattered.  And while he didn't have a god-damn clue how in the Hell he'd be capable of actually pleasing such a magical tall horse girl woman, his closeness to her made the seemingly incomprehensible act almost... something to look forward to.

Poor Flash had no way... no way whatsoever of imagining how he'd ever possibly.. conceivably find himself in a position to share the same feelings for the other six women in Sunset Shimmer's magically intimate life.

Six women.  All of them amazons and—from what Flash could only guess from the kiss of fate bestowed on Sunset—likewise sexy and attractive and mature as Hell.  That was like taking someone like Sunset, shoving in a wedge of unfamiliarity, adding a dense five-year-curtain of estrangement, throwing in a physical difference of about three feet—and still somehow expecting a compatible match with the wet napkin of a sissy young man.

It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that most men in Flash's position would be ecstatic at the thought of being the center of seven sexy amazonians' attention.

But the poor boi was terrified.  Just thinking about entering the same room as them—being exposed to their eager eyes—made him want to cling to Sunset's thigh.  This entire world—this entire erotic revelation of the nature of the Fountain and the Well—was so damned overwhelming and migraine inducing that Flash wanted to turn to the only person he trusted in this world and just... disappear in her loving arms forever.

It was well enough imagining himself with just Sunset.  Still a hurdle—yes—but at least he could take some comfort in her gentle-kindness, her protectiveness, and her warm presence—all buffered by the security of familiarity that they both shared, even after five lonesome years apart.

But Flash was having the damnedest time imagining himself arriving at a position to share the same sort of emotional closeness and trust with six other monumental specimens of the female species.  And for a sparkling little princess-to-be like Flash: he found it very difficult to separate emotional needs from sexual prowess.  Things may have been different in his pillow-humping/brush-invading fantasies, but the tables had turned.  The most absurdly fantastical situation had become a reality, and it only made his tiny balls even bluer in fright.

And just like, he felt a wave of guilt overcome his trembling self.  Remorse.  Shame.  The usual self-defeating concoction.  Flash's heart and mind and soul were all a tangled not trying in futility to be a pretty pink bow.  Every step taken had to be examined and rexamined for the rocks and shoals surrounding the fuchsia island of his dreams.  Flash couldn't even allow himself the full realizations of his own kinks and fantasies—and lord knows Sunset tried to help him out.

So... then... how could he ever possibly find himself rising to the occasion to assist Sunset Shimmer with her own needs?  Much less her six friends' need?

No wonder she had been taking her sweet time revealing things to him.  And no wonder she currently looked and sounded so quietly devastated during that car ride home from Cadenza Corp.  Sunset must have suspected all along that this was a lost cause from the start... that because Flash Sentry of all people had turned out to be the Harmonic Well, the Harmonic Fountain would never receive the relief they needed to recharge their starving magics.  She had even said it herself: she really wished that he wasn't the Harmonic Well.

If nothing else, Flash should have been grateful to her.  She had gone to extreme lengths not only to consider his feelings—but to make it clear that his feelings and self respect were infinitely more important than... what she and the girls were needing out of him.  And if her words were to be believed, then he still had the freedom to choose not to give them anything at all.

And the fact that his frightened self was seriously considering that only doubled the guilt rising up like acid in his gut.  He wanted to provide for Sunset and her friends.  He wished that he could look at the situation directly like a man and just say “yes.”

But he couldn't  He was a sissy.  He confronted the weight of the matter with the only muscle worth anything in his being—his mind.  And because of his inadequacy and cowardice, Sunset Shimmer was going to be starved—her friends included.

What then would become of the Elements of Harmony?

And—by extension—what would become of the world?

Was Flash and his chastity seriously going to be reason for why the entire unprotected world burned in a maelstrom of chaotic Equestian magics?

He already felt the lump in his throat forming.  Tears were collecting in his eyes.  Choking on the urge to sob, he turned to say something—anything—if only to break the damnable silence and bridge communication with the valkyrie.

But she was getting out of the idling car.  And it was then that Flash snapped to reality... realizing that they had pulled into the driveway of her house.

The time for thinking was over.  That—or, at least—Flash had run out of excuses for it.

So, squirming, he opened the passenger door and stepped out—purse and all.  Any silence at this point would be unbearably cringey.  Sure enough, he felt the hairs on the back of his head rising as he and Sunset stepped towards the front door, quiet as gravestones.  Perhaps just as gray.

Sunset Shimmer opened the door for him, allowing the boi to walk through first.  He accepted her grace with dignity, nevertheless afraid to look her in the face.  He stool peek or two out of the corner of his eyes—and what he saw stabbed his weeping heart.

Sunset didn't look sad.  She looked sadder than sad.  It wasn't the kind of sadness that one might expect from the face of a toddler who had a lollipop stolen from her.  Although, all things considered, that's more or less what had happened to her.

But rather, the valkyrie looked like she was avoiding Flash's gaze... out of some painful emotion.  Shame?  Regret?  Disgust?

Did she actually think that she had betrayed Flash somehow?  After all that she done for him?  After how much she had exposed:  her vulnerabilities and her needs and her concerns and everything?

Sunset was a towering amazon, immune to disease and injury, self-efficient outside of the normal boundaries biological metabolism.  And yet—with just one conversation—Flash felt like he had pounded her effortlessly to the ground.  A slung stone had found its Goliath... Goliathette?

In any case, when they both stepped into the heart of the house, a split was inevitable.  Sunset was the first to alter course, and she did so slowly—so as not to convey any spite in how she drifted away from Flash.  Flash heard her heavy, sexy footsteps taking her on a sad path to the kitchen.  The fridge open, and there was a clattering of glass.  He had never seen her drink beer or wine, but the idea was not lost to him—especially then and there.

But he didn't dare look.  He didn't dare do anything but walk forward.  Walk forward he did... until he couldn't walk anymore.  The thing that blocked him was an enormous lilac-scented bed.  Sunset's room.  Flash wanted nothing more but to fly forward, bury himself in those sweet satin sheets, and sob... sleep... sink for an eternity.

Which is precisely why he didn't do that.  His legs were locked in place.  He stood—anchored to the sound of Sunset's footsteps against the kitchen tile floor... to the face of frigid cold defeat plastered over her guilty face.

He finally swallowed the lump away.  As it dissolved, a shivering resolve welled up inside him—which was both poetic and ironic.

He plopped the purse down on the bed, turned one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, and marched back the way he came.

Entering the front of the house, Flash's gait slowed... if only test the waters of this fresh frozen hell.  Flash rounded the corner, pensively touching his fingers together as he looked for Sunset Shimmer's figure.

He found her sitting at the kitchen table, cradling a tall glass bottle of... something.  His eyes focused on the label, and part of him almost wanted to giggle when he realized what she was drinking.

Apple cider.

Once a pony, always a pony.

He shuffled slowly... quietly into the room.

At last, her eyes darted to meet him—but it was over as soon as it happened.  Her body flinched slightly, and she cradled the bottle closer, staring intently at the table-top.

Flash didn't stop.  He approached the opposite end of the table.  Using his meager strength, he tugged... yanked... then finally pulled a chair out far enough so that he could sit up in it.  This too took some effort, considering it was made for tall buxom women and not tiny, anxious fembois.

At last, he sat across from her, having to squat on his tender little knees in order to approximate something closest to eye contact.

This was it.  The two were in the same room, carrying the same breaths that brought them all the way back there from Cadenza Corp.  There was no preventing... the future from happening.

Sunset found herself glancing at him again... and again.  She looked at the boi, at the table, at the bottle in her grasp.  At long last, she let loose a raspy groan, punctuated with a mute curse word.  She brought the cider to her mouth and chugged... chugged... chugged.  Then—stifling a burp—she dropped the half-empty bottle to the table and exhaled.

“Alright.”  The woman sat straight and confident, her hard turquoise narrowing on the boi as she spoke in a real, direct tone:  “How about this.  You just ask me questions—any questions—and I answer them.  Okay?”

Flash took a breath.  He nodded.  “Okay.”

“So...”  Sunset waved a hand... gulped... and waved again.  “...what do you want to know first?”

“... … … … … ...do you really find me attractive?”
> Ten Thousand Blue Balls In the Fire Is Enough, You're Going Horny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer blinked.

And then she smiled.  A soft liquid grin.  With loving eyes.

Quietly, she placed the bottle of cider down, reached across the kitchen table, and gently enfolded Flash's wrist between her massive amazonian hands.

Flash Sentry looked at where their flesh made contact.  The resulting warmth spread up into his face, forcing a blush across his effeminate features as he gazed up with starry blue eyes in time to catch Sunset's lips moving:

“I chose you as a boifriend back at Canterlot High because I thought you could give me an edge in gaining popularity among the students.”  Her eyes narrowed slightly, bold and mischievous.  “If I wanted to, I could have ditched your scrawny butt in a second.  But I didn't.”

Her hands squeezed his, the fingers stroking the top of his forearm lovingly.

“I kept you because you were soft... cuddable... endearing... trustworthy.  But—more than that...”

The valkyrie's eyes sparkled with sincerity and mirth.

“...you were earnest.  Wholesome-hearted.  Honest.  Peaceful—to a fault.  You always strove to find the good in things—and point them out to me—even if I was too much of a raging she-demon to respect it.  But I took it all to heart anyways.  And I remembered it.”

Flash bit his lip, eyes misty.

But Sunset wasn't done yet.  “And your porcelain smooth skin... so kissably soft... and your ocean blue hair... like flowing silk.”  A warm breath escaped her, fluttering at his lashes across the table.  “In a time when I was still getting used to the strange alien bodies of Homo sapiens—myself included—I needed something gorgeous to anchor my turbulent feelings.  You were that anchor, Flash.  With your boyish charm combined with your girlish presentation, you really truly gave me the best of both worlds... which I ultimately found to be what I longed for in life.”

She stroked the back of his hand one last time, leaning forward slightly to speak, causing the lilac on her person to waft closer to his breathless expression.

“When I broke our relationship up, it was a horrible thing to do to you.  But—at the time—I thought I was making an important sacrifice.”  She gulped.  “I didn't want my days with you to end... of hearing your voice... of seeing the shine in your eyes every morning... of cuddling you quietly after you'd fallen asleep during stargazing.  I was a twisted, megalomaniacal soul in those days... and I felt that I had to ditch you to move onto more purposeful goals.  It must not mean much to you and what you went through, but I felt devastated inside, Flash, and I buried it for months under anger and obsessive pursuit.” 

She slowly released the grip of his fingers, giving the ends of his digits a last, tickling touch before leaning back in her chair.

“I always found you attractive... and I always will.  It's just that... those positive emotions had run so commonly parallel to innumerable negative ones that I settled for moving on.  Or—at least—I thought I had.  Then my life gradually turned into something full of love and passion, and—looking back—I wished that I could have kept you within the rosy, amorous circles of my life.  And... now you're back... and I'm glad that nothing in my heart has changed... although I deeply regret having treated you with such distance to suggest that it had.”

At long last, Flash exhaled.  A tear trickled down his cheek.

It was Sunset's turn to breathe as well.  “That's... uhm... that's the truth in a nutshell.  The most I can pack it in on such short notice, at least.”  With a coy smirk, she raised the bottle back to her lips, if only to camouflage the moisture forming along her own eyelids.  “Good on ya for opening the first salvo with a whopper, Flash.”  She took a swig, swallowed, and exhaled.  “I don't suppose it might get any easier from here?”

“That... you... I... uhm... you're...”  He sniffled, reaching a dainty hand up and wiping his cheek dry.  “I'm so v-very glad to hear that, Sunny...”  After composing himself, he gazed up at her with puppy dog eyes.  “But... wh-what I really meant by that was... uhm... how does the whole Harmonic Fountain and Well thing affect... uh... the way you... y-you find me attractive...”

She blinked.  “... … ...You mean 'why do I wanna bang you?'”

He winced, glancing towards the kitchen floor while rubbing his shoulder.  He finally managed a shy, coquettish nod.

“Nyyyyyrarrghhhhhunnnghhhhhh...”  Sunset's body slumped slowly as she pronounced the mother of all prolonged groans.  Her mammoth legs rubbed on either side of Flash's chair in the process.  At long last, she smiled crookedly up to the ceiling.  “Alright.  Uhm... how can I put this...”  With a free hand, she rubbed her temple.  Then, after a few heated breaths, she muttered to the stale air:  “You ever get a sustained sugar rush that... lasts for more than an hour?  And... and it leaves you feeling all tingly and excited and bouncy?”

“I... I-I'm not in the habit of eating sweets,” Flash said.  “Usually I settle for a light salad.  Uhm... do the little princess gummy snacks that you gave me count?”

“No no no no—lemme start over...”  Sunset gestured with her hand.  “You know how after two bottles of cider you're just chilling on the couch and watching television—?”

Flash squinted at her funny.

“You don't drink.  Right.  RIGHT.”  Sunset smacked a hand over her forehead and let it stay there.  “Uhmmmmmmmmmmm—you know how after a tall frappuccino the caffeine kicks in and you feel like you can take on the world—?”

“I-I don't drink coffee either.”

“Flash, sweetie, I'm trying to describe a buzz!”  Sunset squinted at him from her slumped position.  “Y'know?  Have you ever felt a buzz in your life?”

“Well... … ...”  He squirmed where he sat, a smile slowly forming across his rosy face.  “...sometimes... when I'm super bored... I-I'll spend an hour or longer perusing pretty dresses and cute purses online.  Y'know... Etsy... Ebay... Amazon...”  His blush increased.  “...cosplay sites.”

Sunset arched an eyebrow.  “And that gives you a buzz?”

He glanced back at her.  “Doesn't it give everyone?”

“Sure.  Fine.  Whatever.”  She sat up, taking a small sip of the bottle.  “Mmmm—imagine that feeling.”  She gulped, then pointed a finger from her bottle hand.  “But... like... intensify it whenever you're around someone... and then link it directly to your gut.”

“Wait...”  Flash grimaced.  “Are you saying that you get high when you're around me?”

“No.”  Sunset blinked.  She tongued the inside of her mouth.  Her eyes scanned the ceiling.  “Okay, yes.  But... like... I'm totally in control of my senses.  It's not like you're... uhm... femboi catnip.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am, Flash!”  She frowned.  “Why wouldn't I be—”

He leaned dramatically forward, using both hands to support his weight against the table-top.

“—eee-eee-eee-eee—!”  Sunset blushed furiously.  The amazon shrank away from him.  She drowned herself in a heavy swig of the bottle and sat up in time to compose herself.  Her bracelet of beads rattled as she cleared her throat.  “Ahem.  But seriously, Flash... sweetie... all things considered, I've remained an absolute lady around you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Allure or not, it's not like the girls and I are gonna turn full... err... Pon Farr Vulcan on you the moment you so much as show your pretty face!  We're in complete control of our faculties!  And we've got standards!  It's just that you...”  She fidgeted with visual embarrassment.  “...have the ability to fluster us, given the circumstances.”

“Why do you call it that?”

“Call what what?”

“The 'Allure,'” Flash gestured.  “Y'know...”  He grimaced again.  “The... Universe-Makes-You-Want-To-Bang-Me-Cuz-Of-Magic thing.”

“Because Twilight Sparkle coined it and she likes categorizing things.”  Sunset cleared her throat.  “Actually, Rarity thought up the term, but Twilight adopted it.”

“Rarity, huh?”

“She's the most eloquent of us, after all.  She felt that the word 'Allure' differed from 'Attraction' and 'Love' and 'Lust.'”

“So... it is different from being attracted to me...”

“Sorta...”  Sunset gulped, looking aside as she began sweating again.  “To tell the truth, the 'Allure' is more accurately described as a combination of all of those things.  I know this because the Allure works between us.”

“Because you're the Elements of Harmony, right?”

Sunset nodded.  “We're drawn to each other.  The girls and I.  In addition, closeness and intimacy buffers our magical abilities.”

“So the Allure attracts you girls to each other,” Flash repeated.  “And now it's attracting you girls to me.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”  Sunset nodded.  “Even before we knew who and where you were... we felt you, Flash.”  She looked at him again.  “The Allure allowed us to sense that you were near—at least within the vicinity of Canterlot City.  You see... it acts like a beacon... making you stand out like a bonfire in the dark.  It's like we all have an extra sense that is used to find each other and restore our closeness.  It works that way with you too.  We're like... magnetic souls, Flash.  No matter how far we might be apart, from this day forward—we're only bound to come back together again.  At least... heh... that's the goal that magic has set forth.”

“Then if that's true...”  Flash's eyes narrowed.  “...should I be feeling the Allure too?”

Sunset opened her mouth... but froze in silence.  She blinked at the boi.  “... … ...you don't feel it, Flash?”

He shrank in his chair under her stare—as if guilty.

“Not even in the slightest?”

“Sunset... uhm...”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “...don't get me wrong.  You're sexy has heck.”  He braved a smile in her direction.  “I've always... always felt unrealistically lucky to receive your attention.  After all, you're smart.  You're talented.  You're loyal and courageous and always improving yourself—”

“It's okay, Flash...”  She smirked.  “You don't have to return with a large monologue to match mine earlier.”

“You've got great legs—Oh!  Oh... uh...”  He blushed.  “Okay.”

“But you don't... feel me?” she asked.  “You don't sense me even when I'm not around?  Like... a pleasant itch that your inner core wants to scratch?”

“I... I can't say that I do, Sunset.”  If the boi had pony ears, they'd be folded by now.  “I'm sorry...”

“Don't be sorry, Flash—”

“Maybe it's just that... that because I'm not magical... I don't feel it the same way you do.”

“Don't say you're not magical, Flash.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are.”

“... … ...”  He blinked.  “Wait, what?”

“Heeheehee...”  Sunset smiled warmly.  “Do you think the Harmonic Well would have been bestowed on an empty slate?”  She nodded.  “A long time ago, you became the vessel for something.  Something special.  Something unimaginably beautiful.  I know this because I've witnessed it myself, Flash.  Back when we merged our mindscapes.”

“Oh...”

“I know you don't remember it like I witnessed it, but it's there.  It's in you.  It's always been within you.  Maybe—in moments of innocent bliss—you've felt it yourself.  Truth is... you're just as magical as the girls and I, Flash.  Maybe it's not something all too bold or explosive or dramatic like what the Elements of Harmony wield... but it's there... and it stands to be cultivated.”

His lips pursed.  “It does...?”

“Mmmmm... yes.  That's what all of this is about, after all.  Restoring magic.  Not just in us—although... heheheheheh...”  She rolled her eyes with a reddening face.  “...we desperately fucking need it.”  She winked at him.  “But in you as well.”

“How so?”

“To be honest, I'm not entirely sure.  Twilight's searching for answers, but... only time will tell.  Or... that is...”  She fidgeted slightly, looking away from him.  “Time could tell...”  She sounded worried, anxious, and more than a little bit dejected.

Flash looked at her with mixed awe and guilt.

Thankfully, the amazon broke it with a coy smile and a flirtatious shrug of the shoulder.  “So...” She lifted her massive foot up beneath the table and nudged his chair.  “...you like my legs, huh?”

“Gaaah!”  He clutched the edge of the table as if he might suddenly fall overboard.

The amazon laughed, almost dropping her bottle of cider.  “Celestia-dang it!  You're so scrumptiously adorable, sometimes, Flash!”  A wink.  “Okay... make that most of the times.”

“But... but... if this is all about the Allure...”  He caught his breath and sat up, prim and proper.  “Ahem...”  He looked earnestly at the valkryie.  “...does it really matter who or what I am?”

“Heeheehee—”  Sunset broke out of her giggling fit to cast him a serious look.  “Huh?”

“I know that you and the girls needed time and magic to get used to each other... but... how do I fit in?”  He shrugged visibly.  “The magic of this 'artificial world' decided that I was the Harmonic Well.  So what's that got to do with who I am and what I do?”

“Uhhhhhh...”

“I might as well be a toaster—!”

“No, Flash.”  Sunset sat up with a slight frown.  “You can't be a toaster.”

“Why not?”

“Because you can't make a toaster blush...!”

Flash blinked.  “...what?”

Sunset sighed, rubbing her temples.  “Okay, so...”  She took a sip of the nearly-empty bottle and continued.  “...the restoration of magic as a result of the Harmonic Well and Harmonic Fountain uniting involves more than... hypothetical living magnets clinking together.”  She looked at him.  “It's not just simple physics or even chemistry, Flash.  It's magic.  There's... ritual involved.”

“Ritual?”

“Otherwise the intimate and... erm... erotic elements wouldn't be necessary.”

“But why are they necessary?”

“Because of how this universe was birthed, Flash.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “Remember?”

“I'm... still a bit lost on that.”

“I don't blame you.  Look...”  She continued gesturing as she spoke.  “This universe was birthed through magical manipulation of quantum mechanics.  At the same time, a series of portals were built that not only acted as gateways to this realm... but also filters.  Those who created the portals chose what kinds of magic got funneled through and how those magics would function.  In the end, once the universe had finished its accelerated formation, the artificers settled in and harnessed the energy they filtered through as they saw fit.”

“And these... god-magicians just happened to be a bunch of perverts,” Flash stated.

Sunset pointed.  “We prefer to call them 'niche hobbyists.'”

“They... sound like a bunch of conceited nymphos to me,” Flash said.  “I mean... perhaps they were decent people... or ponies... pony-people...”  He cleared his throat.  “But why call them anything except what they were?”

“Because, Flash...”  Sunset's nostrils flared.  “Maybe some of us wanna at least pretend that the inception of this entire universe did not stem from the fetishes of a cult of cloppers.”

“'Cloppers?'”  Flash's face scrunched.  “What's that mean?  They were stageshow dancers?”

“Er... never mind...”  Sunset held the bottle to her blushing face.  “...I guess that's... uh... a colloquial term.”  She tilted the bottle straight up to the ceiling.

Flash stared at her intently.

The woman emptied the bottle... shaking it upside down for good measure.  “Look, we've gotten off course here.  So... let me just get this out of the way.”  She stood up and shuffled over to the refrigerator.  Her gait was straight and true, despite how much... happy horse juice she had just consumed in front of him.  “This universe is as real as you've always believed it to be, Flash.”  She reached the fridge and reached deep inside with a slight rattling sound.  “Don't let the bizarre and slightly awkward nature of its creation bother you.  Besides, it's just a theory.”

“A theory that checks out based on the reality of the Harmonic Well and Harmonic Fountain,” Flash muttered.

“Even so...”  Sunset Shimmer grabbed another full tall bottle of cider and closed the fridge.  “...this universe is no less real than Equestria.  Someone with the right tools simply toyed with the fabric of space and time, pushed a quantum bubble down a slope of entropy, and thusly unrolled a fresh carpet of infinitesimal energy to produce this microcosmic... macrocosm!  It's that simple!  Tartarus—I don't even know if Equestria and its cosmic encompassing were birthed through completely natural means or not!  For all I can guess...”  She sat back at the table with a cheesy grin.  “...the Princess, the alicorns, and the entire land of ponies were simply the contrivance of some goofy television show in an even greater encompassing universe! Hah!  Can you imagine that?”

“Yeah...”  Flash Sentry quietly belched.  “Imagine that.”

Sunset bit the cap off the bottle and spat it across the kitchen so that it landed in the sink.  She took a heavy swig, then looked down at Flash.  “Look.  Every dimension is super friggin' goofy when you compare them to one another—What?”  She blinked.  “What's wrong?”

He was gaping at her, her teeth, and the bottlecap still rattling to a stop in the sink.

“Hmmm?  Oh.  Oh yeah...”  Sunset tossed her crimson hair back and slouched with a sexy shrug of her shoulders.  “You should see Applejack.  She can spit them over a house.”

“Uhm... what were you just saying a moment ago...?”  Flash blinked dizzily.

“Okay.  Let's just...”  Sunset placed the bottle down on the tabletop and held her hands out.  “...let's bring it down a bit.  Alright?  Let's be chill.  Relax.  Keep things simple.”  She smiled calmly at him, holding a hand out in a warm gesture.  “Ask me what's on your mind.  Right now.”

Flash gulped, folded his hands, and quietly produced:  “What would it take exactly to restore your powers?”

Sunset took her time.  After a calm breath, she chose her words:  “Several different things, Flash.”

“Several...”  He gulped, his voice ragged all of a sudden.  “...d-different sexual positions?”

“No no no no... you don't get it...”  Sunset smiled.  “It's all about intimacy.  This universe's rules of magic—from what we estimate—necessitate that a manifestation of the Harmonic Fountain and a manifestation of the Harmonic Fountain must mutually participate in an act of intimacy for their energies to be restored.”

“But... I thought it was all about sex...”

Sunset shifted in her seat.  “It is... and yet it isn't... and yet it mostly is.”

Flash looked confused.

Sunset sighed, then spoke through a friendly smile.  “Sexual intimacy is the uppermost tier of interactions that will assure magical restoration.  It would be the simplest and most absolute fix... for a while.”

Flash blinked.  “For a while?”

Sunset sipped more of the cider.  “That's right.”

“You... you mean it isn't permanent?”

“Ohhhhh no no no no no...”  Sunset chirped forth a bittersweet chuckle.  “...otherwise, the girls and I would have had waaaaaaaaaaaay less slumber parties these past four or five years.  Heh...”

“Like...”  Flash squirmed in his seat.  “...how long does... uhm... a recharge last?”

Sunset gazed off into the corners of the kitchen.  “It used to last days on just... erm... one night spent with someone else.”  She gulped.  “But... that changed over time.  The results grew... less and less substantive.”

“You're talking about... diminishing returns?”

“More or less.  Although—none of us really took much notice at first.”  Sunset rolled her eyes with a coy blush.  “By now, we've gotten used to... being used to one another... if you catch my drift.”

Flash nodded.  “Yeah.  I guess so.”

“And it's not like we're always banging each other, either, Flash,” Sunset explained.  “Sometimes it's just enough to spend a day together.  To hold hands.  To cuddle.  Sleep in bed together.  Read a book while in each other's arms.  Y'know...”  She toasted the air with her bottle.  “Gyrrrrrlfreeeendssss...”

“So...”  Flash squinted.  “...it can just be cuddling?”

“Depends on how much energy we need restored,” Sunset said.  “If there isn't any major monster or threat to fight, the Elements of Harmony only need to... chill and be chill.  Together.  But when our powers are reallllly needed...”

Silence.

Sunset cleared her throat.  “Well... you've seen the room.  You can guess how wild it gets.”

“No.  Not really.”  Flash blinked innocently.  “How wild?”

Sunset sweated suddenly.  She took a big, long swig then wheeze:  “Really.  Fucking.  Wild.”

Flash rubbed the back of his neck, feeling goosebumps.

“But—cuddling totally works too!”  Sunset smiled sweatily, pointing a finger at him.  “It's the same with you, y'know!”

“Really?”

“Flash... heheh... I had gone for weeks without being able to read anyone's minds.”  She took on a serious expression.  “And then I found you.”  A soft breath.  “Suddenly, I had my abilities again.  Just spending an hour talking with you made me feel like I was a true blue Element of Harmony once more!  That other night when we cuddled?  On the couch?”

“You mean when we watched the Payperview Match in 1998 when the Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell in a Cell and he plummeted sixteen feet through the announcer's table?”

“Yeah.  That.”  She leaned back with a smile.  “I could almost feel the thoughts of the neighbors next door.”

“Yeesh...”  Flash winced.  “That must have been really distracting.”

“Nah.  They're Methodists.”  Sunset sat up.  “Point is... it works, Flash.  Just being in the same room with you... like we are now?  I mean...”  She pointed at the bracelet.  “If it wasn't for this thing, I'd be able to read thoughts from across the street without so much as a synaptic flicker!

“But...”  he bit his lip.  “...only for a little while.”

Sunset's eyes were cast downward.

“And then it wears off,” Flash said.

Sunset nodded, drinking defeatedly from the bottle.

The boi glanced down at his delicate little hands.  He opened his own palms, staring at the pearlescent skin and slender, princessy wrists.  “You said... that the Allure is stronger between you and me than it is between you and the other girls.  Right?”

Sunset again nodded.

“So... does that mean that... uhm...”  He looked back up at her, clenching his fists with a slight tremble.  “...having sex with me would restore your superpowers completely?”

Sunset already had an answer prepared.  “For a long t-time.”

Flash gulped.  “But not forever.”

She slowly shook her head.

“So... uhm...”  Flash felt his own toes curling as he prepared the next question.  A question that had been on his mind for a long while:  “What exactly do you and the girls wish to do to me?”

Sunset froze in mid-sip of the bottle.  Her eyes locked on him in a half-squint, as if she somehow didn't know how to answer that question.

So Flash did his best to specify:  “Like... what are your plans?”  He cocked his head to the side.  “Do you even have any plans?”

“Flash...”  Sunset cleared her throat and folded her hands to look at him directly.  “Our plans are for you to live a healthy, happy life—realizing your dreams and aspirations—”

“Sunset, let's not kid,” Flash droned.  “I'm not calling you a liar or even a predator...”

She winced.

He wasn't finished.  “...but it'd be silly to think that you seven didn't have something in mind.”  He breathed steadily.  “All of this that you're telling me—all of this that I'm learning right now—it's just so extremely detailed and complicated and thought out.”  His eyes darted to her wrist.  “You had to get stuff to wear on your person in order to stay sane around me... and that was obviously planned as well.”

Sunset bit her lip.

“I'm... p-past being shocked,” Flash said.  “And... I-I promise not to be freaked out.”  He gulped.  “Not anymore.  Do you understand?”  A tender smile.  “It's okay.  You can tell me what you all had in mind.”

“What... we all h-had in mind,” Sunset breathlessly repeated, her skin growing redder.

“Because—no matter what happens after this conversation...”  Flash gripped the edge of the table.  “...somethings tells me that it'll be best that I know...”  He nodded in soft earnest.  “And it'll be good for you to tell me.”

“... … ...”  Sunset placed the bottle back down and folded her hands.  “Alright, Flash, uhm...”  The amazon realized that she was the one trembling now, and so she sat on her hands.  “I... I will tell you what... the girls have conjured up...”

“The girls?”  Flash arched an eyebrow.  “Not just you?”

“I... well... fuckin'...”  Sunset gnashed her teeth, burning a hole in the kitchen wall.  “You... you gotta understand, before I knew th-that the Harmonic Well would be you... I... I-I was thinking up hypothetical situations along with the girls.  P-purely hypotheticals, Flash!  And... and our theories and ideas soon turned into fantasies that—with each passing week that the Harmonic Well remained undiscovered—we never thought twice about how silly or lewd or gross that they were and—”

“Sunny...”  Flash's voice took on a melodic tone.  It caught her attention and calmed her all at once.  He sealed it with a sweet smile.  “No guilt.  No shame.  Just share.”

“... … … … … … ...okay, Flash.”  Sunset took the deepest breath of her life and expelled the turgid demon within:  “We want a pet.”

Flash's world shook off-center.  His poor, delicate brain broke somewhere between the syllables of Sunset's word—which is quite remarkable, seeing as it only had one.  “A pet.”

Sunset nodded, rocking in her chair to move the weird moment along.  “Someone adorable that we can all admire.  Someone loyal that we can all come home to.  Someone... small that we can all... all... all...”  She tongued the inside of her reddening mouth.  “....mmmmmm—”

“Hold hands with?”

“Toss around.”

Flash did a double-take.  “O-oh.”

“With each other—Flash—there's no competition.  The girls and I?  We're... on an even playing field, as it were.  But... the moment that we had it in our heads who and what the Harmonic Well would be—like—the second we felt the missing link to our draining powers...?”  Sunset struggled for breath halfway through the dry-toned explanation.  “...we somehow knew that... th-that we wanted to be in control... to be nurturing... to be teasing.”  She clenched her eyes shut, wincing as the ideas tore through her palpitating center like heated kitchen knives.  “Kind.  Cruel.  Soft.  Heavy.  Gentle!  Ravaging!  Mother!  Fucker!”

“Sunset—!”

“A leaking cement truck falling on top of—”  Her eyes popped open in the middle of a sweating expression.  Practically salivating, she looked nervously at the boi across the table.  “Yes?  Please?”  She swallowed.  “Fl-Flash...?”

His eyes reflected a hot-glowing band of silver on her wrist.

Flinching, Sunset reached out to her bracelet.  It was starting to crack across each bead, and an otherworldly steam rose from the artifact's nebulous interior.

“Awwwwwww ponyfeathers,” she cursed.  “Already???”  She craned her neck and looked across the household.  “Dammit... where'd I put my bag...?”

“Sunset...”

“...?”  Anxiously, she glanced towards him.

He stared at her with his lips pursed.  “You're... not really making much sense.  But... perhaps that's because you're holding back.”

“Flash... I have to hold back,” Sunset stammered.

“Maybe that's been the problem this whole time...?”

She merely blinked at him.

He looked at the rapidly deteriorating bracelet, then back at her.  “How about...”  He sat bravely tall in her immense shadow.  “...you just take it off for a moment.”

She clenched her teeth, her eyes taking on a frightened glint.

“Just for a moment,” Flash said.  He gave her a hopeful smile.  “I'm not going to try anything, I promise.  Just... allow yourself a moment of comfort and lucidity.”  He gestured.  “After all you've done to make me feel comfortable, it's the least that you can do for yourself.”

“I... I-I don't think th-that's a good idea, Flash...”

“And I don't think you're going to do anything to hurt me, Sunset.”

“... … ...”

“Please...”  Flash nodded towards her.  “Just relax for a bit... and tell me what you really think... what you really feel...”

Her eyes remained vulnerable and frightened.  But upon hearing those words, a beaded tear materialized in the kitchen light.  Sunset was so tall and radiant and sexy that it was difficult to imagine anything fazing her.  But the sight of raw emotion in direct response to his words brought a warmth to Flash's heart.  For the first time since he arrived at that ominously spacious house, Flash felt for sure that he could relieve the poor woman.

It thrilled him—for all the right reasons—that she responded... by slowly peeling the bracelet off her arm.  Its glow stopped as soon as it flopped limply without a host.  A different glow replaced it: namely the warmth spreading hotly through Sunset's bosom, up her neck, and into her gradually syrupy expression.

“I want... I want...”

Sunset spoke.

Sunset purred.

And all of a sudden, that syrup turned to sultry.

“...I want to fucking destroy you, Flash Sentry...”

Flash's eyes went wide as blue saucers.  He helplessly trembled, leaning back in his seat.

And Sunset leaned forward, making the table rock a bit.  The entire kitchen tilting, hot and humid.

“I want to devour you from the inside out,” she seethed through hungry teeth.  “Quickly if it makes you scream... slowly if it makes you cry.”

Her fingers gripped the table's edge, each knuckle blooming white between hot pulses of valkyrie blood.

“I want you not able to walk the morning after,” she slurred, drunk and delirious and demonic.  “I'll have to carry you to breakfast... even if that breakfast is you.”

Flash sweated.  The temperature in the air was increasing rapidly with each word pouring like lava from her licked lips.

”The girls are ready to break mountains and evaporate oceans for you.”  A pink flicker of light kissed across her eyes.  Flash almost didn't see it; his gaze was locked on the tiny gun muzzles forming in the center of each breast.  “We want someone to be our perfect little doll whom we can spruce and clean and dress up and then drown in a torrential fuckpile and then clean and cuddle all over again...”  She inhaled and exhaled, nearly rocking the boi in his chair.  “A perfect pink toy that we can carry around in our purses and whip out like a vibe when the moment strikes—not like you get a choice in the matter.  You think fleshlights can talk?”

Flash blinked hard...

...only to stare into a devilish grin, frothing with laughter.

“Heheheheheh... and when you think you're done 'rewarding' us for all the pampering and gifts we've lavished you with, we'll spend an entire weekend reaming you into a hollow bucket of adorable fluff... just to fill it all up with the prettiest of things all over again...”

Flash gulped... then dared to stammer:  “R-ream me?”  He arched an eyebrow.  “...with what?”

And just like that, Sunset Shimmer's eyes jolted, pulling her hard out of the depths of her debauchery.  The same fear from earlier resurfaced, only this time it had the grace of shattering ice.  Within seconds, an alarming sound echoed across the room—something akin to a waterfall... or a bucket full of boiling water being emptied across sterile tile.

“OH—“  She exclaimed, and Flash's ears rang.  He never knew that the valkyrie could be so loud.  And yet—“OH FUCK!”  She hollered, her hands suddenly shooting to her crotch as the poor amazon looked like she was suddenly and painfully giving birth to an ICBM.  “FUCKING SHIT!  FUCK!!!  FUCK FUCK FUCK—”

Flash timidly shook in his chair, frazzled with sincere concern and alarm.  “Sunset?  What's wrong—“

But he flinched as she suddenly kicked out of the chair, hobbling limply on her two feet.  “Goddess fucking damn it!”  She seethed and kicked at nothing, resembling in no-small part an unpopular Metal Gear Solid 2 protagonist in how she side-stepped while her wrists still covered her crotch.  “Rnnngh... can't fucking believe it—FUCKKKK!”  She clenched her eyes for a moment, nearly slipped on something, then hissed as she found her footing again.  “I... uh... uhhhh... I GOTTA GO.”

“Go?  Go where—”

“I GOTTA GO!  RIGHT NOW!  OKAY?!”  She brushed past him, limping, stiff-legged, struggling desperately to keep her distance.  Pink lights danced across her eyes as she panted and whimpered.  “Don't follow me!  Don't even talk to me!”

“But—“

“For the next few hours, okay?!  OKAY?!?”

“O-okay, Sunset!”  Flash held a hand up.  “Scout's honor!”

“Okay okay okay okay okay OKAY.”  Panting, Sunset bolted towards the opposite end of the house...

...to where the guest room was located.

“... … ...”  Flash slumped down in his chair, breathless and dumb.

“... … ...YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING IN THE FRIDGE!””  Sunset's words warbled across the house.  ”... … ...EXCEPT FOR THE CIDER!  GODDESS!  DAMMIT!  FUCK!

And the door slammed shut behind her.

Flash sat trembling.  But soon—he noticed something.  A new source of light on the floor.  Rather—a reflection.

Curious, he leaned over the table's edge and stared down.

The tile of the kitchen was wet.  Sopping, even.  It looked like an air conditioning unit had spilled a leak... … ...directly in the direction that Sunset Shimmer had fled.  In fact, a veritable pool had gathered around the feet of the chair the valkyrie had been seated in.

Flash felt a knot in his throat.  He looked at the one-and-a-half bottles of cider on the table-top.

Sunset and her friends no longer had the need for a 'bathroom'.

Flash knew this was true—there was no toilet in the house that could possibly suit her.

Then... what had just happened?  What was this?  And why did it smell so good?

Flash's nostrils flared.

Lilacs.

The air smelled... prettier to him somehow.  It smelled almost as if Sunset Shimmer was still there in the kitchen with him.  In fact, it smelled better than it did before.

He looked down at the floor again.

Flash had seen movies and old scholastic “health” videos that dramatized a pregnant woman's water breaking, and the boi certainly couldn't deny the visuals that were now being evoked.  But... there was something different about what had just happened.  There had to have been something different.

With all of these conflicting observations and thoughts and fears, Flash assumed that he would be grossed out.  But... instead...

...he felt an undeniably hot dampness forming at the crotch of his briefs.  Somewhere—between Sunset's unfettered dialogue and the weird outburst that it culminated with—the boi had experienced more arousal than he could recall in recent memory.  A small, tiny, but irremovable tingling persisted at the head of his limp manhood... and if he so much as breathed on his own groin, he feared he might melt from the inside out and join the puddle on the floor.

This would make leaving the room rather difficult... which in and of itself was an obscure prospect because the pervasive scent of heated lilacs was anchoring him almost instinctively to that spot.  His heart was beating a million beats per second and all he could think about was Sunset's purring voice and her nipples poking through her blouse and how he wanted... how he desired... how he so desperately needed to be carried around like a cute pink vibe inside her purse...

“Mmmm-mmmm...”  Flash helplessly whimpered.  He felt a pulse of fiery weakness rippling up his center, daring to manifest as a glistening pearldrop of beautiful anguish out the timid  little exit to his sex.

Was this the Allure?

If this was what Sunset felt all the time around him, what terrible torture for the poor woman to endure!

Flash felt scared.

Scared of the sheer, unimaginable pleasure bubbling beyond some lilac-scented shoreline, hanging dark and heated and heavy.

He had to cool off.  Now.

Opening his mouth meant inviting a girlish moan, but he needed to do so in order to drown the moment—with cider.  He flung his trembling hand across the table, grabbed one of the bottles, and barreled the bubbly contents down his open gullet...

...only to spit the contents out a millisecond later.

“Pffffffffffftttt-fffftttt!”  The femboi spat, sputtered, and wheezed.  “This isn't fruity at all!” he shrieked, wishing he had paid heed to the amazon's warnings.

Someway, somehow, he was finally able to stumble out of the place...

...and he carried himself immediately into the bathroom and a cold shower waiting thereupon.
> These Super Long Meaty Chapter Titles Correlate Directly to Something in the Story and You Already Know Exactly What I Mean
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash's shower... wasn't as cold as it should have been.  He only had himself to blame for that.  That... and the unshakable feeling of vibrations rattling through the shower walls.  Sunset, vibrations, and they rolled in through the very foundation.  Accompanied by noises.  Vocalizations—deep, guttural, and primal.  This went on for the better part of an hour... then two hours... then three.  Long past Flash's shower.  Long past the time the boi took to dry himself.  Long past the time he spent pacing in the center of the house, forming a soft oval in the plush carpet, trembling with each sonic reverberation that billowed from the guest room.

The boi wrung his delicate hands.  He had known for over a day and a half now that Sunset Shimmer was a person beset with side effects of her magical transformation.  More specifically: erotic side effects.  The moment he “accidentally” explored that room, he knew what it was for.

However...

Actually knowing that she was using it for those purposes—and hearing her use it—in a desperate effort to relieve herself... carried with it now far more gravity than when it was all just hypothetical.

And there was more to it than that.  Everything that had to do with everything had been laid out on the table, including Flash's involvement—in there was no involvement.  At least not yet.

Nevertheless, things came to a head hours ago when Flash—in a gesture of good will—invited Sunset to reveal everything.  That's what led to this—the distant grunting of beautiful anguish beyond the door to the guest room.  It was one thing to know that she was an amazon in her own natural habitat.  It was another to know that she was going through all of that simply because of him.

It was as surreal as surreality gets.  One might expect himself/herself to be flattered by such a twist of events, but all Flash could feel was... guilty.  Twisted.  And even evil to some extent.

Because he knew that—no matter how deep Sunset Shimmer and her friends were—he himself wasn't quite ready or willing to make the dive.  And why would he want it?  It sounded so... torturous to the poor Sunset.  For every whimper of pleasure she made through the muffled partitions of that house, there was a prolonged groan of frustration.  It sounded like she was climbing a ziggurat to get to the top of a roller coaster, but there was never... ever any relief.

Could he even be the salvation she needed?  Sunset Shimmer made it clear that a “fix” would only be temporary.  That only meant that if Flash gave his body up to service the supremely beautiful, strong, and sexually advanced woman... he'd only have to do it again in a matter of days.  Perhaps hours.

And her friends...

...could he even do the same for all of them?  Could he even promise the same?  Seven women for seven days of the week—what about his stamina?  Never mind the fact that he was a five foot nothing weakling with a sex organ that could scarcely fit through a bagel hole.  That was an awful lot of attention demanded by an awful lot of curves.  Even if he was somehow a stud who'd be up for the challenge... he knew that the reality of the matter would destroy him.

Sunset had said that it wouldn't necessarily amount to sex in all cases.  He could just be close to them... cuddling up to them during a movie, or holding hands, or sharing Eskimo kisses—and that'd be enough to restore their Harmonic powers.

But who was anyone fooling?  Sunset's moans rocked the house once more, and Flash had to sit down (more like sit up—he struggled for a second to climb it) on the living room couch and breathe steadily.

Whatever was required of him: Flash had every reason to believe that it would dominate his existence.  He would no longer be a free individual.  Instead, he'd be a tool... a sponge... a doormat for all of the women to wipe their everythings on.  Every day of every week would be consumed in being consumed.  Even if Flash was the lowliest form of life on earth, he had to consider the weight of all this and think...

...where would his freedom go?

Would he ever again have a chance at being himself?

Would he have an identity outside of being a tool?  A plaything?  A proverbial pink vibe in everygirl's purse?

What's more...

...did any of that matter?

Flash was now a basket-case of goosebumps... but things were very very different a few hours earlier.  When he had first limped into the shower, he suffered a hotness bubbling from deep within.  It was similar to Sunset's—he figured—but not nearly as severe in its consumption of his senses.  As soon as the hot water poured on him, the boi suffered every fantasy he had ever entertained throughout the course of his young life:  being a damsel needing salvation from a knight in shining armor, being a princess on her first ball with Prince Charming, being a nervous exchange student with a purse and high heels who took an Uber to the wrong side of town after dark—the lattermost fantasy was something he turned to only in times of intense desperation and dry-mouthiness.

But before he could even touch himself—as per usual with Flash Sentry—his mind took over.  Registering the sounds from the guest room, he realized that... things had changed now.  Sunset Shimmer had always seemed cool, collected, and motherly in how she took care of Flash.  Now—it would seem—she wasn't in control of anything anymore.  She had lost so much with the increasing intensity of the so-called “Allure,” and now the dog days of autumn were turning the tables.  Suddenly, the slumped amazon crying on the bench outside Cadenza Corp made perfect sense.  Unlike Sunset—who seemed more than happy with the idea of a trembling Flash in tears—Flash couldn't even sample a taste of the opposite.

So he switched the shower water from hot to cold, and now—three hours later—he sat on the couch, drowning in Pinkie Pie's Princess Peach nightie... hugging his knees to his chest and worrying.  Worrying.

The muffled sounds from the guest room continued, and they seemed more anguished than before.  Or perhaps that's just what Flash assumed.  In truth, it was difficult to tell.  All he knew was that he hadn't been able to bear witness to it before.  And it just... went on and on and on.

Into the fourth hour, he was starting to get worried.

Was this normal?

Was anything normal?

How could he even begin to tell anymore?

This was not his world.  It never was.

Now he was being invited to join it.  What—exactly—would he be gaining in the process?  Sunset had insisted on him being pampered and lavished gifts... no doubt to supply him with a supremely 'girly' existence the likes of which he had always dreamed of but never allowed himself.  But...

Would that be worth it if he 'couldn't walk' in the morning from how much the girls used him?  At what point did he stop being a friend and instead simply remained an object?  A used an abused object?

It simply didn't look or feel like a fair trade.  The long and short of it: the girls needed relief.  And between the seven of them, there was no credible way knowing how Flash could sustain his own 'relief.'  Even with 'payment' and 'pampering' in return... he couldn't help but expect being no more than an abused whore at the tail end of all this tail-ending.

And the only thing scarier...

The only thing more frightening than comprehending all of this mess...

...was knowing that a part of Flash... a very large albeit shadowed part of Flash...

...would have been perfectly okay with that.

The poor boi crossed his legs as he sat—shivering—on the couch.

For as long as he remembered... the common thread in all of his fantasies was about being a means-to-an-end for far more dominant, far more mature, far more sexual partners than himself.  Whether it was Prince Charming, a knight in shining armor, Thunderbass and his old band mates, or an entire football team... or two football teams... it always amounted to Flash being at the bottom of the pile... stripped of freedom, stripped of agency, stripped of... of... the simple luxury of being allowed to strip himself.  Everything would be in the hands of his dominating partner... all of Flash's things would be in the other one's hands... and Flash would have no say in whether his partner(s) chose to caress, fondle, or yank.  Flash's own joys meant nothing.  His fears meant nothing.  His tears—ironically—meant everything.

Flash had always... always dreamt... hoped... yearned for a submissive role in a relationship.  And when it became “sexual,” it submerged somewhere deep and depraved beyond “submissive,” settling on what one might call “enslaved.”  And it wasn't because Flash had such a low opinion of himself (although that didn't hurt), but rather he found the most joy in an idea of being used for another's pleasure... even if it turned out to be a painful experience.  The more depraved and heartless the actions committed to Flash—in direct relation to the orgasmic degree it serviced another person or more—the harder Flash found it to keep his own underwear dry.  All of his fantasies eventually culminated in this dynamic.  In some way, it felt lazy on his end... until he rationalized that the act of giving himself—fully and freely—up was the greatest form of exercise anyone could commit, and conceptually it even put doms to shame.

So... now his fantasy had a very legitimate opportunity to become reality.  And despite all of the tendrils of pleasure attached to the notion... Flash found himself mortified.  With a sore lump in his throat.  With feet encased in individual ice.  With goosebumps running rampant across his petite body.  And as Sunset's moans continued on the opposite end of the house, he simply felt like throwing up.

Losing one's agency—it would seem—did in fact involve agency.  There was a choice to make.  The choice—and it was the hardest thing Flash had ever encountered in his entire life.  The lazy thing to do, ironically, was not make the choice altogether.  And meanwhile, Sunset suffered and Nietzsche-only-knows what the other six Elements of Harmony were going through.

But why did the choice have to be up to Flash?

What did he do to deserve to be the very fulcrum of everyone's agony and ecstasy?

If this universe was indeed artificial, then that might explain the innate cruelty of it.

Flash clenched his eyes shut and he hugged his knees so hard that his knuckles turned white.

And just what had happened to Sunset Shimmer earlier?  To make her leave?  To soak the kitchen floor like a passing hurricane?

And why did Flash feel so intoxicated immediately afterwards?  What was that permeating smell that sent his insides on fire?

How much more magical bullshit was at play here?  If Flash made a decision now—or a hundred years from now—would he be anywhere near equipped to deal with what the Elements of Harmony threw his way?

Flash Sentry always struggled with figuring out what to do with the rest of his life.  But this was a different limbo than what he had previously been stuck in.  Unlike the purgatory that his parents and Magnolia Buckler put him through, this was an awkward sun-lit dance upon the cusp of ecstasy.  Because—no matter how awkward or weird or even painful things might get—Flash had every reason to believe that Sunset and the girls would look after him.  It'd be a rough journey—for his soul as well as his body... but at least he'd know that he'd be cared for.  At least he'd know that he'd be loved.

Perhaps... just perhaps... Flash's life was always meant to incur a certain degree of suffering.

His choice... his one moment of agency—as it turns out—was choosing which avenue would provide a certain modicum of joy and contentment in return.

If only Flash could stop punishing himself unnecessarily and receive that joy.  Even now—as ever—he couldn't understand what stapled his feet to the ground and kept him from moving.  Maybe it's because he was a permanent amnesiac.  Flash couldn't see or remember all the things that Sunset had seen and remembered—even in the depths of their dreamwalking... in the depths of himself.  He couldn't see the mirror... couldn't grasp it long enough to bear witness to a hand on the other side... a feminine and sisterly hand... reaching out... reaching towards him... bearing a smile and a name...

A name...

A name that carried and secured him on long, lonesome nights...

Smiling so close and so warm that the comfort took on a reflection that almost took on his own essence and—

Flash's thoughts were cut off by a vibrating noise.  It was different from the sporadic yet pervasive gunshots coming from Sunset's side of the house.  This was quieter... more focused... localized.  What's more, it was coming from the coffee table.

“... … …?”  Curious, the cute and timid boi lifted his confused face.  He craned his neck, seeing past the edge of the amazon's house furniture.

Something sat on the edge of the table.  It was a very large book—with thick brown binding.  In the center of the cover was Sunset Shimmer's emblem—Flash could even see the halved solar crest in his dreams.

The book was indeed the source of the repetitive vibrations.  More than that... it was glowing.

Flash pursed his lips.  He had seen the book in Sunset's possession before.  But this was the first time the effeminate young man had witnessed it pulsating like this.  There were a lot of magical things in Sunset's life, but Flash only knew about them in brief pieces and glimpses.  Perhaps if he had stayed connected to his ex and his ex's friends during the last year of high school, he may have understood it all more.

But at the moment he could only feel a great wellspring of alarm.  Why was the book vibrating?  Was it... going to explode?!?  Or did it mean that trouble was near?  Or maybe...

Flash scooted closer to the book until he sat on the edge of the massive sofa.  His breath normalized slightly, and he regarded the tome with a calmer gaze.

It made perfect sense.  Sunset must have been receiving a message.  And if it involved a glowing book like this...

...then it must have been supremely important.

Flash looked towards the noisier end of the house.  He bit his lip.

Sunset was in no position to respond to anyone right now, and Flash wasn't about to try knocking on the door to the guest room—or any door for that matter.  Flash held strong to many principles: and among them was how heinously wrong it was to answer another person's cell phone.  But this wasn't a mobile device in the traditional sense—it was a magical glowing book, and the only reason Sunset was indisposed was that Flash had flustered her.

All things considered, this was the easiest choice of Flash's week.

He reached over and grasped the book in two hands.  It was far heavier than he expected.  No doubt it was shaped and molded for the amazon's grip.  By the time Flash had opened it and balanced it on his tender lap, it felt like an enormous atlas in his embrace.

Nevertheless, he found himself flipping through the pages.  Even as he held the tome open, there was still a glowing vibration—but it came from a page near the middle of the book.  Turning to it, Flash discovered that it was the last page with writing on it that was glowing.  All of the text had been handwritten, but they appeared in at least two contrasting fonts:  cursive and orange... and another cursive style that was noticeably emerald in color.  When Flash came to the enchanted spot in the book, the page stopped glowing—and in its place the last line of written words appeared glowing instead:




Hello, Sunset.  Any luck with the Harmonic Well?  The Court of Friendship is eager to learn about how you and the Elements of Harmony are doing with the balance of magic.




Flash felt his heart palpitating.  It wasn't so much due to the words and the significance thereof, but rather to the implications of who was writing back.  He found his grip of the book shaking, and yet he couldn't tear his eyes off the glowing green words.

At long last, he braved a response.

“H-hello...?” he wheezed in a dry, dry voice.

Nothing happened.

The green words glowed on the page... but nothing formed afterwards.

Flash squinted.  He looked all over the book... then back to the table where he had left it.

He saw a pen lying on the corner of the table.

It took much fuss and stretching of tiny, prissy limbs—but Flash was finally able to procure the pen.  Once again, he sat on the edge of the couch with the large book crushing his poor knees.  Catching his breath, he looked at the pen... then at the last set of glowing words.  Gulping, he reached down and produced a simple line on the page.  He blinked when he realized his cursive looked even better than Sunset's.  What's more, the words glowed a different color than orange.

To his bottomless awe, they manifested in pink.




Hello?  Can you read this?




He felt a twinkling aura of gold light rippling out of every square inch of the book's binding.  At first, Flash was scared—until he realized that it must have meant that someone was responding.  Green worlds rolled across the page far sooner than he expected.




Indeed I can!  Who is this?  The words are coming out in a different color.




Flash shook from his own heartbeat.  If he was anywhere near as polite as he strove to be, he would have answered the person on the other side right away.  Instead, he boldly wrote:




Your Highness Twilight Sparkle...?




The book glowed.  Twinkled.  And the green words replied:




No, this is Fenrir!  The Princess is off performing diplomatic missions in Yakyakistan along with Chancellor Yona.  Who am I writing to?  Could it be... Flash Sentry?




Flash exhaled a breath of relief.  Nevertheless, he still remained confused... and more than a little bit concerned.  Part of him told the boi to put the book now and pretend that none of this had ever happened.  Nevertheless, temptation gave way, and he wrote back:




Yes.  This is Flash Sentry.




Almost immediately, the green words splashed enthusiastically across the page:




Flash!  It's been so long!  How's it been?




Flash merely squirmed in his seat, unsure how to respond.

The the next few words appeared:




It's Spike!  Y'know... Spike the Regular Dog?  Twilight's little purple fluffball?




Flash's lips pursed.  He hadn't thought about Twilight Sparkle's pet in ages.  In truth... his cynical self merely assumed the worse about the tiny thing.

He found the strength to write back:




Hello, Spike.  I do remember you.  But... I thought you said you were 'Fenrir.'




Spike replied:




Because that's my name now!  I chose it 'cuz it sounded nearly as ferocious as a dragon!  Also, 'Spike' was already in use over here, and it's already confusing enough with two of us stomping around.







You're living in pony world now?







Yup!  You bet!  Earth's ambassador to Equestria!  Sorta like how Sunset is Equestria's ambassador to Earth!  Only without the crazy change in size and libido.  Well, I mean, I am a dragon so that makes me bigger than I used to be, but there are dragons over here that are way bigger.  Not forever, of course.  Tee-hee... oh... wait... has Sunset Shimmer told you any of that stuff about the Harmonic Well and Fountain and such?




Flash squirmed on the couch.




She has... told me some things.  All in all, she's been doing a lot to help me where I'm at in life.  I'm truly grateful.




The book glowed for a period of time before a response manifested.




Well, I'd probably best leave most of the explanations to her.  I don't really understand all of the Harmonic Well and Harmonic Fountain stuff—not like she and Twilight do.  I barely have any luck understanding stuff here in Equestria!  Did you know that rainbows taste like Tobasco Sauce?




A tiny smile formed on Flash's lips for the first time in hours.




No, Fenrir.  I did not know that.







You'd think they'd taste fruity, right?  Well, wrong!  I found that out the hard way.  I tried explaining it to Pinkie Pie... this world's Pinkie Pie.  But I think her mind broke when I had to explain what 'Tobasco' is.  Which is rather hard because I only learned to read four years ago.  And then, of course, ponies write with a different kind of alphabet, so I had to learn all over again.  But that's fine.  I really love learning... which is saying something because once upon a time I only loved chasing squirrels.







Is that why you're over in Equestria, Spi—er... Fenrir?  To learn about stuff?







Well, truth is, dogs don't really live for very long, now, do they?  And I was already going on six years by the time I got zapped by Equestrian magic and began speaking like humans.  At some point, Twilight or Sunset figured that—if I went over to Equestria—I'd turn into a dragon.  And dragons live... like... one thousand times longer than an earthling canine.  Soooooo... they sent me over here and I set up permanent residence.  Sure enough, being a dragon has affected me on the whole!  I can burp up magical flame now and—from what Princess Twilight and Dragon Lord Ember can tell—I've got a full draconian life ahead of me!  Talk about a win-win-win!  Ha HAH!







That's wonderful to hear, Fenrir.  You were always a bundle of joy to the girls, from what I recall.  You deserve a long and healthy life.  How'd Twilight take it?  Our Twilight, that is.







It wasn't easy.  I've known Twilight all my life, and I'm the longest friend she's ever had.  Leaving her was tough.  Super tough.  But... we all agreed it was for the best.  And it's not like I never see her.  The Princess estimates that if I keep my visits to a week or less—separated by about a month in between—then I won't upset my draconian age cycle.  So... I'm always popping my snout in every once in a while, so to speak.  Maybe next time I pay a visit I'll get to say “hi” to you!  Shake a paw and catch up!







That sounds lovely, Spike.  But... to tell the truth... I don't really know if I will be here when you visit next.







But I thought you were there to help the Elements of Harmony find their magic again!  Aren't you the Harmonic Well?  Sunset's written about it all last week.




Flash blinked.

Curious, his eyes slowly darted towards the page preceding where he and Fenrir were “communicating.”  He saw fancily scribbled text in a bright orange font.  But the moment he saw random words like “staying over” and “superpowers,” he ripped his eyes off and situated them back on the conversation at hand.

He really shouldn't have been holding that book in the first place, much less using it to communicate with Sunset's friends on the other side.  But—for the time being—Sunset Shimmer was... “indisposed,” to put it lightly.  And Flash was desperately needing something or someone to center himself.

The boi remembered that Fenrir was waiting for a response.  Sure, he could have let the dog... dragon... acquaintance wait a little longer than normal.  All-in-all, this was a lot like texting... only with a huge J.R.R. Tolkien bullshit contrivance wedged directly in between the communicators.

Eventually, Flash managed to drum up a response:




Sunset Shimmer has insisted time and time again that she wants to help me out—first and foremost.  Yes, there's stuff that she and the girls hope to get out of me by being near them, but... I think they're afraid to go all out and ask me to stick around.  Well... at least Sunset seems afraid.  She's worried about me, and I can't help but feel worried about her.




When he finished writing this, he glanced towards the far end of the house.  Muffled grunts and all-out-yelling noises shook the foundation.  From the outside looking in, this would actually appear to be a pretty hilarious situation.  But Flash wasn't feeling amused in the slightest.

The book in his grasp vibrated, and before he knew it there was a response from the other side.




Well, if I know Sunset, she has two separate track records.  There's the super long and awesome one where she's saved the world from magical dangers, introduced Twilight to a lifetime of friendship and happiness, found me a new life and home, bridged relationships between ponies and humans in both wizardry and science, and formed a very small but very successful group of magically-imbued superheroines who save the day on a regular basis.  But then you've got the very very very short track record where she was a maniacal she-demon bent on extra-dimensional domination.  And despite all of her exceptional accomplishments in the former, she's a bit too distracted by the latter.  I sadly think—no matter how many good things she'll do—Sunset will never quite be able to shake off that guilty part of herself.  That leads to a bit of overcompensation.  Maybe even with you.




Flash took some time reading and contemplating that.

Then, with his thoughts composed, he wrote slowly in response.




She does seem a bit overprotective of me.  You know, I always thought that she was a strong woman... or pony.  And she is!  She truly is strong and charismatic and smart and inspiring.  But... it wasn't until now that I started to realize just how vulnerable she is.  I get the feeling, Fenrir, that you know more about what's going on than I do.  I get the feeling that everybody and every... pony knows more than I do.  And the reason that Sunset has been afraid to share the total truth with me is because she thinks I will appreciate her less in light of understanding the depths her needs, weaknesses, and desires.




The former dog's response was remarkably fast and blunt.




Do you appreciate her less, now, Flash?




Flash tapped the pen to his chin.  He heard Sunset's noises from the distance.  Never before had a soul sounded so anguished and enraptured at the same time.  Flash felt immense sympathy for the valkyrie.  But—with each subsequent moment that he spent dwelling on the matter—he felt less and less sorrow and guilt attached to such emotion.  And the reason for this—he figured—was that he ascertained the solution... and it was a solution that didn't frighten him so much.  Not like it would have years ago... days ago.




I could never not appreciate her, Fenrir.  She's done so much to help me and make me feel appreciated.  What's more... and I'm starting to feel this now as I write it down... but I think I can help her too.  If for no other reason than the fact that... helping her out would mimic ways in the past where I've “helped” myself out as well... or at least attempted to.  I used to feel so bad about needing and wanting things.  I don't want Sunset to feel bad about it.  I appreciate her too much.  I... 




He chewed his lip.

The house was silent—if only for a few seconds...

...and then a pronounced vocalization came from the guest room.  The chaos ensued, in both agony and ecstasy.

Flash sniffled.  He fought the lump in his throat as he stroked the pen.




...I love her too much, Spike.  And she doesn't deserve to suffer or to be stripped of magic or to feel anything but as awesome as I've always known her to be.  Even when she was trying to be a she-demon.  She just didn't know... relief yet.




The book glowed... vibrated... and glowed some more.

Then the dragon's text rolled across the tome in response.  Flash had to turn a page to read the full length:




The first few times I came back to visit my home, and I realized that Twilight and the rest of the girls had become... … … let's say, “very very very close,” I was confused at first.  I always thought one was meant to find only one other soul in this life.  That's Puppy Love 101... or at least as I observed it.  But then—with each visit I paid and repaid Twilight, and I saw how unbelievably happy she and Sunset and Rarity and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were—I realized that there really is no stopping love.  That it can and will make even the impossible happen.  I've heard endless lectures about how the world I came from started... how a bunch of crazy pony sorcerers wanted to “play goddess” or create some trans-dimensional “fungeon,” but none of that really adds up to me.  Sure, magic is weird and selective and maybe even a little bit raunchy in that world, at least compared to Equestria.  But—at the end of the day—it's all powered by love.  Love and bliss and happiness.  If there's any truth to the Harmonic Well/Fountain thing—and if that's why you're there with Sunset right now—then it can only be a question of love.  And, if you ask me, it's okay if it takes time... or if there's not a lot about it that can be understood at first or even ever.  But whatever changes the girls have undergone, it's made them better, happier, and livelier.  And I believe the same thing can be true for you, Flash.  It may not seem that simple... but—where I come from, and with what's happened to me—I can tell you that most things in magic really are that simple.  A little faith goes a long way when it comes to this stuff.




Flash didn't realize he was crying until halfway through reading this.  His vision got blurry and he wiped his eyes dry to finish the last two sentences.  By then, he was smiling... a tender and delicate contrast to the bombastic happening on the other end of the house.

Fenrir added a bit more:




Of course, don't let me speak for you, Flash.  It's been a while since we've caught up... if we ever even caught up.  But when it comes to Sunset and the girls, I wouldn't fret much.  They really really care for you.  We all do—even us dragons and ponies over here.




Sniffling, Flash had to struggle to keep his writing his steady.




Even the Princess?




Fenrir replied:




Of course.  Who else do you think supplied my Twilight with those leyline nullifiers?







Did Sunset or anybody say what they were for?







They said something about “safety first.”  When you think about it: almost seems pointless for a bunch of superheroines struggling to regain their powers suddenly wanting to have artifacts that would cancel out magic.  But then you come into the picture.







What do you mean?







Isn't it obvious?  With the Elements of Harmony out of the picture, the entirety of the known Harmonic Fountain is currently dried up.  That means that the Harmonic Well is the one and only living source of unbridled energy... even in its passive stance.  Right now, Flash Sentry, you are literally the only magical being existing on earth... at least who's not a chaotically-imbued supervillain like Juniper Montage or those... siren ladies.




Flash fidgeted in his Princess Peach nightie.  He scribbled a meek response.




I'm that special, huh?







Flash, dude, you are priceless.  Even if you don't have a roll to play in helping restore the Elements of Harmony, Sunset and Twilight and the rest are essentially sworn to protect you.  Heck... we are sworn to protect you!  Even over here!  In Equestria!  And... no pressure or nothing... but if you ever feel the need to talk or share or vent about this whole situation, we're just a penstroke away.




Flash sniffled again, staring at the lengths of the household... so large and spacious and inviting.  He still possessed Cadance's business card from earlier that day.  Somewhere, on his laptop, two glittery-girly e-mails of love and endearment lingered—sent by six adoring friends.  Now he was being virtually bro-hugged by a dog!dragon from another universe.

For all of the teasing and cheek-pinching he had generally received from Sunset since being scooped up in her amazonian arms...

...he had received a hundred times more in love, acceptance, and opportunity.  He felt—in some ironic way—like he was in a similar position to when he once basked in the support of his parents.  For months... years... he languished away in an unnecessary funk while they gave him hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to become more than he was.

The difference—ultimately—was that they wanted him to become something that his entire being was adverse to.

Sunset and the Elements of Harmony, however...

...were offering him a life that only ever existed in Flash's fantasies.

Why had he been fighting and resisting for so long?

Was it that he wasn't used to what Sunset and the girls were offering him?  The one thing that his parents and Magnolia never once promised?

Was Flash really... truly such a sad stranger to love?

Flash found a few polite things to write down and conclude his conversation with Spike/Fenrir.  Minutes after the fact, he couldn't even remember what he said.  He simply parted ways amicably and hugged the massive book to his tender chest.  Relishing a strange... new feeling bubbling up inside of him.  Something warm and toasty and tingly... like sparkles going off in his blood vessels.  It made him dizzy... like a four year old twirling in a pink bedroom while his godsisters giggled and complimented him.

He closed his eyes.

There was a mirror before him.

He waddled towards its.

Skirts dangled... lace and shine.

A hand reached out.

A name...

Flash's eyes opened before he could discern a single syllable.  His heart was racing, and his thoughts were on Sunset.

He very... very desperately wanted to talk to her.  Needed to talk to her.

However, the earthquake was persisting on the opposite side of the house.  Each time he thought it was subsiding—dissipating into aftershocks—an even louder tumult would follow.  The boi knew better than to second-guess the stamina of a magically-heated amazon.

So...

Flash decided...

...to just talk to the woman when she was done.





Hours later, the sun started going down...

...and Flash Sentry was still waiting.

When the boi first saw the guest room and the contents thereof, his imagination went to some pretty far-off places... conceptualizing the sort of things someone—or someones—might be capable of doing in there.

But he never once thought—even after years of having read and watched erotic content online—that any living thing could sustain a marathon of this nature for the same period of time that Sunset Shimmer was... “indisposed.”

And yet... there Flash was.  And there Sunset wasn't.  A guest room door and a symphony of muffled grunts/yelps/moans/whimpers/snarls/sighs separated the two of them.  And it wasn't as if Flash was lingering at the doorframe and intently listening in to catch every auditory detail.  Far from it—he was far from it, choosing to situate himself in the kitchen or living room or bedroom.  And still he caught an earful of the indiscernible vocalizations of delicious torture from the sealed portion of the house.  It was almost comical, and the lingering adolescent hornball inside of Flash would undoubtedly had been permanently turned on by the whole matter—had he not been wrestling with the fresh emotions of guilt and shame for somehow being responsible for Sunset running off and then going off behind a closed door.

The lonely boi did his best to bide the time...

He sat down at his computer, searching in vain for an e-mail from his family.  Still finding none.

He found some cleaning solution and put a shine to his sneakers.

He tidied up the house—even mopped the kitchen floor... an act that was somewhat difficult to fulfill, seeing as that mysterious smell still intoxicated him.

When hunger struck, Flash found enough greenery in the refrigerator to prepare himself a light salad.

He slipped a princess dvd into his laptop and watched it.

Then he watched a second film.

It became dark outside...

...and still Sunset remained a tremorous ghost, banging through the walls.

There was a pattern to it—Flash discovered.  Every now and then, Sunset would go silent—but the house would take on a new noise.  That of rattling and groaning.  It wasn't until he propped a stool before the kitchen sink to wash the dishes that he realized that the plumbing of the house was vibrating at full capacity.  Water was being rerouted to the guest room—and at intense pressure, too.  This would end after the space of five minutes, and once or twice he thought he noticed warm steam wafting out through the creases in the guest room frame.  But then—moments after the currents had run their course—the grand orgasmic barrage would continue... and the lonesome boi was left to his own devices.

The latter would prove rather anticlimactic.  For his last shower of the day—preparing for an inescapable sleep—Flash Sentry stood under the warm spray with a glazed expression and somehow he felt that he was... even limper than normal.  This was saying a lot from a sissy life that was lived flaccid, but Flash couldn't even feel an inkling of a rise—despite all of the auditory sensations he had picked up on for hours at a time.

The truth was he couldn't allow himself to feel joyful.  Because—despite what half of Sunset's moans might suggest—Flash had the unshakable impression that she was suffering... like a desert wanderer thirsty for water might suffer.  And... once again... he'd remember that he was the one who cast her off into the choking wilderness to begin with.  He had only meant to encourage her to relax around him... but it had the opposite consequence to what he had expected.  Now he felt responsible... sad... and more than a little bit lonesome.

He very very sorely missed Sunset Shimmer... and they had only been apart for a few hours... and yet they hadn't been.  All things considered, she was just a door-knock away... but Flash wasn't about to risk it.  For all he knew, in a show of concern for her, he might instead fling her even deeper into... into...

...heat?

Flash felt confused once more... and terribly helpless.  He had hoped that patience and good hope would have some “magical” effect, and Sunset would come walking out of that guest room any minute now and he could apologize and they could catch up and then they could cuddle up to some old wrestling videos like they did the night before and he would be swallowed up in her arms and her giggles and the smell of lilacs...

...just like that damnable scent from the kitchen that he had swept up without fully understanding...

Confused.

Simply... confused... and lonely.  What he wouldn't give for Sunset to pick him up and tease him and stealthily coerce him into wearing one of Apple Bloom's old Fall Formal dresses or something... anything... if it would just make her happy.  If it would just bring her here.

He wanted more than anything to just relieve the woman... and that longing didn't “excite” him in the slightest because he knew how impossible it suddenly was.  He only had himself to blame.

True to form, Flash Sentry had a good long cry in the shower.  It was not unlike the “cries” he endured for the years he lived on his shadowy lonesome.  Only this time... it actually helped him out.  Maybe because the spirit of Sunset and her words vaguely manifested themselves around him, and for once he knew to accept the cry for what it was... and what it meant for his sissy well-being.

He got out of the shower.  Dried off.  And slipped into the pink-pink nightie again.  Looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed... for he had nobody but himself to be pretty for.  And that felt hardly enough.

He made for Sunset's bedroom.  There, he sat on an ottoman and brushed his tangled hair straight a hundred times on each side like a good princess.  Part of him hoped that Sunset would walk in on him like this.  She'd witness him in the act and would smile in pride and hug him close.  But that never happened.  The guest room remained the noisy barrier between the boi and his savior.  Flash realized it was like waiting out a hurricane—it was best done in one's sleep when the anxiety of the wait could be done unconscious.

The boi left the bedroom door to the hallway cracked open ever so slightly.  Maybe he'd wake up to see Sunset emerging.  He let the tender bliss of that thought caress him—along with the lilac-scented sea of satin embracing his petite frame as he hugged a pillow to his chest...

...and drifted into lonesome darkness.





And then—a century later—he had to pee.

He awoke with a whimper.  Somewhere—in the back of his mind—there were the scant vestiges of a dream involving dragon dogs and a pony-shaped viking ship traversing an ocean of glitter.  Dr. Cadance was captain—or at least she wore a beautiful long-skirted sailor's dress uniform, complete with a matching hat and sash.  Flash took a delicate mental note of the last detail as he fumbled out of bed, crossed his slender legs, and more or less pogo-sticked his desperate self to the bathroom across the house.

Flash sat when he went.  He always sat when he went number one.  He was thankful that the one toilet in Sunset's house was designed for normal-sized people.  The poor boi always had a legitimate fear of falling through most seats without having to contemplate what it'd mean to utilize an amazon's nonexistent bowl.

His relief was short-lived.  The moment he stopped worrying about his bladder, he remembered why he hadn't talked with anyone in hours... and his heart sank again with a sad sigh.

Nevertheless, with dutiful motions, Flash flushed then washed his hands then returned to the bedroom.  Exhaustion caught up with him, and his bare feet side-stepped a few times across the plush carpet while he dizzily rubbed his eyes.  The house was dark—but distant night lights at the end of the hall cast a dim amber sheen across the corridor, allowing him comfort of navigation.  Flash was thankful for that.  Even when Sunset wasn't around, she was still somehow looking after him.

When he reached the bedroom, he heard the click of a doorknob turning... but it wasn't him.  He hadn't even closed the door behind him.

It was at that moment that his heart skipped a beat.

“!!!”

Bright-eyed and grinning, Flash spun to face the guest room...

...right as a massive figure stepped out.  A well-toned figure who was limping... with tired, sluggish motions.  A moist sheen glossed over her amber skin, accentuating every curve and dimple and muscle.  Her calves were taut with rigid tension, and her ankles arched to maintain her dreary, careening height.  The amazon's posterior was kissed with the same liquid that dribbled from her tangled mess of hair as well as trickled down her flexing shoulderblades.  Flash noticed all of this because Sunset Shimmer was as naked as the day she was foaled.

A startled squeak escaped the boi's lips before he could stop it.  “S-Sunny...?!”  He held a hand over his blushing lips like a dumbstruck damsel.

Sunset didn't pay his outburst any heed.  Probably because she couldn't hear it.  Probably because she couldn't hear anything.  Or feel anything.  The poor woman lurched as if with a drunken haze, and Flash noticed that she was clutching a length of towels that dangled from her limp wrist like a second skin.

“Grnnngh... mrmmrffffnngh...”  She took one step.  Flash saw—but didn't see—but totally did see two back-lit globules of ample bosomy goodness jostling with each movement she made.  The gun barrels had not receded, and their diamond-hard outlines sliced at the shadows between Sunset and the wall as the distance narrowed.  “Ffffffffff—!”  She slapped a hand out and caught herself against the lip of the hallway before she could outright collapse.  “Fuckin'... T-Tartarus...”  Sunset slurred.  Sunset heaved.  She was past whimpering or crying at this stage.  Utter exhaustion poured out of every orifice attached to her weathered lungs.  “Mmmmmmmmm... fuck...!”

Flash grimaced.  Normally, he'd rush to the valkyrie's aid, but the fact that there was so much... … … flesh between them made such a proposition awkward.  He was too overcome with anxiety and paranoia to make a quick decision.  Paralyzed for untold seconds, he simply watched with uncertain breaths as Sunset's leg swung wildly.

Wait... she was already standing on two legs...

Fatefully, Flash's eyes traveled down.

Something was peeking in and out from behind the shadows of Sunset's thighs.  A pendulum.  A peninsula, perhaps.  With each shadowed swing, it evoked images of child Flash's trips to the elephant paddock at the local zoo.  When at last it dangled to a stop, it reached just below Sunset's knees, and even in the amber backlight the boi made out pronounced lines.. ridges... veins that ended upon the threshhold of a flared head.  These organic lines matched the seams in a second pair of “breasts” that hung... from Sunset's undercarriage...?

“Just... fuckin'...”

Flash's bulging eyes darted to the woman's head.

She shuddered visibly as she ran her hand across her face... then gestured an index and middle finger into the air above her abdomen.

“...fuckin' go away already, Goddess-dammit.”

As she said this, there was a glow of gold light.  It first manifested along the extremities of the woman's lower silhouette... then traveled like yellow-and-black sparkles up all the outlines of her that weren't quite so “womanly.”  That weightedly pendulous length undid itself from end to base, vanishing along with the twin spheres that meatedly completed it.  The phenomenon looked not unlike bad 90s CG as filtered through a television smoke screen.  When the organic attachments had finally dissolved with sparkly clean golden goodness, all that was left was an immaculately clean womanhood... albeit haloed by a mist of otherworldly steam that too evaporated with time.

“Praise Celestia,” Sunset sighed with a slight touch of melody.  Still drunk with exhaustion, she nevertheless managed to stand upright, as if a horrendous anchor had been cast off.

But by the time her nude self had turned around...

...the petite witness had scampered off.  Flash ran, dove, and threw himself under the covers of her bed.  Trembling.  Shaking.  Not necessarily with fright, but with... with with...

Heavy footsteps.

He clenched his jaw.  His butt.  His everything.

The amazon shuffled past the cracked door to the bedroom.  There was a bout of silence... a sad, sleepy sigh... and then she carried her dinosauric self slowly towards the far end of the house—where there issued a thunderous slouching sound, followed by a pronounced grumble... then at last persistent waves of slumbering breaths.

Sunset Shimmer was finally asleep.

For the first time in hours, a beady-eyed Flash Sentry envied her.

There would be no sleep for the poor boi.  Only thoughts—soaring, spiraling, back-flipping thoughts—and a rapid heartbeat that would not quit.

Straight on until morning.
> The Long and Short of It
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penises are pretty great.

Truly, they are.

They're well-balanced.  They adapt to the weather.  They're portable (they come in handy).  They can be either compact or large.  They emote.  They fit into tight spaces.  They have at least two adjustable modes of fire.

They're also stupid as Hell.  Dumb, meat-headed, meaty things.  Emotive, too.  You'll never meet a stoic penis.  They can be read like books and sometimes be as thick as them too.  In the end, penises are deliciously predictable.

Penises are like dogs, really.  They always appear happy, and even when they're sad they're funny to look at.  Just like a dog, you can train a penis as well.  It takes some time, but if you put your mind to it... or moreover away from it, a penis can truly go the distance.  And when you cage penises up, it becomes a whole new ball game—both puns intended (or distended).

You can write an entire thesis paper on the topic of penises—namely how they relate to men... aside from being physically attached to them.  With a biological male, there's so much hanging out in the open.  Sex—and sexuality—remains a corporeal thing.  A penis is like an exclamation point that refuses to go away.  When a male comprehends sex—even with nobody but women—they're constructing an elaborate and visceral sentence, but there will always be that exclamation point at the end(!)  There is simply no way to imagine the scenario without the penis involved, even if it's paraphrased.  That's why there will always be some homoerotic element to a man contemplating or observing erotic encounters, even of the heterosexual variety.  For to ascertain the sexual pleasure involved they have to think through the penis currently at work, even if it isn't their own.  The penis always steals the mind's attention, no matter the goal it's scuba-diving towards.

For some people—like Flash Sentry—the mind isn't just stolen.  It's enthralled.

For Flash, the penis was always wholesomely relateable.  And that's no big brainer.  He was born with one, and throughout his entire life he kept one...

Well... half of one... or maybe two thirds of one... … … a quarter-phallus?

Alas, Flash never experienced the “full monty,” so to speak—even by his precious lonesome.  And he knew it wasn't just his beleaguered adolescent imagination.  There was something very different... very lacking in the young man's department of dicketry.

Flash simply couldn't achieve full-mast.  He was piloting a schooner while the young men all around him were captaining galleons.  And it wasn't that he couldn't receive true pleasure from his rudder wheel.  It's just that there was nothing to grip.  He went into puberty expecting to wrestle a python but ultimately refereeing a spaghetti strand.  Even still, the snake was no less hungering for eggs from the chicken-coop.  But rather than bend to its... bending... Flash explored the extent of his creative faculties and—in so doing—discovered a gazillion tiny erogenous zones all across his dainty body.

But he never really called any of those a “victory.”  As a biological boi, he still felt the void left in the wake of that long, long coveted exclamation point(!!!)  And in every adult movie he watched or erotic novel he read, he envied the studs that could complete the sentence he always wanted to, when instead he himself was forced to resort to a slow, trickling, dribbling ellipsis...

That jealousy—a literal penis envy—became an all-out obsession, so that his mind chose the path that many other men his age legitimately took but would forever refuse to share with even their closest familiars.  Flash came to admire the penises more than any of the other organs that would present themselves to him, be it cinematically or imaginatively.  Most men who admire penises do so because they can share in the mutual pleasure of what the dumb organ brings their dumb heads.  With Flash—it meant a transcendent step that he could never take.  All the male peers around him took for granted their ability to lift off, but he'd forever be squatting on the launch pad... drowning in wasted rocket fuel. 

And it wasn't so much that he always wanted to have a larger member... or even a fully-functioning member.  Yes, he went through a phase in early puberty where he felt unjustly robbed by the whims of wankery.  But—in time—his melancholic side took over, and he simply... settled for all the inches he couldn't fathom.  And what was once envy turned into true blue(balled) admiration.  All those hours spent coveting the penis evolved into wanting to consecrate it.  The penis reaching a climax no longer meant bliss for him—but rather bliss for a superior other.  Suddenly, manifesting the climax of the penis was infinitely more important than manifesting the penis itself.

And with such a thematic turn of the knob—deep within Flash's pink and fluffy head—he started envying the people who received the blessings of the penis rather than those who possessed it.  And since most movies and literature Flash read involved women in the subservient role... he started admiring the position of submissive femininity.  Which was great, because he already adored women.  But not just from a sexual standpoint... but also from an aesthetic one.  After all, he had been admiring feminine, girly, princessy things since long before there were any balls to drop.  So it wasn't all that terrible of a stretch to suspend himself in that pink pink place and render it a sexual slot for praying to the Divine Phallus.

As a result of this mindset—combined with an ever-evolving affinity for homoerotic literature (most of it Japanese)—Flash developed a love for both the masculine and the feminine.  Both sexually and psychologically.  His imaginative mind expounded upon the crotch and bloomed outward, admiring women for their grace and beauty and men for their strength and assertiveness.  He loved women and how they dressed and how they expressed emotions and how they balanced empathy with self-respect.  And he also loved men and how they showed—... how they wore—... how they spoke about—... alright, so he just liked their dicks, okay?

In all seriousness, Flash's sexual attraction to men was weighed less on their own handsome merit but rather on how he himself could be utilized as a means for bringing about that phallic, penile pleasure that the boi could never personally achieve.  He had those kinds of fantasies about women too, of course, but he could relate to masculine orgasms better... or at least he believed he could.  For all his own feminine qualities, he still couldn't quite unlock the Pandora's Box of... The Box.  He always imagined that if the time came that he'd have a chance to “service” a woman, he would simply rely on her guiding touch to point him in the right direction—because there was no way in sexual purgatory that he was going to make her happy with his sorry excuse for genitalia.  But seeing as how expecting that was asking a lot from a feminine partner—and he hadn't even remotely gotten that far with either Sunset or Twilight—Flash long assumed that the day may come when he'd have better luck making a man... come.

If it all sounds terribly confusing, that's because it is... and it was... and poor Flash resolved himself to a virginal fate a very... very long time ago.  His fantasies were usually very nebulous things that didn't always involve actual sexual acts.  He'd just dream about being a pretty princess dressing up, and that was enough to go to town on a soft pillow.  Yes, he'd dream about Prince Charming, but that usually ended at a ballroom dance or riding away in a wedding stagecoach.  In all situations where Flash had to put himself in bed with someone—anyone—the suspension of disbelief was simply too big of a dip for him to come out the other side... coming... so even in his poor imagination he was starved.

Truth is, if Flash had his way, he'd take the best of both worlds—the elaborate artistic beauty of a woman and the dumb meaty meathood of a man and slam them both together into a turgid homunculus perfect for the pleasing.  That way he could admire the aesthetic quality of the partner but also have a complete and total read on their pleasure.  In all cases, he'd still be the subservient one, giving his all in worship of the unisex deity.  It was a fantasy reserved for special occasions, and Flash only dredged it up from his subconscious when he wanted to take a moment to relish in the joy of impossibility.

And impossible—it remained...

...until now.

Flash Sentry's life suddenly had a penis.  A very huge penis.  A very huge phantom penis... that appeared to be attached to none other than his ex-girlfriend and current-not-so-sex-friend-friend.  It was the greatest thing he never asked for.

And yet... he felt anything but aroused.  (”Flash wept.”  ~Sissy 11:35.)

The poor boi was driven to insomnia with fear, uncertainty, anxiety, and even nausea... and it kept him up all morning.  By the time the sunlight rose through the morning windows of Sunset Shimmer's house, the young man could no longer pretend to sleep.  He sat up in the woman's sweet-smelling bed and gazed out across the gray haze of her domain.

What if Sunset Shimmer had just... chosen to relay this information far sooner?  Granted, it wasn't much of a proper conversation-starter, but it certainly explained a lot about how... randy she and the girls were.

The girls.  Jesus Christ on a pogo-stick... were they all endowed too?

It would... make sense in so many ways.  The heavy emphasis on sex.  The supremely private social clique all seven of them had formed.  The water-proof furnishings of the guest room and the abundance of shower faucets and drains to wash away all of the... “consequences” of possessing big throbbing joy sticks.

Sunset had spoken about how she and the girls no longer needed to eat or produce waste.  It was evident that magic had done something to their metabolism.  Now—as Flash had discovered—it had done something to their undercarriages as well.

How long ago exactly did they undergo such a transformation?  Was it right after graduation?  Was it during the time Flash Sentry vanished from the corresponding social circles?  What came first—the amazonian growth or the other growth?  Were both physical phenomena related?

Flash hugged his knees to his chest as he sat on the edge of Sunset's bed.

Sunset had been able to... make the penis ”vanish” on command.  But did she really have such control over it?  She had hobbled out of the kitchen half-a-day ago—right after Flash had triggered an erotic monologue.  And for hours and hours and hours after that, she was locked up in the guest room, evidently struggling to relieve the unrelievable.

That didn't really qualify as “control” at all!  Over twelve hours of intense self-fondling, and Sunset limped out of the guest room only to resemble a disgruntled zombie...?

The boi bit his lip.  He wondered if Sunset had managed to get any sleep.  Any rest whatsoever.

He very very very much wanted to talk to her... but he was afraid that the telepath would have picked up on the discovery he had made.  She seemed in a pretty dreary state hours ago when he accidentally caught a peek of her.  There was no telling what she sensed or didn't sense.  The last thing Flash wanted to do was violate her trust, but there didn't appear to be any way out of that now.  Since the previous morning at Cadenza Corp, Flash felt like he was making one horrible mistake after another... slowly stripping the valkyrie of all her strength and resolve.  It was not a state he enjoyed seeing her in, and he longed for a way to right things.

This longing finally brought him out of the bedroom altogether.  He shuffled meekly through the house, his soft girlish feet padding across the plush carpet.  He slowed his gait, peering anxiously into the living room.

Sure enough, there was a massive maidenly form slumped across the couch in the main area of the home.  Sunset's haggard figure lay beneath a mass of tangled bedsheets and blankets.  She looked as if she had limped across the house and simply collapsed there in a state of... flaccid being.  No doubt she was nude under all that closet-harvested fabric, but Flash didn't find the situation very titillating.

The boi stood on the edge of the adjacent hallway, touching his tiny fingers to each other, fighting a huge lump forming in his throat.  He looked at a clock situated on the wall above a bookcase.  He saw that it was approaching ten in the morning.  It was early... but not grotesquely “early.”  He contemplated this because he knew what he wanted to do now.

On soft feet, he retreated from the front of the house, careful not to make a sound.  The pink Princess Peach bedshirt swished around his petite figure as he made his way back into Sunset's bedroom.  There, he knelt by his pile of belongings and produced his cell phone.  After fishing around a bit more, he found the business card that Cadance had given him.

Flash hesitated for a moment.  He fidgeted on two tender feet, his insides turning over and over.  A slight mistiness crossed his eyes, and he swallowed his hesitance away.

At last, he dialed the number on the card and cradled the phone to his ear.  The line dialed and dialed and dialed and—

-click-

“Dr. Cadance speaking.  Who is this?”

Flash cleared his throat and squeaked forth:  “Dean Cadance—?”  He winced.  “I mean Principal Cadance—“  He winced again.  “I-I mean—“

“Ah!  Flash Sentry.  So nice to hear from you.”

Her voice was so pleasant.  So motherly.

It eased the boi immediately, and he slumped against a bedpost, breathing easily into the gray morning haze.

“I... I'm really sorry for calling so early...”

“Don't be.  I told you that you could call me at anytime.  Besides... my day starts at seven in the morning.”

“Whoah... really...?”

There was the sound of her swallowing coffee on the other end.  “A company this huge won't take care of itself.  Especially with all of the projects I have running at the same time.  But never mind that.  What do I owe the pleasure?”

“H-huh...?”

“I have time to spare, Flash.  You have my sole attention.  Please... talk to me.”

With sudden butterflies in his stomach, the boi glanced all about the room.  A tiny layer of sweat formed across his tender temple.

“Is... everything alright?  I can't help but feel concerned, Flash.  You sound... somewhat nervous.”

The young man face-palmed with his free hand.  Great.  Another woman who could read him like a book.  He really was a helpless sissy.

“Flash...?  Flash Sentry?”

“I-I'm sorry, Doctor Cadance...”  He finally managed to mumble.  “I didn't mean to alarm you.  Everything is fine.  Honest, it is.”

“Are you sure?  Remember—you can tell me anything.”

He glared across the room.  “Do you worry about me?  Being with Sunset... that is?”

There was a brief moment of silence.  When Cadance finally spoke, her tone was calm, composed, and sisterly.

“I'm concerned that an attitude of objectivity is difficult to maintain in the exact place where you currently are at.  And—knowing what I know about the Elements of Harmony and how important magic is to them, to us—I personally feel that you deserve to look at where you are from the outside before you make any major decisions regarding where you fit in the future of it all.”

“L-Let me put it another way... if you d-don't mind, Dr. Cadance.”  Flash gulped.  “Do you think I have anything to be afraid of?”

There was a longer pause.

Cadance's sigh was audible.  “I must admit that I... probably gave you a very bad impression: Speaking to you the way I did... as if I was some sort of... intercessor.  The truth is, Flash, that there is nobody on this earth—aside from my husband—whom I trust more than the Elements of Harmony.  Twilight's like a sister to me, and so are Sunset and the rest of the girls by relation.  But while all of that is true, the situation has changed.  There's a new element in the mix.”

Flash exhaled.  “Me.”

“That's right.  And with the recent drought in the girls' magical abilities, I think... I feel that they need to take some time and truly... closely examine the part you have to play in all this.  From the way I see it, they're acting as if they can treat you just like they treat each other.  The rules of magic—albeit chaotic—appear to be on their side in such a regard.  But what makes my relationship with the girls so special is finding a way to bridge the gap between magical reality and scientific reality.  I truly fear that their sincere belief that you can fit into their circle is motivated by a purely subjective experience: what, with being in the nexus of Equestrian magic's manifestation in this world and all.  It's not that I think that you shouldn't be so close to them.  I just feel like issuing caution... restraint... and more than a little bit of patience.  But—I must admit—I'm not nearly as much an expert on the nature of their magic as they themselves are.”

Flash sighed quietly, gazing at the brightening morning light as it settled across the room.

Cadance picked up speaking again:  “I know I must be complicating things for you—which is the last thing you need.  Nevertheless, I just... wanted to give you an outside ear to talk to.  I'm with the girls through thick and thin, but I want to be there for you as well.  You mean so much to them—but even besides that, you're a remarkable human being on your own, Flash.  You deserve guidance from all places... from all perspectives.  I just want you to have every opportunity that you can get.”

At last, he found the strength to speak up again:  “Would you... be willing to answer some questions... like... if I was curious about... s-some things...?”

“Without a single hesitation, Flash.”

“So... uh...”  Flash's eyes darted around the corners of the room.  “...you really pay for all of the girls' stuff, huh?”

“... … ...Indeed I do.  Although, I thought we had established that yesterday.  Nevertheless... ahem.... their homes, their vehicles, their tools as the Elements of Harmony out in the field.  Then there's the manor—which most of them have been using, lately.  But this is not to say that the girls are bereft of income on their own.  Applejack and her family make a humble living.  Rarity's got a very lucrative fashion business going on with her partner Coco.  Twilight's quite the scientist and Rainbow's coaching for CHS—”

“Wow...”  Flash began pacing.  “...Rainbow's a coach now?  That's so snazzy.”

“I'm surprised Sunset hasn't told you any of this.”

“We... mostly talk about me,” Flash said.  “She's very... very intent on talking about myself.”

“Are you fine with that?”

“I can tell she's trying so much to help me find myself.  At first, it was a little bit unsettling.  But... now that I look at it...”  After a shuddering breath, he changed the subject.  “And... uhm... Equestria.  Apparently Sunset and the girls are still in contact with the Princess...?”

“Yes.  That is true.  They have open communication to Her Royal Highness at all times.  What's more, there's constant visitation.  There's even a portal in the manor.”

“Wow...!”  Flash paced faster and faster across the bedroom.  “...another p-portal!”

“Well, there are several gateways to Equestria in this world.  Most of them are hidden.  The one in front of CHS has been nullified—for public safety.  The one in the manor was relocated from a remote island in the Caribbean.  Now that's an epic story of Cadenza Corp undertaking worth talking about—”

“Yeah... uhuh...”  Flash chuckled breathily, gulped, then fought a curtain of sweat.  “So... is it true that Sunset Shimmer has a giant penis?”

Dead silence.

Flash pirouetted to a stop, cradling the phone delicately to his shivering chin.  “Cadance...?”  His face reddened all over.  “...Dr. Cadance...?”

“You...”  The CEO's stately demeanor fumbled for a steady tone.  “...when...”  A coughing noise.  “Did... she...?”

“I... kinda saw...”  Flash bit his lip.  “...mmmmm... by accident...”

“Flash.  Nobody sees another person's genitalia 'by accident.'”

“B-but it was, though!”

Her voice sounded a mix of stern and worried.  “Have you been made to do anything you're not comfortable with—?”

“Wh-what?!  No!”  Flash winced, flashing a worried look to the hallway door.  He lowered his voice into a hushed squeak:  “I swear—!  I-I was getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and I saw her coming out of her guest room and... and... and...”  A long sigh.  He slumped down against the bedpost and brought his knees to his chest.  “...I saw something I wasn't meant to.  And I think Sunset was too wasted from... erm... using the guest room for twelve hours that she didn't even notice me... n-notice her.”

Silence... then Cadance droned:  “She was in there for twelve whole hours?

“Uhhhh... yes?”  Flash's eyes darted left and right.  “You know about her 'guest room,' huh?”

“Flash, who do you think helped engineer them?”

“You mean there's more than one?”

“Sunset's home.  Twilight's home.  A new 'barn' at the far corner of Sweet Apple Acres.  Half of the manor is basically furnished with—“  Cadance tripped over her own words.  “Twelve whole hours...???”

“Isssss...”  Flash clutched at the pink fabric of his bedshirt.  “...that b-bad?”

“Flash, I know it's none of my business, but I'm compelled to ask anyways.  What happened on the way back from my company's headquarters?”

“I... kinda sorta... t-told her about the conversation you and I had.”

“I see...”

“And... well...”  Flash curled up even tighter where he sat, feeling small and guilty.  “...it opened up a whole lot of stuff.  Things that I didn't know... things that I was starting to guess were true.  A lot of things started making sense.  And... and I know you're probably worried that Sunset might hurt me or something...”

“Now I never said that, Flash...”

He went on anyway:  “It's a legitimate worry to have.  And I don't blame you.  If I was on the outside looking in—I'd be worried too.  But... it's... it's a lot more delicate than that.”

“... … ...I'm listening.”

“All this time... the reason Sunset's been so slow in revealing stuff to me is that she's concerned for me, y'know?  She's... in this really rough spot, Doctor Cadance.  She's starving for magic.  She's got a possible solution to that starvation.  Her friends are all depending on her to get their superpowers back.  But... like... to make any of that happen... she and her friends have gotta get down and dirty with the Harmonic Well.  But... she doesn't want to do that.  I mean, she does... but she also doesn't... and she won't.”  Flash gulped hard.  “Because the Harmonic Well is me.  A friend.  An ex.  A human being... and she's trying her darnedest to give me the space and comfort and respect I deserve... … ...even though everything about this universe and its rules of magic maintain that... n-none of that matters...?”

Silence.

Flash stammered into the phone:  “Does any of that make sense?”

Cadance replied in a calm tone:  “It makes perfect sense.  And you're right, Flash.  From the outside looking in, there is every reason to worry.”

Flash looked down at the floor.  “For the briefest of moments... I-I got angry with her, Doctor.  And my anger m-made me... p-put her in a really vulnerable spot.”  He sniffled.  “And suddenly it all made sense to me.  This whole game of... teeter-tottering between despair and desire hasn't just been my own.  It's been hers too.  It's been hers far more than it's been mine.  She's just... had the strength and grace to hide it better than me.  And yesterday when I confronted her on it... she broke down and revealed everything to me.”  A defeated breath.  “Or... so I had thought.  Turns out, there was another secret that wasn't related, and...”

His words had trailed off, and it took Cadance a moment or two to fill in the gap.

She did so with a question:  “What exactly did you see?”

“Uhm... uh...”  Flash adjusted the frilly collar of the bedshirt.  “...it... it w-was really huge...”  His pupils shrank.  “Like... earth-shatteringly huge... and... uhm...”  He gulped.  “...she made it... disappear?  Like... with a wave of her hand?  There was this golden light and... the whole thing vanished.  That was the last thing I saw...”

“So you didn't see it form?”

“F-form...?”  Flash's eyes darted back in time.  He remembered Sunset spasming at the end of her aroused speech.  He remembered hearing what sounded like a waterfall... then seeing puddles on the kitchen tile immediately after her hasty exit.  He remembered the smell.  So intoxicating.  “But... like... where d-does it come from?”  He winced.  “And where does it go?”

“I... well... ehm...””  The businesswoman fumbled on the other line.  “It would perhaps be best that you talked to Ms. Shimmer about this—“

“Doctor...!”

“I know.  I know.  But I am serious, Flash.  If after all that you two have been through Sunset still has chosen not to touch this subject, then it must be for a significant reason and it's for the best of your relationship—however you wish to define it—that you breach it as soon as possible.”

“Sure.  I get it.  But... please... so I'll have something to work with when I do... c-can you at least give me the lowdown?”

A quiet sigh, but then Cadance quickly acquiesced:  “Shortly after Twilight and the girls started growing exponentially in height, they began... manifesting 'masculine' genitalia.  This latter phenomena also grew to ridiculous proportions over time.  The manner in which the genitalia appears breaks all rules of applicable science.  It is more or less 'summoned' from a 'fountain' of magical Equestrian energy tethered to each of the girls' beings, and will likewise vanish after its... “purpose” is sufficiently fulfilled.  The summoning requires intense passion—moreover of a state of sexual arousal... something which is also prominent in the girls since their transformations began.  In fact, the masculine endowment has coincided with their altered metabolism, increased strength, and superhuman immune systems.”

“So...”  Flash's toes curled and uncurled as he contemplated the matter.  “...when the penises are not summoned... they're just normal women?”

“Flash, what's 'normal' about being seven foot six while possessing the stature, voice, lungs, heart, and nervous system of an average-sized female adult?  Did you know that—scientifically—their circulatory system shouldn't even be capable of operating in the way that it does?  It's almost as if each of the girls have been cocooned in a... spatial bubble of causality that simply functions independent of normal laws of physics in this dimension.  When they summon their new genitalia, it's also a very otherworldly thing.  Their bodies certainly aren't capable of giving such organs the mass and blood-flow that's required to sustain them.  And that's speaking nothing of the sheer quantities of fluids that they can produce.  All in all, it's as if their lower abdomens have been rewritten in order to... house a sub-dimensional rift through which these physics-breaking manifestations can occur.  Honestly, if we simply asked one of Twilight's friends to lock herself up in an examination room for an entire year, we'd learn countless secrets of the multi-verse...”

“Their lower abdomens...”  Flash said out loud.  For some reason, that particular detail weighed on him.  “... they can't poop... they can't pee...”  All of a sudden, he let loose a high-pitched gasp.  He flung a trembling hand over his mouth as his eyes watered.  “Oh gosh... oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh...”  His voice wavered.  “Doctor... can... can they no longer h-have babies...?”

Cadance was silent for a bit.  At last:  “Before and after the genitalia is summoned, their bodies possess the same birth canal and intestines as they were born with.  But—during summoning—that same anatomy takes on an entirely different shape.  One simply cannot go through so much metamorphoses and expect to function as nature originally intended.  What's more... their menstruation cycles ended before the first of the most dramatic transformations.  I... could go into more detail, Flash, but—suffice to say—I'm sorry to confirm the truth for you.”

By now, he had completely collapsed.  The boi wept quietly, his tears blanketing his free hand as he wiped his face dry... fussing to keep from staining the phone.  Flash couldn't stop thinking about how lovingly Sunset had treated him since the day she scooped him up from in front of CHS.  His mind dwelt on the close, intimate relationships the seven had formed with one another.  Polyamorous and trusting.  A union like no other.

Cadance spoke in a comforting tone.  It was more than obvious that she heard his delicate sobs:  “Your concern for the girls is pure and inspiring, Flash.  But please do not let your heart weigh so heavily.  We... Twilight and Sunset and even Her Majesty have been looking into ways to manipulate the magic and perhaps even undo some of its more... severe effects.  It's not certain what can be done—if anything can be done—but... suffice to say... the girls have more than adjusted to the nature of things.  Whatever they may or may have felt that they have lost, they have gained so much more in each other.  In the end, we are all still friends who depend on each other.  The same is true of the Harmonic Fountain and the Harmonic Well.  We might know the implications of how you and the girls are related... but I think—more than anything—they would be delighted to know that you care so much for them... and I have no doubt that they would find immense comfort in your empathy.”

Flash wasn't ready yet to form words.  He cried into his palm, his clenched eyes envisioning all the times that Sunset had smiled at him recently.  How he wished he could hug her—but he knew it wouldn't match his feelings.  He'd always be a tiny pea compared to her immense, motherly presence.  There was no way his arms could wrap around her in the way that she deserved it.  How hard it must have been going through life so epically large and yet having so many reasons to be cradled and adored.

At the core of his being, Flash wished he could somehow soothe... heal... relieve someone like Sunset.  His mind was too accosted by sorrow at the moment to bother contemplating the implications of such an intensely carnal need.

“I... I-I'm sorry, Doctor... I just...”  Flash whimpered, still trying to sit straight.  “...I... I almost wish you could have been where I've been.”  He sniffled, staring across the foggy room.  “How warm and... comfortable I've been... that Sunset has m-made me...”  He shook his head.  “...she's d-done so much for me and I f-feel like I've done nothing... absolutely nothing in return and I... I... I-I want—“

“The last thing you'll want to do is a task of obligation,” Cadance said.  “Besides... we both know that Cadance would not prefer it that way.”

Flash gulped, nodding invisibly to the voice.

“Flash, I've dabbled in education... psychology... economics... medicine.  In truth, my career has been all over the place.  I only picked up the mantle of my company so that I could help out the Elements of Harmony and capitalize on the breakthroughs that their magic has made possible.  But if there's anything that I do consider myself an expert on—as conceited as it sounds—is love.  And you, my dear friend, are a creature of love.  That does not mean that you are a vessel for sex and pleasure.  But... you are quite truly a wellspring of sincerity, beauty, and loving-kindness.  I sense it through the girls when they speak of you... and I witnessed it myself during our brief but blissful conversation.  I have no doubt that you'll make the best out of what you've learned.  And Flash...?”

He gulped and managed a tender:  “Hmmm...?”

“You can share this love... without having to share your body.  But you can also do both.  The choice is yours.  It is yours.  Above all else, respect yourself.  Will you promise to keep that in mind?  Will you promise to keep that to heart?”

Flash nodded.  And he was smiling.  The tears had almost cleared, and the scent of lilacs had returned to his senses... carrying with it the memory of Sunset's face.  Her warmth.

“I will, Doctor.”

“Please, call me Cadance.”

“Okay, Cadance, Doctor.”

A sigh through the other line.  “Oh Flash... I can already tell I'm going to enjoy having you around.”

And the boi giggled.
> "Ehhhhh.... What's Up, Dick?"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer was a drooling mess.  Scarlet bangs lay in tattered tangles across her face, shoulder, and collar.  The valkyrie's upper half was less lying on the couch and more draped off the cushioned edge, with a lengthy forearm dangling over her brow, across her hair, and hanging the empty wrist in the stale air of the living room.  Her other arm was crookedly hidden beneath her torso and the mangy mess of bedsheets covering her slumbering figure.  One leg had somehow positioned itself upwards, sloping over the back of the couch, and the other foot peeked through the crooked curtain of off-set blankets.

This was hardly a snapshot of grace or beauty.  Any chance at pristine aesthetics was further shattered by her occasional snort or snore.  Once in a while, Sunset would cough or sputter... and this would add to the drool.  The pony-human-amazon-woman simply trilled, stirred in her sleep, and settled back into the living crater that she had become.

All remained so chaotically serene...

...until a soft hand drifted into frame, gripping a smartphone.  A music app had been switched on, and after the device was nestled gently in the sea of bedsheets beside Sunset's head, a tiny finger tapped the overtly-large “play” icon.

The phone played A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes at a low... slowly increasing volume.

“Grnngh... mllppffiiimmm...”  Slowly, eyeball after eyeball, the slumber-slaughtered redhead awoke.  She licked up the drool crusted to her chin, swallowed once or twice, then lethargically scoured the ceiling with half-dead eyes.  At last—as the song reached the uppity moment when Cinderella's mice and songbirds joined in—Sunset's gaze settled on a tiny, demure thing squatting beside the couch.

“... … ...”  Flash Sentry smiled back.  “Morniiiiing...”  He sing-songed beneath his breath, a most heavenly and harmonious thing.  With puppy dog eyes, the boi lifted a white plate full of bright orange stalks.  “I made you breakfast!”

“... … ...”  Sunset stared deadpan at the offering of long, thick carrots.

“Okay... so...”  Flash fidgeted, eyes cast aside guiltily.  “It's not so much that I made you breakfast as I... fetched some of the carrots you've got stuffed in your refrigerator door and put them on a plate.  You got so many of these things in there that I figured it was a normal meal for you so I washed a bunch off that were still fresh and—“

“Shit... shit!”  Sunset sputtered and gnashed her teeth.

Flash jerked back.  “Wh-What?  What's the matt—?!”  He flinched as Sunset's fist flew towards him.

But the valkyrie was reaching past the boi, stretching, lifting up and almost exposing her bare breasts beneath the blankets with how far she lunged.  Before Flash could guess what was going on, he saw her arm retracting back to herself—fingers gripping a beaded bracelet from her purse on the table.  There was a momentary breath of panic as she fussed, fumbled, and ultimately succeeded in fitting the silver beads neatly over her wrist.  At last... she breathed calmly once again in the presence of the femboi.

Flash exhaled with relief as well.  “Cool.  So that's... taken care of.”  He raised the plate of veggies up to her gaze once more, smiling in earnest.  “Morning munchies?  You should totally fill your stomach.”

“Mrmmmnghhh...”  Sunset stirred.  She tried tossing her hair, but most of the fiery threads simply fwomped back into her face.  “Dammit...”  Grunting, wincing, she hoisted her massive body up into a sitting position.  This proved challenging—what, with the mass of blankets barely clinging to her bosom.  She made like a good rated PG-13 actress and hoisted the fabric up along with her, covering her torso and abdomen just below the collarbone as she attempted to adapt to gravity, wakefulness, and the morning light.  “Mmmmrnghh...”  Her head evidently didn't agree to the gesture, and she winced from her skull to her spine to her pelvis and back again.  “Nnnnngh—Fuck!”

The boi winced again.  “Okay... so... erm... maybe you don't have a stomach to fill after all.”  He tried to stand up with the plate, looking towards the kitchen.  “Bad idea.  Let me at least get you some orange juice or—“

“No,” the giantess spoke.  With the tug of two fingers, she effortlessly yanked him back to his knees.  “Food.”  She then reached onto the plate and plucked two carrots into her palm.  “Now.”

“Oh!  Uhm... gr-great!”  Flash smiled from ear to ear, sitting pretty in the Princess Peach nightie.  He watched with contentment as his lumbering ex snapped both carrots in-twain with a single bite.

She chewed slowly... slowly... like a drunken sea cow after having spent all night watching a sad movie.  Her hair was like if you took the movie Brave, stuffed it into a pickle jar, shook it for ten minutes, and tossed it across a mannequin's bust.  Her gaze followed the path of her heavy bangs and stared down at the floor—avoiding the boi's gaze.

As the seconds rolled by—and the only thing of note was the crackle of the carrot bits in Sunset's mouth—Flash could not help but wince.

“Ah jeez... it isn't much of a breakfast, is it?”  He gulped.  “I should have known better than to assume that just because you used to be a magical horse lady that—”

“No.  It's good.”  Sunset managed between scarfing scarfs.  She swallowed a chunk of carrots down and found a better breath to clarify:  “You were right.  I keep all this stuff in the fridge for a reason.  It's my go-to for... go-to's.”

Flash cleared his throat.  “So... it's scrumptious enough?”

“Meh...”  Sunset managed, still avoiding his gaze.  She clutched the bedsheets tighter to her bosom, squirming back into the cushions of the couch.  Even with her massive girth and ample beauty—she somehow looked and acted smaller than the dinky specimen of manhood squatting in her shadow.

“You... you didn't eat at all after we came home from Cadenza Corp,” Flash stated.  He adjusted the plate in his grip; his poor sissy wrists were getting sore from sustaining the weight.  “I know you don't metabolize like you used to, but I'd expect myself to be famished if I was you...”

“Meh...”  Sunset managed again.  She took another bite, rubbed her head, teetered slightly.  “Mrmmmfff... Goddess...”  Her eyes squinted past him, observing the gray godrays of morning light wafting in from random windows.  “What... time is it...?”

“Uhm... a little bit past eleven?”

“... … …?”

“Sunset... it's... it's tomorrow...”

She nearly choked on the carrot bits.  After a snort and a whimpering noise, she was able to belch through:  “I went at it all day...?!?”

Flash glanced aside, delicately clearing his throat.  “You left and... you... didn't eat... and you didn't sleep... but then you did sleep... aaaaaaaaaaand...”  He fluttered his eyes at her with a hopeful smile.  “Here we are!”

“Fuck... fuckin' Tartarus...”  Sunset rubbed her head.  “Fuckin' Tartarus on fire...”

Flash winced, slinking back with the plate in his tender grip.

Sunset must have seen it.  Her expression lightened—if only by a bare fraction.  She reached forward, grabbed another carrot, and took a bite off its end.  After a few munches, she produced:  "Mmmmmm..."  And she even managed a hearty wink through her disheveled hair.  "Reminds me of home."

"That's a good thing... yes...?"

She sighed in between bites.  Swallowing.  "Things were an awful lot simpler, then."

Flash blinked at her.  "Er... well... at least you get your exercise these days..."

"Celestia..."  Sunset groaned again, shaking her head.  "Over twelve hours..."

"Yes, well..."  Flash smiled hopefully.  "At least it's vanished now—!"  His pupils shrank, and the boi bit his tongue.  But it was too late to unsay what had been said.

Sunset Shimmer stopped cold in mid-munch.  Her eyes slowly turned to fixate on him.

"Erm... uhhh..."  Flash squirmed.  "What I meant t-to say was—"  He fidgeted a bit too much, and finally his prissy wrists gave way.  The young man gave a girlish yelp as the plate of carrots flew from his grasp...

...only for Sunset to catch it.  She held the plate of vegetables effortlessly between them, and her voice droned cold and heavy:  "You saw me."  Another dense breath.  "You saw it."

Flash cowered slightly from her.

She exhaled in a defeated tone.  "I thought I caught an inkling of a memory... right before I put the bracelet on just now.  You saw it."  She clenched her eyes shut.  "Of course you saw it."  She suddenly hissed at herself.  "Stupid... stupid bimbo... what was I thinking..."

"Sunset..."

"Stumbling out of the last rinse in my birthday suit..."  She dropped the plate onto the table's edge and huffed into the space between.  "Shoulda bolted the door shut.  Shoulda locked myself in.  I always become an idiot... a brainless, bloodless idiot unless I check myself..."

"Sunset, it's okay..."

"... ... ..."  She merely stared into the upholstery.

"Really, it is.  I... I'm not freaked out or anything.  Just curious..."  He sat down on folded legs and gazed up at her.  "Why didn't you bother just... telling me before?"

"About my magic wand...?"

"Hee-hee-hee!!!"  Flash exploded, then slapped two palms over his mouth.  Blushing furiously, he lowered his head and toyed sheepishly with a lock of blue hair.  "Erm... yeah... that..."

“Given the circumstances...”  She grunted under her breath as her whole body shifted.  Flash watched as the amazon—clutching the blankets to her breast—stood up and sat casually against the back of the sofa.  “...it wasn't the best way to lead into reunion.”

“How so?”

Sunset rolled her eyes.  Hard.  “'Why, hello there, Flash Sentry!  What's it been?  Five years?'”  As she rambled, she tried in futility to straighten her frazzled crimson bangs.  “'Oh, by the way, I have an enormous fully-operational phallus that protrudes from my snatch whenever I get super aroused!  So how are you doing!'”

Flash attempted to shrug it off.  “All things considered, would it really have mattered what you said?  I woke up in the house of an amazon, either way.”

“Flash... sweetie...”  Sunset sighed—but endearingly.  “Think about it.  Put yourself in my shoes.”

“M-my ankles would slip th-through...!”  He braved a joke with a crooked grin.

She merely glared.  “There's just... so damned much that I have to juggle with explaining to you.  You think I was gonna immediately come out with... discussing the thing that comes out?!”

Silence.

“I-I guess you have a point...”  Flash delicately touched his fingers together as he sat on the floor.  “Still... it just bothers me.”

“What bothers you, Flash?”

“All this time... you have to think about me so much and about yourself so little...”  His empathetic eyes darted wide and round towards hers.  “Y'know?”

“For crying out loud, Flash...”  She chuckled in a bittersweet tone, tossing her messy hair again.  “I'm more self-centered than you give credit for.  You honestly believe I was 'thinking about you' for twelve-plus hours yesterday after I disappeared?”

He bit his lip.  “Weren't you, though?”

“... … ...”  She slouched defeatedly in her couch.  “Okay.  You got me there.”

Flash sighed, hanging his head.  “It's all my fault.”

To that, Sunset legitimately squinted.  “How in the Hell...?”

“When we talked—our conversation in the kitchen.”  He cleared his throat.  “I-I drove you to distraction.  Remember?”  He fidgeted shamefully.  “I had you take off the bracelet and talk dirty and everything.”

“I could have said no, Flash—”

He clenched his tiny fists and exclaimed:  “I m-made you vulnerable and-and-and exposed and it wasn't nice at all!”

“You were totally being nice to me!” she insisted.  “You could tell that I was... o-on edge ever since Cadenza Corp and you were just...”  A soft smile.  “...trying to help me get some relief!”

“And... did you get some...?”  He looked up at her with a sincere expression.  “Did you finally relieve yourself?”

Her lip quivered as she sat there, staring down at him.  Flash's heart broke to see a tear suddenly running down her cheek.  The valkyrie sniffled and practically whimpered to the walls:

“No.”

Flash grimaced.  “After... all that time?  I... I heard you, Sunset.  For... for hours...”

She wiped her cheek as more tears ran down.  She looked towards the ceiling with a shudder or two.  “It... it doesn't matter how much I release.”  A hard gulp.  “Because of this world's damnable magic... unless it's done the right way... the way the Harmonic Fountain intends it to...”  Her words trailed off, and she merely shook her head.

Flash felt a lump forming in his throat.  “I... I'm so sorry, Sunny...”

“D-don't be...”  She cracked a tender grin, attempting to deflate the moment, but she was still sniffling as a few fresh tears formed.  “That's just the thing, Flash.  You didn't ask for any of this either... and it's not like you... c-cursed me or anything...”

“If it feels like a curse, Sunset...”  Flash gulped.  “...why not just hop into Equestria?  Wouldn't that help you cool off?  You and the girls?”

“And leave this world unprotected by magic?”  She shook her head.  “The Elements of Harmony don't play that way.  Some things are worth fighting for... or at least living with.”  She gulped.  “Besides... it's not all that bad.  At its worst... it's almost like being in heat back home.”

“Being in heat...”  Flash thought aloud.  “...you mean like a cat?”

Sunset sighed.  “More like a horse, Flash.”

He winced.  “Wow.  That happens to ponies too?”

“Dear Luna, yes,” Sunset groaned.  “It's so prolonged and intense.  Practically painful.  I guess—courtesy of ancient sorcery—symptoms akin to estrus have followed me through the portal to this world!  Lucky me!”  She dryly chuckled.  “Except... whenever it struck—the girls and I were able to stave it off by... being there for each other.... in the b-biblical sense.”

“But now?”

“But now...”  Sunset sniffled, wiping the last tears away.  She sighed, curling up and hugging her massive legs to her chest beneath the blankets.  Again—for such a large being—she looked incredibly small.  “...it's like diminishing returns, Flash.  If I was to go to the manor, reunite with all the girls, and experience... what would be akin to a twenty-four-hour orgy... then maybe... just maybe I could wear this shit off.”  She shook her head.  “But it'll only get worse.”

Flash gulped.  “Until the Harmonic Well plays its part with the Fountain.”

Sunset closed her eyes and shook her head.  “It doesn't have to be that way.”

“Doesn't it?”

“Not everything is set in stone.”

“Except that it is.”

“Dammit, Flash...”  She opened her eyes to glare at him.  “I want to consider all options... including the ones that aren't obvious.”

“Even when the solution is so clear cut?”

“Not to me, it isn't.”  She frowned.  “Flash, there a lot of things—and I do mean a lot of things that I've accepted over the past few years.  So many consolations and sacrifices.  But it was all fine because it was just us—me and the girls.  And we've managed.  But now?  I... I'm not going to cross this boundary unless I have to.  You're not going to cross this boundary.  Nobody's... f-forcing anyone to do...”  She grimaced at the tail-end of her speech.  “...anything...”

Silence.

Flash gazed at her.  “This is what the magic comes down to, isn't it?”  The sissy bravely swallowed.  “Forcing a giant square peg into a tiny round hole.”

Sunset bit her own tongue, hugging her knees tighter.

“That's what you meant when you spoke about the Harmonic Fountain being intimate with the Harmonic Well.  It's about filling that 'well' with what spouts the 'fountain.'”  He breathed out the side of his mouth.  “I'm literally effed.”

Sunset snorted—if only in a knee-jerk reaction to how PG-Rated that last statement was.  “Well... let's face it.  It's not like your manhood was going to accomplish it.”

He nodded through what most would consider an insult.  “Instead... it's the manhoods of seven women.”

“Flash, honestly, it's not exactly written in the stars that—”

His face scrunched.  “What kind of ancient sorcerers would imbued the magic of this universe with this kind of an outcome?”

Sunset exhaled.  “Very very horny ones.”

“Yeah...”  Flash nodded.  “Fair enough.”  And with that said, the boi climbed up on the couch.

Sunset flinched instantly.  “Flash!  What are you—?”

But the tiny twenty-two-year-old merely squatted beside her, hooked an arm around hers, and side-hugged her blanketed frame.  He leaned his dainty frame into the amazon's—endearingly—and gazed melancholically into the remaining shadows of the room.

“I'm so sorry all of this has happened to you, Sunset.”

She sighed melodically.  “Oh, sweetie...”

He nuzzled his cheek into her shoulder.  “It's really stupid and unfair.  At least you girls should have had a choice in the matter.”

She reached over with a rattle of her beaded bracelet and caressed his head and hair.  “Same with you, Flash.  You never asked for any of this.”

“But with me... it's not so bad.”

“Pfffft...”  Sunset rolled her eyes.  “You can honestly say that?  After all these years?”

“Yes...”  He gazed up at her.  “Why can't I?”

“Because...”  She spoke warmly, stroking his cheek and chin.  “All your life... being smaller and more delicate than everyone else.  Being confused as to why you were so much like all the girls and so less like all the boys.”  She gulped.  “Obsessing over things that made you so happy inside and yet feeling unnecessarily ashamed for it...”

His eyes narrowed.  “And when was the last time I felt tortured by something that was inside of me?  Like an invader that didn't belong?”

She bit her lip.

His eyes fell somewhere along the lines of where her blanketed abdomen would be.  “Where... d-does it even come from?  Is it like the claws of a cat or—?”

“Magical bullshit,” Sunset droned with a tired smirk.

“... … ...care to be more specific?”

“I really can't,” she sighed.  “It... my womb isn't what it used to be, Flash.”

He flinched hard upon hearing that, stifling a sympathetic whimper.

“Everything down there has been... rewritten.  It's less of a biological set of organs and more of a... vacuole for housing an incredible fountain of magical energy.”

“Does... it hurt?”

“Not at all!”  She tickled his chin and offered a hopeful smile.  “At least not like you think!  In fact, if it was a matter of a brand new sex organ being stored in my butt like a bee-stinger... that would be painful.  Thankfully, it's not.”

Flash took several deep breaths.  “Wow, Sunset... that bee analogy... really almost m-made me barf just now.”

“Sorry...”

“Don't be.”  He looked up at her.  “So, in short, it's nothing icky or painful?”

“Painful, no.  Icky...?”  Sunset shrugged.  “That's a matter of perspective.  But... suffice to say... under the right stimuli, magic conjures the... you-know-what from pure energy.”

“And it... just comes out?”

Sunset nodded.  “Ready and willing to serve.”

“And all this time... you and the girls...?”

“Most of the time.”  Sunset cleared her throat.  “For some of us—half of the time.  Rarity and Fluttershy—in particular—put off unsheathing until it can't be helped.”

“'Unseathing?'”

Sunset rolled her eyes and chuckled.  “Yeah.  Well... that's what we've ultimately called it.  Pretty spot-on analogy, really.”

“Better than bee stingers.”

“And... when it's outlived its usefulness...”  Sunset motioned with her fingers—a gesture he had spied on in the dark hallway the previous evening.  “...we sheathe it right back.”

“So... it disappears?”

“It's as if the magic that conjured it has run out,” Sunset said.  “We all can feel it... sense it being drained.  And that's when... for the time being... it can be put away.”

“And then what?”

Sunset took a deep breath.  “Rinse and repeat when the mood hits.”

Flash thought of the guest room.  “Rinse and repeat...”  He tongued the inside of his mouth.  “Rinse.”

“It...”  Sunset's teeth showed as she glanced aside.  “...gets messy.”

Flash gulped.  “Like how messy?”

“Really.  Fucking.  Messy.”  Sunset sighed.  “Our bodies couldn't logically... produce that much... you-know-what.”  She cleared her throat delicately.  “Again... chalk it up to the Harmonic Fountain of magic housed inside of us.  Same source that it unsheathes from.”

“But it's all real?”

Sunset snorted.  “What do you mean?  Of course it's real.  Just because it comes from magical bullshit doesn't mean it doesn't... come come.”

“But... if you and the girls—like Rarity and Fluttershy—only let it come out 'half of the time.'”  Flash chose his words delicately.  “Isn't there the risk of getting pregnant?”

“Tartarus, no!  We don't get pregnant!”  Sunset scoffed.  “Thank Celestia—we haven't had to worry about that for years!  Just like we haven't had to worry about metabolism or sickness or—”

Flash gazed woefully at her.  He looked hurt.

Sunset blinked.  “Oh.  Oh.”  With a tender smile, she stroked his cheek.  “Flash, you little sweetheart...”  He hugged her close.  “Trust me.  We've adjusted.  We got over that a long time ago.”

He sniffled sympathetically, snuggling into her embrace.  “Are you s-sure?” he asked in a shaky tone.

“Well...”  Sunset gazed off.  “To be honest... I was never a fan of the things a human woman has to go through on a monthly basis in this world.  Heh... you wanna talk about curses.”  But she cleared her throat.  “Am I fond of the fact that I could never have children in this condition?  Well... first of all—even if I hadn't become an Element of Harmony—I would still have gone back to Equestria to mother foals.  This world is nice and all, but such a hypothetical future would be spent back home.  Not here.”  She breathed thoughtfully.  “I still imagine it as a possibility, really.  But a distant one.  I'm always telling myself that this Equestrian Magic business will someday blow over and I'll be at enough peace to return to Equestria.  But with each passing year... that becomes less and less of a reality and more of a fantasy.”

“You deserve any reality you put your mind and heart to,” Flash said, his voice still wavering.  He trembled with emotion.  “You really do.”

“Awwwwww... honey...”  She squeezed him lovingly.  “Will you stop being so sappy!”  She tilted his chin up so he could see her gentle smile.  “I mean it when I say this: we've adapted to what the magic has done to us!”

“Why...?”  He whimpered.  “Because being the Harmonic Fountain dulls the sorrow with pleasure?”

“Just because we were all born female doesn't mean we all absolutely wanted babies.”  She stroked his shoulder and shrugged.  “Of course, I won't pretend that all of us have been completely unfazed.  Applejack—in particular—has always wanted to carry on her family legacy.  But in the last few years, she's more than accepted that she won't be spitting any brats out any time soon.  Besides... Big Macintosh is already married and Apple Bloom is such a drop-dead gorgeous goddess of a woman that she's already got—like—a gazillion suitors lining up.”  Sunset fidgeted.  “And then there's Fluttershy...”

Flash blinked at her.

“But... with Fluttershy...”  Sunset's face was caught between a smile and a grimace.  “...things are... erm... different.”  She cleared her throat.  “Then I guess Pinkie probably fantasized about having kids one day... but it's hard to tell what weighs the most on Pinkie Pie's heart.  But... none of that really matters.”  Sunset smirked at Flash.  “Because we're working on something.”

The boi squinted.  “What do you mean...?”

“We... have a mutual friend back in Equestria,” Sunset explained.  “She's basically our official/unofficial doctor.  She pays regular visits and she performs multiple experiments on magical artifacts—alongside Cadenza Corp.”  Sunset stroked the boi's bangs.  “She and Twilight and I have a few experiments lined up that might just make it possible to undo the power of magic in this world—at least long enough for any one of us to... well... become fertile again.”

“Really...?”

“Granted, one of us would have to be localized to one central environment at the combined focus of a localized spell... and it would also restore the subject's metabolism, frailty, and original imperfect immune system...”

Flash bit his lip.

“And then that subject would have to stay that way for nine months... or until however long it would take from conception to delivery.”  Sunset shrugged.  “Orrrrrrrr... anyone who wants to get knocked up could just make a trip to Equestria with their betrothed and do it there... come back a year later with a bouncing baby pony-human-boy-or-girl.”  She coughed.  “It's... crazy as pregnancy plans go.  But—when has pregnancy never been crazy.”  She winked.

Flash sniffled, rubbing his cheek dry.  “I just don't understand how—”

“How what?  I can sound no nonchalant about it all?  Flash... sweetie... when you grow to be seven foot six and you can read minds or make shit float or punch holes through semi-trucks and you have a giant functioning penis that manifests from your lady loins... like...”  She shrugged.  “...where do you pick and choose?  Where does one choose to start or stop screaming in existential horror?”

He gazed helplessly at her.

She hugged him close, leaning down to kiss his forehead.  “We're fine, Flash.  We've all wrestled with the heaviness of it all ages ago.  And... for what it's worth... it's not all that bad!  In fact... sometimes it's awesome... heh...”  She smiled, blushing slightly.  “We've found ways to enjoy the benefits when they rear their ugly heads—literally!”

“Yes... well...”  He muttered, scrunched up against her blanketed form.  “...except for yesterday.”

Sunset went silent.  She gulped, glancing aside.  “Yes... well...”

“Why a penis, though?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Flash parted the hug just enough so he could look up at her.  “Why—of all things—would the magic of this world do this to you?”

“Well, Flash...”  She caressed his silk blue hair again.  “...wouldn't we agree that the Harmonic Well—for whatever reason—bestowed a great deal of feminine energy to you ages ago?”

He slowly... helplessly nodded.

“Well...”  A wry smirk crossed the amazon's lips.  “...ta-daaaaaaaaaa...”

“So... it imbued you and the girls with something masculine...”  The boi grimaced.  “But... why?”

“Ancient kinks for ancient finks.”

“Still doesn't explain anything...”

“I think it does.”  Sunset said.  “After all, the sperm that we... uh... produce can't get anyone pregnant.”

“I thought that it was just because you and the girls were rendered infertile.”

Sunset was dead silent.

Flash blinked.  His eyes then widened.  “Wait... who else has been...?”

The valkyrie coughed delicately.  “I won't... name any names,” she said.  “But... at least one of us has gotten friendly with one or two people outside of our social circle.  And... needless to say—no.  Magical sperm from magical dicks do not lead to conception.”

“But I thought you said it was real.”

“Pffft—as real as it can be!  Really warm and—”

“Okay... okay...”  Flash shivered.  “I get it—but who would have done something so stupid and dangerous?”

“It was long ago,” Sunset droned.  “Before our amazonian bodies took off... when the genitalia first started conjuring.”  She sighed, eyes rolling.  “Somebody decided to experiment with a few of her closest gal pals and... thank Celestia... nothing bounced out of it.”

“... … … … ...it was Rainbow Dash, wasn't it?”

“Snrkkkk—ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”  Sunset laughed so hard that the sofa nearly tipped over.  She wiped at her eyes, chuckling windily.  “Whewwwwwwwww...”

“Well?”

“I can n-neither confirm nor deny.”

Flash squinted.  “Are you sure?”

“Pretty dayum sure.  But—long and short of it...”  Sunset looked at him.  “No matter how big the hammer—none of us can knock any of us up.”

Flash leaned against her again, exhaling.  “I guess it's better that way.  Still... it's gotta hurt.”

“What's gotta hurt?”

“Well... y'know...”  Flash gulped.  “...if the hammers are big...”

Sunset blinked.  Then she snapped out of it.  “Oh.  No.  That's never an issue.”

“Huh?”

“I mean... it is an issue... but... we never even have a chance to hurt each other.”

“How so?”

“Because...”  Sunset shifted her weight on the couch.  “...we can't even begin to try.”

“... … ...I still don't get it.”

“We never penetrate each other, Flash.”

He looked up at her.  “Never?”

“Never ever.”

“Just... don't like doing it that way, or—?”

“I mean we physically can't,” Sunset said firmly.  “Our hammers—... our dicks are just too damned big.”

“... … ...really?”

“Yes, really,” Sunset growled.  “If anybody in this universe would know this is true—it's us.”

“You... can't ever put them inside each other?”

Sunset chuckled.  “Do I have to put a drawing on the marker board?”

“I-I'm sorry!  I just... but...”  Flash's face scrunched.  “...how do you—?”

“We get creative,” Sunset explained.  “Toys.  Tools.  Lotion... the works.”  She hummed.  “And—in the end—it all comes down to finding the right way to get handy with one another...”  She tongued the inside of her mouth.  “...a bit of lip-service goes a long way too.”

“Wow, really?”

“Mmmmhmmmmm...”  Sunset smiled rosily.  She attempted to keep a dignified expression.  “Really.”

“But... if they can't fit down there—“

“Notice how I said 'lip-service' and not 'throat-service',” Sunset said.  “There are... well... there are limits, Flash.”

“Limits...”

“Hard.  Limits.”  She gulped.  “And believe-you-me, what we wouldn't give for a chance to someday feel what it's like to... to sheathe these weapons in a way that wouldn't make them disappear.”  She sighed dreamily.  “But instead in a warm... soothing... relieving way that nature intended.  Magical bullshit nature...”

Flash looked at the floor.  He looked at the ceiling.  He looked at the invisible stars beyond.  And then—his tender tiny lips produced:  “The Harmonic Well.”

Sunset said nothing.

“The Harmonic Well!”  He looked at her.  “That... This is what it's all about.  I'm what it's all about!”

Sunset continued to say nothing.  Sweat formed along her neck and brow.

“Sunset...”  His lips pursed.  “...I'm the hole.”

She snapped:  “You're so much damn more than a hole—!”

“You know what I mean—!”

“Of course I know what you mean!  Flash, I've known what it means before I found you!  Before I knew that the Harmonic Well would be—“  She grimaced, unable to finish that sentence.

“But... Sunset...”  He breathed tenderly.  “...if seven superhuman tall women couldn't fit them inside each other...”  His eyes narrowed.  “...how could any of you possibly fit them inside me?”

Sunset avoided looking directly at him.

“Sunny...?”

She hesitantly spoke:  “It's... virtually impossible for those things to come out of us in the first place, Flash...”

“Meaning...?”

“Meaning...”  She tensed up, still avoiding his gaze.  “...the necessary balance... the union that this world's magic calls for between the Harmonic Well and Harmonic Fountain would... make it possible... no matter what.”

He gulped.  “No matter what.”

“No matter what.”  She shuddered, adding:  “Twilight and I have run several test experiments... using samples of our blood and... other fluids.”  A slight cough.  “And... while we've n-not been able to create any of the hypothetical scenarios in the lab... what we've seen manifested in the converging leylines seem to suggest that... the impossible is very m-much... possible...”

Flash looked left... then right... then up at Sunset.  “Would it hurt?”

She was sweating profusely now, her face stretched in both embarrassment and concern.  Flash felt as she squeezed his far shoulder tenderly, holding him closer.  “Aye.  There's the rub.”

The house fell into silence.

Flash was the first to move, to speak.  His voice was a tender melody:  “Sunset... Sunny... if that is what it would take to relieve you and the girls and restore power to the Elements of Harmony—”

“It doesn't work that way—!” Sunset hissed.

“But... you just said—“

“It shouldn't have to work that way!  You...!”  She winced, gazing away with moist eyes.  “...we can come up with something.  I'm sure of it.”

“Sunset...”

“There's a reason why I took so long in telling you everything, Flash.  I'm a coward.  No matter what, it all comes to this... this... damned brick wall.”  She sighed, shuddering.  “I put it off forever because I thought I could fill in the gaps with... making you comfortable.  Making you happy... and all the while I had the far off notion that I could somehow fulfill both your dreams and our needs at the same time and... and... and... it would always come to this dead end.  This dead end without a solution.”

“But... there is a solution, isn't there?” Flash asked gently.  “I mean... yeah... it's scary.  But it's also—”

“I refuse to let there be no other option.  Flash... sweetie...”  She gazed down at him with a teary expression.  “You did not ask to have things get so complicated.  To have so much pressure placed upon you.”

He stared firmly back at her.  “Sunset... my entire life has been complicated from the start.  For years—before and after you—I've wrestled with headaches and heartaches of my own.  But you and the girls?  Consider yourselves in this matter—”

“Oh, I've considered myself well enough, Flash.”  She frowned, wiping her eyes dry as she stared off with a huff.  “You're just... too sweet and forgiving to bother seeing it...”

“Are you saying I'm naive, now?”

“Teasing you the way I have... dressing you up... digging into the pinkest parts of your mind and feeling how you tick just... j-just to get my jollies...”  She groaned at herself.  “Well, I got my jollies all day yesterday and what did it bring me?”  She released her hug of the boi to grip her skull through her hair.  “Rrrrnnghhh...”  Her body shook, causing the couch to shake.  “Fucking dammit... sometimes... I swear... I just wanna plug it all up so it never friggin' comes out ever again...”  She shook her tangled mess of a head.  “I can't do this.  I can't live life with two stupid brains!  It was so much simpler just to fight evil magic and come back to chill and party with the girls... but this?  This is stupid and unbearable...”

Flash's heart ached for her.  He reached a tiny hand out to her side.  “Sunset...”

“Friggin'... dumbass bimbo with a dumbass bimbo snake between her legs...”  She sounded close to hyperventilating.  “I used to read minds from half-a-mile away... now I can't even navigate my own!  So... clouded with all this... rnnngrh... horny magical bullshit...”

“Sunset...”  Flash touched her shoulder.  “Sunset...!”  He tugged at the blanket.

Sunset gasped, grasping the fabric before it could come off—as if there was anything left between them to expose.  She gave the boi a weak, frightened look.

He merely smiled up at the giantess.  “Let's go out.”

Sunset blinked.  “...go out?”

“Yeah!  Outside!  For a drive!  A walk!  Anything!”

She sniffled, rubbed her face, and slowly shook her head.  “No.  No, Flash... going outside is the last thing I wanna do right now—”

“Which is exactly why you should do it!”  He beamed.  “We should do it!  Not get cooped up in this depressing... dreary house...”

“It's... a nice house that Cadance built—”

“You know what I mean!”  Flash stroked her shoulder.  “Sunny... I hate seeing you like this.  You're beautiful and you're amazing and you deserve the light of day.  Let's go out somewhere.”

“... … ...”  She squirmed in her seat.  Sniffling, the woman brushed at her tangled bangs.  “I'm... I'm a friggin' mess.  I... I at least need to shower...”

He giggled.  “Stole the words right out of my mouth.  Mine if I take a shower afterwards?”

“... … ...I really don't feel like going out anywhere today, Flash.”

“Pleeeease...?”  He clasped his hands together.  “For me?  I promise that you'll feel better afterwards.”

“Guhhh... don't give me those eyes.”

“What?”  He fluttered his eyelashes.  “What eyes?”

Sunset groaned yet again.  Slowly—draping the blankets around herself like a robe—she rose from the couch.  “Fine.  For what good it will do.”

“That's a b-better attitude than none!”

“Only for you, Flash...”  And she shuffled off, still aching from the previous day.

He knelt on the couch, calling after her.  “That's right!  Pen it on me!  I can take it!”  His eyebrow twitched.  “The blame f-for going out!  I mean!”  As she walked off, he exhaled... breathing to himself in quieter and quieter tones.  “I can take it... I can t-take it...”

The boi wrung his hands nervously.  Tugging the lengths of the pink nightshirt down across his knees, he looked to where the plate of “breakfast” had been placed.  He leaned over, squinting at the long, hard, narrow, turgid stalks of carrots.

“Ugh...”  He “bopped” himself lightly in the head multiple times.  “Ugh ugh ugh ugh... what was I even thinking?  He face-palmed, curling up alone and timid in the corner of the couch.  “...shoulda served her eggs instead.”
> Not a Foot Fetish Chapter But an Incredible Simulation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For starters:  a stone gray hoodie—not too big and not too light.  Its short sleeves and lower hem were laced with a narrow turquoise fabric.  Then—beneath this—Flash Sentry wore a simple pair of military green cargo shorts.  This article had large functional pockets on the legging: enough to store plenty of tiny valuables in.  Nevertheless, the boi elected to bring the same burgundy purse from yesterday, and even though it didn't match any of the gray, turquoise, or green of his ensemble... he still planted it comfortably in his lap as he slid into the passenger seat of Sunset's specialized car... letting his sandal'd feet dangle just above the floor.

The young man couldn't help but smile.  It was a simple, no-nonsense casual outfit... very unisex.  He might have even imagined himself wearing it out in public in the lonesome days before he met up with Sunset again.

And in speaking of the valkyrie, she found the time to shower, put on makeup, and dress in a t-shirt, jacket, and jeans.  It was a crisp autumn day yet again; much of the rain and clouds from the previous two days had completely faded.  A beautiful afternoon stretched brightly before the two as Sunset turned the ignition.

"So..."  Sunset breathed, tossing her hair back and adjusting the rear-view mirror.  "Where to?"

"I dunno," Flash said with a shrug.

She squinted down at the boi as she put on her safety belt.  "It was your idea to go out for a drive."

"Well..."  He moved the purse so he could slip on his own safety belt.  "...what say we just... let the road take us where it wants to?"

Sunset nodded.  "Sure."  Her bracelet rattled as she switched the gear into reverse.  "I can do that."

"And... uhm..."  Flash fidgeted in his seat.  "Th-thanks for the outfit."

"Oh...?"  Sunset looked over her shoulder and watched for traffic as she backed out of the driveway.  "You like it?"

"It's just... comfy."

"It's not exactly fabulous."

"That's fine," Flash said.  "I'm not really in the mood to feel fabulous today."

"What a coincidence," she droned.  "Neither am I."

"But I am in the mood for 'comfortable.'"  His eyes swam innocently towards her.  "So long as you get to feel so."

She stifled a sigh.  "One turn signal at a time, eh, sweetie?"

"Sure thing."

They evened out onto the road.  Sunset put the vehicle into drive.

Flash suddenly had a thought.  He looked at his outfit.  He pulled the stretchy fabric of the hoodie and let it settle back.  Then... with a tired breath... he smiled at Sunset again.  "These are Scootaloo's hand-me-downs, aren't they?"

"Mmmmhmmm..."  Sunset nodded.

"Thought so."

And at last, Sunset smiled.

She placed her amazonian foot on the accelerator, and they cruised ahead at a lively speed.





Sunset Shimmer had a CD player in her car, and she slipped in a disc full of tunes to quietly bide the time.  It was some form of alternative rock album from a decade ago.  Flash felt that it matched the pace of the blurring scenery as they fled the city and road along the lower mountain pathways.

The boi twiddled his thumbs, sitting calm and quiet in the passenger seat.  Every once in a while he'd steal a glance at the amazon with her hands on the wheel.

Sunset Shimmer's expression was fully absorbed into the road ahead of them.  Flash could even notice the flicker of lane lines as they reflected off her glossy turquoise eyes.  She looked neither melancholic nor joyful—just preoccupied.

The young man imagined that a woman her age had enough on her plate without having to be a telepath with vacillating superpowers.  On top of that, she had to deal with all manners of absurd transformations to her body.  His sympathy ever so slightly eclipsed his curiosity, and afraid of talking too much about the relatively moist topic that had absorbed their dialogue earlier that day, he braved a different subject matter altogether:

“So... uhm...”  He cleared his dainty throat and aimed a gentle smile in her direction.  “I've always wondered—what, with you being a Grade-A musician and all...”

“Hmmm...?”  She hummed in response, her hands still on the wheel and her eyes still on the road.

He cocked his head aside to consume her peripheral vision with cuteness.  “What's the first kind of music you ever listened to when you came over?”

“You mean when I hopped portals from Equestria?”

“That's right.”

Sunset took a deep breath.  “Well... I told you all about my music interests, Flash.”  She clenched her teeth.  “I friggin' forced you to play only my tunes back when you were the one driving me around, after all.”

“Sure... but...”  He gestured, smiling sweetly.  “What was the first music you ever listened to?  Like... first disc that you popped in!”

She finally took a half-second to glance at him.  “First CD, you mean?”

“Yeah, sure!”

The woman rolled her eyes at herself before confessing:  “It was a learning CD.”

“... … ...learning CD?”

“Yes.  How to speak basic English for Koreans.”

There was a very long pause.

“Buh...?” Flash finally issued in a girlish octave, his face scrunching adorably.

Sunset was already groaning to provide an explanation:  “My first week here, I learned that English was the primary language spoken on this continent, and in my quest for power it seemed the most important language for me to master.  But by the time I was halfway through the disc, I realized it was the language my human self was already speaking when I emerged from the portal.  I didn't have to learn anything.”

“Why Korean?”

“... … ...huh?”

“You said it was an English CD for Korean speakers...?”

“Oh.”  Sunset shrugged.  “On the artwork for the CD, Korean characters resemble the alphabet used in Equestrian Basic.  So... I went with that.”

“Does... that mean all horses speak Korean?”

“No, Flash, Equestrians do not speak Korean,” Sunset groaned, although the corner of her mouth curved slightly.  “But world-jumping unicorn powermongerers on their first week in Homo sapienland might get a bit confused.”

“So wait... ponies and humans don't speak the same language?”  He blinked.  “Or use the same alphabet?”

Sunset shook her head.

“But... how—?”

“The body isn't the only thing that changes when we jump through the portal,” Sunset explained.  “The mind also adjusts to human language, comprehension, and perception.”

“So... if I jumped through the portal into your homeworld...”

“...you would automatically know Equestrian Basic on the other side.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh...”  Flash nodded.  “So maybe that explains how I was able to understand Fenris—“  The boi slapped his hands over his mouth.

“... … …?”  Sunset looked over, curious.

“Mmmmmm...”  Flash scrunched up in his seat, legs and toes curling.  “Okay... confession time...”

“You communicated with Spike?” Sunset asked in a calm, curious tone.

Flash gulped.  “Y-you're not upset...?”

“Sweetie, why would I be?”

“Cuz it's your book...”  Flash still squirmed guiltily.  “Your magical glowy book:  it's your possession.  Your means of communication.”  He brushed his blue bangs back.  “It'd... b-be like if I used your cell phone without your permission or something...”

“There's nothing in my magical journal that I wouldn't let you see,” Sunset said, carefully navigating a bend in the road.  “Unless of course if I thought it was a matter of interdimensional security... in which case I would use a censorship spell to black it out from all eyes...”

“So...”  Flash started to breathe more calmly.  “...you don't feel like I've invaded your privacy?”

Sunset stifled a snort.  “What could you possibly do anyways, Flash?”  She smirked.  “Tell the Princess I'm a doo-doo-head?”

He giggled breathily, then glanced out the window.  “Anyways... it wasn't Twilight.  It was Spike.  Our Spike.”

“Figures.”  Sunset nodded.  “If it was Her Majesty you 'talked' to, I'd have run out of pages by now.”

Flash bit his lip.

“I'm only teasing, sweetie,” Sunset said.  “What'd Fenris have to say?”

“He was... really happy to chat with me, it seems,” Flash said.  “Heck... you can go back and read our conversation yourself.”

“Maybe I will.  Maybe I won't.”  Sunset shrugged.  “When it comes to that journal, it's future conversations that are more important.”

“I-I promise that I didn't go back and read any of the other pages—!”

“Flash...”  Sunset smiled warmly.  “It's okay.  I promise.”  She cruised down a straightway that edged a mountain.  “If I didn't want anybody looking at that book, I wouldn't have had it out in the open.”  She glanced at him.  “I trust you, y'know?”

“Because I'm too much of a sissy to hurt a fly?”

“No, that's why I adore you.”  She stuck her tongue out and giggled before breathing calmly at the road ahead.  “I trust you because you're one of the most sincere people I know, Flash.”

“Well... that's very nice of you to say.”

“You're very nice.”

He rolled his eyes.  “Seriously, though...”  His finger traced the edge of the car door window.  “...Spike... Fenris was just so calm and supportive.  I can tell that... uh... he knows a lot about what you and the Elements of Harmony are going through.”

Sunset nodded.  “We're all in this together.”

“I feel...”  Flash bit his lip, hesitated, then finally said:  “I sense that... that it's like I'm looking in on a huge family.  A huge, loving family.”

“You don't say...”

“But I do say.”  He looked at her with bright blue eyes.  “You... the girls... Cadance... the Princess... Fenris and the rest of the ponies... dragons... creatures in Equestria...”  He swallowed.  “Not to mention all of the folks working at Cadenza Corp.  It's all just so... so large and wholesome and amazing...”

“I'm a lucky woman,” Sunset admitted.  A slight smirk.  “And a lucky pony.”

“... … ...I feel kinda stupid in hindsight.”

“Pffft—what on earth for?”

Flash hung his head.  “I could have been a part of that... a part of all that... if I hadn't been such an emo, mopey loser back in the day.”  A sigh.  “Instead... I ghosted on the whole lot of you and just... drifted away.”

“Hey... no hating on yourself,” Sunset said.  “Y'hear me, Flash?  You've had a lot on your plate.  And considering all the stress and needless pressure that your family put you through, how can you be blamed for hiding from the limelight?”

“Yeah, well, you and the girls have a heck of a lot of pressure and stress and you still persevere.”

“We aren't nearly as outgoing and social as you think, Flash.”

“But... how could that be?”  He blinked incredulously.  “You're the—”

“—Elements of Harmony.  Right.”  Sunset nodded.  “The paragons of friendship.  Only... well... magic has certainly complicated things a lot of that, hasn't it?”  She carefully turned along another bend in the road.  “We've moved beyond friends to become friends with benefits.  And as fun as those 'benefits' have been... they've also been binding.  And they've forced us to close in on ourselves... become tighter and more niche and... well... estranged.”

“Like... cuz of the whole superhero shtick?”

“We've got a lot of secrets to keep, Flash,” Sunset said.  “And... unfortunately... it's caused us to branch out less when it comes to the whole friendship angle.  The way we like to look at it... or philosophize it... is that we're doing what we can to save lives and secure peace.  That way... friendship can be assured... because people will be alive to last long enough to make friends in the first place!”

“You're a real blessing to this world, Sunset,” Flash said kindly.  “All of you are.”

“Well, we gotta do it behind masks most of the time.”  Sunset looked at him.  “If anyone's ghosted on anybody it's us—to the rest of the world.”  She sighed.  “And to you.”

He smiled.  “You're here with me now, aren't you?”

“Half of me is,” she grumbled.

The boi blinked.

“The other half has to be chained down or else it'll smother you,” she grumbled some more, gazing at the road again.  “I swear... why couldn't we have been the Nuns of Harmony?  It would have done you a lot better.”

Flash opened his mouth... but figured there was nothing he could add or subtract from that.  So, instead:  “You never answered my first question.”

“... … … huh?”

“What was the first CD you listened to?”

“I told you.  It was that Korean to English learning CD—”

“Sunnnnnyyyy...” he protested cutely.  “I mean your first music CD!”  He bore a bright smile.  “I wanna know the first tune you ever rocked to!”

Sunset bit her lip.  “I'll... tell you another time.”

“Oh?  Is it that embarrassing?”

“No.  Other reasons.”

“Why can't you just tell meeeeeeeeeee...”

“Don't use that begging tone on me,” Sunset muttered.

“Why notttttttttt?”

He glanced at her, and her eyes reflected his puppy dog face.  “... … ...what's gotten into you?”

The boi giggled.

Sunset shook her head, chuckling dryly to the road.  “This isn't at all like our old car rides.”

“You've done a lot for me since those days.”

Her nostrils flared.  “Have I...?”

“Picked me up when I was homeless.  Gave me a warm bed.  A refreshing shower.  Grilled cheese sandwiches.”  He leaned towards her, smiling.  “Grilled cheese sandwichessssssssss.”

She snickled.  “You deserve so much more.”

He shook his head.  “I only deserve what I give to this world, Sunset.”

“Can't you for once in your life accept free and unfettered hospitality?”

Flash nodded.  “I will admit... I used to dream of undergoing some sort of Cinderella syndrome.”

“You mean you've wanted to try on her dress,” Sunset droned.  “The Disney animated version.”

He rolled his eyes.  “What I mean is... all those days I spent wallowing in the shadows of my situations—self-imposed or not...”  His toes curled and uncurled as he looked down past the purse in his lap.  “...a pathetic part of me hoped that maybe... some way, some how... I would have earned a reprieve.  Not that I was suffering or nothing—“

“I get it, Flash.”

“Do you, Sunset?”  He looked up at her in earnest.  “I think you're my blessing in life.  I think you're my reprieve from the darkness.”

“I'm your faerie god mother, you mean.”

Flash giggled.  And then he giggled some more.

Sunset gripped the wheel tighter.  A warmth spread rosily through her features, and it tinted a trailing smile with red.

Flash exhaled toastily.  “Anyways, I owe you so much.”

“No you don't.”

“But if I really did?”

“I'm telling you: you don't.”

“... … ...”  Flash gazed at her.  “But what if I wanted to?”

Sunset fought a shudder through her spine.  She kept her eyes locked on the road ahead.

Flash studied her.  Then his gaze wandered to the hills up ahead.  He took notice of a familiar landmark or two.  “Oh... oh hey!”  He pointed excitedly.  “Lauren Point!  Lauren Point—let's go park up there!”

Sunset arched an eyebrow.  “You wanna go up the hike trail?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I mean...”  Sunset glanced at the sky.  “...it's not exactly the right time for stargazing.”

“Who cares about the stars?”  Flash smiled brightly.  “Let's just go for going's sake!  It's a good view no matter the time...”

“Sure, I guess...”

“Come on!  It'll be like good old times!”

“Flash...”  Sunset fought a grimace.  “...there weren't any 'good old times'.”  She gulped.  “Not really.  The last time we gazed at the stars...”

He shrugged.  “Then let's give the hilltop newer memories.”  He beamed.  “Better memories!  Pleeeeeeease...”

She looked at him.  She slowly nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah... that sounds pretty good, actually.”

“You sound pretty good, actually.”

“Keep this up and I'm gonna toss you off the first cliff we see.”

The boi giggled again.

And Sunset smiled again.

After the sign marking Lauren Point, she eased off the main mountain road and into a narrow strip of parking spaces.





The trail was a great deal steeper than Flash remembered it.  He struggled and huffed and puffed to keep even with Sunset—whose amazonian stride made scaling a mountain look stupidly easy.  Nevertheless, she kept her pace slow so that the slight boi could stay alongside her.  Per her advice, he had left the purse in the car.  He carried no phone, no laptop, not even a wallet.  Dressed in Scootaloo's high school hand-me-downs with all of the pockets empty, Flash felt the most “naked” he had ever been in public.

Thank goodness Sunset was there.  Every once in a while, when or if Flash struggled to traverse an uneven patch of ground, the valkyrie would reach over with a helping hand.  Her strong arm was enough to lift him over the most formidable of gaps.  Flash was convinced that she could fling him a hundred meters up the trail if she wanted to.  Sunset made any mountain look like an ant mound, and he couldn't possibly feel safer.

“Good gosh...”  Flash managed between panting breaths.  “...it's a beautiful day...!”

He wasn't lying.  The sky was almost entirely blue.  The full breath of autumn was barreling earthward from a crisp heaven.  It was more invigorating than chilling, and the persistent gaze of the sun kept the couple decently warm as they made their zig-zagged ascent between bushes, trees, and clusters of shrubbery.

“I always love autumn the best!”  Flash wheezed, keeping up good spirits.  “Don't you?”

“Mmmmm...”  Sunset looked about as distracted as she was when the car ride first began.  Flash felt guilty—as if he had lost some distance since they parked the car and emerged on four legs.  “Back where I come from,” she said, “Autumn means hard work.”

“Oh?”

“Not as intense as winter or spring, mind you,” Sunset continued.  “But the seasons in Equestria need... help getting changed.”

“Why's that?”  Flash gritted his teeth as he hopped over a rock or two in the middle of the path.

“Over the past ten thousand years, pegasi have manipulated the weather in order to assure strong harvests for their allies,” the amazon explained.  “This doesn't come without Mother Nature getting accustomed to such change... then forgetting exactly how to do it on her own.”

“So... nature gets lazy?”

“That's one way of looking at it,” Sunset said.  “Right now—in Ponyville, Canterlot, Fillydelphia and abroad—ponies are engaging in the Running of the Leaves.”

“Sounds like a boring film festival.”

“Ha ha—no.”  Sunset shook her head.  “It's when all of the local villagers collectively gallop through the nearby forests and shake the leaves off the trees.  This helps the Fall... fall.”

“Sounds convolutedly cute.”

“Yeah, well... I prefer this world's autumn,” Sunset said, taking a moment to enjoy a gust of cool air kicking at her scarlet locks.  “I get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the weather on its own.”

“I guess we should consider ourselves lucky here in this world,” Flash said with a smile.  “Our weather is less lazy!”

“That's right.  It's just the people who are lazy,” Sunset said.  “And now your temperature is reaching record highs with each passing year and soon the coastal cities will be underwater and inland communities practically unlivable.”

Flash grimaced.  Hard.  “Oh right.  That.”

“Buttttttttttt... one thing at a time for the Elements of Harmony.”  Sunset Shimmer walked ahead of him and jumped a deep ditch.  “Tacking sporadic bursts of chaotic magic today... dealing with rampant permanent damage to the ecosystem due to unchecked reliance on fossil fuels tomorrow.”

“Isn't the latter everyone's attitude?  And that's the crux of the problem?”

“Yeah, well, we've got zappy super horse powers and stuff.  So we get a free pass.”

“If you say so...”  Flash found himself hesitating to jump the ditch.

“You okay?” Sunset asked.

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...”  Flash blushed and fidgeted.

Wordlessly, the woman reached a chivalrous hand out.

Flash delicately took it.

She yanked strongly and he was lifted off his feet with an impish whimper.  Soon, he had cleared the gap thanks to her strong grip.  The boi clung to her side, trembling for a few adorable seconds.

“Heheheh...”  Sunset ruffled his head and led him up the craggy hilltop for the next ten feet.  “Y'know... if the terrain is too tough, sweetie, I can carry you.”

“N-no... no need!”

“Are you sure?”  Sunset glanced down at his scrawny legs.  “You're not exactly Usain Bolt, y'know.”

“I-I can manage...”  Flash winced.  For—in truth—his ankles were killing him.  It was just a short stroll from the car and yet it was still more walking than he had done in ages.  He blamed his tender, aching heels on living a sedentary lifestyle... but somehow he felt the truth behind it was much less flattering.  “I did well back in high school when we first climbed this hill.  Remember?”

“I do remember.”  Sunset squinted.  “Y'know what?  I think you've gotten smaller since then.”

“Sm-smaller?” the boi gave a mouselike squeak.

“What, did I stutter?”

“H-how...”  He huffed, puffed, and scampered to walk even with her.  “How could I possibly have gotten smaller?!?”

“The Harmonic Fountain has intensified in us girls over time,” Sunset said with a shrug.  “Stands to reason that the Harmonic Well has done the same in you.”

“So you're saying that I've gotten girlier...”

“Hard to tell—without the right stimulus.”  She threw him a wink.

The boi pouted, arms crossed.  “I think I would know if I had gotten tinier, thank you very much.”

Sunset shrugged as they rounded a bend in the trailer.  “Suit yourself.  You are fitting into Scootaloo's old clothes, after all.”

He bit his lip, pausing to gaze down at his petite body in the petite ensemble.  “Yes... well...”  He stumbled to catch up to her again.  “Is this why Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow donated their clothes?  To make some sort of point?”

“No.”  Sunset stifled a giggle.  “It's so you could look more adorable.”

Flash rolled his eyes.  “Look 'more adorable,' huh?”

“You heard me.”

“Considering what I've learned about myself and my relation to the Harmonic Fountain, are you really sure that 'more adorable' is what you and the girls are aiming for?”

She shrugged.  “You can be adorable too.”

Flash blinked in mid-stride.  “Oh...”  He glanced off downhill.  “I guess I never thought of that.”

“Sure you haven't.”

“Sunny—“  He stepped on an uneven stretch of rock and stumbled sideways.  “Gah!  Ow!  Ow ow ow—owieee.”

She reached back and gently gripped his hand, steadying the boi by her side again.  “Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?”

He shuddered.  “Are you asking or are you demanding?”

“Pick one.”

He gulped.  “I just want you to relax, Sunset.  Enjoy the moment.  Enjoy being you.”  He slowly shook his head.  “You don't need to spend every minute of every hour worrying over me.”

“But what if I want to worry over you?”

He blinked.

She shrugged and walked casually ahead.  “Offer's still open, sweetie.  Would be a shame for that perfect skin of yours to get bruised up.”

Flash didn't have a response.  He winced as he moved his aching feet, attempting to find a pace at which he could keep up with her without wearing himself out.  Truth was, something was weighing heavily on his mind and he didn't want to overburden the valkyrie more than he was about to with the ensuing speech:

“Uhm... I think I should... make another confession, Sunset.”

“What's that?  You'd rather be wearing Sweetie Belle's clothes?”

He fought the urge to groan.  “I... uh...”  He delicately coughed.  “Fenris isn't the only one I talked to recently.”

“Oh?”

“As a matter of fact... this morning, I...”  He chewed his bottom lip.  “...I-I kinda sorta gave Cadance a phone call.”

“... … ...”  Sunset calmly hopped another gap in the rock up ahead.  She calmly reached a hand back for the boi.  “Is that so?”

He took it, and gasped girlishly as she effortlessly pulled him to her side.  His fingers clung to her arm, squeezing apologetically.  “I... I-I didn't know who else to talk to about... about...”

She simply nodded.  “Considering how you learned about it, I completely understand how panicked you must have felt.”

“I-I wouldn't use the word 'panicked.'”

Silence.

Sunset placed him evenly on the hillside, but she didn't release her grip.  As the earth grew steeper, she gently kept ahold of his hand—leading the small young man safely up the craggy mountain.  “Well, what word would you use?”

“Uhm... 'concerned.'”

Sunset nodded, taking a deep breath as she slowly scaled the hill with the boi in tow.  “I can understand your concern too.”

“Sunny, I wasn't concerned for myself. I was concerned for you...”  He had to hold his arm up high in order to keep contact with the amazon.  Nevertheless, her strong grip did make the ascent easier.  “You were gone for so long and... and you sounded like you were in agony.”

Her nostrils flared above a bitter smirk.  “That's one word for it.”

“I... I hope you don't hate me for contacting Cadance.”

“Why would I?”

“Well...”  His eyes avoided her for a brief moment.  “...considering what led to what yesterday... a-at Cadenza Corp...”

“Uh huh...”

Flash shook his head.  “I don't think she distrusts you, Sunset.  Please don't be mad at her.”

“Who said that I was?”  Sunset led him past a series of bushes.  “Cadance has provided so much for the girls and I.”

“Yeah, well, it's possible for someone to provide everything to you and still make you feel judged.”  Flash frowned.  “I of all people should understand that.”

Sunset nodded.  “Point taken.”

“But... I-I don't believe that Cadance means wrong.  She's just... concerned.  For my sake.  And... and I-I don't think she understands what you and the girls are going through—and what you've had to deal with.  Even though she wants to.  She wants to very badly...”

“That woman has a doctorate in multiple fields,” Sunset said.  “But if there's one thing that I know she's an expert on, it's love.”  She managed a slight smile as she helped the boi up a ridge.  “I'm glad that you trusted her enough to turn to her while I was... busy.”  She sighed guiltily.  “Right now, Flash, you need guidance and acceptance.  I'm sorry that I had to vanish on you like I did.”

“And I'm sorry that I drove you to distraction.”

“It's okay—“

“No, it's not okay!”  Flash looked sad and angry at once.  “I thought that by letting you open up without the bracelet—I could bring you some relief!”  He winced.  “... … ...turns out that accomplished the opposite.”

“You couldn't have known, Flash.”

He stiffened his upper body as he retorted:  “Yes I could have.”

Sunset fidgeted in her next step... then took that in stride.

The two were awkwardly silent for the next minute and a half.

“Alright, Flash—sweetie—you win.”  She smiled tiredly back at him.  “You wanna know the biggest reason why I didn't tell you about what the Harmonic Fountain has long equipped me and the girls with?”

He bravely nodded at her.  “I'm all ears.”

“Since we met, this whole delicate dance has been about helping you get comfortable... while also exploring a possible way to restore magic to the Elements of Harmony.  For every attempt that I've made to help the girls, I've also had to consider whether it'd be asking too much from you and... well... let's be honest with ourselves, Flash.  If I came out of the gate telling you I had a massive mast of man meat... I feared that would have been unfairly sweetening the deal for you.”

Flash's mouth hung agape... but then he slowly closed it.

She winked back at him.  “Am I right or am I right?”

“I... erm...”  He fidgeted in mid-step.  “...I s-suddenly forget how much I've told you about myself in that regard...”

“Seriously?  All those fantasies about Prince Charming?” Sunset droned.  She continued helping him up the hillside.  “Those quiet, titillating confessions about Thunderbass and the rest of your bandmates having sleepovers while you tossed and turned all night like a blushing bride?  Remember when you showed me the Star Wars Prequel trilogy on DVD and you kept sitting on the edge of your seat with a dumb smile on your face?  It wasn't just during the Natalie Portman moments.”

Flash was red as a beet at this point.  “Ewan MacGregor's got a sexy voice, that's all.”

“Flash, I've explored the Internet.  Scootaloo's old pants are currently on fire.”

Flash adjusted a leg of the cargo shorts.  “M-maybe the opposite...”

Sunset giggled.  “Face it.  You've long been a sucker for... things that a portion of the world's population like to be suckers for.”  She took a deep breath.  “I knew from the first minute I saw you awake in my house that the possession of a third leg would blow your pretty little brain into butterflies.”

Flash nodded faintly.  “And that's why you saved that secret detail for last.”

“And that's why I saved that secret detail for last.”  Sunset also nodded, still holding his hand.  “I knew it would change everything.”

“It wouldn't change a thing!”

Sunset simply stared back at him.

Flash blushed some more.  “Well... not everything...”  He squeezed her hand as he tenderly followed her up the hill.  “Maybe take that bracelet off for a second.  Read my mind.  Sunset... it's you who has had an impact on my life.  Not the things attached to you.”

She sighed melodically.  “I don't need to read your mind, Flash.  I know you're telling the truth.  But I also know you're downplaying things a bit.”

Flash rolled his eyes.

“Look, sweetie...”  She paused and turned to face him.  “Don't let me put words in your mouth.”

“Among other things,” he muttered.

Sunset grasped his other hand in hers and bent over to look him closer in the eyes.  “You've long had a Cinderella dream about your life—yes?  Well, I've had a dream of my own.  All the girls do.  Only—I'm having to live it.  And in so doing, I realize that some stuff is best left to fantasy.”

“Like what?”

“Like...”  Sunset clenched her teeth, as if she was going into labor to deliver the next few words:  “Like that I can somehow... possibly make this work out in all of our best interests.  That our desperate needs and your lifelong desires could somehow align in such a way that... that we can make the union of the Harmonic Fountain and the Harmonic Well actually happen without anything being compromised: our sanity, our health, our self-respect.”  She fidgeted under a shadow of regret.  “But... with each passing day that I spend looking at this... examining this situation at every conceivable angle... the more I realize that there simply is no way for any progress to be made without one side demanding more from another.  It's just... it's just not fair Flash.  It's not fair to you.”  She gulped.  “No matter how many ways I calculate it.”

He gazed at her and spoke softly:  “Shouldn't I be the judge of that?”

Sunset bit her lip.

“Or... do you not trust me to be a good judge?”  He glanced down at her lower abdomen, then back at her face.  “Do you think that I'd be any more or less affected by what you bring to the table?  Just as you and the girls are so obviously affected by what I bring to the table?”

“... … ...”

“Or in this case... under the table?”

“Snrkkkt...”  Sunset stood upright, holding a hand over her mouth.  “Heeheeheehee...”

Flash blinked.  “Is it really that funny?”

“Ohhhhhh Flash...”  She reached down and caressed his hair and cheek.  “What more can we do at this point but laugh at it all...”

He smiled into her tender touch.  “I did want us to come here so you can be happy.”

Sunset breathed calmly.  “Yes, well... we're here.  That's for certain.”  She turned back uphill and led him the rest of the way.  “Can't make a promise about the rest quite yet.”

Flash nodded, following along the strong grip.  “Can't pretend to be mad about it either.”





When at last they reached the summit of Lauren Point, Flash could scarcely recognize it.  There was a lone tree with a crooked trunk—but that was about all Flash identified.  The rest of the shrubbery had changed significantly over the past five or six years.  He couldn't even make out the patch of soil where he and his once-bossy ex used to recline with the telescope and chart the heavens.

But the view... the sheer vista of Canterlot City and its surrounding suburbs below was a breathtaking enough sight on its own.  The dense urbanity stretched like a gray sheen between two mountain ranges, with thick forests surrounding the townships—herding districts towards a bending river along the edge of a grand sea.  It was approaching late afternoon, and already the setting sun was throwing an increasingly amber shade across the layers of flora beyond.

An amazon and a femboi—one of whom was breathless—stood in the shade of the bent tree.

“Whelp...”  Sunset Shimmer planted her hands on her hips.  “I dunno about you, but I can't see a single dayum star...”

“That's not...”  Flash wheezed.  “...why we...”  Flash squeaked.  “...came here.”  He hunched over, sweating, placing his trembling hands on his wobbly knees.

She squinted down at the boi.  “Then why did we come here?”

“... … ...”  Flash drew a blank.  His tired eyes gazed endlessly into the burning horizon.  “... … ...my feet hurt.”

“Awwwwwww...”  Sunset instantly cooed.  “You poor thing!  I told you!”

“It's like...”  He whimpered, his body aching... lower half throbbing.  “...I'm walking across a herd of teeny-tiny stegosauruses...”

“Here.”  Sunset shuffled over.  “Let me see.”

“I'm fine, Sunny—”

“Flash,” she ordered in a motherly growl.  “Let me see.”

“I said I'll be fine—“  His eyes suddenly bulged as he reverse-somersaulted.  “GAAAAAAH—!”

The valkyrie had effortlessly lifted the boi in her strong arms.  With barely more than two leg motions, she brought the two of them down to the shadow of the tree.  There, she squatted in the grass while cradling Flash's fussy body.

“Now hold still!” she insisted.  “Let me take a look.”

“T-take a look at what?”  But before Flash even finished that sentence, she had slipped off one of the sandals.  “H-hey!  Sunnnnnyyyyyy—!”

“Sweet Celestia on a bike!” Sunset cursed, grimacing at the blisters forming like an enraged sea all across the boi's instep.  “They're practically raw!  Why didn't you tell me your footsies were in such torment!”

“Okay... f-first of all...”  He struggled to sit up straight in her grasp.  “...don't you ever call them 'footsies' again.”  He pouted.  “Second, just because I'm slacking on exercise doesn't mean I'll snap like a twi—AAAACKIES!”  He suddenly shuddered all over as if someone was scratching nails across the chalkboard of his brain.

Sunset immediately flinched, removing her fingers from Flash's quivering foot.  “Oh goddess!  I-I was just trying to map out the bruises!  Does it really hurt that bad?”

“It's... it's n-not p-pain...”  Flash hissed, still shuddering all over.  “It's... it's...”  Now the redness spread to his face.

“Hmmmm?”  Sunset arched a devilish eyebrow, and soon the mischief spread to her lips.  “Uh oh...”  She brought a single finger and ran it slowwwwwly across the tender small of his foot.  “Uh ohhhhhhhhhhh...”

“Guhhhhhhhh—!”  Flash's body stiffened as he fought to wriggle out of her grasp.

“Is Flash Sentry ticklisssssssssh?”  Sunset stuck her tongue out, giving the foot another feathery stroke of her finger.  “Wouldn't that be the pitssssssssss?”

“Snkkkt—heeheeheehee—cut it out!”

“Cut what out?  Huh?  Huh?!?”

“Heeeee-heee-heee-heeeee!”  Flash curled up in her grasp, clinging to her arm as he stared through tears at his wriggling toes.  “Stop it!  I mean it, Sunny!  Stoppppppppp...”

She relented—but just barely.  “But of course, you'd be ticklish.”  She “walked” her fingers up and down the baby-ends of his toes, smirking the whole time.  “Such a delicate princess... with a lacy gossamer shell barely strong enough to hold in all the adorbs.  I bet a tiny poke on any part of your body and you'd just burst all over with sunshine and rainbows and pink flower petals.”

“Hehehehe... stop stop stop stop stoppppp!”  He was whimpering at this point.  “If not for me, then for Scootaloo's old shorts!”

“Mmmmm... heaven forbid...”  And at last, she released her teasing touch.  As the boi panted with relief, she took a moment to observe his sore limb.  “Still... those blisters look pretty bad.”

“S-sorry...”  He wheezed.

“I should have known better than to have let you walk all the way up here,” Sunset said.  “Someone as dainty as yourself should have been treated more chivalrously.  Y'know... like a lady... a damsel in all those old British period piece romances that Rarity loves to watch.  Not that women necessarily need to avoid physical exertion but... let's face it, Flash... you're you.”

“Y-you held my hand, didn't you?”

“And yet, it wasn't enough.  Now look at your poor feet!”  The amazon pouted.  “How are you going to get back down?”

“Something something Cool Runnings...”  Flash exhaled.

“You're too young to make that joke.”

“B-back at ya...”

Sunset squinted at his toes.  “Y'know... some ocean blue nail polish would do wonders...”

“Oh lawd...”  Flash rolled his eyes before leaning his head breathlessly against her shoulder.  “Are you serious?”

“Sure as Hell am!  Just the right shine—maybe add some sapphire glitter to the outer coat?  It'd match your eyes!”

“That... makes no sense...”  Flash's sweaty face scrunched.  “My eyes and my toes would never be seen in a single glance.”

She winked and stuck her tongue out again.  “Not if your legs are being bent back over your head.”

“Guh!  Sunny!”

“Snkkkt—Hah hah hah hah hah!”  Sunset Shimmer rocked back until she was lying against the base of the tree trunk.  She hugged Flash closely from behind, snuggling him close and giggling into his sweet-scented hair.

Flash protested at first, but soon he melted in her womanly grasp.  A comfortable rosiness spread over his features... just in time to blend with the cascading sunset.

Sunset's giggles persisted into dry, breathy chuckles.  The amazon held the boi close like a stuffed animal, relishing in the infinitesimal flutter of his heartbeat.  “Mmmmmmmmm...”  Her throat and lungs shook right through him as she drew her legs up, nearly imprisoning his little figure between her bosom and her knees.  “Ohhhhhhh Flash...”  She melodically exhaled.  “... … ...I want to do so... so many things to you...”

His limbs locked in place.  His insides quivered in mixed fear and delight.  A knot formed in his throat, making it difficult to breathe—and every inhale and exhale was accosted by spicy waves of lilac.  He couldn't drum up a response.

Which was all well and good—for Sunset wasn't expecting one.  “Not all of them are lewd.  Most of them are just... fuzzy at best... or worst.  But... let's not kid ourselves.”  Her fingers closed gently around his chest, kneading his tummy between every other word with loving pressure.  “At some point or another, it's gonna come to a... thr-throbbing point or another...”  He could hear her gulp.  “And we will have to decide where the line is.”

Flash snuggled into her everything.  It felt like he was being swallowed up in Sunset... drowning in her scent and sung to sleep by her vibrating words.  He lay on that bosomy bed in sweet silence, gazing down at a tired city on fire from the dying day.

“Just... trying to figure out where exactly that line is would be a headache all on its own,” Sunset purred.  She rested her chin against the top of his head, inhaling his hair between each statement... as if afraid to never be blessed with that sweet, succulent scent ever again.  “I'd be willing to work that out with you, but I can't promise it'll be easy.”  She bit her lip before going further:  “Then again... it'd be simplest, just to say that the line is here, Flash.  And that... that there simply isn't any going further.”

Flash felt his insides freeze for a moment.

“And... and that's okay.  Honestly, it is.”  Sunset took a firm breath.  “Don't you worry about the Elements of Harmony or the Harmonic Fountain or... or anything, Flash.  There isn't as much at risk as I-I may have made you to think.  Twilight and I... we're resourceful.  With the help of the Princess, we'll find another answer to the Elements of Harmony besides the Harmonic Well.”

“Do you honestly believe that?” Flash mewled.

Sunset opened her mouth... but surrendered to the inescapable truth.  With a sad sigh, she deflated until her chin was resting against his silky crown again.

“Let's not pull any more punches, Sunny,” Flash spoke.  “To help you and the girls out... you all have to be close to me... intimate with me.  And while snuggling and cuddling is all well and good... in the end... it's all about you having sex with me.”  He gulped.  “With... w-with the instruments that your transformations have given you... driven into me...”

Flash sensed a shudder rolling through the living bed he was lying in.  Then—following a guilty breath that kicked at his bangs from above—he felt her neck and chin nodding against his skull.

“And... while magic might make the impossible possible...”  Flash felt his abdominal muscles clenching as he asked:  “...it will still hurt really... really bad... won't it?”

“Mmmmm... at least the f-first time...”

“First time?”

Sunset's teeth could be heard rattling:  “Twilight and I hypothesize that... th-that the essence of the Harmonic Well would acclimate after... erm... persistent 'application'... but there's no telling how quickly the pain—if any pain—would go away... … ...or if ever at all...”

Flash watched as the sunset grew glazed and golden over the distant rooftops below.  It almost matched the fire building up in his heart... with a heated pulse that he almost wondered if the valkyrie could feel.  “So the way I've come to understand it: the choice being given to me is whether or not I become the pet for you and the other girls to enjoy... … … for all its holes.”  A hot breath.  “A pretty little plaything that's destined to ache and suffer for others' pleasure—to restore balance to magic and harmony.  And... in return—”

“Anything, Flash,” she exhaled, whispery and desperate.  “I'm not kidding.  Cadance's provisions would not just be ours—they'd be yours too.  You'd have a place to stay.  Your very own home; your very own room.  All of the... all of the clothes and furnishings and luxuries your pretty little heart could ever desire.  We could even help you work out a career plan to ease you in juggling your family's demands—or set you on your very own self-approved path or—”

“And what if I said 'no?'”  Flash braved.  “What if I did say that the line should be drawn here?”


“Of course...”  She squeezed him gently and kissed the back of his head.  “Of course, Flash.  We all want the best for you.  If you're not up for... for s-such a challenge, then we'll still give you everything you need to find your place in this world.”

Flash swallowed.  “Doesn't seem exactly fair.”

“It's not about what's fair, Flash.  It's about what's right.”

“You... y-you know what I mean.”

Sunset sighed melancholically.  “Oh Flash.  Please... put yourself first.  I mean it.  Just... j-just disregard everything I've ever said about—”

“Just tell me one thing,” Flash stammered.  His tender hands reached up and grasped her arms.  “Would there be this?”

She blinked.  “Huh?”  She then felt the boi wriggle around.

Flash shifted in her grasp, turning around completely until he was facing her.  Then—like a child in a fetal position—he lightly straddled her midsection while laying his face gently against her collar.  He clung to her with slight shivers, hiding his moist eyes from her gaze.

“This,” he breathed against the nape of her neck, birthing humble goosebumps.  “This moment... this warmth... you... any of you... any of your arms...”  His voice trailed off in a whimper, and he clenched his eyes shut before tears could form.  “I... I-I don't think you know how long I've spent alone... sleeping alone... dreaming... yearning for this.  Just t-to be held... j-just to know that... that... th-that I c-can make someone happy just by being around them.  I d-don't care if it's just some dumb 'high' caused by magical nonsense...”

“Flash, it's so much more than—”

“I don't care if you strangle me or step on me or drown me in a vat of back sweat just...”  He sniffled, burying his face in her shoulder.  “...so l-long as there would be this... … ...then... yes... y-yes, I-I think I would be down for anything...”

“Flash...”  Sunset's voice wavered as she drew her arms around him again, holding him closer.  “You silly little sissy, you already have this.”

He let loose a bursting giggle.  As soon as it was done, his face melted into a bittersweet sob, and he wept against her neck.  He felt her hands running through his long silky hair, and after the third or fourth brushstroke, he surrendered to the invisible handle:  “Well... I-I wouldn't mind it times seven...”

Sunset laughed breathily, rocking him in their mutual embrace.  It was her turn to draw those joyous giggles into a whimper as she threaded her hands through his hair and kissed his scalp again... and again.  “Thank you...” she murmured.

He sniffled, rubbed an eye dry, and squinted at her.  “For what?”

She dug her nose into the side of the boi's head—a tender, horselike nuzzle—as she whispered into his ear.  “Back when I first confessed to what I had under the belt... the first words out of your mouth weren't 'Let me see it.'”  She fought back a sob, then kissed him again.  “Thank you...”  A shudder, and she didn't know whether to smile or cry.  She settled for a few tender words in between.  “Goddess alive, I don't know where we'd all be without you, Flash...”

He gulped.  “Maybe...”  He braved a tearful smile aimed at her beautiful face.  “...maybe we don't have to let you girls find out.”

She grinned back.  After a kiss to the boi's forehead, she pressed her temple to his.  The two relaxed in such close comfort for a wonderfully long time, and all of it filled with smiles.  The sun continued its descent, and both sleepy adults knew better than to brave a descent down the mountainside in abject darkness.

“How about...”  She was the first to sit up, finally shifting the soft hum of the moment.  “...we find you something to eat.”

Flash blinked.  His pupils shrank.

Sunset rolled her eyes.  “I mean a trip to the grocery store.”

“Oh!  Right...!  Uhm...”  Flash smiled crookedly—with relief.  “Yaaaaaay shopping...”

“Don't cheer too soon.”  Sunset began to stand up.  Halfway through, she paused... then extended a hand to the boi.  “M'lady...”

Flash stared at her... then giggled breathily.  He pretended to curtsy with just his torso, then accepted her strong grip.  Within seconds, he was being held up in the standing amazon's protective arms.  Sunset managed to dangle his sandals from a pair of fingers.  With expert navigation, the tall woman carried the young man effortlessly down the hillside.

The entire time, Flash relaxed with a dumb smile on his face.  He glanced at his dangling bare feet—so dainty and helpless, like the entirety of who he was... and who he was destined to be.  But—gazing now at Sunset's beautiful face and her fiery red hair—he no longer felt ashamed of being so shamefully delicate.  It wasn't just his heart that was pounding with renewed purpose.  He leaned into her, pressing his ear to the march, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to drown in that rhythm... and the heat of whom it belonged to.  Laced with spice and sprinkled with lilacs.

Before they even reached the car below, Flash finally found the stars worth gazing at.  They were birthed in his eyes as he dreamed of her.
> Is This the Chapter When We Use the Ageplay Tag?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are your footsies feeling any better?"

Flash was rubbing one of the toes in question as he rode in the passenger seat of Sunset's car.  Upon hearing her words, the petite femboi rolled his pretty blue eyes.  "Will you please not call them that?"

Sunset smirked, her hands on the wheel.  "Would you prefer twinkle-toes?"

"If you must know, yes, they're feeling much better," Flash relented.  "It was really nice of you to carry me."

"It was really nice of you to smell good."

Flash blinked.  He squinted over at the amazon in the driver's seat.  "But... I'm not wearing any cologne or perfume or—"

"I stand by what I said."

"I smell good to you?"

"What, are you kidding?"  Sunset scoffed.

The boi could only scrunch his nose in abject cutefusion.

Sunset sighed.  She indicated before taking a turn.  "I guess it only translates to my nostrils."

"What translates?"

"Basically... because of the whole... y'know... Harmonic Fountain and Harmonic Well situation..."  Sunset turned down a road leading into the darkening streets of Canterlot City.  Lights flickered to life on either side of them in the shadow of the coming evening.  "...any and all of my senses can and will be enthralled by what your body has to offer."

Flash blinked.  "Sounds like cheating."

Sunset giggled.  "Don't give yourself too much credit, 'Casanova.'  If you were an asshole of a person, I'd kick you into next year and have nothing to do with you."

"... ... ...can you say that for all the times?"

"Yes."  She threw him a brief glare.  "I can."

"So... basically I just make you high..."

"Yes.  But... given the right circumstances..."  Her bracelet rattled for emphasis.  "...it's a high that I can manage."

"It doesn't effect your driving."

She chuckled.  "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm curious!"  He leaned cutely against his armrest, smiling at her.  "What do I smell like?"

"What... do you smell like..."

"Yessss...?"  His eyelashes fluttered.

Sunset Shimmer opened her mouth... hesitated... and ultimately shook her head.  “Nope.”

“No...?”

“Can't say it,” Sunset exhaled.  “It's too goofy and embarrassing.”

“What... is it sexual?”

“Pffft!  No.”

“Is it... … ...horse sexual?”

“Pffffffffft!”

“Whaaaaaaat?”  Flash put on the puppy dog eyes.  “Tell meeeeee!”

“Flash, sweetie, d-don't do that!”  Sunset released one hand from the wheel to awkwardly block the image of him.  “I'm tr-trying to drive!”

“Do I smell like flowers?”  Flash grinned wide.  “Please tell me I have a floral scent to you!”

“Errrrr...”  Sunset winced.

“Hah!  I do!  What flower?”

“Flash, you don't get it...”  Sunset's turquoise darted down at him occasionally as she navigated evening traffic.  “Back where I come from... flowers are for eating.”

He blinked.  “Oh...”

“Which is totally fine.”  It was the amazon's turn to blush as she chuckled and glanced innocently out her driver's side window.  “Cuz... I-I would really really like to eat you all up.”

He scrunched nervously in his seat.  “Figuratively, or...?”

“But if you must know, you smell like lavenders to me.”

Flash gasped so sharply that it nearly frightened the amazon.  But when Sunset looked over to see if he was alright, she saw the boi cupping his fists to his chin and grinning a crescent moon.

“... … ...what?” Sunset eventually belched.

“I.  Love.  Lavender!”  Flash squealed.

“OoooOooOoo...”  Sunset smirked.  “You do, don't you?”

“Eeeeeeeeee I do I do I do!”

“Now where would you have acquired an adoration for the scent of lavenders, I wonder?  Hmmmm?”

Flash was happy to respond... but his brain did a quick pop quiz.  He went back in time... back before he started spritzing his bed nightly with far too much lavender-scented pillow mist.  Back before he bought lavender-scented candles.  Back before he dabbled with lavender bathwash and lavender body soap.  Back... back... back to his awkward high school days when the young teenage boi was starting to explore himself and he needed lube and all that he could find in the bathroom was a bottle of lavender-scented baby oil that has since gone out of production.  The smell was pungent, artificial, and fake as Hell in its bold attempt to emulate the natural floral scent... … ...and yet the boi always attached that odor to the act of “pleasing oneself.”  Sexual awakening had a flavor to it, and Flash sought out the depths of that sacred scent ever since, forever attributing it to his undying quest to be perpetually pink.

“It just smells... uhhhhh...”  Flash gulped.  “...cute?”

“Well, it'd better.”  Sunset waggled an eyebrow.  “Lavenders made for fine dessert where I came from.”

“So... uh...”  Flash sat prim and proper with his hands in his lap.  “...you get a whiff of a sweet treat whenever you're around me?”

“Eeyup!”

“Even after I shower?”

“Especially after you shower,” Sunset said.  “Somehow... the more squeaky clean and rinsed you are, the more the smell entices.”

“Wow.  I didn't know that you... got that much of a whiff of me.”

“From across the house, sweetie.  The Harmonic Well doesn't joke around.”

“Well... uh... I'm glad I could at least be pleasant without even trying.”  Flash brushed his bangs back with a shy smile.

“Makes me wonder just how aromatic you'll be once proper perfume is applied.”

“Uhm...”

“And right now I think you smell sweet?”  Sunset Shimmer chuckled boldly, her cheeks flushing with a noticeable tint.  “I'm still dreaming of the first lick I take.”

Flash's pupils shrank.  “Uhhmmmmmm—“

“Speaking of... we gotta get some food in you!”

“Oh.  Right.  Food.”  Flash nodded shakily.  “But... what about you?”

“Eh... I'm good.”

“Good?  You haven't eaten since those carrots I... erm... slapped onto a plate for you hours ago!”

“I know.  And I'm good.”  Sunset nodded at the boi in the passenger seat.  “Honest.  I am.”

Flash squinted at her.  “... … ...this magic metabolism thing of yours really is weird.”

“Pffft.  You're one to talk!  You barely eat at all, Flash!”

“Still... though...”  He looked at the valkyrie with concern.  “How long can you go without a bite?”

“Honestly...?”  She freed a hand to brush her bangs back before re-gripping the wheel.  “...usually seventy-two hours on average.”

“Wowers.”  Flash's feet kicked at the air below his seat.  “Do you even need to eat?”

“Yes?  And no...?”  Sunset shrugged in mid-drive.  “True to the name—the Harmonic Fountain maintains our bodies and our health.  When we do eat, the flux of magic inside of us somehow... translates the material into renewable energy.”

“I'm not sure if that makes sense.”

“I'm not sure if it matters.”  Sunset chuckled.  “Oh, sweetie, if you're worried about the girls and I... don't be.  We don't hunger so much as we occasionally dabble.  From what Twilight and Cadenza scientists can tell, certain foods still have a positive effect on us... but it's not our ultimate source of sustenance.”

“Then what is?”

Sunset whistled innocently.

He bit his lip.  “Don't say it's me.”

“Aaaaaand each other,” Sunset said.  “I swear.  If the Elements of Harmony never met... we'd probably all have 'starved' by now.”

“Isn't that... kinda scary?”

“Not when you're too busy having fun!”  Sunset winked aside.  “Among other things.”

“Right.”  Flash nodded.  He toyed with a blue strand of hair, gazing nervously aside.  “So... if... uhm... I came to the dinner table...”

“...well, maybe the whole 'lavender' angle is starting to make sense.  Hmmm?”

“Mmmm...”  Flash trilled inwardly, blushing.

Sunset chuckled.  “But enough about me.  Let's fix you up with some stuff for the next few days.  I don't usually have company, so my fridge and pantry are emptying.”

“Oh, Sunny, I don't want to be a bother...”

“Pffft!  I thought we were astronomical units beyond that by now!”

“I've... sorta lost track of time...”  Flash fidgeted guiltily.  “How much do I owe you by now?  Three... four days' worth of room and board?  And now meals...?”

“Flash, I don't want my career as an Element of Harmony to end just 'cuz I was caught by the cops tossing a five foot man off a bridge.”

“O-oh...”

“Just relax and tell me what you're in the mood for—tummy growling, wise.”  She smiled at him.  “Hmmm?  What can we get you to help you pass the next few days?”

“Honestly...?”

“Honestly...!”

“Nothing too extravagant... and definitely nothing expensive.”  Flash smiled delicately.  “For real.  Food... isn't exactly my biggest thing.  I can be easily satiated.”

“Hmmmm...”  Sunset looked back on the road.  “'Not extravagant.'  And 'not expensive.'”  Her eyes lit up at she saw a bright sign by the roadside, and she switched on the turn signal.  “I think I know where we can knock that out in one fell swoop!”





“Sunset?”

“Yes, Flash, sweetie?”

“... … ...confession time?”

“Go ahead.”

The boi walked in the shadow of his amazonian companion.  Bright lights hummed over a veritable ocean of shopping aisles, punctuated occasionally by rowdy families and squealing children.  Shopping carts rattled and distant registers beeped as a chorus of decades' old muzak attempted in futility to warble through the capitalistic malaise.

Flash bird-stepped nervously in his sandals, feeling tiny and vulnerable in the otherwise-comfy hoodie and cargo pants.  He kept close to the towering female specimen beside him.  “It's... probably been over ten years since I last stepped into a Wal-Mart.”

Sunset smirked.  “That out of the loop, eh?”

“I-I didn't even know they served groceries here!” he wheezed.

Sunset—massive and strong as she was—had three whole shopping baskets hanging under one arm, and a few edibles had already been stuffed within—mostly vegetables and fruits.  “It's the land of the plenty, Flash.  Applejack doesn't particularly like this place, and I've heard Rarity dramatize about how she'd rather be dead than step a foot inside.  But... if you ask me?  It's too much of a good thing to pass up!”

“Seriously... I think Concepcion used to take me here way back when... during days that she had to shop for household supplies.”  Flash gulped.  “But... I-I've forgotten just how big this sort of a place can be.”

“I think everything in this world makes you look small, Flash.”  Sunset reached down and pinched his cheek.  “And it's adorablllllllle...”

“Guh!”  The boi in Scootaloo's hand-me-downs lightly swatted her hand away.  “Sunnnnnyyy!” he protested.

“What?”  She chuckled, leisurely browsing an aisle full of fruit drinks.  “Ashamed to have others see me lovin' on you?”

“It's not that...!”  The boi huffed and puffed... but clung to her nevertheless.  “For all they can tell, I'm your little teenage brother!”

“And what's wrong with that?”

He blinked hard, gaping up at her.  “Huh?”

“Okay.  You're right.  That would be a tad bit off-color.”  Sunset whistled to herself, then winked down at the boi.  “I'd much rather they assume you're my baby sister.”

“Oh gosh...”

“Heeheehee...”

“Oh gosh oh gosh...”

“Why are you getting so flusterrrrred?”  Sunset reached down to ruffle his hair.  “I didn't know you could be so adorable in public!  Otherwise, I'd have taken you out of the house more.”

“I've never...”  Flash cleared his throat.  “...w-worn girl clothes like this in public.”  He glanced at her.  “Apple Bloom's duds at Cadenza Corp yesterday doesn't count.”

“Flash, what you're wearing is practically unisex.  I don't see what you're yammering at.”  Sunset picked up a bottle of juice, examining it closely.  “Butttttttt... if you really wanna fix that, a cute floral ensemble is just a changing room away!”

“Sunny...!”  Flash hissed.

She snorted.  “Oh sweetie... relax.  The day I finally get you to dress like yourself, it won't be in a Goddess-forsaken Super Wal-Mart.”

The boi breathed with some relief.  “That's reassuring, at least.”

“Seriously, though... are you really uncomfortable being here?” Sunset asked in a sweet tone.

“Mmmmm... yes... no... yes?”  Flash brushed his bangs back and sighed.  “Confession time again.”

“Listening time again!”

“I've... n-not been very comfortable in public ever since... s-since I became a shut-in and ghosted from everyone right after graduation.  Too much time spent in the shadows of my room.  And when I did come out... I was this frumpy waif of a creature hiding in oversized clothes so as not to be noticed...”

“Flash, if you're feeling too anxious—”

“N-no... I'm fine.  Sorry if I keep fussing, but... I-I'm fine...”  He smiled up at her.  “It... I... uh... I-I feel safe around you.”  He gulped.  “So long as you're here, it's not so bad.”

She smiled warmly at him.  “Well... now that I've got your confidence... how about your undivided attention as well?”  She held up the bottle.  “Pineapple juice?”

“Huh?”

“You think you would enjoy this?”

“Erm... no.  Thanks, but... it's too sweet.”

“Too sweet?!?”  Sunset shelved the bottle back.  “For you??”

“Not everyone's Pinkie Pie.”

Sunset nodded, walking down the aisle.  “Fair enough.”

Flash walked along with her.  “Pineapple juice sorta... stings the roof of my mouth after a while.”

“Well, what kind of juice do you like?”

“There... was this mixture once.  Back in my second year of college, I'd buy them from the local grocery store.”

“Yeah?  What mixture is that?”

“Erm...”  Flash touched his fingers together.  “Strawberry kiwi.”

“Heeheeheee...”

He blushed slightly.  “It tasted it my mouth how a nursery rhyme sounds to my ears.”

“Awwwwwwww... shoulda known you were a strawberry kind of a princess.”

He blushed again, practically burying his face in her side to hide it.  “Sunnnnnyyyy...”

“Oh gosh.  This is too great.”  Sunset grinned.  “I'm gonna make us 'shop' for another two hours just to get you to squirm like this.”

“Pleeeeeeeeease...”

“Heeheehee...”

Just then, Flash heard a shuffle of shoes—followed by a squeaking cart and a series of feminine gasps.

Instinctively, he stood closer to his amazonian protector.  Glancing over, the boi saw that a few high school aged girls were frozen in place, gawking at the sight of them.  He bit his lip nervously.  Sunset, meanwhile, continued casually studying the contents of the shelves as if nothing had changed.

“Let's see...”  The valkyrie tapped her chin, thinking out loud:  “Would they have strawberry kiwi mixes in the health line?  Or... OooOooOooh!”  She grinned happily, eyes brightening.  “I could just go back to the produce aisle and buy the real thing!  We could make some of our own back at the house!  Wouldn't that be a fun activity, Flash?”  She nudged the boi with a wink.  “Sisterly bondiiiiiing!”

“I... uh... I'm...”  Flash was tongue-tied, watching pensively as the girls walked over with amused expressions.  He flinched at the last second—

“Hey... uh... excuse me?”  One girl tapped on Sunset's shoulder.  When the woman looked over, she spoke up towards her through a dumb grin.  “Do you play basketball or something...?”

On a dime, Sunset Shimmer quickly returned:  “No.  Do you play miniature golf?”

The girls giggled in the same annoying cadence.

Flash winced visibly.

“It's just that we don't see women as tall as you around!” the same girl repeated.

Sunset's tone was insultingly similar to hers, but the teenager didn't catch on:  “Well, grab some binoculars and sit on your friend's shoulder sometime!  It'll make things easier!”  Her eyes narrowed above a sly grin.  “I can't use binoculars without breaking them—seeing as how I'm always bumping my head against the moon.”

Yet again, the high schoolers giggled.  One in the back of the gaggle had her phone out—

“Oh!  A photo-op!”  Sunset beamed.  She placed her baskets down and rubbed her hands together.  “Let's make the best out of it, shall we?”  She reached in towards the girl who had asked her.  “Heave—“

“Guh!” the girl yelped and then laughed nervously as she was lifted up high.

“—ho!”  Sunset held her up with impressive strength, balancing the girl with one arm and her shoulder.  “Smile for the camera, sweetheart!  You're an astronaut now!”  She pumped the muscles of her opposite arm and struck a pose while the frazzled teenager in her grip attempted to blend in.  “Hashtag: air heads!”

The rest of the teenager's friends laughed and chuckled as they all took photos with phones.

“Thank you thank you—I'm here all week.”  Sunset placed the girl down to her feet and picked her baskets up again.  “Unless you hear someone shout 'Timberrrrrrr'... in which case you'd better run or else I might come smashing down through your house.”

“Hahahaha—you're so funny, lady!”

“Yeah, it's something in the water.  Assuming I can ever reach it.”  Sunset waved them off, still bearing the heroic grin.  “Tootaloo, dum-dums!”

The blonde creatures ventured off with their cart in tow, chatting giddily with one another about the “event” they just experienced.

Sunset hummed to herself, continuing to peruse the aisle as if nothing had happened.

Flash—in the meantime—was too busy clenching his teeth as he felt his heartbeat normalizing.  “That... that was horrible,” he stammered.

“Eh... quite silly and pleasant, actually.”  Sunset examined a pack of Kool-Aid.  “We're in a Wal-Mart.  We're lucky an old lady with drooping tits didn't try calling the police because a Scandinavian alien had invaded the country.”

“Oh gosh... h-has something like th-that happened to you?!”

“I've seen 'em all.”  Sunset tossed him a calm grin and reached over to ruffle his head.  “Don't you worry, sweetie.  It takes a fuckton of nonsense to ruffle these feathers.”

Flash straightened his bangs, glancing towards the far ends of the store.  He took notice of multiple heads pausing to gaze their way... lingering... and eventually moving on.  “I... never really thought of it.”  He gulped.  “But you and the girls... m-must get stared at a lot.”

“Sometimes it's charming,” Sunset said.  “Rainbow always finds a way to get a laugh out of it.”

“Like you did just now?”

“Nah.  She's way better with improvisation on the fly.  In moments like that... I just remember that I'm a superhero!”

“So that's how you manage...”

“It works most of the time!”

“Guess I understand why you wear masks now,” Flash said.  “You already receive enough attention as it is.”

“Y'know... I'm a little surprised that most people haven't put two and two together,” Sunset remarked.  “Seven girls... same age... almost same body type... hanging out in the same place?”  She shrugged.  “We're the Elements of Harmony through and through.  Seems pretty obvious.  And goddess forbid anyone from high school should run into us again...”

“I'm... guessing that most of them are keeping silent,” Flash said.  “Considering how many witnessed the crazy stuff that went down back at CHS.”

“It's a wild, wicked world out there... but—all things considered—we've been pretty dayum lucky!”  Sunset brushed her bangs back.  “Just like the employees at Cadenza Corp.  A lot of people are really happy to keep things hush-hush.”

“Hmmmm...”  Flash smiled pleasantly.  “...maybe it's something infectious about the spirit of friendship and harmony.”

“Or maybe our pendulous dicks simply hypnotize everyone.”

“Hskkkt!”  Flash winced and nearly spun around with paranoid fear.  “Sunnnnnyyyy!”

Sunset giggled.  “Relax!  Nobody can hear us!”

“H-how do you know that?”

“Situational awareness,” Sunset explained.  “Something the girls and I learned out in the field.”

“Oh yeah?”

“For instance...”  Sunset nodded her head towards one end of the aisle.  “That man's a war veteran.  Prosthetic left leg.”

Flash squinted stealthily at a middle-aged man in a polo shirt and jeans.  “How can you tell...?”

“Distribution of his weight and the uneven shuffling of his lower half,” Sunset explained.  “Also the word 'Semper' is poking out from beneath his collar.”

“Wow... I had no idea you were... this observant.”

“I can't help it.”  Sunset shrugged.  “Normally I can read everyone's thoughts too.  But... well...”  She shook the bracelet on her arm.

Flash bit his lip guiltily.  “You must feel 'deaf' because of me.”

“What?”

“I... said you must feel deaf because of me.”

“What?”

“I said you—“  Flash went cross-eyed, then playfully slapped her side.  “Sunnnnny!”

She giggled.  Then winked at him.  “But seriously, though.  I've long learned how to fill in the blanks.  I kinda have to.  In the field, I'm objectively the weakest of the Elements of Harmony.  So I make up for my lack of strengths with observational skills.”

“Don't forget the Vulcan Mind Meld.”

“Only in extreme circumstances.”  Sunset walked into the next aisle and Flash followed.  “But we didn't come here to talk superhero fluff.  Do you have a preferred brand of soap?”

“Uhhhhh... I can't eat soap.”

Sunset stuck her tongue out.  “It's for the shower, silly.”

“I can do with yours.”

“I know you can—but I want you feeling comfortable!  I'm sure they've got some lavender soap around here somewhere.”

“Er... they do...”

“Oh?”  Sunset looked down at the boi.  “You saw some earlier?”

“Yeah.  In the hygiene aisle.  We passed it when we first entered.”

“Well...”  Sunset readjusted the things in her baskets—emptying one of the containers and handing it down to the petite young man.  “How about you go and grab a few bars, hmmm?  Maybe get some toothpaste and other necessities while you're at it.”

“Uhhhh...”  Flash took the basket and hung it nervously at the full length of his dangling arms.  He stood pensive and bird-toed.

“Flash, sweetie, we've been through this.”  She reached over to caress his face.  “You're no bother!  It's my treat!  And when I say 'my treat,' I mean Cadance's treat.”  She chuckled lightly.  “So long as you're not going to pick out a few dozen Lamborghini's, it'll be more than fine.”

He gnawed on his lip, avoiding her gaze.

“What?”  She pursed her lips, stroking his ear.  “Don't want to leave my side?  Hmmm?”

“... … ...not r-really,” the boi mewled.

“Awwwwww... it's okay, hun.”  She leaned over and kissed his forehead.  “It'll only be for a short while.  I'm not going anywhere.”

“I'm sorry... just...”  Flash exhaled through a shudder.  “The last time I was alone... like really alone...”

“Flash.”  She leaned over far, eyes firm.  “Look at me.”

He did so.

She stroked the back of his head.  “You're never... ever gonna be alone.  Never again.  No matter what happens... no matter the stakes... I'll always be there for you.  Do you understand?”  She let her hand fall to his shoulder, loving and squeezing.  “You're no longer just an afterthought in your family's cold minds.  I promise.  'Kay?”

He sniffled... then nodded with a tiny smile.  “Okay.”

She pinched his cheek, then stood up all the way.  “Ahhhhh... whew... we gotta get you some stilts, girl.”

Flash giggled.

“Soap Fetch Quest—go!”

Flash made to leave—but he jolted in place.  “Wait... I left my phone in the car.  How will you find me?”

“Uhhhh... Flash...?”  She fondled the bracelet on her arm, pretending as if she was about to slip it off.  Instead, she arched her eyebrows for emphasis.  “I promise you.  I can always find you.”

“Oh... uh... r-right...”  He blushed.  “I suppose you can.”  A half-curtsy, and the boi bounded off.





Flash Sentry got his soap like a good boi.  He also procured some deodorant, lip balm, shampoo, and—after more than a little bit of inner struggle—a pack of clean socks.  He felt adorably guilty about the last selection, and was already formulating a formal apology to Sunset...

...when his peripheral vision was accosted by a vomitous deluge of pastel pink.

It was only natural that the boi looked towards the color's source.

He was passing by the toy aisles of Walmart.  More specifically: the girl toy aisle.  And—in what could only be an early Christmas miracle—the section was currently devoid of scampering, shrieking, wailing children.  Or anybody, for that matter.

The young man felt a pit form in his stomach.  His heart pounded.  He looked ahead of him... he looked behind him... then—with swift little sliding motions—he side-stepped until he was standing in the toy aisle.  Surrounded by pastel pinks and lavenders and reds, he felt the pit in his stomach turn to butterflies.  Flash exhaled through a tiny-yet-crooked smile.  His eyes wandered up to a cardboard cut-out of familiar princesses who acted as castle battlements above the assortment of dolls, tea sets, horses, and roller skates.  Before him, a fabulous assortment of regal divas posed in their transparent cubicle casings of plastic.  So many shiny dresses.  So many adorable little pink plastic brushes and combs.  Vinyl rosebuds and perching songbirds.

A melodic sigh escaped his lips.  He walked down the aisle, his eyes observing all of the sellable cuteness.  For a brief moment, he closed his eyes—and he dreamt that he was a four year old once again twirling in the center of so many giggling girls.  His eyes reopened, and he blinked at a series of laughably small dresses hanging from the “costume” section of the princess aisle.  He spotted a Belle dress, a Rapunzel dress, a Cinderella ballgown, and a very very very lonely Moana frock.

Nervously, he glanced down both ends of the aisle.  He was still alone.

Holding his breath, Flash reached out and... trailed his fingers along the translucent gossamer edges of the Belle gown.  The thing was dinky—sized for a preschooler, of course.  But the boi pretended for a brief moment that he was touching the shiny fabric of something that was adult-sized... even too big for him.  He didn't care if the material was gaudy or wrinkled or caked in dust—it was girliness manifested... and what he wouldn't give to have something like it (only Flash-Sentry-sized) to twirl in someday.

His legs carried him onward, and he stumbled upon an endcap where tangentially related décor had been situated.  There, he saw something that made his jaw drop.

It was a soft Tinkerbell throw blanket.  Polyester with a soft, fuzzy touch to it.  The item was bundled into a cylinder, and it was difficult to make out the pattern from just looking at the fabric.  However, the branding showed the full illustration:  an adorable and glamorous Tinkerbell standing on an open flower with a royal purple background dotted with florals and pixie dust.  The edge of the blanket was hemmed in pastel green with pink stitching.

“Mmm... mm... m....”  The sissy whimpered, his limbs going limp.  He felt weak in the knees, weak in the thighs, weak in the crotch.  If Flash was sitting at home and looking at this product on a web browser, he might have had to change his underwear.  But here, in public, he barely managed to keep control of his body... unless one counted the limp lean of his body towards the blanket... fingers grazing, touching, feeling.  A giggle escaped his lips... and he imagined himself curled up snugly under pastel comforters in a pink bed and snuffling the super super soft blanket to his cheek and inhaling the heavenly scent of lavender as he was carried away on an invisible purple cloud—

“You wanna take that home too, sweetie?” Sunset's voice vibrated into his ear.

“Aaackies!”  He jumped back from the endcap—his head inadvertently bumping into her lower bosom.

“Whoah there!”  Sunset leaned back, balancing baskets off her strong arms.  “Easy there, sailor!”  She smirked, patting his head.  “Although I give it a ten for the landing.”

Flash spun around, blushing and breathless.  “Sunset...!”  He nearly dropped his basket of necessities.  “What are you d-doing here?!”

“Finding you!”  She held a finger up, grinning.  “I found the absolute perfect meal!  It just screams 'you!'”  She reached her hand into the basket and pulled it back out—holding a tell-tale rectangular tv dinner.  “Kid Cuisine!  Eh?  Ehhhhh?”

Flash squirmed in place.  He felt a life-threatening aura suddenly radiating from the toy aisle and tried to inch away—but Sunset was blocking his way.

“Look it!”  She pointed at the microwave dinner's cover.  “Chicken nuggets!  Macaroni!  And—the penguin!  Just like Pinkie Pie told me used to be on the cover!  I guess they brought him back!  And here I thought it was always Spongebob!”

“Sunny... can we not—?”

“Oh!  Sorry!  Go on!  Put the blanket in the basket, sweetie—“

Flash clenched his teeth.  “No.”

“No?”  Sunset arched an eyebrow.  “Why not?”

“Just—please...”

“Can it not fit?”

“No.  I... guh...”  Flash facepalmed, blushing redder than lava at this point.

Sunset giggled, walking past him.  “Flash... honey... I took the bracelet off for a half-second so I could get my bearings on you—...”

“Guh!”  He scampered after her.  “Wait—!”

She casually strolled down the pink aisle, admiring all of the dolls and princesses and dress sets.  “...and I sensed pure happiness... absolute joy.  I sorta figured you were either here or in the makeup aisle.  Oh!  Hey!”  She picked up a box containing a beauty but a funny girl.  “This one's your favorite, isn't she?”

Flash rocked on the heels of his sandals, staring intently into the ground with clenched fists.

“Orrrrr...”  Sunset put Belle back and picked up a dazzling Cinderella doll.  “Was it her?  The two of you can relate, hmmmm?”

“Sunny... I...”  Flash squirmed, visibly uncomfortable.  “Can... c-can you stop...?”

“But why, sweetie?  Neither of us are hurting anyone.”  She chuckled, walking down the aisle some more.  “We both know how happy this stuff makes you.  So why pretend?”  She reached out and touched the same dress Flash had been admiring earlier.  “Heh... too bad this isn't estranged boifriend sized...”

“Sunnnnnny...” he was whispering squeakily at this point.

He blinked at him.  Then—with a motherly smile—she took him by the hand and gently led him a few aisles down... … … until they were surrounded by military camouflage and bright orange water guns.

“Is this better?” she droned, eyebrow arched.

He huffed.  “It's not funny...”

“Flassssssh...” She giggled, strolling down past tanks and sci-fi aircraft.  “Why can't you relax!  Unless... this is all part of the game—”

“It's not a game,” Flash grumbled.

“Then what is it?”  She gazed down at him with a patient expression.  “Why do you not just... let yourself indulge?  We both know the need is strong.”

“It's... it's complicated,” he murmured, walking along with her.

“I'm all ears.”

“... … …”

“Well?”

“... … ...the Kid Cuisine might melt.”

She laughed, then reached down to pat his shoulder.  “And if that happens, I'll just fetch another one in its place.”

He sighed, his blush slowly fading as he crossed his arms with the basket dangling from his grip.  “... … ...I've never really been... destitute, Sunset.  Even though Magnolia and my folks strangled my finances in the last few years, I could always afford... to get myself stuff.  If... if I wanted.”  His back hunched over slightly.  “And believe me, I wanted.”

“Then why didn't you?”

His eyes hung towards the floor sadly.

The amazon was already nodding.  “You always felt too guilty to indulge.  So you just... settled for dull colors and textures.”

“Good ol' limbo.”

“Maybe it's time to kiss self-punishment 'good-bye,'” Sunset suggested as the two slowly walked through the store.  “Would that be so bad?”

“I can go without punishing myself, yes.”  Flash nodded.  “But that doesn't mean I gotta... y'know... spoil myself.”

“And why not?”

“Let me be more specific.”  He glanced back at the pink aisle, now a distant speck.  “It doesn't mean I gotta spoil myself that way.”

“And why not?”

He groaned.  “Sunset—“

“It's the perfect reunion waiting to happen, Flash.”

“I... just...”  He looked around for people nearby, saw no one, and nevertheless hissed in a hushed tone:  “...we both know what t-turns me on.”

“Uh huh...”

“And we both know what... uhm... the Harmonic Well is all about.”

“Uh huhhhhhh...”

“So... like...”  Flash shrugged.  “...it's super inappropriate and gross.”

“What is?”

He blinked at her.

She blinked back, waiting.

“It... That...”  Flash gulped.  “It's just... it's just not right to indulge in a whole lot of girly... princessy stuff and do really naughty things at the same time.”

“Who says?”

He nearly collapsed.  “Uhm... duh???”  He looked close to barfing.  “Sunset, I know you've only been in this world for maybe seven years, but you don't go around mixing that sort of stuff.”

“Since when?”

“Since—?!”  He slapped his forehead, sighed, and shook his head.  “Forget I said anything—“

“Flash, answer me something.”

He kicked at the floor, sighing.  “Sure.”

“Do you want to be sexually involved with children?”

The boi nearly collapsed into a row of fishing lines and bicycle tires.  “Wh-what?!” he stammered, his face pale as a sheet.  “No!!!  Of—!”  He winced, looking over his shoulder, then leaning towards the valkyrie.  “Of course not!  What kind of a question is that?!”

She cocked her head to the side.  “You don't want to physically exploit minors in any way?”

“No!  No no no—a thousand times no!  Sunny...”  His teeth chattered.  “Could you please not say such things so loudly—”

“Are you actively planning to take advantage of someone without their consent?”

His mouth agape—the boi could only shake his head.

Sunset smiled, shrugging.  “Then what's the problem?”

“... … ...”

“Flash... honey...”  She pivoted to face him, squeezing his shoulder lovingly.  “Let's be real.  Why do you really like the 'princess' and 'pink' aesthetic?”

“I... well...”  He fidgeted.  “... … ...happy memories?”

“Well, of course.  But I mean when it comes to the naughtier angle.”  Her eyes narrowed somewhat.  “I've been inside that cute head of yours.  We both know the streams cross... often.”

“I... I've heard of some people say that they wanna be around... erm... j-juvenile things because they went through a lot of crud when they were young and they feel like they missed out on childhood.  But... but I-I never really experienced that.”  He gulped.  “Sure, my parents were never really all that loving... but they did support me... even if from a distance.  And... and I never felt that I was born the wrong gender or something.  But... whenever I look and see and feel really-really-really girly things... I just feel... sweet... and pretty...”  His nostrils flared, and he blew out the side of his mouth.  “... … ...submissive.”

Sunset smiled sweetly.  “Would you believe me if I told you that consenting adults oftentimes enjoy stuff that's seen as both 'juvenile' and 'sexy'?”

“... … ...”  Flash blinked hard.  “...you can do that?”

“Yes.  It's usually referred to as 'age play.'”

“Age... play...”

“Yes.  When adults assume the role of a child or a caregiver or both.  It boils down to the relationship structure.  It's a form of role play, sometimes acted out... sometimes just a subtlety that's practiced regularly.”

Flash's face scrunched.  “... … ...and it's sexual?”

Sunset leaned back, breathing.  “Not always.  But it can be.  It's not about being an actual child, but rather being childlike... as in personality-wise or in presentation.  What you wear... what you surround yourself with... your habits.”  She smirked.  “You know how 'schoolgirl' and 'cheerleader' outfits are a big thing for couples well past high school?”

“Oh... uh... sure... I guess...”  Flash cleared his throat.  “Is that what explains abdul?”

Sunset looked confused.  “Abdul?”

“Y'know...”  Flash fingers pointed ceilingward as he spelled out:  “A... B... D... L...”

“Hahahahaha—“  Sunset nearly keeled over, but she quickly composed herself.  “Ahem.  Sure.  Y'know.  Different strokes for different folks.”  She snorted.  “Sorry, sweetie... I just never heard it spelled out like that.”

Flash gulped.  “... … ...and it's completely normal?”

“It's completely okay.  So long as everyone's adult and consenting—what's stopping them from dressing up as plush narwhals and fencing with their horns before rolling in the hay?”  Sunset shrugged and walked ahead.  “As a very wise mentor once told me...”  She hummed.  “'There's no wrong way to fantasize.'”

“I guess...”  Flash sighed, rubbing one arm with the other as he followed her.  “...I always thought I had to keep the spheres separate.”

“Says the boi who fantasizes about Prince Charming claiming his princess.”

He blushed, clearing his throat.  “You know what I mean...”

“And there's nothing that says that you can't keep things separate if you feel more comfortable that way, Flash.”  She looked down at him.  “But if you wanna double-dip—between being an adorable little princess and being a sexy minx—it's okay too!  I assure you whole heatedly!  With every fiber of my being!”

Flash breathed easily.  “That... that's a happy thought...”

“Makes you feel like flying, huh?”  Sunset winked down at him.  “All you need is pixie dust.”

He bit his lip.

She sighed helplessly.  “I won't make you take a pretty faerie blanket home.  Relax.”

He sighed as well.  “Maybe later.”  A gulp.  “I'm sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.”

“I know I'm very difficult...”

“You're feeling out.  Discovering yourself.  Or—at least—you have a chance to.”

“You... the girls...”  Flash fidgeted between every sandal'd step through the store.  “...you... y-you would let me... uhm...”

“Dress and smile and twirl like a pretty pretty princess?”  Sunset smirked.  “Flash, honey, we would give you your own princessy room...”

He held a hand over his chest, short of breath.

“With pink everything—walls, carpet, curtains, ceiling.  Your favorite character on every blanket and pillow...”

“Oh gosh oh gosh...”  He pulled at his hair, nearly dropping his basket.  “Sunset... stop... y-you're gonna make me b-burst!”

“Heeheehee—we can even give you a tea set and a rocking horse and a little baton to twirl around—“

“Guhhhhhh... Sunny!”

The amazon giggled wickedly.  “Flash...”  She patted his shoulder as they walked along.  “...anything and everything is yours.  So long as you're our happy little pet, who cares what you're wearing?”

Flash managed a brief but dreamy sigh.  “Everyone's happy little pet...”

“Tartarus, I know for a fact that Fluttershy would absolutely love it if—!”  She froze in mid-speech, her pupils shrinking.

“...?”  Flash looked up at her.  “What?”

“Uhhh...”

“What about Fluttershy...?”

“I... meant... to say...”  Sunset's eyes wandered, rolled, and fell to his basket.  “Oh hai!  You got the soap!  You ready to check out?”

“... … ...yeah?”

“Whelp, what are we waiting for!  Shopping Quest—Accomplished!”  Sunset skipped ahead.  “Zoop!”

Flash shrugged it off and scampered to catch up with the woman.





Minutes later...

Flash sat alone in the car.  Dangling his feet from the passenger's seat.  Humming.

He glanced comfortably through the window, scanning the parking lot.  Several plastic bags full of items sat in the back.

At long last, he saw Sunset's towering figure under the haze of a lamp.  The valkyrie walked briskly towards the vehicle, dangling a bag from her arm.

Flash stretched his tiny body... reached... reached... and finally unlocked the driver's side in time for Sunset's arrival.

She opened the door and slinked in, exhaling.  “Sorry.  I didn't mean to take so long.”

“It's okay.”  Flash bounced back into the passenger seat.  “What'd you have to go back for?”

“Just a thing or two I forgot about.  Thanks for being patient.”  She tossed the bag in question into the back, then frowned at the dashboard of the vehicle.  “Flash!  Sweetie!  You could have turned the a/c on!”

“But... it's cool outside—“

“I don't want you burning up, you silly thing!”  She felt his forehead effortlessly.  “Yeesh.  Good thing you bought deodorant!”

“Sunnnnnyyyy...”  Flash stifled a giggle and gently pushed her hand away.  “I'm fine.  I'm not hot.  I promise.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” Sunset purred.

Flash rolled her eyes.

“Alright!  Ready to roll out!”  Sunset turned the ignition on and buckled up.  “Safety fiiiiirst!”

Flash obediently slipped his safety belt into place.  “Awfully quiet tonight.”

“Well, let's fix that.”  Sunset nodded.  “Glove compartment.  The red velvet case.”

“???”  Flash had to stretch a little to reach the latch.

“Heehee... here.  Allow me.”  Sunset opened the compartment and handed the case to him.  “There.  Unzip it.”

“Tunes?”

“Tunes!”  Sunset cautiously backed them out of the parking space, glancing at the rear view mirror.  “Remember that question you asked me earlier?”

“About the first CD you listened to?”  Flash flipped through the tell-tale discs in their flappable sleeves.  “I'm not seeing any Korean text...”

“You asked me about the first music CD I listened to,” Sunset clarified.  “Turns out, I've got in in there.”

“Oh yeah?  Where?”

“Flip to the very front,” Sunset said.  “Look for the blank white disc.”

“Uhhhhh...”  He pulled the CD in question out. “A burned CD?”

“Mmmmmhmmm!  That's the one!”  She nodded towards the dashboard.  “Snips and Snails gave it to me when I first enrolled at CHS.  Why not give it a spin?”

Licking his lips, Flash stretched... stretched... and finally fit it into the player's slot.

“Thattagirl.”

“Which track...?”

“Surprise me.”

Flash slapped the “shuffle” button and allowed the disc to play.  He listened with bated breath... and his pupils shrank as he heard...

...a very very familiar voice singing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

Flash's lips parted.  He held a dainty hand over his mouth.

Sunset whistled casually along with the tune.  After turning onto the main road, she threw Flash a patient look.

“... … ...”  Flash sniffled.  Tears formed in his eyes as he looked back at her.  There was a delicate, bittersweet smile.  “After all these years... you k-kept it...?”

“Mmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaybbeeeeeeee,” the woman responded with stars in her eyes.

“How... h-how often do you—“

“At least twice a week.  Makes me happy.  Makes me remember.”  She smiled, gripping the wheel with grace and majesty.  A toss of her scarlet hair.  “But... y'know... preaching to the choir...”

“Mmmm...”  Flash whimpered, dabbing his eyes with a dumb smile.

The insanely girly song carried on, its vocalist hitting each note perfectly.

“Yeesh, Flash.  Stop your crying, girl!  Save it for when Thunderbass does his awful cover of 'Stacy's Mom'

And Flash rolled over in his seat, kicking his feet and giggling.  Sunset chuckled, hitting the gas as she cruised the happy wagon all the way home under starlight.
> Your Typical Late Night Trust Fluff Exercise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, I'm sorry...?!”  Sunset Shimmer gasped into her microphone with faux shock.  “Was that a quadruple kill?!”  She sat in her oversized chair with her hands on the keyboard and mouse of her gaming PC.  “My finger must have slipped!  I thought I was playing support!”  Her brow furrowed as she blew metaphorical steam before the livestreaming webcam.  “Exactly what was that you were saying earlier about carrying us, ya friggin' one-trick body-shotter?!?”

As a teammate squabbled a poorly-improvised retort over the game chat, Flash Sentry watched from the far end of the room, easily out of frame of Sunset's desktop camera.  He balanced a tray daintily on his knees, his tiny fingers forking at patches of macaroni and chicken nuggets.  As he nibbled happily on the tv dinner, he kicked his dangling feet at the air and pleasantly watched Shimmercode's “rage” session continue.

“Oh!  Oh yeah!”  Sunset nodded with a sarcastic smirk.  Her eyes narrowed on some poor teammate's twitching avatar.  “Well... this 'bossy bimbo' just called you out on your lamesauce DPS!  Where'd you learn to aim, anyways?  Cookie Clicker VR?”

Another pause.  More squabbling.

“Great comeback!  If I didn't know better, I'd say they're overdue for cleaning out the toxic fishbowl you sleep in—”  Just then, Sunset's eyes bulged at a window pop-up across her hud.  She nearly spat across the monitor, and even Flash could hear a multitude of muffled laughs from the teamspeak in her headphones.  “Hahahaha!  Oh my gosh!  The rest of my team just votekicked him out! Thank you!  Heroes—one in all!  Goddess-willing, matchmaking will get us a decent assassin player!”  She turned to wink at the webcam.  “And that's what we call a Shimmerburn!”  She slapped a button over a console beside her keyboard, and Flash saw a secondary monitor splashing an animated .gif of a winking chibi-Sunset icon across the stream broadcast.

Flash giggled breathily between bites.  He took a sip from a sippy cup and swallowed the last few remaining morsels of his meal down.

“Hooooooooooo boyo...!  Talk about a good session!”  Sunset's warm eyes glanced at a clock.  “Whelp!  Two hours in—and I don't think my 'mini-stream' is quite so 'mini' anymore.  That's right, folks!  I'm calling it a night!”  She turned on teamspeak and made her avatar gesture to the others in-game.  “T'was a pleasure grinding with you guys!  Most of you, that is.”  Voices digi-squalked back at her, most of them sad and pleading.  “I know I know... but I've got company over and I really must make like a sun and set!  But don't worry!  This entire awesome night's session has been archived!  Check out Shimmercode on Twitch!  I promise there's absolutely zero bathwater advertising!”  She turned her head and winked at Flash across the room.  “Now there's a callback and a half!”

“I don't get it.”  The boi didn't get it.

“Anyhonks...!”  Sunset saluted and winked at the webcam.  “Thanks for checkin' in, all you little Shimmerbetes!  Until next time!  I'll page ya so I can rage with ya!  Nini!”

The woman clicked a red button on her side console and the stream ended.  The monitor displaying the broadcast segued into a series of captured moments from past videos, with a frame of smiling chibi-Sunset-faces bordering the action in a retro-style 8-bit overlay.

“Whew-weeee...”  Sunset took her headphones off and hung them over a plastic wrack on the side of the desk.  “What a sesh!  Short.  Simple.  Sweet and fun!”

Flash craned his fair neck.  “Is...”  He whispered.  “...is the thingy off?”

“Yes, Flash, sweetie.  The thingy is off.”

“So...”  He craned his neck some more, blushing.  “...nobody's watching...?”

“Flash, it's safe.”  Sunset chuckled, twirling around in the gigantic chair to face him in the corner.  “For Celestia's sake... it's okay to walk in front of the camera now!”

He exhaled with relief.  “Did you make any moniez this time?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh sh00r!”  She stifled a yawn.  “Plentyyyyyyyyy of radstags!  I haven't been streaming as regularly as I used to—what with the whole Elements of Harmony magical drought situation and all.  So when I do come online, my fans show up in droves.”

“Wow...”  Flash smiled, balancing his empty dinner tray.  “That's really nice, Sunny.  I bet you really feel appreciated—“

“Hrtttttttt...!”  Sunset lifted her arms over her chest and stretched... stretcccched.  Her curvaceous body pulled back like a crescent, her bosom hefting and rising.  The hem of her shirt lifted, revealing her enormous-yet-relatively-slim navel.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...”  Flash blushed red as a beet, remembering how goddess-damned gorgeous his ex still was... if not gorgeous-er than the almost normal-sized teenager he knew back at CHS.  He didn't realize he was gawking until he nearly dropped the tray in his grasp.  “Guh!  Uhm... eheheh...”

“Heheheh...”  Sunset finally stopped stretching.  She slouched comfortably in her chair, tugging the edges of her shirt back down over her midriff.  “You're not too bad yourself, loverboi.”

Flash cleared his throat.  Sitting butterfly-legged on the edge of his seat.  “I... I gotta ask, Sunny.”

“Yes, Flash?”

“This... persona of yours... when you're Shimmercoding...”  He arched an eyebrow innocently.  “It is persona, isn't it?”

“I certainly hope so.”  She stuck a tongue out, winking.

“Does... it ever get tiring?”

“Flash, honey, I indulge in Shimmercode because it relaxes me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeah...”  Her fingers kneaded the edges of her knees.  “All things considered, that 'bad girl' of CHS never truly left.”

Flash fidgeted slightly.  “So... you've corralled her into this Twitch streamer.”

“Yeah.  And it certainly friggin' helps that they stretched the ToS a bit to allow for it.”  She stifled a yawn.  “That's what happens when you find yourself competing against the Chinese Internet Renaissance.”

“Oh.  I've read a few articles about that and stuff,” Flash said, nodding about that worldly development that everyone knew about over the past five years and did not at all need any explaining.

“Besides...”  Sunset waved a hand.  “...if I let the rage out in the field, believe me... there'd be blood.”

Flash winced.  “Does it really get that frustrating?”

“When thugs get a spark of magic to toss at you... oh yeah... the temptation claws at one's brain bone.”

“Does it ever get tiresome?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Erm...”  Flash gestured at the computer.  “The raging persona... the whole Shimmy Code angle?”

“Eh... if I broke character too much, I'd probably lose subscribers... and money.”  She winked.  “That's when I bring Fluttershy on.”

Flash did a double-take.  “Really?  Fluttershy?”

“That's right.”

“She plays video games?”

“Nope!”

“... … ...huh?”

“She's a total casual.”  Sunset teetered between a laugh and a yawn.  “Which is perfect!  We've got a great routine whenever she shows up.  We play something—usually something simple and kiddy outside of my normal milieu—and she beats me every time.”

“Really?”  Flash's jaw dropped slightly.  “She beats you every time?”

“Well...”  Sunset coyly toyed with a fiery lock of hair.  “...a lot of the times, it's just an act.  But... hey... it works.  It's fun.  It's a nice change of pace.  And Fluttershy has fun—which means the most to me.  Plus, the fans seem to love it.”

“When was the last time you had Fluttershy over to do this?”

“About... a week before we started sensing the Harmonic Well.  But... if you're asking because you're about to suggest we reunite again...”  Sunset shook her head.  “That's not happening.  At least... not right now.”

“Why not?”

“Just...”  Sunset coughed delicately, avoiding his gaze.  “...now's not a good time.”

Flash felt a knot form in his throat.  “... … ...I'm keeping you apart from all your friends, aren't I?”

“Flash, we've been over this.  Right now, you're my priority and—“

“What?  Am I a danger to your friends or something?”  He gestured.  “You've got tons of those bracelet thingies now!”

“So...?”

“Let the girls share them!”  He smiled sweetly.  “You can reunite with them!  I'll keep my distance!  I promise!”

“It's... … ...”  Sunset visibly wrestled with the tempting thought, ultimately sighing.  “It's... n-not that simple, Flash...”  She transformed her expression into a soft, motherly smile.  “And as much as I miss them all... especially Twilight, ahem...”  She sat up straight.  “I can manage without the girls for a little while.”

“How long is a 'little while?'”

“... … … … … ...I'll know when the time's right.”  Sunset gulped.  “If the time's right.”

The boi looked sad at that.  “Does that mean... if I'm ultimately not cool with gelling with the Harmonic Fountain... that I-I'll never get to hang out with the rest of your friends?”

“What?  No!”  Sunset stood up, walking towards the boi in the corner.  “You're totally in our social circle now!”

“But—”

“Do I need to write it out for you?”  She knelt by his chair until their eyes were even.  “Flash... sweetie...”  She rested a hand on the back of his head, kneading the boi's silk-soft hair.  “If when all is said and done you want to keep your body and soul to yourself—in which case you're perfectly entitled—then it doesn't change the fact that the girls and I will be there for you.  We're going to help you in this life... support you.  And—yes—we most definitely want to hang out with you.  You're one of us now!  I promise you!”  A long, thoughtful exhale.  “I just... need time.  Time for you... time for me... so that when the time does come for all of us to interact... I... will... mrmmm... know exactly how to 'prepare' the girls.”  A gulp, then a nervous smile.  “Does that make any sense?”

He looked down at his hands gripping his empty tray.  A guilty breath:  “I'm making this awfully hard for you, aren't I?”

“Ohhhhhhhhh Flash...”  She leaned in and nuzzled him.  Like a horse would.  A happy magical horse woman.  “...if this was all about what was or wasn't easy, do you think I would have stuck around you for so long?”  She leaned back, caressing his cheek with a smile.  “You think Cinderella gave up waiting so easily?”

He smiled crookedly.  “Even without telepathy, you know my language so well.”

“It's a tough habit to break.  Not that I want to.”  She kissed his forehead, then leaned back with a smile.  “So...”  Her eyes lit up.  “Shimmercode's done with and you've finished your dinner.  I guess we're both done refilling, so to speak.”

“Heeheehee...”

“What would you like to do now?”

“At this hour?”

Sunset shrugged.  “Time isn't exactly our master at the moment.”

Flash weathered a timid breath.  “Would... you h-hate me if I said that I just wanted to chill?”

“Hmmm...”  She smiled warmly.  “Not at all.”

“I should wash this tray off...”  Flash stammered.

“Let's take it to the kitchen, shall we!”  That said, Sunset effortlessly scooted his body up from the chair.  “Zoop!”

“Guh—!”  He tensed, clutching the tray to himself as he curled up in her strong grasp.

The woman chuckled, carrying the boi effortlessly out of the room and across the house.  “So... 'chill', huh?  You wanna watch something together?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh...”  He leaned against her shoulder, trembling slightly but nevertheless relishing in her strong embrace.  “... … ...depends.”

“On what?”

“Are you... tired of watching old wrestling videos?”

Sunset chuckled—but this time in a breathy and contemplative way.  She leaned in to nuzzle the side of Flash's head.  “Flash... sweetie...”

“... … ...what?”

“What do you really wanna watch?”

The boi fidgeted in her grasp.

“Be open.  No more pretending.”

“What... what if you d-don't enjoy it...?”

“I enjoy you.  Just stop holding back.”

By the time they reached the kitchen, he shuddered... feeling a ticklish flutter of butterflies in his tummy.  “Okay... … ...”  A smile trailed.





“You know, I'm really not supposed to speak to strangers,” Briar Rose said, nevertheless slinking tighter into the embrace of a princely persona put on by several colorful forest critters in a bipedal fashion.  “But we've met before.”

An owl, a squirrel, and several songbirds merrily shuffled as the woodland damsel began singing in their red cloak's embrace.

“~I know you; I walked with you once upon a dream~”  The fair maiden sang, curtsying before twirling back into the “prince's” arms.  She and the masculine effigy proceeded to waltz across the soft emerald clearing of the forest.  ”~I know you; that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam~”

The smile across Flash Sentry's face was a far sappier one this evening.  He lay back against Sunset on the length of the couch in a comfortable fashion, his legs slightly curled up between the crook of her thighs.  A blanket was spread over the two of them, and Sunset balanced the laptop on her knees so that the two could get a perfect view of the 1959 Disney Classic playing out before them.  They watched in warm, toasty stillness as the blonde princess-to-be continued her bittersweet dance, watched on by an entranced Prince Phillip.

“Uh ohhhh...”  The corner of Sunset's lips curled upwards.  “Incoming stranger danger!”

Flash giggled under the comforting squeeze of her strong arms.  His feminine legs shifted as he snuggled tighter against the amazon, sighing dreamily.  “There's practically no Disney 'romance' that isn't borderline creepy in some way.”  He gulped.  “Even Little Mermaid—“

“You mean when a fourteen year old gives up her fish tail for a pair of legs that she can spread for a handsome man she hardly knows?”

“Sixteen,” Flash Sentry corrected in a fussy tone.  He nevertheless sighed.  “Even still...”

Sunset was already chuckling.  “Doesn't change the 'creepy' factor, hun.”

“I know.  I know.  But once you accept all that... and then choose to look past it...”

“... … ...you enjoy being enchanted by it all, huh?”

Flash sighed dreamily as Briar Rose looked startled and flustered in Prince Philip's loving grasp.  “Yeahhhhhhhhhh...”

“Sweet.  Innocent.  Wholesome,” Sunset remarked, stroking the back of Flash's head.

Flash slowly... slowly nodded.  “And just so pretty...”

“... … ...but you still like the naughty angle, huh?”

“Shhhh!” Flash insisted, although blushing furiously.  “There're cute little forest animals on the screen!”

“Hahahaha...”  Sunset gave the boi a squeeze from behind.  “Celestia forebid!”

Flash watched in almost a glazed high.  His sapphire eyes reflected the prince and princess as they danced along a river's edge.

As the music slowly subsided and the next scene began, Sunset spoke up.  “Flash, sweetie, I have to ask...”

“Mmmmhmmm?”

“And... I might be repeating myself when I do so...”

“Mmmmhmmm...?”

“But... why princesses?”

The boi blinked, still gazing at the screen.  “As opposed to...?”

“I mean... I've got most of you figured out.  You like adorable, girly, cutesy things...”

“Mmmmm... as sissies do.”

“You quoting me or yourself?”

He chewed his lip, blushing.

She nuzzled the top of his head, resisting the temptation to inhale his gorgeous scent.  “But of all the things to fixate on?  You could have chosen kittens or bears or Hello Kitty or—”

“Unicorns?”

Sunset rolled her eyes.  “Not what I meant.”

“I... guess I've just never really latched onto animals...”  He winced slightly.  “Erm... no offense.”

“Heheh... none taken.”

“I'd rather have a doll than a teddy bear.  But... when it comes to princesses?”  He gulped.  “I guess because their marketing is so... blatantly obvious and superficial.  I... feel less guilty obsessing over them.”

“Also—courtesy of Disney—there's a huge oversaturation of them.”

“Right.”

“Plenty of material to choose from.”

“Right right.”  Flash snuggled tighter under the blanket.  “Also... uhm... an-and I think this is the big thing.  But... uhh...”  He squinted his eyes at the movie on the laptop.  “...all of the princesses are... women?”

“Women, huh?”

“I mean they're adults.”

“Ah...”  Sunset smirked.  “Accept for the sixteen-year-old mermaid and the fourteen year old rooming with the dwarves—”

“They're all adults—”

“And the princess of Agrabah who runs into a bread thief—“

“Shut up!” Flash's voice cracked as he stuck his tongue out.  “They're all twenty-one-year-olds and consenting bachelorettes and that's final!”

“Hahahahaha...”  Sunset kissed the top of his head and continued hugging him.  “Fine.  Fine, sweetie.  Headcanon accepted.”

Flash cleared his dainty throat.  “Anyways... I always imagine them as paragons of young adult beauty.  Somehow it... makes things l-less awkward.”

“Considering how juvenile your interests are.”  Sunset nodded.  “Yeah, I can understand that angle.”

“I've... often imagined being... mmmm... inducted among them...”

“As in...?”

“C-coronated,” he blurted.  “Joining their Royal Court.  Looking up to them.  Learning grace and beauty.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh... so a Princess in Training.”  Sunset winked.  “Let me guess... you're perpetually younger than them.”

Flash sighed wistfully.  “Yeah...”

“Well...”  Sunset tongued the inside of her mouth as the movie continued.  “The girls and I aren't entirely older than you.  Some of us—like Pinkie and Rainbow, I think—might be half a year younger than twenty-two.  But... given our size difference... we can always pretend!”

“Are... are we talking about that age-play thing?

“If you'd like!”

“I... erm...”  Flash tried to breathe evenly.  “Maybe not all of the time.”

“Of course not.  But still... I can name a few who'd love to entertain a little princess for a day.”

Flash's vision got blurry.  His heart pounded at the thought, and he mewled:  “Even if n-nothing naughty happened for that same day?”

“Flash...”  Sunset leaned in to kiss just above his ear.  “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

He breathed out his nostrils, staring past the colorful frames of the film.  “It's just... I... I-I find it so hard to believe, Sunny...”

“What's that, Flash?”

“That... any of you... or even all of you would be willing to... to indulge me like that.”

“You don't believe it could possibly be that simple?”

“I mean... there's a catch.  I know that there's a catch.”  Flash shuddered.  “And... the catch isn't really so bad either.  In a way... it's also an indulgence for me.”

Sunset patted his arm with her large hand.  “Perhaps so...”

“Just...”  Flash gulped.  “...I'm a little scared to give in.  I know... I know you're waiting for a decision.  You all are.  But... but what if it does more bad than good for me?”

“How so?”

“What if... gosh dang it...”  He grimaced.  “... … ...I-I fear that I'll only get spoiled, Sunset.”

“You?  Spoiled?”

“I could so... so easily take advantage of your kindness...”  He bit his lip.  “... … ...among other things.”

“I don't see how.”

“Don't you?”  Flash tilted his head to look up at her.  “In the past few days I've learned that I'm a living amazonian aphrodisiac.”

“We're in way more control than you think, Flash.”

“But... but...”  He gulped.  “Yesterday—”

“I willed myself to take that dive,” Sunset said.  “It was an experiment, Flash.  And it... didn't go the way I wanted it to.”  She cleared her throat.  “Even then... I was able to stop things before... before...”

Silence.

“Anyways...”  Sunset adjusted her body, regripping him as she shifted the laptop slightly on her knees.  “I can control myself.  We can control ourselves.  When or if the time comes... … ...there's no way you can take advantage of us.”

“... … ...you sure of that?”

“Absolutely, sweetie.”

“... … ...”  Flash bit his lip, fought it, but then blurted:  “Then take the bracelet off.”

Sunset blinked.  He gazed down at the boi.  “Now?”

“Yes, now!”  He blinked emphatically in her direction.  “Remove the guard.  But this time... don't take so deep of a dive.”

“... … ...but...”

“I won't flirt with you or ask naughty questions or do anything to provoke... anything...”

Sunset fidgeted visibly.  She tried to maintain her cool, calm composure.  “I... I don't think that's a good idea...”

“Why not?  You're a scientist.  Aren't experiments meant to be repeatable?”

“But... but what if—”

“You just said a moment ago that you can control yourself.”

“Flash... sweetie...”  She gritted her teeth, facing the full front of the situation.  “If... I ever do anything to make you feel uncomfortable...”

“You won't, Sunset.”  He squeezed her arm.  “You won't do anything to me.”

“But—”

“You won't do anything to me.”  He looked up at her.  A soft smile spread between them.  “I trust  you.  I trust you, Sunset Shimmer.”

She was silent for a long while.  Her grip of the boi remained rigid, like concrete.  Then—with nervous movement—the breathless woman reached for the bracelet on her wrist.  The sound of it snapping loose echoed across the home's spacious living room.  Then—with a rattle of its silver beads—it fell cold and inert to the floor.  A sharp breath rippled through the amazon's bosom, and Flash felt the warm between him and the valkyrie increasing ten fold.  Her grip tightened, but it was beset with tremors.  Meanwhile—two points of unavoidable diamond hardness formed against his shoulderblades.

“Shhhhh... it's okay,” Flash murmured, relaxing into her embrace.  He slowly stroked her wrist, and somehow it eased the first few waves of her shivers.  “It's okay.  It's okay.  We're just snuggling together.  Like friends!”

A torrential breath rolled through her, and finally her muscles started to relax.  When she spoke, it was in a frail... choked breath.  “Okay.”

“It's alright.  You can smell my hair,” Flash said.  “Just breathe, Sunset.  Breathe easy.  It's your house.  I'm your friend.  Everything's going to be alright.  I promise.”

“Okay...”  Sunset nodded, her upper features reddening as her pupils returned to a normal size.  “Okay okay okay...”  She closed her lids.  She breathed... breathed again... breathed once more...

“That's great.”  He stroked her wrist again, smiling up at her with a rosy complexion.  “See?  We're fine.  You're not losing control.  You can trust yourself and you can trust me.”

“Yeah... yeah okay...”  By this time, Sunset was whimpering.  She hugged him tight—tighter than she had hugged him yet—but the boi found that he could withstand the pressure.  And when she realized it as well, a sob rippled through her... tender and quiet and squeezed through a smile.  She sniffled as the first of many grateful tears left her eyes.  “Oh sweet Celestia you're just so... so...”

“Shhhhhh...”  Flash kept his kneading grip of her wrist.  “...take it slow.”

She took a few breaths to compose herself.  Tears trickled down her cheeks.  “I... I wish you could feel what I feel.”  She gulped.  “What it does to me.  Maybe... m-maybe you could understand why I-I'm so scared, Flash.  But maybe... but maybe you'd also understand why I feel so—”

“Happy?”

She snickered, giggling... then weeping again.  She brought a hand up to rub her cheek dry with a womanly palm.  A sharp inhale, and the valkyrie exhaled:  “Goddess fucking dammit... … ...I swear... it's b-been like walking on eggshells...”

“Well, now you don't have to.  Not this very moment.”  He leaned his head back against her.  “Just relax.  You don't have to struggle anymore.  Nothing bad's happening, right?”

“Right... right...!”  She cracked a smile through fresh new tears.  Her shivers had faded, and her chest heaved against his small frame as she relaxed into a fresh new rhythm of existence.  “Nothing bad.  Nothing bad at all.”  She gulped, reaching both arms down to hug him again.  “Nothing bad nothing bad nothing bad nothing bad nothing bad...”

“Mmmmm...”  Flash stared deliriously at the animated movie playing innocently before them.  “... … ...tell me some things that make you happy.”

“Th-things that make me happy?”

“Heehee... yeah...”

“Well, y—“

“Besides me.”

“Twilight,” she blurted.  “Twilight Sparkle... my Twilight.  This world's Twilight... Celestia on a bike, I want to kiss and hug her so hard right now...”

“Hmmmmm...”  Flash smiled, relishing in the tender warmth of the amazon grasping him.  “What else...?”

“Applejack.  The drawl in her voice.  Her iron biceps.  The scent of the pies she bakes.  Her feckles.”  Sunset took deep breath after deep breath.  “Rarity.  The way she dramatizes and fusses over everything and then she becomes a complete screaming fucking wreck when we lick her off—!”  Sunset winced.  “Oh Goddess... I-I talked about s-something naughty...!”

“Shhhh... it's okay!”  Flash stifled a giggle.  “Go on.”

“Uhhhh... uhhhh... Pinkie Pie.  How her blue eyes shine so brightly whenever she's in the room.  How melodic her voice is.  How she always finds a way to make us smile.”  Sunset swallowed.  “Fluttershy.  Her adorable fashion sense.  Her love of all things tender and small and precious.  The scent of her perfume.”  She closed her eyes, nuzzling Flash from behind.  “Rainbow Dash.  Her endless faith in everyone.   Her dependability.  The scratchiness in her voice that never goes away... and how it makes me think we're all back in CHS again.”

“You really really love the girls, don't you?”

“When I'm with them... when we spend time together... when we have 'fun' together... it... it feels like this...”  Flash felt her squeeze him tight once more.  “It takes hours and even days to get to that point but in the end it feels like this... and you m-make it happen simply by just being here.  You and how easily you get flustered by the cutest of things.  Your beautiful hair and sweet smell and perfectly girlish voice.  How I can c-carry you around like a puppy and protect you and treat you and make your whole world revolve around me and Goddess damn it I want you to meet them, Flash, sweetie.  I want you to meet them so f-fucking much...”  She clenched her eyes shut to dam the tears.  “It's... it's just so good.  It's just so damn good where I'm at right now... where all are in life...”

He tilted his head back, listening intently as the woman gently wept on.

“Five years of inheriting the powers of the geodes, and we're making the world a better place.  Dr. Cadance is fully behind us.  With our help, she's curing diseases and inventing new means of safety and defense.  The seven of us have held evil at bay time and time again.  Meanwhile... Twilight's becoming a genius scientist and her little dog's a nigh-immortal dragon back home and Applejack's expanding her farm and Rainbow Dash is representing CHS with her coaching skills and Fluttershy is turning huge swaths of the Everfree Forest into a nature preserve and Rarity is excelling in her fashion business and Pinkie Pie is still Pinkie Pie and... and... and...”

Sunset sucked her next breath in.  Soon, she composed herself well enough to pierce the tears with a determined voice:

“And now you're here, Flash.  You're no longer just the lost ghost of a voice I listen to lonesomely on my CD Player in my car.  After five and a half long years, I've finally found you... and I wish that you could join us.  I really would.  No matter what you want from the Harmonic Fountain or not, I just wish you could be a part of this happy... happy life that I'm living.  That we're all living.  We can share that happiness with you... and maybe be even happier...”

He gulped.  “And you d-don't think it would spoil me?”

“I'll make sure it doesn't,” Sunset exclaimed.  “I'll be sure that you find a way to play your part.”

“Even if... 'playing my part' is simply to be around you girls?”  He took a deep breath.  “And to be for you girls?”

“It... it...”  Sunset gulped.  “There are so many ways this can play out, Flash.”

“But only one way for it to play out where you and the others get to be the Elements of Harmony full-time again.”  He squeezed her wrist.  “Tell me... do you feel any changes?”

“Me?  Changes?”

“Just now.  Since you've taken the bracelet off...”

“Well...”  She reached up to dry her cheek again.  “I... I sense your every th-thoughts...”  She chuckled nervously.  “...Goddess, it feels good to be in your pretty pink head once again.”

“Is that it?”

“No.  I...”  She smiled rosily.  “I sense the thoughts of the neighbors next door.”  She swallowed.  “And the other next door neighbors.”  Her moist eyelids shut.  “... … ...and I sense the souls of the people across the street.”

“Is that your full power?”

“No.  But it's so much, Flash!  It's so much and... and it feels wonderful...”  She kissed the top of his forehead, careful not to linger in the irresistible scent of his hair for too long.  “Thank you, Flash.  Thank you for having such faith in me...”

He bit his lip.  “And to get the full extent of your power... you'd... uh... you'd basically have to shish kabob me.”

Silence—save for the musical chatter from the movie.

“Right...?”  Flash squeaked.

“Oh Flash...”  Sunset gently caressed his face from behind.  “...I wish I knew what else to tell you.”

He reached up and clasped her hand against his cheek.  “I... kinda wish you could as well.”

“Hmmm?”

He nuzzled her hand against his face, delighting in its close and feminine touch.  “I... sometimes wish the decision wasn't up to me.”  He stared past the spaces between her fingers.  “As horrible as it sounds... part of me wishes you did just kidnap me.”

“... … ...because you're afraid of making the ultimate decision yourself?”

The boi clammed up.  Nevertheless, he nodded with a tender shudder.

“Oh, Flash...”  She continued caressing his face and hair.  “Your poor... sweet little... helpless sissy...”  She purred.  “I go on and on and on about how hard this situation is for me.  But—with the Harmonic Well and all—it must be incredibly tough for you as well.”

His heart was pounding at this point.  If he had his way, he'd curl up against her like a scared little toddler—

“Here, sweetie...”  Sunset suddenly grasped the boi and pivoted him around so that he was lying and facing her.

Flash gasped.  To his own embarrassment, he had forgotten that the amazon was fully telepathic again.  And yet—his frail body delighted in her taking complete control.  He felt the faintest of butterly-light stirrings beneath his waist.  Scared that he might get too happy (and she would sense it), the young man curled his knees up so that only his limbs made contact with the woman's torso.

Sunset nevertheless held him close, balancing his delicate chin against her shoulder as she rubbed the small of his back.

“...I wish I could make it simpler for you... even choose for you... but we also have to look outside the box of this magical situation we're all in.  We have to think of the repercussions... of how any of us would feel the 'morning after,' as t'were.”

He closed his eyes, relishing in her strong yet gentle embrace.  “I'm so glad you've considered me and my feelings all this time, Sunny.  But...”  He murmured in a fairy-like tone:  “What if...”  he squirmed.  “What if...”  He whimpered.  “... … ...what if I chose for you to choose for me?”

Her hand stopped in mid-stroke, as if a frozen bomb had landed in the room.

He felt his own heart pounding and he knew she could feel it too.  “What if... I chose to be okay with anything you choose... including the 'repercussions?'”

There was a long silence.

“I think I understand what you're saying, Flash...”  Her hand reached up and gently cupped the back of his head.  “What you're thinking... and I...”

Just then, the amazon's body locked up.  Flash was worried at first, but then he felt a new tremor arise... one that shook its way up her frame and gently rocked him in her arms.

“Ohhhhhhhh Celestia... Ohhhhhhhh ponyfeathers...”  She was gasping—and yet she was also chuckling.  The woman's smile was so big that Flash could feel it through their embrace.  “Hahahahaha... I have an ideaaaaaaaaa...”  She chuckled some more, generating magical warmth in the room.  “Ohhhhhhh I have an idea I have an idea I have an idea I have an idea.”

“What...?”  He breathed, then “sat up” in her arms.  “What is it?”

“Mmmmmm...”  Her grin was somewhere between mischievous and daring.  “...I can't say.  Cuz there're no promises yet.  But... but I think it might a good way to... to test just how... how it might feel for you... if... you accepted.”

“Accepted what?”  Flash blinked.  Then, in a daring feat of reverse psychic powers.  “Being you and the girls' pet?”

She merely booped the boi on the nose.  “Do you trust me?”

His lips pursed.  “Of course...!”  She glanced at her naked wrist, then back at her.  “...I mean, you trusted me.  And everything's still cool... right?”

She nodded.  “But... I need to know if you trust me... right here... and now...”  Her eyes narrowed.  “Even if it's a blind trust.  And... and I promise you, Flash, that I will give you plenty of outs if you're not comfortable.  But... I think... yes...”  She giggled, her smiling face bursting with excitement.  “...I do think it will be very... very fun.”

He glanced to the left... then to the right... and then he nodded.

“So you trust me?”

He nodded again.  “Yes, Sunny—”

“I need you to say it.”  Her brow hardened momentarily.  “If you wish to do... say it in full.  Do you trust me?”

He gulped and gave a firm nod.  “I trust you, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Say it again.”

“I-I trust you, Sunset Shimmer.”

She reached up and slowly... slowly caressed his bangs and forehead.  “... … ...once more.”

He looked her dead in the eyes, his voice strong and courageous.  “I trust you fully and completely, Sunset Shimmer.”

She gave a breath of relief... and for once she looked nearly as relaxed as the woman she was before taking off the bracelet.  The amazon kissed him on the forehead, and then placed her fingers immediately across the same point of contact.  “Then sleep.”

Flash wanted to ask what she was doing...

...but then his eyes rolled back.

He fell a million miles into warm, pink, fluffy comfort.

And yet... she somehow carried him the whole time.  Giggling.  Nuzzling.

”Sweet dreams, my little princess...”

A song enveloped him, and Flash drifted off on a smile.
> How Deep The Sissy Hole Goes...?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Flash Sentry saw lavender butterflies, he knew he was dreaming.

He tried opening his eyes, only to realize they were already open.  Only to then realize that he wasn't even using his eyes to begin with.

A wave of lucidity overcame the fair dreamer.  But—unlike normal cases—the mental jostling did not wake him up.  Instead, he rose (more like floated) into an upright position.  He stood in a patch of emerald grass and flowers, materialized solely from a halo of light affixed from some unknown zenith above.

The butterflies continued their gentle orbit around the petite boi, and he regarded them with a passive calm.

“This isn't happening; it only thinks it's happening,” Flash quoted, feeling both proud and ashamed of himself at the same time.  The butterflies faded away, causing the boi to blink.   “Windows Desktop Background?”  He blinked again.  “Or the climax to Metal Gear Solid Three?”

When the boi had run out of meta nerdism with which to shield himself from the moment, he then made the bold decision of looking at his own person.  Much to his surprise—or lack thereof—he looked exactly as he always did.  Albeit clothed as dully as ever in the typical hoodie and sweatpants combo that he had gotten used to imprisoning himself in over the years.  It was almost as if he was back to the lonesome person he was right before being rescued by a passing amazon so few days ago—only he didn't smell bad or feel sweaty.

“Now I know it's one of my dreams,” Flash murmured, his girlish voice turned low and shuddering.  “There's nothing special about it.”

“Only because you never let it become something special, Flash.”

“!!!”  The boi spun around.  Sadly, he was wearing nothing that could twirl.

The spotlight had extended, revealing more of the illuminated pocket of flowery fields.  A pastel unicorn stood among daisies and dandelions.  She was cute and cat-sized and smiling at him.  “We really have to do something about that, sweetie.”

“Sunset Shimmer.  There you are.”  The boi pensively rubbed his smooth fingers together.  He hunched slightly, standing pigeon-toed as he threw anxious looks every which way.  “Sooooo... are we mind-melding again?”

The mare shook her head.  “We are not.”

“But...”  Flash walked towards her.  His exposed ankles were tickled by the flowers, and he fought the urge to giggle.  “...I don't understand...”  He knelt before the adorable little equine.  “When you're here and you look like this, it usually means we're sharing our consciousnesses.  Isn't that how it works, Sunset?”

There was a slight giggle, and the mare shook her head with a flounce of her fiery mane.  “I'm not Sunset.”

Flash's ocean eyes narrowed.  “But... I thought we...”  He pointed at the misty air above the patch of valley, now bereft of butterflies.  “...this place—?”

“This?”  The little pony waved her fetlock.  “This is all you, sweetie.”  She trotted casually past him, playfully rubbing her cheek across his bent limbs and flicking her tail like a kitten's.  “Heehee... although... we're putting it on rails, so to speak.”

“Huh?”

“Sunset figured that you could use some distraction.  Some entertainment, as it were.”  The mare sniffed a flower, sighed in contentment, then bit the whole thing in one fell chomp.  The tiny horse-person munched on the thing, smiled, and daintily rubbed her muzzle with a fetlock.  “Assuming, of course, you're willing.”

“Willing?  Willing for what?”  Flash hugged himself, looking around at the constrictive bubble demarcating the mist from the grass-and-flowers immediately around him.  “If Sunset's not really here... than who—or what—are you?”

“We?”  The mare turned around and smiled up at him.  Her fuzzy cheeks were all rosy and squishy.  “We are a mimetic representation of the consciousness of Sunset Shimmer, constructed—or programmed, you could say—to respond to your mental processes and synaptic pathways in order to perform the function that was given to us.”

Flash's eyebrows arched.  “Oh... uhm...”  He ran a hand through his long silky bangs.  “O-okay... I think I've seen this episode of Star Trek Voyager.”

Sunset Shimmer winked.  “We couldn't get Michael McKean to play the role.”

“Huh?  Oh!”  Flash pointed.  “That's the 'responding to my mental processes' part!”

“Mmmhmmm!”  Sunset hunched over, wriggling her flank.  “And we know what you want us to do next!  YEET!”  Like a leaping panther, she pounced straight into Flash's torso.

“Guhhh!”  He swiftly caught and cradled the adorable little pony.  She purred like a not-horse and it made Flash Sentry's heart instantly flutter in his not-chest.  “Oh... ohhhhh gosh...”  His eyes sparkled as he found himself stroking her mane and scratching her cheeks.  “Mmmm—heeeeee...”  Girlish giggles flew out of his mouth; he couldn't help but lean his head in and nuzzle her back.  Her mane smelled like lilacs dipped in cinnamon, and his veins filled with giddy fireworks.  “Ah fluff ah fluff ah fluff!  You are just tooooo cuuuuuuuute!”

“D'awwwwwwwwwww...”  Horseset Shimmer batted her eyelids as she looked up at the boi cradling her.  “Am I realllllly?”  She made a damnably adorable face.  “OwO???”

“Wait.”  Flash suddenly plunged into a cold invisible pit of realization.  His nuzzling and tickling administrations of the cat!pone ceased.  “...am I really enjoying the fact that I'm cradling and cuddling with you?  Or is it just my mind telling me that—under these circumstances—I would be enjoying the idea of cradling and cuddling with you?”

“Ohhhhhhh Flash...”  The pony sat up in his arms, ears drooping sadly.  “...she was afraid this would happen.”  She pressed a hoof to his shoulder as she stared sympathetically into his gorgeous face.  “Why can't you—for once in your dreams—enjoy a fantasy for what it is?”

“I'd... guess that Sunset Shimmer knows me too much.”  He sighed, contemplating saying something else.  Suddenly—a wave of dizziness overwhelmed Flash.  He stumbled back, his eyes fluttering shut.  A stranger sensation absorbed the boi, and he envisioned the flickering of dim lights beneath his lids.  He heard running water.  Tasted bread, cheese, carrots.  More water.  The sharp hint of mint... and then the dizziness stopped.  It all lasted the span of four... maybe five seconds.  Once more, he found himself standing in place, cradling the feline specimen of a pony girl in his trembling arms.  “Wow-wee-wa-waaaaa,” he produced through a high-pitched wheeze.

The unicorn stared up at him patiently.  “Are you still with us, Flash?”

“I... think...?”  A clearing of the throat, and then Flash placed the pony down in the grass before patting her head.  “Anyways, it begs the question...”  He folded his arms while squinting curiously at her.  “Why would Sunset have you tell me from the start that this is all some... artificial construct of telepathy?”

The pony stood up and paced through the flowers once more.  “That is a very good question, Flash.”

“You mean you don't know?”

“We only know that which we have been instructed to perform.”

“Which again is...?”

“To provide you with distraction and entertainment until Sunset Shimmer is done with her time-consuming tasks.”

“Time-consuming tasks?”  Flash leaned his head to the side.  “Like what?”

“You will not fully-understand.”

“Huh?”

The pony looked up at him while trotting around.  “That is to say—we have been instructed to keep it a secret.”

“A secret...?”

“Affirmative.”  The pony smiled.  “Sunset Shimmer wishes to surprise you.  She is arranging something that she believes will only bring the two of you happiness and contentment in the real world.”

His eyebrow arched.  “Is that what she calls it?”

“Yes.”  The mare batted at a random flower like a cat.  “And she needs some time in order to properly orchestrate it.  So—in  the meanwhile...”  She looked up at him with a pleasant smile.  “You are here.”

“I am...”  Flash's eyes thinned as he glanced around.  “... … …asleep?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“That's...”  Flash rubbed one arm with the opposite hand as he shivered slightly.  “...a bit disconcerting.”

“Of course, Sunset Shimmer does not wish for you to feel uncomfortable,” the little pony said, her pleasant tone turning somewhat sterile and serious.  “Your being here is part of a grander experiment: one that—while agreed to in the waking world—is still an idea that Sunset Shimmer is the complete and total author of.”

“Experiment...”  Flash's sapphire eyes swam towards the misty heavens.  Somewhere in the bright uniform grayness, he imagined two figures cuddling on a couch.  One petite and the other amazonian.  He saw Sunset's face beaming from the larger of the two.  He remembered her cuddling him, speaking dearly to him, asking the boi to repeat his ardent “trust” in her.  And the moment that the affirmation had been made concrete, she had kissed his forehead—touched it—and he fell into utter comfort and slumber.

He fell into this.

“She's...”  He rubbed his head—or what he dreamed was his head—as a curious expression washed across his fair features.  “...she's incapacitated me.”  A blink.  Then a nervous giggle.  “I-I guess it's... to pass the time for her to do... to do whatever she's planning.”  He instantly felt his heartbeat increasing.  But it wasn't fear; it was something else.  “Oh gosh... what could it be?”

“Nevertheless, Sunset Shimmer does not want you to be completely bereft of agency.”  The mare sat back on her haunches and raised her right hoof.  Flash!  A magic mushroom appeared, floating above her limb.  “If you consume this—it will issue a 'kill' command to the telepathic construct, causing the entire vision to dissolve and for you to instantly wake up in the real world.”  Flash!  A tiny blue chalice with a dangling note reading “Drink me” appeared above her other hoof.  “If you wish to stay unconscious until Sunset Shimmer is ready for you to wake, you can consume this and the telepathic vision will vanish, leaving you to your own natural mind...”

“No, wait—”

“...which may or may not include a normal dream state.  Either way, it'll feel longer than usual slumber—”

“No no no no...”  Flash reached out and grasped the pony's little withers.  “No, please.”  He gulped, trying to steady his own beating heart.  “I... I wanna stay here.”  He smiled gently.  “At least... for as long as Sunset needs me to.”

The pony blinked.  “You wish to remain within the vision that she has constructed for the current passage of time?”

“Yes.  I do.”  He stroked the mare's fiery hair.  “I... I meant what I said.  To Sunset, I-I mean.”  He leaned back, still feeling his heart fluttering with a new breed of excitement.  “I trust her.  And... a-and I want her to be in control right now.”

The mare simply nodded.  “So be it.”  The tip of her horn glowed, and the mushroom and chalice vanished into abstract thought.  “Those options shall remain if you so choose to terminate the vision.”

“Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind.”  Flash stifled a giggle, patting the mare's head.  “Nice touch on the manifestations of both kill-switches.  You should tell Sunset that.  It's very 'Carroll' of her.”

The pony shook her head.  “We cannot communicate with Sunset.”

“Oh...?”

“We are simply a mimetic construct planted into—”

“—into my mind.  Got it.”  He stood up, rubbing his slender arms as he paced around through the grass and flowers.  “Still... I-I can't help but wonder what she's doing out there.  In the real world, I mean.”  Flash Sentry inhaled and exhaled heavily, heated breaths flaring through the nostrils that he wasn't really using at that moment.  “And what she plans to do to me.”

“That is a secret.”

“Yes.  I'm starting to get that.  Thank you.”  He turned to smile down at her.  “You know—now that I'm starting to understand what you are—you sound more and more like a robot.”  He giggled.  “A thought robot.”

The pony curtsied as best as a pony could.  “Thank you.”

“Do you really mean that?”  Flash nervously bit his lip.  “Do you mean anything?”

“We endeavor to serve our function.”  She smiled pleasantly up at him.  “Which is to entertain and distract you during the interim.”

“And... if I'm unconscious for a while...”  Flash nodded.  “...I see how that could be useful.  How considerate of Sunset.”

“If you so desire, we can start work on constructing your safe space.”

“My...”  Flash blinked heavily.  “...my what—now?”

“It is a mental program begun by Sunset Shimmer and utilized among all of her closest friends,” the unicorn explained.  “Using her advanced skills in telepathy, she reinforces a particular 'pocket' within another person's subconscious and then donates synaptic thought constructs in order to help facilitate the construction of a continuous vision fit for return visits.”

Flash blinked hard.  His mouth hung open as he struggled to process all of that.  Before he could respond, another dizzy spell fluttered through him.  His eyes rolled back, and he rubbed the side of his head as he imagined sitting down in a dim place, being baptized in warm water, nibbling on apple slices, then a kiss on the forehead and—

“Oh... uhm...”  He fluttered back to the moment—the flowers, the grass, the mist.  “So...”

“A safe space!” the little pony chirped.

“Yeah.  I got that.  Sounds kinda... snazzy, I think?”  Flash murmured, his eyes trailing about with a hint of nervousness.

“Shall we begin?”

“But... uhm...”  He ran a hand through his long girlish hair.  “I-I'm not sure I even know how.”

The pony chuckled.  “Sunset informed us that this particular exercise might be exceedingly difficult for you.  The knowledge bestowed to us maintains that she would very much like to assist you personally with this endeavor, but she is currently occupied for the interim of this vision.”

“Guess it's all up to me... or us...”  Flash blushed.  “Oh gosh, I don't even know how to talk to you anymore.”

“You can talk to us however you like!  This is your mind, Flash Sentry.  We are no longer a mental possession of Sunset Shimmer. We are simply a tool to help you make a deamscape worthy of return visits, should the need arise.”

“So... like... I can come back here in the future?”  Flash blinked.  “Sunset will let me?”

“Affirmative.  And with mental training, you can come back and visit on your own—without telepathic prompting from Sunset Shimmer.”

“Huh...”  Flash looked at the surrounding mists, smiling slightly to himself.  “I guess she and her friends really are happy these days.  Both inside and out.”  He struck his arms out at his sides and exhaled heavily for good measure.  “Okay.  So... uhm... where do we begin?”

“Where are you right now, Flash Sentry?”

“I dunno.”  He rubbed his scalp, looking down at the flowers and grass.  “If you ask me, it looks like some kind of open field—”

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSH!

The mist exploded outward in all directions, revealing rolling hills full of bright green grass and be-speckled with patches of soft lavender and bright gold.

“Aaa-aaa-aackies!”  Flash hugged himself, spinning in a startled circle as he saw grass and flowers stretching onward and onward for hundreds of thousands of miles.  “Ohhhhh... Ohhhhhhhh dog... ohhhhhhhhhh long johnsonnnnn...” he swore.

“Heeheehee!”  The unicorn bounced proudly in place, beaming.  “Exciting, isn't it?”

Flash was already fanning himself.  “I'd s-say!”  He gulped a lump down his throat.  “I can't say I've ever been 'God' of my own domain b-before...”

“You've always had the opportunity.”

“???”  He spun to look down at her.

The unicorn winked.  “It is your mind, Flash.  Your imagination.  Your safe space.”

He stood in place—legs tightly drawn together.  He shook with tiny shivers, brought on by mixed apprehension and excitement.

“Tell us...”  The mare trotted closer to his ankles.  “...what is your most favorite place in the world?”

“Like... specifically?  A place I've been to?”  He squinted at the rolling emerald plains.  “Because the EPCOT ball would look seriously out of place here.”

“In general.  A setting,” the pony asked.  “Where would you like your safe place to be?”

“I... uh... I guess this is a good start,” Flash said.  “Fields full of pretty flowers.  Fragrant... colorful flowers...”  As he said this, he noticed the patches of buds brightening to nearly story-book intensity.  At the same time, his nostrils were tickled by a collage of flowery, girlish scents.  “Oh... oh gosh...”

“Do continue, Flash, sweetie,” the mare said.

“Uhm...”  He ran a hand through his increasingly frazzled blue hair.  “...a bunch of tall, white, protective mountains, I guess.  Snow-capped and...”

RUMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!!!

His pupils shrank, reflecting vertical columns of frothing blue-and-white.  “... … ...brimming with beautiful tall waterfalls.  Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosssssh...”

The emerald valley had now become a plateau, nestled cozily in the wide, echoing niche of gray granite mountains.  The air was moist—in a tingling way—and a cascade of multiple waterfalls filled the elevated basin with a persistent hush... a gentle roar... so serene and hypnotic that even the craziest beast would helplessly fall asleep to it.

Flash felt a tiny whimper escape his lips.  “It's... it's like right out of a faerie tale...”

“You wish this to be a faerie tail setting?”  the pony asked.

“Uhm...”  Flash turned to look down at her.  “Is...”  He touched two demure fingers together.  “Is th-that alright?”

“Heehee... it is absolutely alright, sweetie,” the mare said.  “It can be any setting you want: historical, fictional, space-age, grungy, spooky, cartoonish, and—yes—even faerie tale-esque.”

“I... uh... I know I must be dreaming but, yeesh...”  Flash giggled breathily.  He gave the pony a cockeyed stare.  “I-I don't even know where to start!”

“We will do everything we can to assist you while you are here.”  The mare winked.  “In fact, we don't even have to be as we appear before you.”

“Wait...”  Flash blinked.  “I can even change you?”

“If you wish!”  The mare nodded, leaning back with a bright expression.  “After all, we really aren't Sunset Shimmer.  Ooh!  We know!”  FLASH!!!  In a blink, she shrank to the size of a cricket, flying up to Flash's eye-level with gossamer wings.  A sparkling green dress of leaves clad her magical humanoid figure.  “Would this be more appropriate?”

Flash's eyes twitched in disbelief.

“Oh.  We apologize!”  The pixie blushed, squirming in mid-air.  “You do not like the version of Tinkerbell who talks.”  A snap of microscopic fingers.  “We sense you are wanting something different.”  FLASSSSH!  In the faerie's place, a bulky muscular specimen stood high above the boi, wearing a hot black-and-pink jumpsuit.  Flash's cowering figure reflected in the man's glossy 80s shades.  “You want the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be!”

“I... uhhh...”  Flash gulped nervously.  “I-I've always admired Bret the Hitman Hart.”  Sweatbulbs.  “I-I never really wanted to meet him, though.”

The wrestler rubbed his chin.  “Hmmm... we may have picked up on the wrong thoughts.”  A flash.  “Captain Janeway?  No.”  Another flicker.  “Spike Spiegel?  Hell no...”  Fluctuations.  “The line-shaped Tetris block...”

“Just...”  Flash's lips quivered.  “...how deeply are you searching?”

The floating length of squares drifted closer like a Kubrick obelisk.  “Oh.  Now we know. “  The voice resonated with echoing intensity, turning feminine by the millisecond.  “Now we know all too well.”

“Know what—?”  Flash had to shield his eyes from the next burst of magic.

When he found the chance to look once again, he saw that the geometric shape had cascaded like a descending curtain across the flower-filled earth.  The glowing silhouette became an hourglass... until its lower half bowed outward like a dinner bell.  Then—as the transformative lights dimmed—a fabric took shape, shiny and yellow with ornamental tresses surrounding all around in a circle.  To Flash's flickering mind, the texture resembled something plush and comfy to look at—like a finely perfumed duvet he could wrap himself up with and snuggle in.  In truth, every one of his senses was being assailed with dreamly pleasure, and it wasn't until the third or fourth breath into digesting the figure in front of him that he realized she was wearing a gloriously gold ballgown.  His eyes were anchored on a peeking layer of white petticoat from just beyond the hem, and as gracious gloved fingers hiked up a meager length of the skirt, his widening eyes traveled up her regally-clothed feminine figure until they rested on the french braid of chestnut brown hair affixed above her fair head.

“Is this more acceptable a chaperon, Flash Sentry?” she asked with the kind dulcet tones befitting a voice actress from 1991.

Flash stupidly wheezed her name like he was living out the dramatic moment from some Japanese anime.  “Princess Belle?!?”

“That is right, sweetie.”  She strolled towards him, ballgown rustling, gold slippers impossibly tapping against the otherwise pliable earth.  The lengths of her skirt shook the flowers, shaking floral scents further and further through the air until Flash's dumbstruck figure was practically cocooned in olfactory goodness.  This princess was not some poor tiny soul forced to play face-character at a Disney Park.  But rather, she towered ludicrously over Flash like a giantess or—more appropriately—like the very same amazonian telepath that had so mercifully plunged him into this fantastical pinkscape in the first place.  “We sense a tinge of disappointment in your thoughts.”  Princess Belle waved her royal hand femininely in his direction, all the while smiling as bright as a print of her might on the cover of a toothpaste container lying on a shelf at a grocery store somewhere.  “Do not worry, precious.  We're both here.”

Flash—still flabbergasted—struggled for the breath to stammer:  “Both... b-both of us?”  Just as he said this, two silver-blue gloves reached in from behind.  They wrapped around and held the boi close and dear to a large, warm bosom pressed against his tender shoulders.  Flash's peripheral vision filled with sparkles and pixie dust.  He looked straight down and saw a hint of glass slippers from beyond the hem of a dress belonging to an enormous, kneeling monarch.

“Just relax, Flash.”  A new scent sprinkled the air this time—like white sugar mixed with expensive polish used to wax a ballroom floor—and with the shifting of gloved limbs, Flash found himself looking up into the beautiful blonde visage of the statuesque woman who was suddenly cradling his dwarfed figure.  “All your life, you've always wanted to meet us,” Princess Cinderella said.  “And talk with us.”  She giggled in a rich, womany voice.  She sat in the field of flowers, cradling him, her ballroom gown acting like a poofy bed of hydrangeas spread out beneath the two of them.  “And now you can!”

Flash was hyperventilating at this point, lying in Cinderella's warm embrace like a paralyzed cat.  His eyes and ears jolted as he saw another figure waltzing in.

“And the truth is...”  Princess Ariel sashayed towards the scene in her poofy pink number that occupied too little precious screentime.  She was also gigantic, also kneeling, also giggling and absorbing his whole vision along with the mountains of Belle and Cinderella who too were leaning in, full of sparkles and smiles and the brink of smooches.  “...we've always wanted to talk to you.”

“But now we can!”  Snow White said in her cavity-inducing chirpiness.

“Just to pass the time,” added Tiana, standing splendidly in her floral green gown.  “Maybe sing a song or two.”

“We can talk over tea in the garden as long as you like,” added Princess Aurora.

“Well, as long as the vision lasts, anyway,” said Rapunzel, suddenly there—and haloing the cluster of delightfully suffocating ballgowns with her golden hair.

“So, what'll it be, hotshot?” asked Princess Daisy with a smirk.  Upon Flash's surprised reaction, she blinked and planted her hands on her hips.  “What?!  Multiple franchises can't stop your head!”

“Oh gosh...”  Flash Sentry was squeaking at this point.  His heart felt like it would burst through his chest.  “Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh—!”  His mounting excitement boiled over, and a touch of panic—as real as it was unpredictable—pierced through the heavenly moment ever so slightly.  “I... I can't... it's just... it's just t-too much—!”

“Oh sweetie...”  Cinderella sushed him with gentle cooing breaths.  She lovingly cradled the back of his head in one hand while holding his petite frame tightly to her corseted chest.  “Shhh-shhh... just relax, Flash.”

“It's alright, precious.”

“Just relax.”

“You're safe here.”

“Breathe calmly.  We don't mean you any harm.”

“Nobody is going to hurt you here.”

“Hi, I'm Daisy!”

“I... I...”  Flash felt his face and upper body pressed tightly to Cinderella's bosom.  It felt wrong, strange, and more than a little-bit-naughty.  But the further he rested there—feeling her warmth and her gentle breaths and the vibrations of her lovely sweet voice—he slowly... slowly began to relax.  He closed his eyes and drank in the sweet flowery scents that the vision was giving him.  And—in a lot of ways—the experience was not too dissimilar from moments in the past... moments in the real world... where he'd bundle himself up in bed, enmeshed in plush blankets that he had just freshly-spritzed with lavender pillow mist... imagining himself in just such a cuddable situation as this:  non-violently dress vored by an encompassing ocean of ballgowns and beauty.  It was always a passing fantasy that he surrendered himself to in those lonely, lonely days and nights of being who he was—a lonesome boi struggling to dream.

Now the dream was as real as it ever was.  It's not that he was first building his “safe space,” it was just the first time that real estate had a fence built around it.  All in all, he had been there multiple times before.  He was familiar with that place, and that place was familiar with him.  It was just being... dramatized, courtesy of Sunset Shimmer.

And, in truth, it really wasn't all that bad.  If only he had allowed his own mind to be freer before.

His heart returned to a normal pace.  He breathed calmly, and at last he was able to conjure a smile.

“I... I'm sorry...” he murmured, a tear or two falling loose.

“Awwwww...”

“Sweet darling...”

“It's okay to cry...”

He felt a gloved hand wiping his face clean, then those same loving fingers caressing his head through his hair.

“We just wish to help you.”

“We love being with you.”

“And you love being with us.”

“I know,” Flash breathed, resting comfortably against Cinderella's person.  “I know.”  He looked up at her—at all of them—and smiled sweetly.  “It's just... it's just so much... and... and I...”

“We understand, Flash,” Princess Belle said, reaching in to stroke his cheek.  “You like to take things slow.”

“It was not our attempt to overwhelm you,” Cinderella said, smiling down at him.  “Please—tell us what we can do to make you feel better.”

“I mean... I really like having you here... the way it feels as if you're here.  Just...”  He swallowed a lump down his throat.  “...could you dial it back a bit?  Please?  Just a b-bit.”

Cinderella playfully booped his nose.  “Can do, sweetie.”

Flash sensed the blue sky re-opening all around him.  Two pairs of strong arms lifted him up to his shivering feet.  He found himself standing in the shadows of Cinderella and Belle.

“There...”  Cinderella reached down—still a towering amazon version of the popular icon.  She offered her gloved hand to his.  “...is that better?”

Flash blushed.  Reaching up, he grasped her fingers with ease.  “Much better.”  In proportion, the boi felt like a toddler walking with two adult cosplayers at a birthday party.  Perhaps that's why the vision willed it that way—or his mind.  Or whatever.  “Thanks for understanding.”

“We are merely acting out what your mind desires,” Cinderella said.

“Which is perfectly fine.”  Belle giggled, winking down at the boi.  “We're both your favorites, after all.”

Flash bit his lip, eyes cast downward.  “You're... n-not wrong.”

Both princesses laughed merrily.

Flash smiled.  He leaned forward—then teetered.  It was another dizzy spell, but the accompanying vision was slightly clearer.  He felt like he was being carried.  Nuzzled.  Nuzzled and carried.  The scent of lilacs permeated.  Then the scent was gone, and he was sitting somewhere.  Showering somewhere.  Water cascaded over his hands.  Clean hands.  Bread and ham and apple slices and—

“Flash?”

“Hmmm?”  His eyes fluttered open once more.  He felt the gentle tug of Cinderella's gloved hand, and he waddled along after her.  “Sorry.  I was... uhm...”

“Did you feel like you were somewhere else?” Cinderella asked knowingly.

“As a matter of fact...”  Flash bit his lip.  “Yeah.  Like I was dreaming.”

“But you're dreaming here, Flash,” Belle said.  “With us.”

“Then... what was that just now?” Flash asked.  “And all those other times?”

“If we would venture to guess, it's the real you in the real world,” Cinderella stated.  “Surfacing from the dream.”

“Huh...?”  Flash blinked.

“She is taking care of you, after all.”

“Who?”  Flash's eyes lit-up.  “Sunset...”  His mouth hung open.  “Wait... just how much time is passing—?”

“Come...”  Belle picked up a length of her skirt and waltzed ahead, all the while motioning into the plateau of grass and flowers.  “...let's continue, shall we?”

Flash walked forward, hand-in-hand with Cinderella towering protectively over him.  “You mean there's more to do?”

“But of course, Flash.”  Belle gestured once again to the empty space filled with mostly blue-sky-and-fluffy clouds.  “Unless you desire your home to be nothing but thin air.”

“What, then?”  Flash's sparkling blue eyes blinked with momentary naivete.  “A castle?”

Cinderella giggled.  “We were waiting for you to say that.”  Simultaneously, she and Belle stretched one arm-each towards the ground like omnipotent beings from an episode of Star Trek.

The earth broke loose from below.  The grass and flowers rolled up—rippling into raised mounds that sped outward along with their springy scents.  The first of many blue-tinged steeples and and towers rose from nothingness, taking shape in all its polished white bricklaid majesty.

Flash Sentry gaped in awe as his gaze lifted... lifted... lifted with the fanciful conjuration.  “Oh gosh...”  Sparkles flittered across his eyes.  “...can it be bigger than Shanghai's?”

“Flash, sweetie, it's your safe space.”  Belle winked at him.  “Anything can be bigger than Shanghai's.”

“Mmmmmm—!”  He clutched his free hand girlishly to his puffing, smiling cheeks.  “Eternally Recurring Fast Pass?  Yes, please!”
> There's Submission On Her Doll Already; Mom's Spaghetti
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, Flash?” Princess Belle asked, her eyelashes fluttering.

The boi stood inside a freshly-conjured chamber of brick and mortar.  Tall castle walls loomed around him like some abandoned Minecraft server.  His hands pensively stroke his chin and lower lip as he stared into the corner.

Princess Cinderella giggled, adjusting the lengths of her skirts as she knelt her massive frame beside the petite young man.  “Out with it, silly!  Don't make us read the truth directly from your pretty head.”

Flash sighed in defeat.  He clutched his hands cutely behind him while avoiding the two chaperons' combined gaze.  “I... uhm...”  He gulped, blushing slightly.  “...I-I really think it could use some guitars and amps.”

The princesses giggles.

“See?”  Cinderella reached out and caressed his chin with a gloved hand.  “Was that really so hard to admit?”

“But...”  Flash winced.  “...it doesn't exactly fit with the medieval castle theme.”  He rubbed his scalp through his long silky threads.  “R-renaissance... manor theme...?”

“Oh please, Flash,” Belle spoke.  “Since when were the Walt Disney Studios ever historically accurate about anything?”

“Wow...”  Flash stifled a giggle.  “Hearing that in Paige O'Hara's voice makes it all the sillier.”

Cinderella stood back up beside Belle.  “Just say the word.”

Flash cleared his delicate throat.  “Word.”

Both women stretched their gloved hands out.  Flash watched as patches of the floor lifted up, forming into a miniature stage, several amps, and a robust guitar collection.

“Oh wow...”  Flash Sentry cupped his cheeks as stars formed in his eyes.  “Oh wowwwww... pink guitars.”  He shook from head to toe with mixed joy and awe.  “I could never... ever afford to own these in real life!”

“Of course you could!”  Cinderella smiled.  “You just keep holding yourself back.”

“Even still...”  He made for the stage—but struggled with scaling it.  Belle reached in from behind, gently grasped his waist, and gave the boi a little boost.  “Th-thanks...”  He approached one of the guitars—one with a floral print emblazoned across its finish—and held the weight of it in happy hands.  “...it's just so unashamedly fruity.”

“God's candy,” Belle said with a wink.  “Or so I am told.”

“Let's give it a test run, eh?”  Flash held two fingers up in the air.  Cinderella zapped them from a distance with finger-gun gesture, and a pick materialized in Flash's grasp.  “Hah.  Nifty.”  Holding his breath, he strummed on the guitar, performing the intro to Smoke on the Water.  “Oh wow!”  He giggled.  “It's already perfectly tuned!”

“Would you prefer it needing to be?” Belle asked.  “Perhaps it would give you something to pass the time with in your safe space.”

“No.  What I'd prefer...”  Flash bit his bottom lip.  Then, holding his breath, he shredded the craziest and most intense part of Radiohead's Paranoid Android.  He came out of the guitar solo, panting, as if he had just survived Splash Mountain.  “H-holy cow...!”

His two favorite princesses applauded, smiling brilliantly.

“Glorious!”

“Way to go, Flash!”

“A regular maestro in the making!”

“That... was way too perfect...”  He looked at his fingers with a beaming smile.  “And not a single blister!  Oh, how I'd long for this...”  His expression dulled slightly.  “...in r-real life.”

He felt a twinge of dizziness.  Flash Sentry envisioned warm arms.  A shower faucet.  A toilet flushing.  Washing hands... apple slices... ham and cheese... then bedsheets once again.

Slowly—navigating slight trembles—Flash placed the pink guitar back on its stand.  “She's really taking her sweet time, isn't she?”

“It would be folly to attempt keeping count, Flash Sentry,” Cinderella said.

Belle continued—as if both princesses channeled the same voice.  “Some of those visions are echoes.”

“I... uh...”  Flash Sentry approached the edge of the freshly-conjured stage.  “I see.”

“Do not worry.”  Cinderella gently grasped him and helped him down from the stage.  “Sunset Shimmer would never put you into a trance so long that it would harm you.”

“Regardless,” Belle added, “If you are feeling uncomfortable about the whole procedure, there is still the kill-switch.”

“N-no...”  Flash shook his head.  “I trust Sunset.  Besides...”  He touched two fingers together.  “I can sense how much this means to her.”

“She expects that it will mean much to you as well,” Cinderella said.  “The both of you should benefit.”

“Yeah.  And...”  He sighed, but summoned a tender smile.  “So should her friends, I'm thinking.”

Silence.

“Would you like to work on the west wing of the Castle?” Belle asked.

Flash looked pleasantly up at her.  “You read my mind.”

“It is our job, after all,” Cinderella said, reaching down to take his hand.

He giggled, delighted to hold hands with the amazonian monarch.  He walked side by side with her, reveling in the proximity of her shiny blue ballgown skirts.  “Butts almighty,” he exclaimed.  “Your gloves feel sooooooo smooth.”

“We can produce some for you too, darling,” Belle said, walking behind.  “We can make you any outfit you like.”

Flash gulped, his cheeks turning red.  “How about...”  His eyes fixated on a distant point in his mind.  “...a ballroom?”





Belle's outstretched hand sparkled with simulated magic.  At last, she curled her gloved hands and lowered it by her well-dressed figure.

“That seems spacious enough!”  She turned around to gaze down upon Flash.  “Unless—of course—you want the ceiling raised more.”

“Gravity does not need its usual set of rules here, Flash,” Cinderella said with a wink.  “It doesn't even need the marble columns.”

“Unless of course...”  Belle let out a tiny laugh, smiling warmly.  “You enjoy the marble columns.  It gives the place a sense of antiquity, does it not?”

Silence.

“Flash, sweetie?” Cinderella asked.

He stood in the center of the circular chamber.  The platinum-tiled floor was so damned polished that he could see his own reflection as perfectly as in a mirror's.  He could even make out the murals of the ceiling just by looking at the floor.  Frescoes of Baroque-style angels and saints lunged in a frozen dance amidst cloudy sky patterns.  All throughout, an amber hue of light flickered romantically, cast by hundreds of candles affixed to the surrounding columns and walls.  The flames had a scent to them—floral with the hint of spice, and—impossibly—the wax never melted.

“It's just... so...”  Flash sniffled, wiping a tear from his eye as he cracked a girlish grin.  “...story-bookish!”

Belle giggled.  “Well, I would hope so!”

“It's every little girl's dream come true to be a princess—and live in a princess' domain!” Cinderella said.

Flash laughed long and hard, wiping another tear away.  “Okay.  That's not true...”

“But for you, sweetie?”

“Yeahhhhhhhh...”  Flash exhaled long and hard, hugging himself with a drunken expression.  “Too right.”

“So...?”  Belle strolled closer, her heels clapping lightly against the polished ballroom floor.  Flash did his damnedest not to look at the reflection beneath her poofy skirt.  “Is she happy?”  A knowing smile.  “This little girl, that is?”

Flash blushed... and blushed some more.  He tried looking away from her—at the floor—but the polish forced him to stare into his own beet-red face.

“Well...?”  Belle's voice musically teased him.

“Mmmmmmmm...”  He covered his face, legs turning pigeon-toed.  “...yyyyyes.”

Belle giggled.  She gracefully held a hand out towards the boi.

Curious, Flash looked at her gloved fingers lingering so close to him.  He reached up and gently grasped them.

Cinderella waved her hand from afar.  A tiny cloud of wind materialized beneath Flash.

“Whoah—!”  He gasped, feeling himself lift up by a foot and a half.  It was just the height needed to make what happened next slightly less awkward.

Belle grasped both of his hands, swaying with the boi.  Flash—his heart all a'flutter—gasped as he felt Belle leading him into a gentle waltz.  The two drifted delicately across the heart of the ballroom.  Flash felt like he was gliding on ice, and every time his overwhelmed senses felt he might lose balance and topple over, Belle pulled him closer, swinging him gently into the rhythm that kept the two of them from faltering.  At last, Belle instigated a twirl.  Flash spun on one foot—and finally fell backwards.  Belle caught him, carried the momentum of the fall, and spun herself with a twirl of her skirts, all the while cradling the petite boi.

Flash fell into a fit of giggles, his teary eyes clenched shut as he curled up in the giantess' perfumed grasp.  When the spinning was done, he lay breathless in her arms, his moist eyes absorbing the splendor of the room while Cinderella's applause tickled his ears from a distance.

“Bravo!” Cinderella cheered, shuffling closer.  “Bravissimo!”

“Did you have fun, sweetie?” Belle asked.

“Mmmmmm...”  Flash merely curled up tighter in her embrace, hiding his face in her shoulder.

“You know what would make this perfect.”  Belle leaned in and nose-kissed the boy.  “If you were wearing a ballgown of your own.”

“Oh please let us make you one!” Cinderella cooed, gloved hands clasped together as her expression beamed.  “We can make you as many dresses as you like!”

“... … ...”  Flash cleared his throat.  “Let's... uhm... f-finish the castle first...”





Once flight was entered into the equation—a laughably simple improvisation suggested by Cinderella—Flash was able to more accurately survey the landscape he was crafting.  A levitating stage coach had been conjured: something that gave Flash something to giggle incessantly over.  From high above, the three observed the foundation that the castle was built onto.  Flash decided that the plateau needed to be more like a mesa... and then he fixated on something even stupider.

With the princess chaperons' help, he made the elevated hilltops steeper and steeper until they had cliff-faces with sheer drops into a frothy rapids.  He drew the surrounding mountain peaks closer—along with their waterfalls.  What resulted was something akin to Rivendell from the cinematic Lord of the Wings, except if it had been filmed in the Swiss alps instead.

Raging waters surged their way down an eroded river valley, and the castle now stood on these precariously chunks of rocks rising up out of the tumult.  Feeling playful, Flash had narrow bridges spanning the gaps, connecting separate wings—more like “houses”—of the castle.  The throneroom stood out on a terrestrial extension, flanked by so many waterfalls that perpetual rainbows hung in the misty air.  Bridges led to another portion of the castle that contained the ballroom, the musical stage, the dining room, the kitchen, the servants' quarters, and more.

Finally, there was the largest earthen platform of all.  Here, the architecture resembled an 18th Century manor more than a traditional castle.  This was to be the living quarters—containing the bedroom and library and tea room and more.  It was elevated above the rest of the structures, and its round construction housed tall glass windows that looked out on the fantastically beautiful landscape.

But Flash wasn't done there.  With the princesses' help, he designed a fabulous lawn surrounding the north and west ends of the manor.  There was the stereotypical hedge maze—of course—but beyond that he had a miniature forest of fruit trees, an emerald green pasture, and finally row upon row upon row of flowery gardens.  Roses, lavenders, tulips, hydrangeas—the works.  He had patterns form: gardens that were too intricate to be maintained easily in real life.  From the outstretched balcony of the manor's second and third stories, the flower arrangements easily matched the prettiest, cutest, and most sugar-sweet emoji's Flash had ever dared to plop down onto his phone.  The realization here made him blush like a virgin bride, and it summoned more than a little bit of laughter from both Cinderella and Belle.

The bedroom of the manor turned out to be laughably epic.  On the second floor of the building, he arranged an immense room looking out onto the western gardens.  It was a half-circle—nearly fifty percent of the manor's available floor space and an impossible feat of architecture in real life.  His bed—an immense fluffy burgundy thing with mahogany framework—sat in the dead center of the room.  The rest of the chamber was furnished with plush reading seats, coffee tables, and an entire portion dedicated to the most stupidly elaborate vanity ever conceived... which was ironic because Flash didn't know the first thing about arranging (much less applying) makeup.

The second half of the manor—the other half-circle—was going to be dedicated to nothing but wardrobe.  Literally, the majestic building was about to become thirty-three percent walk-in closet.  One could fit an entire army inside, much less an arrangement of dresses.  But just as the magic was about to hit its peak...

...Flash Sentry suggested the three of them “take a break.”





And that's how Flash, Cinderella, and Belle found themselves seated on the balcony overlooking the gardens west of the manor.  The air was sweeter than sweetness itself—a dancing mixture of the floral scents from the garden colliding with the lavender perfume that Flash had chosen to assault the entire manor interior with.

“You know...”  Belle sat on a chair before a table with an elaborate tea set for three.  She smoothed out her skirts and smiled across the way at Flash.  “...this realm need not rely on natural space.”

“Okay...”  Flash nodded, sitting in his own enormous chair and hugging his knees to his chest.  “...meaning?”

Cinderella blew at the contents of her teacup before taking a gentle sip.  “The manor,” she said.  She balanced the cup and saucer delicately in her gloved hands.  “Things can be bigger on the inside.”

“Such as the closet.”  Belle winked.  “Take one step inside, and it's as large as an amusement park.”

Flash couldn't help but laugh.

Cinderella giggled.  “What's so funny, darling?”

“I'm just imagining Neo from The Matrix,” Flash said.  “Except—in a pink suit and with Elton John Glasses.”  He waved a hand through the air, turning his girlish voice raspy:  “Dresses.  Lots of dresses.”  He giggled again.

Cinderella and Belle likewise let laughter fly over the tea table.  They leaned forward in their seats.

“We can work on the wardrobe next if you like, Flash.”

“We know you have lots of ideas to share.”

“Mmmmm...”  Flash hugged his knees tighter, gazing down at the scrumptious treats arranged across the table between them.  “Yeah.”

Silence.

“Flash, sweetie...”  Cinderella placed her cup and saucer down.  She clasped her hands together while giving the boi a kind look.  “...is there a reason you won't let us make this part of the dream come true?”

“It's no secret to us that you would greatly desire it,” Belle said.  “But you keep holding back—even when we ask you about it.”

He bit his lip, staring up at them.  “Are you 'programmed' to ask me that?  Or is that just my stupid brain making you?”

Belle bore a calm smile.  “At this point, Flash, they're both one in the same.”

Flash felt a sore lump form in his throat.  He gazed west—at the beauty and colors and splendor that had been conjured.  “It... was so very nice of Sunset to give me this 'safe space.'  Truth is... I-I've always had a safe space... some imagined spot in my head where I'd retreat to.  All my life.  When things got lonesome.”  A gulp.  “And they got lonesome a lot.”

Cinderella slowly shook her head.  “You don't consider this place any different?”

“Oh, don't get me wrong!  This place is incredible!”  Flash's eyes widened briefly.  “It feels so visceral and real and tangible...”  A slight wince, and he deflated even further in his seat.  “But I know it's not.”

Belle nodded.  “The real world is out there.”  She waved a gloved hand.  “And Sunset Shimmer is preparing something absolutely real for you for when you wake.”  A pleasant smile.  “This place here is simply meant as a way for you to relax—both now and for future visits.”

“Yeah, but the thing is...”  Flash stifled a whimper, practically curling into a fetal position in the chair.  “... … … how do I know I won't just ruin it?”

“Ruin what, sweetie?”

“Whatever it is that Sunset Shimmer is preparing for me,” Flash muttered.  “I'll make a waste of it.”  He sniffled.  “I ruin every opportunity that comes my way.”

“Just because you feel that way about your past does not mean it will be the only manifestation of your future,” Cinderella said.

“What—are you two prophets now??” Flash snapped.

The two chaperons were silent.

“I...”  Flash covered his face, squeaking.  “I-I'm sorry.”  He wiped the fresh tears from his eyes.  “You two have been nothing but kind to me, and here I am being rude and insensitive...”

“We're mental constructs, Flash,” Cinderella said with a calm smile.  “You do not need to worry about hurting our feelings.”

“Still, it's no way for me to act.”  Flash sniffled, his face wet as he trembled.  “It's just fitting that I'd find myself in a place like this.  All I ever think about is myself.  Magnolia and my parents are right.  I'm just so... dang lazy and s-selfish...”

“There is no question that you feel that way,” Belle said.  “But if there was truth to this—you wouldn't be feeling so miserable right now.”

“You wouldn't be constantly punishing yourself like you are right now,” Cinderella added.

Flash's moist eyes darted around.  “Punishing... myself...”

The two princesses nodded.

“That's...”  Flash gulped.  “...that's all I do, isn't it?”

Belle gracefully held her hands out.

Flash looked at her.  With slight trembles, he dropped down from his chair, walked across the meager space between them, and climbed up into her embrace.

The regal giantess easily cradled the young man as if he were a child.  Between her soft bosom and the plush layers of her upper skirts, it was as if Flash floated in a silken cloud.  He curled up against her, gazing off with a thousand-mile stare as she gently and lovingly caressed his face and hair.  Cinderella scooted closer in her seat, sitting so close that Flash was nearly cocooned in princessdom.  He felt Cinderella reaching out and squeezing his hand.  There was nowhere left for him to go but inward.

He went there on a river of tears.

“Even in a dreamworld—a place of pure fantasy—I can't allow myself to be fully happy.  I always gotta hold back... to lay down a line that I can't ever cross.  It's stupid.  I'm stupid.”

“You mustn't say that, sweetie—”

“What other way is there to describe it?” he whimpered.  “The last few waking days have been filled with Sunset doing everything to cheer me up.  And I don't give her an inch of satisfaction or respect.  It's so pathetic.”

“She's patient with you.”

“I know.  But she deserves more.”  Flash clenched his eyes shut.  “She deserves more than me.”

“She's told you about the Harmonic Fountain,” Cinderella said.

“And the Harmonic Well,” Belle added, stroking his forehead.

“I-I know...”  Flash clenched his teeth.  “And it's just too good to be true.”

“Why too good?” Cinderella asked.  “It sounds quite pressure-some.”

“It puts a lot of weight on you,” Belle said.  “Maybe it hasn't dawned upon you yet.”

Flash's teary eyes stared past the two princesses.  “... … ...I guess... I-I guess being such an... mmmm... object for Sunset and her friends would be... … … a labor in and of itself.”

“Have you considered the full scope of what they desire and need?” Belle asked.  “You're not the only one in your world dealing with intense... consuming selfishness.”

“Sunset has done so much to hold herself back,” Cinderella said.  “Internally and externally.  There is a constant struggle—and you know it.  The struggle between wanting to respect you and needing to use you.”

“And in the end...”  Flash shuddered.  “...she's still managing to be so... so very nice to me.”  He rubbed his cheeks dry and sniffled.  “You weren't kidding.  You two really are just bouncing off my brainwaves, huh?”

Both princesses laughed.

“Oh, how we wish we could be more genuine and sincere for you, Flash,” Belle said, caressing his face.

“But the truth is...”  Cinderella leaned in to kiss his forehead.  “...the true warmth and love is waiting for you out there.  In reality.”

“Maybe you still feel the need to punish yourself,” Belle said.  “To rob yourself.  But...”  She leaned in and kissed his forehead right where Cinderella had.  “...maybe Sunset and her friends can help melt that away.”

“If you let them,” Cinderella said.

“If you just... let go and give into that supposed 'selfishness.'”

Flash stammered.  “Let go.”

The chaperons merely stared at him.

“L-let go...”  Flash sniffled, curling up against Belle.  He felt fitful sobs peaking in his lungs.  “Let go...”

The two regal constructs simply embraced him, patient and soft.

“All my life...”  Flash closed his eyes.  “...I've dreamed of being a princess.  Of being saved.  I've fantasized so long about being rescued by Prince Charming.”  His eyes reopened, wide and wet. “But I've f-fantasized about being kidnapped and ravaged by the dragon as w-well!  It's... it's so unbelievably crazy and selfish to want both.  And yet... I-I want it to happen.  I want to lose control... to be weak and helpless and just... let go... and let someone I trust do whatever to me.  Choose for me.  Dream for me.”

The feminine presence surrounding him nodded and playfully tapped his nose.

“You can have that, Flash.”

“Sunset—and her friends—they want that as much as you do.”

“But they're holding back—like any sane human being would.”

“It's not just you holding back.”

“They want to make sure that you're okay.”

“That you're okay with what's about to unfold.”

“That you can accept the risks—just as they do.”

“That you can go on this adventure together.”

Flash shivered between the two.  “And... and what if it's too scary?  What if I-I want out?”

“We truly believe that Sunset and her friends will have put that into consideration.”

“And you believe that too.”

“Yes...”  Flash nodded.  “...yes... I-I guess I do believe that.”

There were smiles.  Warmth.  The scent of flowers.  It all spiraled together, and Flash was too comfortably curled up in the heart of it all to realize that the horizons were starting to fade.

“I... uh...”  Flash smiled vulnerably.  “I think I'm ready to work on that wardrobe now.”

“Oh sweetie.”  A gloved finger tapped his nose.  “There's only one problem with that.”

“Oh?”  He blinked.  “What's that?”

The faces dissolved.  The last thing he saw were their smiles, conjoining into one.

“You are waking up...”





One after the other...

...Flash's pretty eyes fluttered open.  He was lying on his back.  In Sunset Shimmer's bed.  Faint traces of morning light squeezed in through the edges of the dark curtains.  And...

Sunset Shimmer sat on the edge of the bed, her Amazonian figure coming into focus.  She situated herself there with grace and poise, having evidently waited a long time for this moment: Flash's awakening.  For all Flash knew, she had to have been sitting there—gazing lovingly at his petite figure—for hours on end.  But now—as the boi came to—the moment of truth had blossomed, and her teeth showed behind her smile.

“Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead.

“Mrmmmfff... 'sleepyhead?'”  He reached two hands up and rubbed his temple.  “M-more like... cl-cluttered head...”

“Oh?”  She cocked her head aside, arching an eyebrow.  “Feeling a migraine, are we?”

“Actually...?”  Flash blinked.  He felt like he had just run a mental marathon, and yet a million magical images of castle interiors and princess ballgowns and mountainous waterfalls all faded in a blink.  “...I feel alright.”  A surprised shudder.  “Clear-headed.”

“Wonderful!”  Sunset giggled, leaning in to nuzzle his forehead like the horse-girl she was.  “Then it worked!”  She leaned back, giving him a womany wink.  “You have no idea how happy I am that you didn't opt for one of the kill-switches.”

“That...”  Flash stirred and sat up.  “...was a remarkable experience...”  He realized that he didn't exactly need to stretch his limbs.  His body should have felt stiff from lying down for so long, and yet his joints felt loose and limber.  “...I couldn't even pretend to describe it.”

“Sounds like Princess Cinderella and Belle were polite chaperons,” Sunset said.  “I would have expected no less.”

“How did you—?”  Flash stopped his stupid self midway.  He glanced at Sunset's wrists—and the lack of beaded bracelets.  “Oh yeah.”

“In any case...”  Sunset reached out and caressed his cheek.  “...it's so nice to have you back, sweetie—”

“!!!”  Instinctively, Flash reached out and grasped her hand with both of his.

“???”  Sunset studied him curiously.

His tiny fingers kneaded her amazonian palm, reveling in the warmth.  A soft sigh rolled through the boi, and he managed a tiny smile.  “S-sorry...”

“Don't be—”

“Just...”  Flash looked up at her with warm eyes.  “...that place you conjured for me was nice and all, but—”

“You're happier with someone real.”  Sunset clasped her other hand over his, squeezing him back.  “I understand that, Flash.  I also appreciate it.”

He breathed with relief.

“It takes some adjusting to, Flash,” Sunset continued.  “The girls didn't know what to make of their 'safe spaces' either.  Not at first, at least.  Eventually, they learned to take the spell for what it is: an artificial haven for meditation and relaxation.  Since we first started with the exercise, they've learned to summon the vision at will—lucidly—within their dreams.”

“So...”  Flash's eyes narrowed.  “I can go back there later?”

Sunset nodded.  “The vision is safely sealed away in a corner of your mind.  All you need to do is wish yourself there while unconscious.  And—if necessary—I can lend my gifts to help strengthen the focus.  Believe me... you've only begun to sculpt that place into a piece of art.”

“It's... it's really special, Sunset.  And... and I thank you for giving me such a gift.”  Flash gulped.  “But... I-I think I prefer reality... at least in theory.”

“Heeheehee...”  Sunset patted his hands and let go.  “The girls feel the same way.  Of course...”  Her eyes rolled above a coy smile.  “...we've all found a way to make reality a lot more alluring than fantasy.”

Flash gulped upon hearing that.  He chose to change the subject.  “So... uhhh—”

The amazonian telepath was way ahead of him.  “You want to know how long you were under.”

“Yeah...?”

Sunset casually spilled:  “About six days.”

Flash's jaw dropped  “... … ...six days?!?”

“Mmmmmhmmm.”  Sunset brushed her fiery hair back and nodded at the petite boi.  “That's right.”

“But... but...”  Flash gulped.  “...the dream.  It... it felt like I was only under for a few hours.”

“And how I envy you.”  Sunset winked.  “I wish time could have flown for me just as quickly.  Buttttt... unlike you, I couldn't afford to spend it all in the dreamworld.  I had to get a lot of things done, after all!  First off, there was those commissions that had to be made by Rarity.  Then ordering that other stuff with Cadance.  Then making reservations—”

“Huh?  What?”  Flash shook his head and waved his arms.  “Hold up!  St-stop the crazy train for a second—!”

“Yup!  Been running around like a unicorn with its head cut off!  But it's all going to be worth it.  I'm certain—”

“How... exactly...”  Flash stirred.  He rubbed his belly, but found that he wasn't particularly hungry.  “Six days...”

“Oh, don't worry.”  Sunset reached in and ruffled his silky blue hair.  “You took food breaks.”

“Food... breaks...?”

“And bathroom breaks.  And shower breaks.  You even got to change your clothes and brush your teeth when it was necessary.”

“Uhhhh...”

“That should explain the fact that your muscles haven't atrophied,” Sunset said.  Winking.  “Since we both know you're wondering about that...”

“I... got up several times to do all that?” Flash asked.

“That's right, sweetie.”  She tossed her hair with a smug, proud look.  “With some help, of course.”

Flash fidgeted in bed, clasping his hands together.  He remembered a dream-within-a-dream: visions of wandering through dimly-lit rooms like a shuffling zombie... rinsing his hair and body... flushing a toilet... washing his hands... eating sandwiches and apple slices.  Yes, he had been consistently distracted by the likes of Princess Belle and Cinderella, but there were moments... undeniable episodes in the midst of it all where he was certain that another Flash was enduring another life in the background of the entire experience.

“So... I hadn't just imagined all of that...”  Flash's lips pursed.  He winced slightly.  “Wait... Sunset... did... d-did you bathe me?”

“Oh no no no no, sweetie.”  Sunset giggled.  She fought hard to resist the urge to hug him outright, so instead she settled for resting a giantess' hand on his shoulder.  “I sequestered your lucid consciousness into the compartmentalized safe haven.  Meanwhile, your body slept here, sometimes for hours on end.  But at least five times a day I made sure you got up to take care of necessities—both hygienic and otherwise.”

“Soooooooooo...”  Flash's nose scrunched.  “...basically mind-control.”

“Mmmmmmmm-more like autopilot.”  Sunset smiled, squeezing his shoulder.  “Although you did babble a bit on the way to and from the bathroom.”

“B-babbled?”  Flash clutched a length of bedsheets to his tender chest.  “Babbled about what?”

Sunset looked up at the ceiling, tapping her chin.  “Hmmmmm... if I didn't know better... an entire thesaurus' worth of adjectives for describing dress fabric.”

“Geughhhhh...”  Flash covered his reddening face.  “...I'm scared to even think.”

“You can be the judge yourself,” Sunset said, stretching and cracking her joints.  “If I ever decide to show you the footage.”

Flash blinked.  Hard.  “Footage.”

“Aaaaaaaanyways...”  Sunset leaned her massive frame in and gently kissed Flash on the forehead.  “Today is a very... very special day.”

He breathed into her warmth.  “It is?”

“That's right,” she whispered, leaning back and smiling down at him.  “Flash—sweetie—do you remember what we talked about just before I put the spell on you?”

“You mean... when you put me to sleep?”

“Do you remember what I asked?”

He gulped.  “You asked if I trusted you.”

“And do you trust me?”

The boi took a deep breath.  “Yes.”  He couldn't help but shiver.  “A thousand times, yes.”

Sunset looked at his trembling limbs, then back at his face.  “Does it... frighten you to put so much trust in me.”

He bit his lip.

“Be honest,” she said.

He slowly—nervously nodded.  “Yes.”

Her lips pursed.  “I'm glad,” Sunset purred.

Flash's heart skipped a beat.

“Do you know why today is a special day...?”  She reached out, toying with her finger across his chin and neck.

“Uhm...”  Flash squirmed in bed, feeling his small body stirring all over.   In the feathery-softest of special places.   “...wh-why?”

“Because you're not going to be in control of it,” Sunset said firmly.  There was a caustic mix of valkyrie acid laced at the end of her tongue, and she sliced the air in such a way to shake the lilac scent between them.  “I will be in complete control.  Complete control over what we do.  Complete control over where we go.”  Her fingers clasped around his cheek and ear, and Flash felt that—with just the tiniest of squeezes—the Amazonian could easily crush his skull.  “Complete control over you.”

His eyes twitched, locked on her commanding expression.

“So long as you trust me, I promise that I will make you feel very very happy...”  Her tongue shifted against the inside of her lips.  A serpent ready to lunge.  “And very very uncomfortable.”  A slow shake of the head.  “It won't be up to you which comes first—or at all.  Do you understand?”

Flash squeezed his legs together, thigh muscles trembling.  The boi clenched his everything, fighting against a cowardly bead of nectar forming in the nub of his crotch.  “I... I-I understand.”

Sunset's teeth showed.  “Do not lie to me.”

Flash whimpered, clutching the sheets tighter.  “I... I-I'm still confused, but...”  A surrendering breath.  “I-I trust you.”  His fingers turned briefly steady as he remembered the conversation he had with the regal chaperons and their pristine smiles.  “And... a-and I want you to have complete control.  Please, Sunset... r-rescue me.”

“Or... … …?”

Flash fought.  Flash nearly fainted.  Flash squeaked:  “R-ravage me.”

“Hmmmmm...”  Sunset stroked her hand up, caressing his head and bangs.  “Good girl.”

Flash exhaled softly—

FWOOSH!  Sunset yanked the bedsheets off him in one savage motion, exposing his tiny frame in nothing but his dark briefs.  He gasped and made to cover his tender nipples—

—but soon found himself being cradled in Sunset's strong arms like he was a domestic cat.  She giggled—her laughter shaking Flash's entire frame—and he flinched helplessly as she leaned in and rubbed noses with the boi more than once... twice... thrice.

“Ohhhhhh Celestiaaaaa...”  Sunset struggled to contain her excitement, but failed.  “Heeheeheee... I'm going to have sooooooooooo much fun with you this week.”

Flash wheezed, weak and dizzy in her arms.  “This week?”

“From now on...”  She smiled sharply at him.  “...you're no longer Flash Sentry.”  He felt a squeeze all over as she asserted her majesty.  “You are Flash Sissy... my doll.  To toy with as I please.”

He felt his heart thudding against his tiny chest.  “Uhhhhh...”

“But...”  Sunset's voice softened slightly.  “...we're still going to go about this carefully, Flash.  Your safety is my prime concern.  Sooooo... you're going to go and take a shower.  And while you do, I want you to think of something.”

“Something?  Something like what?”

“A word,” Sunset said firmly.  “A single word.  Something simple.  Preferably two syllables.  Think of something that... you're not particularly fond of or attached to... that you would have no problem pronouncing in a blink.”  She smiled lovingly at him.  “Do you think you can do that?  For me?  For us?”

Flash blinked innocently, throwing on a crooked smile.  “S-sure thing, Sunset!  Whatever you say.”

“Miss Shimmer.”

“... … ...huh?”

“Today... and until I say otherwise.”  Her eyes hardened.  “You address me as 'Miss Shimmer.”

“Uhm... okay.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Meep!”  Flash swallowed an infinitesimal galaxy down his throat and rasped:  “Yes, Miss Shimmer.”

“Good.”  Sunset exhaled, and a soft expression broke through the veneer.  With moist eyes that took in the depths of him, almost disbelieving that this moment had arrived.  She leaned in, placing her forehead against his.  Flash heard her mumble something—low and beneath her breath—perhaps some pony prayer of thanks from beyond an arcane mirror.  A slight sniffle, and she threw her smug smile back on as she placed him down on trembling feet  “Now go to the shower.  You'll find... some things I've left for you there.  And a note.”

“Y-yes, Miss Shimmer...”  And he stumbled away, feeling cold and nearly naked.

“And remember what I told you to do!”  She swung a hand—but not very far.  It still made firm contact with his posterior.

Slap!

“Aaaackies!”  With a jump, the boi hurried across her room, as if propelled by her palm.  The valkyrie's laughter baptized his stinging backside while he scampered, and Flash couldn't feel more scared.

And alive.