Flash had never been more confused in his life, and that was counting the time his date for the Fall Formal randomly grew wings. Applejack had gotten dressed and rushed out the door long before he was coherent enough to question what had just happened, and it was the weekend, so he wouldn’t even see her again until Monday.

Unless he called or visited her.

Should he call or visit her?

What on earth was the proper follow up to a girl you barely knew dragging you into a shed and banging you senseless?

Flash wondered about that the whole drive home.

Did this mean they were dating now? He hoped so if that meant another wild ride was in their future.

Mini Flash definitely wanted another go.

Eventually he pulled up in front of his house, a humble little blue building, and went inside. “Hello?”

Silence.

Flash shrugged and closed the door behind him, venturing into the kitchen. The battered old fridge had a yellow sticky note on it with the words, ‘Working late again. Put money on your card for pizza.’ He wasn’t surprised. His dad had been working late ever since the divorce ten years ago. In his defense, not many cops had to bust their own wives for selling drugs. Working late probably helped keep his mind off stuff.

Even though Flash was sick of pizza.

He shrugged off his backpack and pulled out a few textbooks and a binder, setting them all on the marble counter. Maybe stumbling through his Trig homework would give him an idea of how to deal with Applejack. After all, how different could calculating the angles of a triangle be from figuring out how to talk to the gorgeous blonde who just rocked his world for no apparent reason?

Yeah, he was in trouble.

Hours passed, and the sun slowly disappeared behind the trees outside, but no answers jumped out at him. Eventually, he put the last of his homework away, gathered some pots and pans, and set about making dinner. Real dinner. Not pizza.

There wasn’t a lot in the fridge, so Flash slapped together rice, a packet of country gravy, and some ground beef, before sprinkling a few spices on top and calling it good enough.

And it was. Good enough, like most everything else in his life.

Except for what had happened with Applejack …

Wait, they hadn’t even kissed.

He reviewed the whole incident, much to Mini Flash’s delight, and confirmed their lips hadn’t ever touched. “Seriously?” Flash ate another bite of his dinner. “I had sex with a girl before I even kissed her?”

And got an erection from thinking about it too, apparently.

Needless to say, Flash took a cold shower that night before bed. Maybe he’d have a better idea what to do in the morning.

Nope, he was still clueless. Flash rolled out of his bed with a sigh, yawning widely. He’d heard somewhere that taking your mind off a problem would let your subconscious figure it out for you. Apparently his subconscious was a pervert, because all it had managed was constant reruns of what happened with Applejack.

Not that he minded.

He got dressed and headed downstairs, noting a line of cop clothes going from the front door to his father’s room. This was standard after a double shift. Flash gathered them up and put them in the laundry before heading into the kitchen for breakfast.

Unsurprisingly, the fridge hadn’t generated any new food overnight, and they were all out of milk, so he was left with the question of reheating the cheap pizza his dad had brought home or pouring water on his cereal.

He chose option three, head to the mall.

Flash had always liked the food court at the mall. He didn’t have to know what he wanted before heading in, because anything he could possibly want was there somewhere. It was especially useful on days like this, when his mind was occupied by other thoughts.

He stepped outside and locked the door behind him, stretching his arms as he soaked in another beautiful spring day. A breeze carried the scent of flowers and grass to his nose, compliments of his neighbor’s perfectly maintained yard. Flash’s own yard was shoddy by comparison. Oh well, it’s not like anyone cared.

Back to the matter at hand. Flash hopped into his car and revved up the engine, enjoying the wild feeling it always awakened in his gut, like he could go anywhere and do anything as long as he had this car and money for gas. He knew the feeling was a lie, but sometimes even the illusion of freedom was enough to help.

Soon Flash was cruising down the familiar streets to the mall, listening to an old Journey song on the radio and feeling more optimistic about the day. He’d find something to eat, head over to Sweet Apple Acres, and ask Applejack directly if she wanted to start dating. Flash didn’t like to brag, but he was sure she’d enjoyed herself enough to want to fool around more in the future.

The parking lot was nearly empty, so Flash pulled into a spot right outside the food court and headed inside. The scents of Chinese food, Mexican food, burgers, and more filled his lungs, and his stomach growled its agreement that something in here would fill it up.

Flash paused to look around. “Let’s see, sushi?” His friends made fun of him for liking raw fish, but he knew they’d change their tune if they ever tried it.

Except Sunset worked there.

Yeah, Flash didn’t think he could handle bumping into her right then without having a class-A freak out. Moving on.

“Sandwiches?” he muttered, then shook his head. Today wasn’t an eating-healthy kind of day.

“Burger?” His stomach growled again, and Flash smiled. “Burger it is.”

The best burger joint in the mall was definitely this fifties-style diner. It also had amazing shakes. Flash jogged there, pushing open the door to reveal the cutest retro eatery in town, and speaking of cute …

“Hi there!” Pinkie Pie called, skipping over to him in an outfit that always made his inner anime geek squee; a sky-blue dress, puffy shoulders, white apron with black frills, and a brightly colored bow tied around her waist. It was adorable in all the right ways, even if it was responsible for some less than pure thoughts. “Table for two?”

Flash shook his head, blushing as his memories from yesterday pointed out that if Pinkie looked so good in her work clothes, she probably looked even better out of them. “Table for one, like usual.”

“Aw.” Pinkie led him to the counter and handed him a menu, skipping around to stand across from him. “I was really hoping today would be the day you finally came in with a friend.”

“Sorry,” Flash said, looking around as he took a seat. The diner was empty except for the two of them and an older waitress named Erma, who’d already overheard enough of their conversations that Flash didn’t feel awkward talking in front of her. “You know how my friends are, always expecting me to pay for their meals.”

“Sounds to me like you need better friends,” Pinkie said, ruffling his hair. “You know you can always hang out with me and the girls, right?”

Flash scratched the back of his neck. “Uh …”

Pinkie smiled sympathetically. “So you still feel awkward around the new Twilight?”

“And Sunset,” Flash said, doing his best to smile back. “I guess that makes me a jerk for not putting everything behind me, huh?”

“Nah, it just makes you a sensitive little cutie.” Pinkie tapped him on the nose.

Flash laughed. “I’m the little one?” He gestured up and down at her short, slender frame.

“Hey,” Pinkie said with fake outrage, “at least I’ve got big,” she held up both hands in front of her chest, “hands.”

Flash laughed again.

“I wouldn’t go calling a molehill a mountain,” Erma said with a smirk. “You’re a B-cup at best.”

Pinkie posed dramatically with her fist in the air. “B-cup is best cup!”

Flash wisely decided not to comment.

“So,” Pinkie said, tapping the menu she’d handed him, “what can I do ya for?”

“Right, sorry.” Flash looked down at his menu and quickly decided. “The All-American Burger and a drink.”

“No fries?” Pinkie asked with an adorable pout.

Flash chuckled. “Only if you want to eat them, because I won’t.”

“Fries it is!” She skipped into the kitchen, and a flurry of noise followed.

“You really should ask her out,” Erma said.

Flash jumped in his seat. “What?”

She turned to him, leaning forwards across the counter. “You come in here at least once a week to talk with Pinkie, sometimes for hours, and anyone with eyes can see the way you blush when you see her.”

Speaking of blushing, Flash’s cheeks decided to do just that. “I-I don’t.”

Erma gave him a flat look. “She’s a cutie. You’re a sweetheart. Just take her out sometime.” She smirked. “Or have your way with her in the back room. I won’t tell.”

Flash was sure his cheeks were about to ignite. “What?!”

Erma just laughed and went back to wiping down the counters.

Pinkie reappeared a minute later with a burger, fries, and a large Coke. “Food time!”

“Uh, thanks.” Flash dug into his food, carefully avoiding looking at Erma. In fact, talking to or looking at anyone sounded like a recipe for disaster at the moment, so he just focused on getting through his burger as quickly as possible.

“Wow,” Pinkie said, shoveling fries in her mouth, “you must be hungry.”

“Yeah,” Flash said, chuckling awkwardly. He accidentally looked at Pinkie just as she ran her tongue up the whole length of a fry before popping it in her mouth. He looked away, crossing his legs. Erma’s suggestion was affecting him more than he wanted to admit.

Soon the burger was finished, and Flash honestly couldn’t remember what it had even tasted like. His mind kept imagining what Pinkie would taste like instead.

Stupid mind.

His situation wasn’t helped when Pinkie finished the fries and began to carefully, almost sensually lick the salt off her fingers.

Welp, that settled that. Flash wouldn’t be standing up for at least ten minutes. He awkwardly looked away and drank some of his Coke.

Pinkie, miraculously, didn’t notice. “Oh, Erma, we’re almost out of buns. I’m gonna grab some from the storage room.”

Erma nodded. “Okay, but be careful. Some of those boxes are heavy.”

“Do you want some hel-” Flash noticed Erma smirking at him and froze. Nope, he was definitely not going into the back room alone with Pinkie while Erma was giving him that knowing smile. “Uh, I mean, do you want Erma to help you?” he said quickly. “I can watch the front for a few minutes.”

“Nah,” Pinkie said. “I can handle it. Be right back!” She skipped into the back and disappeared from sight.

“Wuss,” Erma said.

Flash’s cheeks went red again, but there wasn’t anything he could say. He just cleared his throat and looked down at his empty plate.

A high-pitched squeal came from the back of the diner followed by a crash.

Flash was on his feet and over the counter before he could even think about what he was doing. He pushed his way into the kitchen and quickly spotted a large wooden door that was partially open. “Pinkie, you okay?” He rushed to it and pulled it open.

Pinkie lay on the floor inside, with a pile of boxes covering her and more boxes lining the walls. “Ow, ow, owie.” She winced, pulling a hand free of the mess. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t careful enough.”

Flash hurried to her side and started moving the boxes off her. “Don’t worry about that. Just stay still. You might’ve hurt something.”

The door banged open and Erma stepped in, panting. “Wow, looks like we’ve got a real-life superhero on our hands.”

Pinkie grinned. “It was really heroic how he rushed to save me from the dreaded boxes. I guess that makes me the damsel in distress.”

Flash just rolled his eyes and kept clearing everything off Pinkie. She didn’t have any obvious cuts or bruises, but a bunch of food items had fallen out of their boxes and scattered around. A tub of chocolate syrup sat between Pinkie’s legs, hot dog and hamburger buns covered her stomach, and a packet of sprinkles had somehow landed underneath her head like a pillow. “I think you’re fine,” he said at last, “but be careful. You could still have strained or cracked something.”

“Okay.” Pinkie gingerly sat up and shook her head. “I think everything’s okay.”

Erma sighed in relief. “Thank goodness, but just to be safe, Pinkie, take the rest of the day off.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I can’t leave you all alone on a Saturday.”

“I insist,” Erma said. “We won’t get busy for at least another few hours, and I’m sure I can find someone to come in before then.”

Pinkie stuck out her lower lip. “I know you said you’re sure, but are you sure you’re sure?”

Erma laughed. “Yes, Pinkie. We can get along without you for one day.”

“I can drive you home,” Flash said. “If you need a ride, that is.”

Pinkie nodded slowly, and reached out a hand to him. “Thanks, that’d be extra super nice.”

“No problem.” Flash looked at the mess still covering the supply room. “Uh, I’ll clean this up while you go change.”

“Oh, I don’t have a change of clothes here,” Pinkie said, “but I can help you clean up.” She shot Erma a challenging look. “I’m definitely okay enough for that.”

“Fine,” Erma said, smiling gently. “You two clean up, then make sure Pinkie gets home. I’ve gotta get back to the front.” She stepped outside, closing the door after her.

And now Flash was alone in a secluded room with Pinkie. He was uncomfortably reminded of events with Applejack the day before. “Well, uh, let’s get to work.” He picked up a box full of buns. “Where does this go?”

“On that stack over there,” Pinkie said, taking a smaller box and putting it on a shelf.

The work wasn’t hard, and miraculously, nothing was broken other than a few boxes. Soon the room was clean, and Flash was standing there next to Pinkie. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Um, I’ll be out front.”

“And I’ll go clock out,” Pinkie said with a smile, walking closer. Then she stood on her toes and pecked him on the lips. “Thanks again for rushing to save me, Mr. Hero.”

Flash could only stare at her in shock as she giggled and skipped out. He shook his head. Okay, maybe Erma was on to something about taking her on a date sometime. He could still feel the ghost of her soft, warm lips against his. They’d tasted like strawberries.

“There you are,” Erma said when Flash made it back to the front. She took one look at his dazed face and smirked. “So you two went at it after all. And here I doubted you had the guts to pull it off.”

“We didn’t do anything,” Flash said a bit too quickly.

Erma’s smirk just grew. “Suuuure. Don’t worry, kid, I won’t tell anyone.”

Pinkie arrived just then. “Won’t tell anyone what?”

“Nothing,” Erma said with a knowing grin. “You kids have a good day.”

“We will,” Pinkie said brightly, taking Flash’s hand. “Where are you parked?”

Flash blushed, but he couldn’t help but smile. Her warm fingers against his just felt right. “This way.” He ignored Erma’s laughter and led Pinkie outside to his car. “You’ll have to tell me where to go,” Flash said, opening the door for her. “I’ve never been to your place.”

Pinkie waited until he’d walked around and climbed into the car himself before she said, “Actually, can we go by the school?”

He turned to look at her. “Uh, sure, why?”

Pinkie took a deep breath. “Well, my mom and dad are sweet, but they can also be really protective, and Marble and Maud are so sensitive too, and I know Limestone acts tough, but she’d be worried if she knew I got hurt, just like the rest of my family would be, so I thought I could spend the day doing something else and go home after my shift would’ve ended, but I only have this outfit, and even though it’s really, really cute, it would be weird to wear all day, but I have a pair of keys to the school Principal Celestia gave me for band practice, and I thought I could get to my locker in the gym and change, because even though gym clothes are kind of weird to wear all day, it’s still better than work clothes, and I can just change back before I head home.” She smiled at him. “Does that answer your question?”

Flash had to wait for his brain to catch up with her mouth before he could answer. “Um, yes, I think.”

“Super duper,” Pinkie said. “To the school!”

Flash smiled at her enthusiasm and started driving. “So, Principal Celestia gave you keys to the school?”

Pinkie nodded. “After we saved everyone from the sirens, she said the entire town’s future might depend on us staying in practice, so she gave us keys so we could use the band room whenever we wanted.”

“Lucky,” Flash said, thinking of all the times his garage band had been forced to practice in a literal garage, or worse, in someone’s backyard. Then again, he hadn’t saved the school from rampaging monsters. “Never mind,” he added. “You aren’t lucky; you earned it.”

Pinkie reached over and ruffled his hair. “Aw, that’s sweet of you to say.”

Flash smiled, soaking in the warmth of her hand. It reminded him of the days when he and Sunset used to drive around town just for the fun of driving. Of course, that was back before everything went to crap between them. He shook his head and turned to Pinkie. “Anyway, what do you think you’ll do for the rest of the day?”

“I don’t know,” she said brightly, “but I’ll come up with something.”

“Maybe you can call some of your friends,” Flash said. Someone should keep an eye on her after that fall, just in case.

“Or maybe I’ll just hang out with you,” Pinkie said, looking oddly nervous. “Only if you don’t mind, that is.”

Flash’s heart chose that moment to start pounding; she just looked so cute! “No, no, I, uh,” he looked away before he could start blushing, “I’d really like to spend time together, and I don’t have anything going on today either, so …” He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

They reached the school, and Flash pulled into the student parking lot. “Should I stay here while you go change?”

“Nope, come in,” Pinkie said. “There are some things I’d like your help with.”

“Like band equipment or something?” Flash asked, getting out of the car.

“Well, I could use help moving my drum set.” Pinkie skipped to the door and fished a key chain from her pocket.

“Okay, sure.” Flash looked back at his car, trying to figure out if the backseat would hold a whole drum set. “We can try, at least.”

Pinkie unlocked the door and led him into the dim corridor inside. “Follow me, Mr. Hero!”

“Ha, ha,” Flash said, looking around at the endless row of lockers. It was weird to be in the school when it was so dark and quiet. Hundreds of students had been reduced to just him and Pinkie, their steps echoing in the emptiness. “By the way, how are you feeling? Any aches or pains?”

She shook her head. “Just a bit sore from falling on my tush,” she shook her hips for emphasis, “but the rest of me is fine.”

Flash cleared his throat and fixed his gaze anywhere other than Pinkie’s tush. It didn’t help that the bow on her lower back kept shaking with each step, drawing his eyes right to where he both did and didn’t want to look. Come on, he ordered his mind, think about something else!

Luckily, something else came up when Pinkie turned right at the next hallway.

“Uh, Pinkie,” Flash said, “the band room is back the other way.”

“I know,” Pinkie said with a smile. “We’re going to the gym first.”

“Why?” Flash asked. “I could start hauling your drum set out while you change.”

Pinkie whirled around and firmly planted her lips over his, filling his mouth with the taste of strawberries. A few glorious seconds passed before Pinkie pulled back with a smile. “Just trust me. I have a surprise for you.”

At that moment, Flash would’ve gladly followed her anywhere. He nodded dreamily, still lost in a haze of strawberries and warmth. “Okay, whatever you want.”

Pinkie giggled and started walking again.

They reached the gym, but Flash paused when Pinkie led him to the girl’s locker room and opened the door. “Uh, should I wait here?”

“Why?” Pinkie asked, still in the doorway. “It’s empty just like the rest of the school.”

“Well, yeah,” Flash said, scratching the back of his neck, “but it’s just one of those places guys don’t belong, you know?”

Pinkie laughed and pulled him across the threshold. “Now come here,” she skipped deeper in, passing down a row of pink lockers with wooden bench set midway between them, “I’ve been waiting to show you something.”

“You have?” Flash asked, following her. “What?”

“You’ll see,” Pinkie said cheerfully. She opened a locker and pulled out one bottle of chocolate syrup and another of whipping cream. “Hold these.”

Flash took them and was confused to realize the whipping cream was somehow still cold. Maybe she had a tiny fridge in her locker. If anyone could pull that off, it was Pinkie Pie.

“Do you like strawberry or raspberry more?” Pinkie asked, still looking in her locker.

Flash licked his lips. “S-strawberry.”

“Good choice.” Pinkie pulled out a jar of strawberry-flavored pie filling. She put it on the wooden bench between the rows of lockers, then she casually undid the bow on her back. Her frilly apron came off next.

“Uh,” Flash said, taking a step back, “I’ll just wait just wait by the door.”

“Flaaash,” Pinkie said with a grin and half-lidded eyes, “it’s mean to walk away when I’m trying to put on a show for you.” Then she pulled off her dress in one smooth motion.

“Wow.” Flash wasn’t certain if he said the word or if it manifested from the air, but it really was the only way to describe what he was seeing.

Pinkie wore white panties and a bra, both lined with black frills, and they looked amazing on her, complementing her slender frame but drawing attention to her curves in all the right ways. “Do you like them?” Pinkie asked, putting one hand up behind her head and the other on her hip. “I had Rarity make them like my apron, since I know you like that so much.”

Flash blushed. “Well, yeah, but, I mean, just …” He swallowed. “Wow.”

Pinkie giggled. “You flatterer.” She smiled, but it quickly gained a nervous edge. “Um, Flashy, could you do me a favor?”

Flash’s mind immediately went to some rather dirty places, but he forced those thoughts away. He was staring at an insanely cute girl in frilly underwear. His mind was going to twist anything she said into something dirty. “Sure,” he said, reminding himself whatever she was about to say was probably as sweet and innocent as Pinkie herself, “what is it?”

“Could you cover me in chocolate syrup, strawberry pie filling, and whipped cream?”

The words didn’t make Flash freeze so much as they dumped his mind in liquid nitrogen, preserving it for future generations to point at and laugh. “Guh?”

Eventually the electricity calmed, and Flash sagged onto Pinkie, his lips still gently locked with her.

Pinkie was the one who broke off the kiss, tilting so their foreheads were touching. “Thanks, Flashy. You made my first time a treat.”

“Literally,” Flash said, licking a bit of strawberry filling off his lips. He let out a long sigh of pleasure. “Still, cleaning off is going to be interesting.”

“They have showers in here,” Pinkie said, smiling up at him. “I’ll wash your front if you wash mine.”

Flash laughed and kissed her on the tip of the nose. “Deal.”

Author's Note