Felicity

"There may be some hope yet~," Sunset Shimmer sing-songed, her hands on the wheel of her SUV as she drove Flash Sentry away from Dr. Farrier's office. "The Princess says that she and her Royal Court have made some astounding discoveries in Equestrian archaeology as of late." Her turquoise danced over. "In their latest find were hieroglyphics that seem thematically connected with the Miasma."

Flash Sentry said nothing. He sat slumped in the passenger's seat—not out of some moody choice. The young man was simply tiny and the chair was still adjusted to fit one of his roommates and not him. He gazed out at the passing scenery, weathering Sunset's "affirmative" words with quiet solemnity.

"It might explain how it was able to jump dimensions without using the portal~" Sunset said in an enthusiastic tone. "And if they can get bearings on that, they might be able to discover the next time the Miasma jumps and ensnare it with a modern day magic spell." She looked forward at the road ahead. "One way or another... we're going to track down the entity responsible for all of this. And between that and Twilight's studies here... well..."

She fidgeted slightly. She was hesitating. Flash knew she was hesitating. And the telepath knew that he knew that she was hesitating.

"...well..." Sunset cleared her throat. "...I truly hope a-and believe that a way will be found to... reverse things."

Flash took a deep breath. His eyes closed. He tried to keep his mind empty... clear... relaxed.

Nevertheless, she filled it: "It's just going to take time, Flash."

His teeth tightened in his jaw. He thought about all of the time he had already lost—

"The difference is that we've been able to gather more information since you woke from the blackout than we did while you were under—"

"Sunset... could you—?!" Flash started, his eyes opening angrily. He stopped himself, let out a calming breath, and muttered: "Please... I kindly ask that you don't just... b-blurt out responses to what I'm thinking."

Sunset shrugged in mid-cruise. "How else am I going to address the topics that need to be addressed?"

"I'll..." Flash shrugged. "...ask you when I want to know more? Y'know... out loud."

"But we both know how that goes, Flash..." She huffed, giving him a lethargic side-glance. "You just stay forever silent and never ask anything."

"Yeah... well... I'll change."

"You've said that before and you still play the quiet game...!"

"I know, I'm just..." Flash ran a hand over his face. He sighed.

Sunset's hands tightened on the wheel. A lump formed in her throat, but she fought through it. "You've suffered through a lot, Flash. I know it's not easy having to deal with all this."

"Yeah well..." Flash muttered, gazing out the window again. "...it can't be easy having to deal with me."

"Heheheheh..." Sunset chuckled nervously. "Flash, you're..." Her tongue lingered on a weak click against her teeth. Finally: "It's not so bad! Why, just this week alone—!"

"You and Twilight deserve to be living on your own," the boi muttered. "Preparing for your eventual wedding without having to be saddled with a pathetic lump like me."

"Now Flash—!"

"You might be telepathic, but I still know you, Sunset," Flash continued, solidly. "I may be four years behind, but you're still the same determined fighter you've always been. You know when there's a lost cause—and you can't stop from showing that you know."

Sunset bit her lip.

"Don't get me wrong..." Flash gave her an earnest look through the melancholic haze. "I'm grateful that the two of you took me in."

She gulped. "I know that, Flash."

The young man blinked at that. He felt something coating over his heart. While it wasn't exactly rapturous, he couldn't call it a "bad" sensation. "Well..." He looked back out the window. "...that's cool... I guess..."

Dead silence.

Flash emptied his mind as best as he could. It seemed a cruel thing to do, but it drew things out of his former girlfriend. And he needed all he could squeeze out of her in his current state.

"Flash... honey..." Sunset's fingers tightened even harder around the wheel. "...have you thought much about the possibility that—?"

"I stay this way forever?"

Her nostrils flared. "Every visit to Dr. Farrier suggests you're healthier for it—"

"I don't want to be healthy," Flash grumbled. "I want to be me."

"But what if this is you?" Sunset took brave breaths as she navigated more than just her lane. "Even if we can find a way to reverse what the Miasma did—"

"I'd still prefer it," Flash said. This wasn't the first time their conversation took such a turn. Every time it did, it typically resulted in awkward silence, and Flash would think about all of the things he didn't know. More specifically, all the things he wasn't told.

He flinched(!)—but it was too late(!)

"We've told you all I can, Flash—"

"Or just all you've wanted," he shot back.

She frowned at him. "Now that's not fair."

"Isn't it?"

"You came out of the blackout with memory missing—"

"You can still help with that—"

"We did. We tried. And..." Sunset's grimace broke her scowl, and it was a very sad thing. "...and we almost l-lost you again Flash."

It hurt Flash to see that expression on her. He looked away, eyes clenched shut. He instantly hated himself.

"Please don't think like that, Flash—"

"Sunset, please—"

"I mean it. It's not your fault. Honest! It's not..." Sunset's shoulders shook. She sighed. Thankfully—they had reached a red light, and she took the moment to rest aginst the steering wheel, composing herself. At last, the words dripped out: "...the first thing I wanted was to bring you back from that brink. And... and there wasn't a d-damned thing I could do about your body. There still isn't... even though I believe whole-heartedly in a future solution. I just... just..." She sighed. "... ... ...I wanted to bring your mind back. I thought—at least—I'd have the power to do that. To restore all the memories. But..." She looked worriedly at him. "Whatever my geode powers were reeling in, it was making you collapse. You just couldn't handle whatever it was that you were starting to remember and... and I knew you would slip right back into the blackout if I pulled anymore."

Flash was hugging himself at this point. He felt himself near tears. He couldn't look directly at Sunset, due to how terrible he felt.

"Like I keep saying..." She rested a hand on his soft shoulder. "It's not your fault. I don't have all the answers. And while I might have the tiniest... slimmest share of those memories, well... I'm afraid, Flash. I'm afraid of what they might do to you. That's why it's... it's going to take time. We gotta wait for the Princess to make progress before we can understand."

Flash sniffled. He looked out the window, thinking about the days when he was taller. Stronger. Once or twice, when Sunset was overworked and overburdened by all of her magical responsibilities, she would come over to his house and he'd spend an hour or two just holding his good friend while she fought through a maze of tears and rambling emotions...

"I m-miss those hugs too, Flash." Sunset's eyes glistened as she smiled softly at him. "But... I've found a good place now. And maybe... just maybe... there's a good place waiting for you too." She shook her head. "Even if it's no longer the old you."

Silence...

Until...

Honk! Honk!

Both Sunset and Flash jolted. The light had turned green seconds ago, and the traffic behind was getting impatient. Sunset slowly drove ahead and turned onto a perpendicular road.

"Erm..." Flash fidgeted in his seat, awkwardly trying to pivot the conversation. "Where are we going?"

"Figured we'd stop by Twilight's laboratory," Sunset said. "It's almost her break. Thought it'd be nice to join her for lunch."

Flash squirmed. He thought of home. His bed. The Pink that lingered beyond the opaque veil of his dark, dark visions.

"You've been on such a great streak as of late, Flash," Sunset purred. "It'd be a shame to break it now."

Flash wasn't sure what made him feel better: her encouragement, or the fact that the telepath ignored that very last mental detail. "You're right," he hummed.

"Mmmm..." A coy smile. "Sometimes." She turned onto another room. Twilight's workplace was only two or three blocks away now. "Try and relax, Flash. I think... I think you're going to enjoy spending lunch with us today."

"Why...?" Flash stifled a yawn as he settled back in the enormous seat swallowing him. "...will they be serving tator tots?"

Sunset giggled... and then she giggled some more. "Say what you want to about yourself these days..." She winked aside. "But at least you're a whole lot more adorable."

Flash felt a lick of toasty warmth inside his chest—but he wasn't ready yet to think much of it. He had fed her enough as it was that afternoon.