Felicity

The four had lunch at the sushi stop. Flash Sentry stuffed his face—or maybe he didn't. In truth, he didn't remember an awful lot about the meal. He just remembered her.

In everything she did, Cadance was the very epitome of grace and beauty. This was a difficult task, for eating sushi commonly evoked the clueless dork out of most people. But Cadance exercised a masterful skill of wielding chopsticks. What's more, everything about how she consumed her lunch was done with utmost attention to etiquette and manners. She nibbled delicately without gorging outright like a pig, and she only spoke when she could do so without sacrificing dignity. Observing all of these things made Flash realize that he must have been staring at her the whole time. It wasn't like there was much he could do about it. When the group sat, the only stool to spare was between the bar, the wall, and Cadance. It was almost as if Sunset had omnisciently arranged for him to be seated so claustrophobically beside the school principal. Almost...

The group talked about things. Or—more honestly—the girls talked about things. Meanwhile, Flash sat like the blue rock he was and listened intently to Cadance—even if he had to filter her honey'd voice between the two giggly roommates nearby.

When the opportunity arrived, Cadance barely talked about herself. Which was disappointing—to some extent—but it became abundantly clear to Flash that she wasn't the self-absorbed type. She constantly said things and made inquiries that urged others in the conversation to elaborate, proceed, and unload their own bounties of information. There was something very socratic about the way Cadance engaged in chat, and she was constantly showing a legitimately sincere interest in what others said, felt, and proposed. It reminded Flash of school guidance conselors he had spoken to in the past, only—not nearly as fake, annoying, or obligated in station. If he was to make an apt comparison, it'd probably be to Mister Rogers... ... ... if... Mister Rogers was still alive, female, in their mid thirties, and looking dayum sexy in pink.

"In truth... I guess I-I'm afraid to bring it up to him," Twilight said, pausing melancholically between bites of rolled-up fish. "He's getting on in years... that is... dog years. And if sending him to Equestria to live out a full and long life as a dragon is the one sure-fire way to extend his years... then... th-that's what we have to do..."

"I see..." Cadance nodded, took a sip of water, and kept staring intently at the young scientist. "...then if there's a solution to Spike's lifespan, what's to fear?"

"Well... I'd not be able to see him anymore." Twilight sighed. "I mean—I guess I could visit him every once in a while. I've been to the pony world a few times. It's... pleasant... but I have no intention of living there."

"You have commitments here?"

"Well, yes. I have a career. A family. A love life. But all of those things aren't reason enough for Spike to stay here if he can enjoy things better—and longer—elsewhere. And yadda yadda weird canine existential stuff I should have thought of this long beforrrrrrrrrrrr—" The rest of Twilight's dialogue got loss to the fuzz of the moment, probably because Flash found himself staring at Cadance's purse.

It was a soft pink—like wispy clouds—with a faux leather surface. There were two loops for carrying the purse like a handbag, and shiny chains acting as a cross-body strap. There was a gold-plated "V" fastened to the lip, and Flash was more or less ashamed to recognize it as Victoria's Secret branding. The boi was more than a little bit familiar with feminine accessorizing, which may or may not had something to do with lonely nights spent browsing the Internet. Usually, whenever he thought about this—he'd moodily shake his mind off the subject and force himself to think of other... less exciting things. But for some reason—that day, sitting next to her, smelling that delightful perfume and hearing such pleasant voices—Flash was feeling considerably less guilty about—

"...firmly situated until he recovers." Sunset smiled his way. "Isn't that right, Flash?"

The young man forced himself to wrench his eyes off Cadance's pink-ness. "Uhhhhh—!" He juggled chopsticks before glancing nervously towards his former girlfriend. "Isn't what straight? I-I mean right?"

Cadance's smile above him absorbed all the jitters of the moment. "Sunset says you're available for work." A rosy wink. "It's a good, fresh market out there these days!"

"Oh... uhhh..." He blinked up, up at the tall goddess seated beside him. "...f-for sure! I've been definitely... uh... looking for an opportunity to—"

While patiently looking at and listening to him, Cadance raised a tender morsel of raw meat with chopsticks and slid it softly through her luscious pink lips before chewing slowly.

"—work it... work. Ahem." Flash coughed delicately aside into his wrist, then faced the half-empty plate directly in front of him like it was his gravestone. "And... uhm... school too... I... uh... I-I guess..."

Cadance chewed, nodded, chewed—swallowed—then dabbed her lips lightly with a napkin, leaving a bubblegum pink mark on it. "What are you pursuing?" she asked in a kind, charming tone.

"Oh, I dunno..." Flash exhaled. He felt invisible fingers tickling his brain. His eyes darted over, seeing Sunset wagging her eyebrows with a slightly stern expression. "Uhhm..." He chewed his bottom lip, squirming atop the stool. "...I mean, if I had my way, I'd pursue music. Like—music theory and the like."

"Oh~?" Cadance brightened at that, if such was even possible for the pastel entity. Her smile was warm and inviting as she cupped an elegant hand against her chin, leaning casually towards the boi. "Do you have experience in that area?"

"Experience...?"

"Tell her about the band, Flash," Sunset purred, smirking slyly.

Cadance gasped, and the fragrance of the room positively intensified. "You were in a band?!"

"Uhhhhh... y-yeah!" Flash giggle—a little too high pitched for his own good. There as no saving that, so he spilled forward into pure nostalgia: "I was a guitarist and backup singer for Flash Drive."

"Pffft... backup my bifocals." Twilight Sparkle rolled her four eyes. "Don't be so humble about it! You were their frontman!"

"It was..." Flash rubbed the back of his neck. "...a long time ago. At least four years—"

"I bet you were magnificent on stage~" Cadance said.

Flash bit his tongue—savoring the pain—doing anything and everything he could to keep from blushing like a Mormon stumbling upon National Geographic. "I... well..." He twirled a chopstick nervously in his hand, unwittingly doing it with undeniable finesse. "...we did compete in the Battle of the Bands."

"At CHS?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Four years ago—that had to have been a harrowing experience~" Cadance remarked. "What, with all the wild adventures being had on campus and around town at the time."

Flash blinked on her. "You... know about the..." His eyes darted to his roommates, then back to Cadance. "...m-magic of Equestria?"

"Why yes." Cadance nodded. "I do." A soft pause, and she cocked her pretty head aside. "You seem surprised?"

"I... uh... w-well..." Flash fidgeted, avoiding her gaze suddenly.

Sunset was already attempting to run defense. "Ahem. Flash has..." She breathed in and out, tempering the explanation in her mind, before: "...suffered lapses in memory." Her turquoise eyes looked pointedly at Cadance. "A direct result of one such 'harrowing experience.'"

"Oh, how awful~" Cadance held a hand over her heart. If it was anybody else, Flash would have assumed that the expression was given in a mock tone. But—coming from this valkyrie—it came across with sobering sincerity. He felt her sympathetic eyes pouring over him. "Then... do you even remember my presence as Crystal Prep supervisor at the Friendship Games? That was about a month or two after the music competition, if I recall."

Flash felt a sick taste in his mouth. Had Cadance brushed through his life before now? And he hadn't the ability to recall specifically? Chalk one more travesty to the blackout. He was already hanging his head without realizing it.

Sunset and Twilight looked at each other nervously.

And Cadance: "Well... I think music is an excellent art to make a career out of. It's not easy for all, but if one pursues it with enough passion and zeal, then it's the absolute most worthwhile lifestyle to live out." A slight giggle escaped her lips. She ate a piece of sushi, swallowed, and smiled aside. "Y'know... I was something of a singer myself back in the day."

"Oh lord..." Twilight hid her face with embarrassment.

Flash—quite oppositely—perked up with intense interest. "You? You sang?!"

"Mmmhmmm." Cadance finished her last bit of sushi and cleaned up after herself. "I did a lot of extra-curricular work during my tenure at Crystal Prep—and even in my primary school days preceding. I guess you could say I was a renaissance girl—I tried a bit of everything. Music. Shop. Sports. Band. Home Ec." She winked over at Twilight. "Babysitting."

"Hmmmmmm..." Twilight peaked up from her hands with a blushing smile. "She was a good at ittttttttt..."

"But for a while there—I found a passion in music!" Cadance clasped her hands together with a bright, cheesy smile. "'The Crystal Diva!' That's what they used to call me!"

Twilight giggle-snorted. Sunset rubbed her shoulders, smirking.

"What? So—I did some lounge singing." Cadance shrugged. "I'm not ashamed to admit it!" One eye thinned slightly. "...wasn't a huge fan of some of the places I stood on stage at—in hindsight. But... it was a fun... interesting time. And... for a while there... I performed on stage at the Muse's Melodies."

"Muse's Melodies?" Flash repeated, blinking inquisitively.

"Yes—it was the Crystal Prep version of the Battle of the Bands. One year—I sang as the front lady for a retro soft rock group called 'Shades of Fay Wray'." She sipped some water, then winked aside. "We were a tad bit experimental..."

"You also wore fishnets on stage," Twilight spoke into her hands again.

"And—yes—we did a lot of Rocky Horror Picture Show covers." Cadance weathered a coy grin. "With some great backup dancers, might I add."

"Unnngh..." Twilight echoed.

Cadance winked. "I made her come to a reunion show once... mmm... or twice."

Sunset laughed, patting Twilight's back. "I was there too. She sounded awesome."

"I think there's a recording somewhere..." Cadance rubbed her hands at the thought, then gazed amicably down at Flash. "Did you ever record performances of Flash Drive?"

"Uhhhhhh... I-I think so..."

"Maybe we could exchange samples someday." Cadance's teeth cracked through her sisterly smile. "Would you like that?"

Flash blinked—careful not to spill the stars in his eyes. "Yes..." He exhaled, the smile on his face melting dumb and dumber. "I think I would like that."

"Heehee~ Perfect!" Cadance rested her feminine hand on his shoulder, filling his world with that to-die-for perfume. "There's very little in this life I love more than sharing talent." She turned towards the other two. "Say—that reminds me. Rainbow's kids: the ones who kicked butt the other day at soccer... do any of them have plans to go professional?"

"No. Not really. Well—there's Scootaloo. But... she's kind of an exceptional case."

"Oh? Do tell?"

"Well, she and Rainbow have been looking into athletic scholarships in the area, but they're already having to look potentially out of state..."

As the conversation continued, Flash lagged far behind. In a cloud. He propped his chin against his hand, leaning against the bar as the world reeled—a tempestuous sea—with her voice and colors at the very center of the cyclone.

And for once, Flash didn't fear drowning.