….aaaaand guess who suddenly found herself an OTP after like, a couple hours after posting this status? Yeaaah idk why but honestly Flash Sentry is one of my fave dorkable dudes and I’ve always wanted to show him more love… moreso for his Pony version since I think I’ve worked quite a bit with his EQG counterpart Sadly that also kinda limited me ship-wise ‘cause there just didn’t seem to be anyone in the pony-verse that worked as well with him…. until I got to thinking;
 
Sugar Belle.
 
Yes, Sugar Belle… the pink baker unicorn that was a former cult follower of Starlight Glimmer, and one of the “Equality Four” that was responsible for her downfall in “The Cutie Map”. A sweet looking girl who seemed to carry alot of story potential to her had they brought back more of the Equality Four all together for future Starlight-focused plots… but alas, with how she kept getting reduced to just some “perfect girl-next-door” love interest for Big Mac out of nowhere, the potential for Sugar Belle was sadly wasted in-terms of canon
 
…Which got me to thinking that Flash himself was another underdeveloped side character, moreso in the main pony show since he didn’t amount to much than just a background royal guard (despite how in EQG they did try to at least give him some notable presence, at least for the earlier movies/specials anyway). Soooo, putting them together as I was considering the topic of my status post… I’ve gained a new OTP: Flash Sentry x Sugar Belle~ Or, “SugarFlash”? “FlashBelle”? “SugarSentry”? Idk what kinda ship name fits but either way, I ship ‘em~
 
And yeah, I did previously consider Double Diamond x Sugar Belle for my verse but… honestly why should the Equality four just be limited with being shipped with eachother? They may be a close group and all, but surely they’re bound to form alternate bounds outside their main square and all So don’t worry, Double Diamond will find himself some love too… but that’ll be a story for another time
 
(And I know I probably shouldn’t say this already but… please refrain from leaving any comments complaining about preferring Sugar/mac or Flash/light, or that I’m “wrong” for going against canon or whatever… I’m not really in the mood for ship arguing, I just made this all for fun )
 
Also fun fact: did you know that there’s a special type of cake decoration called “luster dust”? In which shimmer gold-glitter is flaked onto cakes to make them look shinier/prettier? Maybe that’s part of where Luster Dawn would get her name from… hehehe~ ;3
 
also pls excuse my bad anatomy on this im still rusty at drawing ponies xp hence why no cutiemarks lol
 

 
Meanwhile, for how Sugar Belle and Flash met and fell in love… it all started back in the forming of the Equality village, sometime after Starlight was de-throned as it’s leader. The main inhabitants were still processing all the trauma and control they’ve went through beforehand… and some didn’t feel safe by just being left to their lonesome all the way from the main society of Equestria. Sensing their growing turmoil, Princess Twilight decided to spare some royal guards to dispatch them down to the village for protection… and one of those guards just so happened to be the dorky, humble Flash Sentry. Though this move was kinda hard on Flash since he’s grown so loyal to Twilight for awhile (which lowkey turned into a crush on his end, though he didn’t act on them out of respect for Twi’s lover Tempest), he just couldn’t find it in him to deny a royal order like this. People needed him, and they were ultimately more important than some silly, fleeting feelings.
 
Back in the village, the Equality four were among the more affected of the traumatized groups… especially Sugar Belle as she’s started to experience alot of anxiety even with her being freed now. She could go back to making all the tastier desserts and treats that she wished… but each time she tried to turn on the oven or grab her ingredients, she’d hear Starlight’s old voice hammering at her to make those gross, “equal” muffins without any kind of sweetness or flavor. You wouldn’t want ponies to think you’re better than them with your treats, do you Sugar? Our Town is about equality! Everything must be equal!
 
These types of thoughts became so sudden and intrusive to poor Sugar that she just… stopped baking all together for awhile, even at the encouragement of her friends wanting to try her baked goods again. She just couldn’t escape her past… she didn’t know what else to do.
 
Enter Flash Sentry, as he was walking through the town one night feeling hungry, as the usual royal guard rations he’s used to just weren’t filling enough to him. He recalled back to when he was back in Ponyville and used to love frequenting Sugarcube Corner for their baked goods… so upon seeing the Our Town bakery, he couldn’t resist a chance to go inside to grab a quick morsel.
 
He sees no one inside, nor a speck of snacks on the display racks… despite there being no “Closed” sign on the door. Confused, he hears some light sniffling sounds around the back room… and though not normally a nosy person, the guard instinct in Flash pushed him to go investigate to see if someone needed help. There, he found miss Sugar Belle slumped in a corner away from her baking oven, sobbing about “not wanting to disappoint her” in-between sobs. Awkwardly, Flash cleared his throat to speak to her… prompting Sugar to look up in shock and desperately trying to wipe away her tears.
 
She puts on a cheerful smile to ask if he was here for a baked treat… but all Flash could do was just stand and give her a sympathetic look, gently asking if something was wrong. Sugar, having bottled up these kinds of feelings from her friends before, was at first hesitant to say anything as she tried to brush it off as “just having a bad day”… until Flash further questioned who was the “her” Sugar was talking about. After a long moment of silence… Sugar’s tears came flooding back as she explained her history with Starlight, how much she felt guilty for “not moving on” as everyone else has/should’ve, and that all she wants is to “let it all go” so she can get back to her special talent’s work.
 
Not wanting her to be left crying like this, all Flash could do was gently walk over to wrap her in his wing, letting her cry it all out as the minutes passed into an hour. His heart broke for the poor woman… making him feel like he had to do something to help her recover. An idea passed his head at that second, and he looked down at the slightly calmer Sugar Belle to ask if she’d like to “fly” with him. Confused, she tried to correct that she couldn’t exactly “fly”, being a Pegasus and all… but it just made Flash laugh a bit as he further explained for her to ride on his back while he’s flying.
 
A now blushing Sugar Belle couldn’t resist breaking into a little laugh over this, prompting them both to laugh together so much that they fell back in eachother’s arms, trying to collect themselves. It was the first time in a long while that Sugar was able to laugh and smile like that… and so after another minute of calming down (again), she happily gave Flash a smile to join him on a little flying trip.
 
On the rest of the night, she soared on his back to enjoy the glowing winter-like skies, how much she must’ve missed seeing the beauty of the world while under control back in the village… and the presence of this patient Pegasus guard smiling back at her through this gentle flight. This would be a night she’d never forget… and many more nights would follow as they continued to enjoy eachother’s company, flying around and opening up about their feelings. Though it’d still take a little while… Sugar Belle would finally be able to feel better enough to open up her bakery for good, going back to her special talent’s passion… whilst Flash was right at her side supporting her.
 
Perhaps, in time this would become something that would lead to love… a marriage… and perhaps even the birth of a beautiful, hopeful baby girl with a bright future ahead of her: