Flash Sentry knows how much it hurts to get dumped after a long-term relationship. His time with Sunset Shimmer wasn't the best, but it still hurt when it ended. So when he finds out that Timber Spruce got dumped by Twilight Sparkle, he knows what he must do: He's gonna help Timber out of his funk, get him back on his feet, and get him back in the game. Because that's what bros do.
A submission for the Spring Fling Contest.
Absolutely adorable art provided by LZjian, go give them some love!
Chapters (5)
10/10 without reading it because that’s a genius pairing I’ve never thought of
Very cute, good pacing too.
Always great to see genuine effort and passion put into these less common ships.
11550798
Thank you kindly! I did actually put quite a bit of effort into this one... More than I expected to, really. I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Honestly, I ship this more than either of them with Twilight.
11550953
I am a firm believer of SciSet Supremacy, and that is my go-to ship to write about. However, I figured I'd try something a little different with this fic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Howdy, hi!
This was fun. Always glad to see more gay flash. Solid slice of life with a bunch of cute moments. It does feel a bit disjointed and too quick paced at times, but the feel good core is a blast. Thanks for the read!
Fluffy and sweet.
I do feel it runs a bit too fast though, some time to breathe with all this would be great.
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Thank you both for your feedback. It was a bit difficult to build up the story how I wanted, considering the contest has a word limit of 15k. Originally, this was a small, 3k word project that quickly blew up to 10k as I tried to shape it and improve the pacing. Ultimately, I agree it still ended up a little fast, but despite that I hope you still had fun reading it.
11551030
Oh I did, it just feels like it could have been 3 different fics.
1. The lead up and consumation of the romance.
2. The double date, both lads feelings and the outcome of Twilight asking for a foursome.
3. TImber and Flash coming to terms with college
11551072
Oh... I hadn't even considered that as a possibility. I suppose I got tunnel vision thinking solely about the contest, and tried to cram all of the beats into a single story, but you're right. It probably would have been a lot better as multiple.
Eh, oh well. Live and learn. I'll definitely keep this in mind for the future though.
Just wanted to say that I love this story a lot and it's so cute and fluffy ahdbdjdbdjfbdjsjns Thank you for making such masterpiece ✨✨✨✨✨
11552623
Thank you, truly. This story totally flopped, and I've been feeling pretty bad about it the last few days, but I'm very happy to hear that you like it so much!
And thank you again for letting me use your absolutely adorable art for the cover! I really do love your art, and I only wish this story could have been more successful, so that more people could have appreciated it.
11552632
Like it? I love it! It's actually the best timberflash fic I've ever read in my life. You're doing amazing, don't worry. If you think that people don't appreciate much of this story, just remember that I love this story a lot and think that you're truly awesome ✨✨✨✨✨
11553009
Ha, I meant was actually talking about people not appreciating the art you provided... But I really do thank you for the kind words. I was actually just speaking with my partners a moment ago how your first comment really helped cheer me up today, and here you are again giving me yet another dose of good feelings. I am deeply grateful for it, and I think I'll be riding these positive vibes as I begin my next project. Thank you again very much for reading, and for the bountiful encouragement.
Sorry for the late comment, was meaning to read this story the second I saw the artwork but my work pulled me away.
Anyways, this story was a genuine delight to read, there are so few FlashSpruce fics out there so it’s always wonderful to see new ones added. There were plenty of heartfelt moments that made the story enjoyable and entertaining. I will agree that there were a couple of moments that seemed a bit too fast paced, but it didn’t devalue the overall enjoyment of story in my opinion.
The college part was definitely my favorite, it’s cliche I know but it hits close to home with me because a good friend of mine went through the exact same thing and made his relationship work. Some advice if you want it you could’ve shown a chapter of a week when Flash is visiting. Have Timber give Flash the tour of his campus and dorm, have Timber show off his hot Boyfriend to all his new college classmates, and have Flash and Timber spend a video call with each other when Flash gets back.
Also, my favorite parts from the previous chapter
Nice to see I’m not the only one that headcannons Flash knows how to ice skate. Love the idea that the guy who has next to no depth perception is somehow a master on the ice.
There’s a “falling down, I’m yelling Timber!” Joke in there somewhere.
I’m blabbering, I know, so in summary this story made my week and you should be proud that you made it. Thank you so much for this fabulous fic.
11553962
I will be sure to be more mindful of pacing in the future, considering how many people have mentioned the fast pace. Who knows, I may just rewrite this someday without the constraints of a contest word limit, but no promises there. Hell, maybe I'll do more with this ship and write a sequel or something. I won't lie, the idea of Timber boasting to his classmates about Flash brought a smile to my face. As always, I am delighted to hear that someone read a story of mine and enjoyed it. Thank you for your comment, and for your positivity. That brightens my week.
11553992
Looking forward to a sequel if you decide to do it. Feel free to use any of the ideas I suggested. And I’m glad I was able to spread that good ol’ positivity
Oh my goodness, this opening chapter is the most adorable and most real thing I've read in a while!
I never really read fics with Flash Sentry, and certainly less that portray him in a positive light, as the meme within the fandom is that he's a saltine cracker of a man who steals Twilight away, or whatever. More than this, people are upset with Timber for much the same reason, and like the Flash hatred, is equally unfounded. That's something that immediately drew me into your story: Not only a good representation of Flash (which you very much accomplished) and of Timber Spruce as well (equally as well done), but also writing them with astonishing chemistry and charm!
The pace of this was really quick, and while some might criticize you for being too brisk, I would say that days like this, where you're walking around bored out of your mind go this quickly and often as uneventfully. But I'm so grateful that Flash stopped into that cafe and met Timber, which itself was natural and fun, but left me really wanting for more. Like, Timber almost sending Twilight a text was like a sucker punch to the heart, and in contrast, their losing track of time and just spending the day with each other was equally as genuine!
It's a shame that mlm fics get so many downvotes, especially yours which opens so cleanly and authentically, and it most certainly does not speak for the quality of this fic, which I simply must read to the end!
Ok usually I'm one for a thought-out, sometimes a little too long, praise of works I enjoy, but I don't really think I'm able to as I continue to read this. Not because I don't find any enjoyment in what I've been reading, but because I'm finding WAY too much! I read through this squirming in my seat, laughing out loud, and screaming into my blanket. I thought that the chemistry you wrote in the first chapter was really great and natural, but the chemistry HERE is unbelievable! Like, the chemistry between these two could be taught in college classes like 'Gay Chemistry 401', it's so insane!
I'd also like to pay very special praise to the very subtle prods that Timber exhibits, asking him if he's looking for anyone, if he's maybe into guys, or much more brazenly asking him to lunch. That's incredible writing in general and exceptional romance writing in specific. I've only known these two for a couple thousand words, but I feel so at home reading more and more of them, that is, when you started the chapter by saying they've hung out a couple times before this one shown here, it can be very easy to simply skip the time and make no progress on their cohesion and closeness, but you really made it feel like they were closer. That this is only one of several times where they've gotten closer, and that each time is an absolute riot! Amazing, amazing work!
What I'm learning as I continue to read is that this is a fic that answers 'yes' to the questions: "Can a story make me scream every chapter?" and "Oh my goodness, can my heart soar higher than this?"
Being a jock in high school myself, I'm very partial to the dude-bro camaraderie that these two have, but I'm most partial to how they gell and blend with one another. The sparks that fly between them could light a fire that rivals a minute of sunlight. I read the descriptions of Timber cooking for Flash, and my mind wanders to what they must've done in the days before and how thick Timber is laying flirting on, and how naturally Flash returns it. I read of Timber wearing an apron, and owning a DVD collection of romances and I think about how he must've been watching them over the past few weeks and thinking about Flash. I read all of this and think of all of this and I find it all to be authentic, and I find your writing to be extremely charming and immaculate. I find in my stomach the world's population of butterflies, and I find my mouth sore from smiling at this story.
In short, this story is pogchampion, and I though I think I cannot praise it any higher, I'm sure the next two chapters will prove me wrong, and give me new ways in which to adore it!
The way my jaw dropped here and
here.
This story has done two things that I cherish in romance fics, and more generally in life: Firstly, it portrays a really honest view of LGBT relationships, and more importantly, a really REALLY damn good and romantic portrayal. Secondly though, I really like how you reconciled Flash and Sunset's past relationships. Something I've never really understood in media is that relationships are mostly portrayed as ending in confrontations, or in really messy ways. While I understand that this is a real thing that happens, it's never been my experience. Breakups that I've been in happen like they happened in your fic here, that is, in a very amicable way with friendship remaining after. And not the kind of tenuous, awkward, and weird 'pseudo-friendships' with one or both people not fully accepting or moving on, but an actual friendship again. This is what you've done, and this is what makes me appreciate your writing even further than I already do. The relationships are grounded, realistic, and very lively!
But seriously tho, my jaw did drop twice reading this, and that only serves to further elevate the fic in my eyes.
In around 9k words, which in reading it felt like only a thousand from how quickly I pored over it because I simply could not tear my eyes away, this story has cemented itself as one of my favorite gay romance fics on the site. The praise I can give to the relationships I have already said before, but I must reiterate and stress that Timber and Flash were REALLY good together. You've breathed such loving life into both of them that is truly commendable for two guys who generally aren't seen as such. To elevate these two, and their love for one another in this way speaks volumes to your writing ability and your romantic instincts!
While I understand the critique coming to this story, I also understand as a fellow competitor of yours in this contest that we're never given as many words as we need hahaha. You had to compact a lot of this story down, which I can understand as a reader needing room to breathe, but I also understand as a reader as well that sometimes stories just have a fast pace like this. It's not that these are the only events going on in their lives, but I got the sense that the events we saw, and the events we heard about, would've gotten in and been given the same life you breathed into our two lovely protagonists. In other words, the ones that we saw were the most important ones that shaped Timber and Flash's relationship, but also their reconciliation with their exes, and their exes with them in turn. It might read a bit swiftly, but I also say that nothing is lost from such quickness!
This is all to say, this story should have performed exceptionally well, and it is a great crime that it hasn't for this is truly a fantastic fic that I will (and have through the course of reading) recommend to my friends and partners!
As an aside, I found the more sexual jokes in the story to be the ones that landed the most precisely and got the loudest laughs out of me. Sunset is truly a riot, and her making those kinds of jokes and suggestions is perfectly natural and excessively funny! Really, and I mean this so honestly, this was immaculate. I look forward to reading your other work!
11578036
Firstly, thank you so much for reading! I always appreciate comments and hearing input from my readers! That aside, I must admit that beyond the scope of memes, I never understood why people just straight up hate Flash and Timber. I only ever got the impression over the course of EQG that they're two really sweet guys who are really good and loyal friends. After writing so much SciSet over the past year, it just felt right to give some love to the two poor lads. I think they both deserve some love and happiness, so I decided that the best way to do that is to have them give it to each other! Shame that so many people just hate them on principle, but at least we few can enjoy this ship.
11578047
I'm glad that you caught onto the little details in the interactions that I slipped in there. I know it's plain as day from the tags and art alone, but I wanted to be subtle about the budding romance. Give them time to become better friends organically before they became lovers.
11578069
And you know, I'm very happy to hear that you got lots of belly butterflies from this story, because that's really why I write romance. I've found that of all the genres, I do cutesy-feelgood romance best, and I gotta say, I totally get butterflies while writing it too. If I can deliver that giggly, giddy feeling to my readers as well, then I'm happy.
11578094
I like to imagine that Sunset and Flash had a really rough breakup, and he was probably bitter about it for a while, but when he saw that she was really working to improve herself, he was probably one of the first to approach her to amend their friendship. Considering how often Sunset and Flash were spotted hanging out together during the EQG shorts, it seemed pretty clear that they had repaired their friendship and were on good terms again, and I wanted to reflect that here. Even though they had some bad history together, they are both adult enough to move past it and maintain a healthy friendship going forward.
11578107
It's always super important to me to hear what my readers have to say about my work, and nothing makes me happier than big ol' walls of text like yours. I really am glad that you enjoyed the pacing, and especially my somewhat more raunchy jokes. I found them to be realistic and genuine, which is something I really strive for in my characterizations. I really am beyond happy that you enjoyed this as much as you did, and who knows, I may write more of these lads someday. I wasn't planning to, but I'd be lying if I said that these wonderful comments haven't swayed me a bit. Whether or not that comes to pass, I thank you again for reading and giving the lovely feedback, and I hope you enjoy my other works if you decide to read them!
I really like the premise of this, and Flash and Timber get some solid banter throughout. It’s a fun idea to have a story that does lean into to the nature of this ship as something of a “pair the spares” and them going on an outright double date with their former partners is inspired. Unfortunately, as you’ve noted, it does feel like this story suffers from its pacing, which tries to capture too many moments from their relationship in too little of a wordcount. There were a few instances where it felt like the writing was fast-forwarding using paragraphs quickly summarizing what happened, where a clean break between scenes might have worked better. But this was a fun tale regardless (I absolutely would not call it any kind of failure, and my opinion isn't representative of all the judges) and I did appreciate the myriad of ways you gave these two to bond. Thank you very much for the submission.
11589325
Oh well. Not every story is going to be a winner, and I'll have to keep what I've learned in mind for my next story. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. Maybe sometime I'll rewrite it without the word limit to better match my vision, but we'll see.
Let's be honest. Neither one ever stood a chance with either version of Twilight.
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No, but they weren't supposed to. It's better this way, I think.
11626004
Oh I agree. Just needed to say it.
To the author - Omg i haven't seen nor read a timberflash/flashspruce fic in a long while!
i like that the story you wrote gave us (the readers) certain little details like of how they met up, got together, then falling in love & dating each other.
this is just a personal opinion: i can't see flash sentry being a rich kid! it doesn't fit with him because of the high school rocker vibe that he's got going on.
Lastly...please write more stories for this couple/ship it's so severely needed!
11649505
Thank you for reading! It's always nice to hear that people still enjoy my stories. As for Flash, my decision to make him a rich kid came from two places. Firstly, his pony counterpart lived as a soldier in Canterlot. It's a very prestigious position, and likely a result of his family coming from either nobility, or a long line of soldiers. The second reason being that I found the idea of a punk rocker coming from a rich family to be enticing in a character building sense. He probably feels a lot of pressure from his family to live up to certain expectations befitting his social status, and so he relieves that pressure through his music. Someone who had their life planned out for them before they were even born would have a lot of reasons to be anti-authoritarian.
All this being said, I do plan to write more of him and Timber someday. High on that list is to rewrite this story and flesh them both out a bit more, and make this story read a little better. That is on the horizon, however. I'm spending some time on original works, and I'm not sure when I'll come back to ponies. But I promise I will!