Sweet As Sugar
As the sun started its downward slope over Ponyville, Starlight emerged from the School of Friendship. The school day was over, and she was heading over to Sugarcube Corner to pick up something sweet to follow up on dinner.
As she entered the bakery, she found, not the Cakes or even Pinkie Pie at work there, but Sugar Belle. The unicorn baker was busy restocking the counter.
"Oh, hi, Starlight!" Sugar Belle smiled as she looked up from her work, her attention naturally drawn by the ringing of the bell hanging over the door. "Nice to see you!"
"Hi, Sugar Belle." Starlight smiled back as she walked up to the counter. "How are things?"
"They're going great, actually." Sugar Belle smiled back. "I've been learning a lot from Mrs. Cake. She even let me take care of things today."
"Good for you." Starlight nodded. "And Applejack tells me you're fitting right in over at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Well, I can't take all the credit for that." Sugar Belle chuckled. "It doesn't hurt to have Big Mac with me every trot of the way." Her cheeks reddened slightly as she mentioned her new husband.
"He always seemed like a nice guy to me." Starlight acknowledged. "So it's no surprise he'd be a great husband, even if he's not the greatest conversationalist."
"He can be when he wants to." Sugar Belle declared, remembering the speech Big Mac gave her prior to their twin proposals. "But I don't mind him being the strong, silent type. Besides, we have other ways of communicating."
"Really? Like what?" Starlight asked.
"It's mostly subtle things, really." Sugar Belle answered. "Sometimes, all it takes is the right look for me to know exactly what Big Mac's thinking."
"Wow. Sounds like you two were made for each other." Starlight grinned.
"You just might be right about that." Sugar Belle beamed.
"Sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding." Starlight told her regretfully. "Being the new Headmare of a school keeps you pretty busy..."
"That's okay." Sugar Belle nodded. "I kinda felt like you were there in spirit, anyway."
"Still, you live in Ponyville now, and this is pretty much the first time we've really talked to each other since then." Starlight noted. "I kinda feel like that's on me..." She frowned.
"It's fine." Sugar Belle assured her.
"Is it, though?" Starlight frowned. "We didn't exactly start off on the right hoof, after all. What with my tricking you into giving up your Cutie Mark and moving to Our Town. Then after I made amends for all that, I didn't visit you and the others as often as I should have..."
"To be fair, it is a pretty long commute." Sugar Belle noted.
"Not long enough that I couldn't drop by more." Starlight sighed.
"Look, I get it." Sugar Belle smiled. "You built a life in Ponyville. You've got so many good friends here."
"Not just here." Starlight reminded her. "I've got friends all over Equestria. But there's only so much Starlight to go around. And I'm still sorry I couldn't spend more time with you guys."
"You don't have to be sorry." Sugar Belle told her. "In fact, I should be thanking you."
"For what?" Starlight asked, perplexed.
"If we had never met, none of this would have happened." Sugar Belle declared.
"None of... this?" Starlight tilted her head, still confused.
"My being here in Ponyville." Sugar Belle answered. "Becoming Mrs. Cake's apprentice. But most of all, I met Big Mac because of you."
"...I'm gonna need you to walk me through that." Starlight admitted.
"Gladly." Sugar Belle chuckled. "It all started the day you, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax received your medals for stopping Queen Chrysalis. We were all there for the big ceremony. And right afterward..."
Flashback...
The celebration was beginning to wind down. The guests were starting to file out of Twilight's castle, Sugar Belle and her friends among them.
"Now that was somethin' else." Night Glider smiled.
"You're telling me." Party Favor agreed. "Who'd've thought our Starlight would end up helping to save Equestria?"
"I had a feeling she was meant for big things, back in the day." Double Diamond admitted. "Of course, back then, I thought it would involve 'saving' Equestria from Cutie Marks. But she just saved it the old-fashioned way."
"I'm so proud of her." Sugar Belle smiled.
"We all are." Party Favor acknowledged.
"We'd better get going." Double Diamond took down of the fact that the sun was starting on its downward slope. "If we hurry, we can make it back to Our Town just before nightfall."
"I will, at least." Night Glider joked, performing a loop-de-loop.
"Lucky you." Party Favor grinned.
As Sugar Belle and her friends maneuvered their way through the crowd, Sugar Belle found herself colliding with somepony. As she stumbled backward, she heard some objects hit the ground with light thuds.
"Oh, sorry!" She automatically apologized. "My fault! Are you okay?"
"Eeyup." A deep voice answered her curtly.
The voice belonged to Big McIntosh. He was looking downwards, picking up some apples that had been knocked out of the cart he was pulling by the collision.
"Here, let me help with that." Sugar Belle offered, using her magic to pick up some of the other apples. "Sorry again, by the way. But these apples don't look too bruised. They're probably still good."
"Ee..." Big Mac froze in mid-sentence as he looked up, getting a good look at Sugar Belle in the process. "...Yup..." he sighed, awestruck by the beauty of the mare standing before him.
"That's good." Sugar Belle smiled. "I'm a baker, so I know better than most ponies what a shame it is to lose perfectly good ingredients."
"Eeeyup." Big Mac sighed again.
"...Now that I think about it, I've never actually baked anything using apples before..." Sugar Belle mused. She glanced at the cart, and was suddenly struck by inspiration. "You wouldn't happen to be an apple farmer, would you?"
"Eeyup." Big Mac shook off the lovestruck grin, and nodded proudly.
"And you sell apples?" Sugar Belle pressed.
"Eeyup." Big Mac confirmed.
"I don't suppose you deliver, do you?" Sugar Belle continued.
Big Mac nodded again.
"Eeyup!" He declared.
"Even if it's to somewhere really far from Ponyville?" Sugar Belle asked, concerned that she might be asking a little too much.
"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded again.
"Well, if you're okay with it, I'd really like for you to deliver some apples to my bakery." Sugar Belle declared. "It's in this little town, quite a ways from here. I've got a map, that should help." She passed Big Mac a small scroll of paper, which he eagerly accepted, and quickly perused, noting that the spot where Our Town was had been marked with an 'x'. "...Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"
"Eeyup." Big Mac smiled. He had such a kind smile, one which Sugar Belle couldn't help but admire.
"A stallion of few words, I see." She joked.
"Eeyup." Big Mac chuckled.
"I'm Sugar Belle." Sugar Belle introduced herself.
"Big McIntosh." Big Mac announced, proving that he had a few more words in him. "But mah friends call me 'Big Mac'."
"Nice to meet you, Big Mac." Sugar Belle beamed.
"Sugar Belle!" Wind Glider called out, easily spotting her friend in the crowd from her vantage point in the air. "Do ya wanna get back before nightfall, or what?!"
"Coming!" Sugar Belle waved to Night Glider. She then turned to face Big Mac. "I really need to get going, now. Feel free to deliver those apples whenever you're ready." She smiled widely. "I can't wait for the chance to make some wonderful goodies with them. Maybe some apple fritters, apple turnovers..."
"Sugar Belle!" Double Diamond called, becoming more visible as the crowd dispersed.
"Be right there!" Sugar Belle called. "Bye for now, Big Mac." She started racing through the crowd, looking and waving at the apple red stallion. "See you soon!"
"Eeyup..." Big Mac grinned goofily, no longer feeling the need to disguise his lovestruck expression. "Real soon..." Mentally, he noted to put the delivery to Our Town at the top of his 'to do' list."
The Present...
"Looks like it was love at first sight for Big Mac." Starlight grinned.
"It does, doesn't it?" Sugar Belle blushed. "Not that I noticed at the time, though. I just thought Big Mac was being nice. And yes, I did think he was kind of... handsome. But wasn't until his little sister and her friends started playing the matchmaker game that I realised how he really felt about me, and that I felt the same way. After that, one thing led to another, and now here we are, married."
"Sounds like a classic love story to me." Starlight declared.
"And if I hadn't been in Ponyville that day to attend your medal ceremony, I might never have met Big Mac at all." Sugar Belle pointed out. "I wouldn't have started visiting Ponyville, wouldn't have become Mrs. Cake's apprentice, and I certainly wouldn't be the newest member of the Apple family right now. All the happiness I've gained, this amazing life, you helped set it all in motion. I already owe you so much. So it doesn't matter if we don't see each other as often as either of use would like."
"Huh, when you put it like that, it does kinda make sense..." Starlight admitted. "But still, I'm going to make an effort to visit more often. After all, if Twilight can still see her friends while she's ruling all of Equestria, I don't really have any excuse."
"Makes sense to me." Sugar Belle shrugged, echoing Starlight. "Speaking of relationships, did you know that Night Glider and Party Favor are dating now?" She grinned.
"Whoa, really?" Starlight chuckled. "When did that happen?"
"Some time after the medal ceremony." Sugar Belle announced. "It turns out Party Favor had a secret crush on Night Glider ever since she first arrived at Our Town. He finally plucked up the courage to confess his feelings."
"And what did Night Glider say?" Starlight asked.
"She was surprised... but also charmed." Sugar Belle grinned. "So much so that she agreed to go on a date with him. And they've been dating ever since."
"Well, how about that?" Starlight smiled, pleasantly surprised. "It's like everpony's hooking up all of a sudden..."
"I don't suppose you have anypony special you currently have your eye on, do you?" Sugar Belle prompted.
"Oh... no." Starlight said, feeling suddenly nervous for some reason she couldn't comprehend. "Not right now. And besides, even if I did, I've got a little too much on my hooves for a romantic relationship right now..."
"You say that now, but love can be a funny thing." Sugar Belle declared. "It can sneak up on you, and just like that, you're hooked."
"I wouldn't really know." Starlight frowned.
"It doesn't hurt to be open to the idea." Sugar Belle pointed out. "Trust me, you don't want to miss out on meeting your special somepony if you can help it."
"I'll keep that in mind." Starlight shrugged. "But for now, I think I have plenty of things on my watchlist."
"Don't we all?" Sugar Belle joked. "Now, I'm guessing you came in here for something of the baked persuasion before you got sidetracked by our trip down Memory Lane?"
"Oh, right." Starlight chuckled, realising that her quest for a dessert had completely slipped her mind. "I was hoping for something in an after-dinner treat."
"I think I can help with that." Sugar Belle smiled, taking a peek under the counter. "Anything in particular you have in mind?"
"How about you choose for me?" Starlight suggested.
"Well, if you insist..." Sugar Belle mused. "I have been working on a few new apple-based treats. How about..." She scanned the part of the counter that Mrs. Cake had allocated for her apprentice's own creations. "Ah-hah! How about a triple layer apple cake? One of my latest creations, containing slices of Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh. sort of my own little tribute to my new family."
Sugar Belle removed the dessert from under the counter, holding it up for Starlight to see.
"Ooh, that looks good." Starlight grinned, noting that each layer had one of the three kinds of apple upon it.
"How about a free sample?" Sugar Belle offered, using a spoon to scoop up a small amount of the confection.
"Don't mind if I do." Starlight brought the spoon out of Sugar Belle's aura and into hers, bring it over to her mouth for a quick taste test. "Mmm..." She nodded approvingly. "Not bad."
"You really think so?" Sugar Belle's face lit up. "It took me a little while to work out the placement of the apple slices, but..."
"It's delicious." Starlight smiled. "I'll take it."
Starlight passed over some Bits, and Sugar Belle boxed up the treat before passing it over to Starlight.
"Bon appetit." Sugar Belle grinned.
"You can count on that." Starlight chuckled. "And if you ever have the time, feel free to drop by the castle. I could make you something for dinner. I picked up a few recipes from Pinkie Pie, you know."
"I'd be happy to." Sugar Belle beamed. "And maybe someday, we could manage to get the whole gang back together for a little meal."
"I'd like that." Starlight smiled. "I really would. But until then, I'm glad we could find this time to talk."
"Me, too." Sugar Belle smiled.
"See you soon!" Starlight waved as she departed from the bakery.
"Here's hoping!" Sugar Belle waved back.
Starlight smiled as she finally restarted her journey back to the castle. As much as she enjoyed her life in Ponyville, and the friends she had made there, it felt good to know that those who had been a part of her life before could still play a part in it.
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I guess it's really hard to travel to visit them
You know what yeah that's what I was talking about maybe that's how sugar Belle and Big Mac know each other so it makes sense I kind of wish we get to see that but at least we know how they come to be I made that cute together don't get me wrong
Night
I guess how things worked out pretty well in the end with just one little incident
Ohh that's another shipping I never thought of that that's a pretty good one I like that
And there's a particular shipping I've always wanted to see Starlight and Sunburst 🥰
Aww this was a pretty nice chapter so Starlight went to the sugar cube corner to get some desserts and it looks like sugar Belle is working and both of them is catching up with each other how they been doing in everything and sugar talk about how things would have gone differently if it wasn't for Starlight saving Equestria along with the others and even visiting Ponyville to see the ceremony and she got the chance to meet her Dear Future Husband Big Macintosh and again it was a pretty nice way to think about it how everything worked out and I'm sure Starlight will find somebody special he's just nearby but anyway this was a nice chapter and another good way for these two interact with each other I wonder what else could happen guess we'll find out next time
This was nice chapter and it's good for Starlight and Sugar Belle to have a moment to catch up on things.
Cute how Starlight indirectly led to Sugar Belle and Big Mac meeting.
Would've loved to see something like this in the show.
Aww, good to see those two are friendly. Starlight really didn't get a chance to interact much with her old Our Town buds