A jumble of stories focused on ships that aren’t quite as common as the next.
Some one-shots of MLP crack-ships either I came up with, or got inspired by the fandom to create. A lot of these couples haven’t canonically met either. All individual stories, not linked to each other. There are no backstories to how the characters got together either, just scenarios with them already in the relationship/friendship besides some provided context here and there.
Party Favor nearly gallops into Sunburst’s study room, tripping on a few books on the way in. He slammed on the ground in the middle of some scrolls and parchment paper. The sound startles Sunburst. He yipes out of fear and nearly throws the book he was just reading. He got to his hooves and ran over to meet the light-blue stallion laying on the floor. “What is it? What happened?” Sunburst frantically cried, looking around the room. With Sunburst’s paranoia, it could’ve been anything from a house fire to another changeling invasion (even though they’ve reformed.) “Nothin’! I just missed you!” Party Favor gleamed, looking up to Sunburst as an open book fell flat onto his head. Sunburst sighed out of relief and helped Party Favor get up, giving him a hug. “Come here, you big lug.” Sunburst muttered playfully. This was an often occurrence between the two, but it didn’t make Sunburst love Party Favor any less. Party Favor happily hugged back before their embrace was quickly interrupted by a sneeze.
“Ahh- choo!”
“Woah!” Party Favor exclaimed out of surprise. “Are you okay?” Sunburst sniffled and wiped his snout. “Perfectly fine. It’s just a tad bit dusty in here.” Party Favor looked around and noticed the room had recently been tidied up.
“Hmmm.” Party Favor thought. He knew Sunburst often ignored his own health to work on his studies. Heck, one time Sunburst refused to rest when he had the flu so he could keep his ‘flow’ going. And so, he grabbed him by his cloak and put his hoof on Sunburst’s forehead, checking his temperature. “Uh- Party Favor, may I ask what you’re doing?” Sunburst confusedly looked up to the hoof placed just below his horn. Before Party Favor could dignify a response, he gasped loudly. “You have a fever!!!” “Oh, please. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Sunburst insisted, then sneezed again. “Just dusty.” he repeated as he pushed up his glasses.
“Nuh-uh, mister! You’re laying down.” Party Favor insisted, pushing Sunburst out of his study room and into the living room, much to the reluctance of Sunburst. “Please, Party Favor. I appreciate the stress, but I’m-“ before Sunburst could finish his sentence, Party Favor whipped up a small balloon-bed for him to rest on and Sunburst slowly lied upon it. “What else can I do for you?” he asked, looking down at him with worrisome eyes but a loving smile.
Sunburst sighed and smiled. I suppose I’m not getting out of this one., he thought. He knew how persistent Party Favor could be when it came to these kinds of things. Deep down, he was grateful he was being taken care of— but was too stubborn to admit it. Sunburst sniffled and realized his snout was stuffed up as well. “Well, if it’s no trouble, I could use some tea…” “Got it!” Party Favor shouted almost immediately before running out of the room to go make it.
Sunburst looked at where he was. Instead of studying Olde Ponish, he was sitting on a pink balloon bed and waiting for tea from his special somepony. I’m so lucky. Sunburst thought to himself, smiling. As he lay, he realized he actually was feeling quite sick, but was too shy and/or stubborn to admit it by now.
As Sunburst was lost in thought, Party Favor seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Here’s your tea! It’s your favorite! Green tea with hints of lavender scent.” The tea was also served in a balloon cup, something Sunburst was used to by now. Sunburst found himself struggling to sit up, either due to feeling weak or the bounciness of the balloon-bed but, he eventually sat up and took the tea with his magic, taking a sip and sighing happily. “That hits the spot. Thanks, Party Favor.”
He takes a look at Party Favor’s balloon cup, spinning it around and watches how the steam rises from the cup. “You really gotta tell me the logistics of how you can do this ‘kinda stuff!” Sunburst giggled. “I can’t even understand it.” Party Favor smiled and sat next to him on the balloon bed. The bed squished under his weight and pushed them together, neither of them minded, though.
“It’s not too hard. Once I got out of Starlight’s village, I started relearning and learning new techniques! Now I’m even more advanced than before.” Party Favor humbly bragged and put his hoof around Sunburst. “Like you and magic! Always getting better.” Sunburst smiled endearingly. “Plus, you’re the only one that gets to see all of my advanced studies first-hoof!” Party Favor declared. Sunburst blushed softly and kissed Party Favor. “I can’t thank you enough for the way you’re treating me. Though, I can’t help shake the feeling that I don’t deserve any of it.” Sunburst lamented, looking down at his tea. “What??? Of course you deserve it! Why wouldn’t you?” Party Favor replied worriedly.
“I’ve usually always been by myself most of the time, and I guess I got used to that.” Sunburst explained. “I’m not really used to somepony offering to help me out.” There was a small pause. “But, if I ever seem unappreciative of what you do for me, I’m really not!” Sunburst quickly added. “I love you so much. I mean it, Party Favor.”
Party Favor hugged Sunburst tightly, kissing him all over his face. Sunburst laughed and playfully told him to stop, even though he enjoys it. “I always know you’re appreciative. I promise! Plus, I love you too.” Their snouts touched and then, at that moment, the balloon bed popped, slowly laying them onto the floor as it deflated. They both laughed out of the suddenness of it. “Forgot to mention, my balloon bed is only suited for one pony.” Party Favor shyly admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
Sunburst leaned against him, smiling. “I feel much better now.” “Oh, really? That’s great! Do you wanna go back to your books ‘n stuff?” Party Favor asks, still having his hoof wrapped around Sunburst. Sunburst looked up to Party Favor, then back to his studies. He couldn’t ignore how sweet Party Favor was being, and smiled, kissing him on the cheek. “No, I’m fine here.” Sunburst said, and lied on the floor with the crumpled balloon residue. “So am I.” Party Favor happily replied, and leaned against him.
It was a snowy winter night in Manehattan. Maud was visiting her long-distance marefriend, Coco Pommel. For the special occasion, they decided to take a walk around town. It was awfully cold, and most ponies were bunked up in their homes, but not Maud and Coco.
“If you’re too cold, we can go back inside.” Maud offered to Coco in her usual flat tone of voice. “Oh, no. I’m fine.” Coco had put a scarf around her neck from her saddlebag. “What about you? Aren’t you gonna put anything on?” Maud had simply been wearing the same overcoat she always wears. Maud shook her head. “The cold doesn’t really bother me.” “Okay, if you’re sure.” Coco replied. “But if you get too cold, don’t hesitate to.. huddle up against me” She blushed. Maud smiled at her. “Okay.”
The mares walked in silence for a while. They were both rather quiet ponies, but it was a shared silence, not an awkward one.
“Look.” Maud suddenly said, pointing to a few pebbles in the snow. What Coco first saw was an open snowy field, perfect for stargazing. “Maud, you’re a genius! This is a great area.” Coco waltzed into the middle of it, sitting down and patting her tail happily, motioning for Maud to follow along. “I was looking at the metamorphic slab of cobbles in the snow, but that’s cool too.” She soon sat down next to her. Coco gently leaned against Maud as they both stared up at the night sky.
“How’s the rock farm?” Coco asks. “Pretty good. I left my sister, Limestone in charge. Hopefully she’s not too harsh.” Maud replies.
They talk regularly in letters, but letters aren’t the fastest way of communication. It’s always worth asking again once in-person. Coco giggles recalling a memory she had where she met the Pie family. It was Hearth’s Warmings Eve, and Pinkie Pie pushed Maud into inviting Coco so she could meet the entire family. “Oh, yeah. She can be pretty harsh.” Most of the visit was great, but Limestone immediately interrogated Coco, trying to figure out whether she was ‘right’ for Maud or not. Maud turns her head to Coco, “I’m still sorry about the way she treated you.” she spoke sincerely. “Maud, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Coco assured. Maud nodded. Even though the moment was anxiety-wracking, she looked back on it with hilarity. Maybe it was Pinkie making light of the situation that helped it.
“How has the fashion business been going?” Maud asks after another stretch of comfortable silence. “Oh, it’s been going great! I recently got assigned to this musical they’re preparing to show here, and you’ll never guess which one it is!” Coco chatted. Maud paused for a moment before eventually saying “…What?” “Annie!” Coco finally announced. “That play about how an orphan foal gets adopted by a rich stallion. Oh, it was my favorite growing up!” she excitedly clapped her hooves. “I am SO excited to start working on the designs.” The ideas of all the possible clothes she could make flashed through her mind, making her even more excited, but then she looked at Maud and smiled. “You’re more important, though.” Maud smiled back, in her own usual low-key way, but then a thought disrupts their shared grins.
“You’re important to me too, Coco. But you’re not skipping out on your job to hang out with me, right?” she cautiously asks. “No, of course not! Today’s my day off anyway, and it’s been too long since I’ve last seen you.” Coco replied and gave Maud a hug. “Good. I can tell how excited you are for this, and I would hate to interrupt you.” Maud replied, gently hugging back. “You’d never do that, I promise!” Coco reassured and gave her a small peck on the cheek.
They went back to the comfortable silence after that exchange, looking up at the night sky. “Have you ever been into astrology?” Coco asks. “No, mainly rocks.” Maud replies. Coco chuckles. “Yeah, I thought so. Believe it or not, I kind of study it. I think I can see some constellations from here.” She studied it a little on the side. It was just a hobby, something that interested her. Maud stayed quiet, as a cue for Coco to continue on. Coco smiled and did so.
“I think up right about there, you can see the Little Dipper. I’m not sure, though. It might be part of another constellation..” as Coco rambled and pointed to the skies, Maud didn’t watch. Instead, she was watching Coco herself. Maud loved it when Coco rambled, especially when it was something she enjoyed talking about. Maud watched all her subtle facial expressions and wondered what her internal thought process was like. “But, yeah.. I suppose I don’t know as much as I..” Coco turned to Maud and blushed, realizing she had just been watching her the entire time. “..thought I did..”
After more shared grins and comfortable silence, they shared a kiss under the moonlight. It was truly a perfect moment for the two. They broke the kiss and stared at each other lovingly. “I missed you.” Coco said. “I missed you too.” Maud said back.
Soon after, a snowflake came down and landed right on Coco’s snout. She sneezed it away and looked up to realize more snow was falling down. “Maybe we should get back inside.” Maud suggested. “That would be for the best, I suppose.” Coco agreed.
They soon walked back to Coco’s apartment. Once they got in, Coco shivered a little. “I guess I caught a chill. No worries, though.” Maud cocked her head to the side and got out a big, warm blanket from the closet. Only used for the snuggliest of times. Maud sat on the couch and grabbed a book Coco had that caught her eye. Coco smiled and joined her, snuggling close. Coco was surprised. “Wow, you’re so warm!” she exclaimed. “I tend to keep a hot core. Like lava.” Maud replied, and silently marveled at her own comparison. They read out of the large book Maud brought out from Coco’s shelf. It was about animals and their environments. Coco liked the animals while Maud enjoyed paying attention to the sedimentary of the surroundings.
They did that for a while before Coco suddenly sat up. “I’ll be right back.” Coco said and kissed Maud on the cheek as she left to the kitchen. Maud nodded. After about ten minutes, Coco came out with her butchered version of ‘rock soup’, remembering the recipe from the Hearth’s Warming visit. “I hope it’s okay…” Coco said as she gave it to Maud. “It’s probably not exact but-“ before Coco could finish her sentence, Maud slurped the entire thing up. “It’s delicious. Thank you.” she said flatly. Coco smiled and her heart skipped a beat. “Anything to make you happy, dear.” she got back onto the couch and snuggled up next to Maud, continuing the book.
The snow continued falling outside and soon, Coco fell asleep against Maud. Maud ended up finishing the book and kissed her loved one goodnight.
At least once a day, Gilda flies around Griffinstone to check if everything is safe in the small town. There’s little to no regular surveillance, and since she got the suggestion from Rainbow Dash, she realized it wasn’t a bad idea. Griffins can be rough, after all. It was nothing big, just something she did out of boredom, is what she told herself. Deep down, she really did care about all the griffin residents and wants to make sure they’re all okay.
Hmm… Everything seems- Gilda started to think, but stops herself when she sees a sad Gabby laying down on some rocks. A sad Gabby? That ain’t normal. Gilda thought and flew down to check out what was up with her grey griffin friend.
Gabby was sniffling, and seemed to be holding in some unwanted tears. “Gabby?” Gilda seemed to appear out of nowhere, making Gabby startle and quickly wipe her eyes before answering. “Gilda! What’s up, girlfriend?” Gabby happily answered, even though it was simply a front. The ‘girlfriend’ part was just a nickname she used, but Gabby wished it wasn’t. She’s had a crush on the brown griffin for the longest time, but didn’t want to push any boundaries. She was simply thankful they were even friends in the first place, especially considering the fact that Gilda was such a toughie. She was too cool for her, Gabby thought.
Gilda could tell Gabby was hiding something, but she wasn’t very good at this ‘friendship’ thing yet. She put a claw on Gabby’s shoulder sympathetically. “You know, you can uh- talk to me about it?” she awkwardly suggested. She figured it was worth a try. Gabby’s eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting an offering for support. “No, it’s fine. Really!” Gabby insists, putting her claw atop of Gilda’s. The brown griffin rolls her eyes and decides to sit next to her on the rock. She could tell Gabby was bluffing from a mile away, and wasn’t leaving until she knew her friend was okay. Gabby blushed red when Gilda sat down, their claws just barely brushing up against each other’s.
It was silent for a few moments, before Gilda decided to change the subject. It wasn’t worth pushing Gabby if she wasn’t ready to talk.
“What’s been up with you?” Gilda asks her casually. Gabby’s head perks up. “In general, or?” “Well, I know you visit Ponyville a lot. How’s Rainbow Dash?” Gilda pried, wondering about her childhood friend. “Oh, well… We’re not very close, but I’m sure she’s doing swell!” Gabby assured. “Right, right.” The atmosphere was awkward for a few minutes.
“You know you can-“ Gabby started, but before she could finish, she was interrupted. “What’s the difference between you and a chicken?” Gilda blurted out, trying to think of a way to make her laugh. “…What?” Gabby responds, curious to see how this plays out. “You’re impeccable!” The joke was less thought-out and more on-the-spot than Gilda realized. That sounded better in my head… she immediately thought afterward, realizing how stupid that was. Gabby was silent for a few moments before she burst out laughing. “That.. didn’t even make any sense!” she said in between giggles. “I know, I know. I’m not great at jokes.” Gilda admits as she chuckles at herself. “I just wanted to see you smile again.” She playfully punches the grey griffin in the arm. “But seriously, what’s the matter?”
Gabby blushed and looked away, and considers telling the truth. Eventually, she does comes clean, though is scared of what might come afterward. “What do you do when you like someone, but you’re not sure if they like you back?” Gilda smirked. “All you gotta do is to be honest with ‘em.” She could tell where this was going. Even though Gilda wasn’t the best with relationships, Gabby’s crush wasn’t exactly transparent.
“Well..” Gabby started, “I.. really think you’re impeccable.” She suddenly wanted to punch herself for that one. She felt so stupid!
Gilda smiled. “You know, you’re really not subtle.” Gabby giggled out of embarrassment and scratched the back of her head. “I guess not. Internally, she was cursing herself. Gilda grabbed Gabby’s claws with hers. “I’m not great with this, but uh, I like you too. A lot.” Gilda always had admired Gabby from afar. She was always upbeat and it was so rare to find griffins like that. How did she stay so happy all the time? It was admirable for Gilda.
Gabby went red and her wings sprang up out of surprise. “Really?!” Gilda looks to the ground, trying to keep her ‘cool’. “Well, yeah. I dunno. You’re really funny, and nice… Not many griffins are like you. In a good way.” Gabby smiled widely. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve changed a lot in such a short time. That’s really neat. I’m always stuck in my ways. I never thought this would’ve gone well five weeks ago”, she giggled.
Gilda slowly extended her wing and wrapped it around Gabby. Gabby leant against Gilda affectionately, humming happily. “So, you feel better?” “Yeah.”
Gilda was originally just going to fly off once she knew Gabby was okay, but she felt that things were probably safe. She almost forgot she was being the town’s surveillance in the first place. She was content now.
“Wanna date?” Gilda asked bluntly. She didn’t know any other way to put it. “Oh!” Gabby flushed at the sudden question. “Uh- yeah, that would be cool.” she sheepishly accepted. “Yeah. Cool.” Gilda simply said in agreement, though on the inside she was probably screaming.
Gabby gave her new girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. Something small and simple. Gilda’s heart skipped a beat and she tried to hide her blushing-red face by looking away. She gave a quick peck back and suddenly flew up into the air. “If it’s- uh- okay… I’m gonna continue doing surveillance. I gotta make sure things are going smoothly.” Gilda awkwardly bluffed. Gabby gave her a huge smile that made the brown griffin’s heart pound. “That’s okay, silly. But, come meet me when you’re done?” Gabby asks, patting the empty spot on the rock next to her. Gilda nods and flies off.
Truly, she was flew off to blow off the sudden rush of adrenaline. This kind of thing has never happened to Gilda, and it was honestly kind of amazing. She couldn’t even focus on what was going on in Griffinstone by now. The only thing on her mind was her new girlfriend, the cute and peppy grey griffin named Gabby.
“Come on, Babsth!” Twist called out in her usual lisp. Babs ran over to Twist. They were walking around a local lake to find a spot for their picnic. Once Babs caught up with Twist, she saw some ducks roaming. “Hey, what’s up?” Babs asks, looking at Twist in confusion. Twist smiled widely and looked down at the ducks as if it should be obvious.
“The… ducks?” Babs slowly asked. “The ducksth!!!” Twist confirmed.
Babs looks down and sees the small avians roaming around the body of water. Soon enough, Twist is reaching into their picnic basket and taking out a baguette they were going to use for sandwiches. Before Babs could object, Twist was happily throwing bread crumbs at the ducks and laughing as they waddled closer to her.
Babs couldn’t help but be annoyed. Come on, she thought. It’s just ducks. Now she’s givin’ away our food? But, something in Babs’ demeanor changed when she saw how happy it was making Twist. Her face flushed up and she covered her flank with her tail, as she does when she’s nervous. Twist looked over and patted the spot on the grass next to them. “Come over here, sthilly!” she encouraged.
Babs had met Twist through Applebloom, back when the two still talked regularly. And even though Applebloom and Twist drifted apart, Babs and Twist got very close. They became pen-pals while Babs was in Manehattan, and whenever she visited Ponyville, it was mainly for Twist— if you don’t count the Apple family. Babs still remembers the face Twist made when the tan mare had finally gotten her cutiemark, and it made her knees weak. She could still hear the encouraging voice, even though Twist couldn’t even pronounce her name correctly. “Wow!!! Congratsth, Babsth!!! I’m stho happy for you!”
And even though in Babs’ bully phase, Twist would’ve been a prime target, now she wouldn't want anyone else to be her best friend. They talked more than she talked to Applebloom. One day, while she was visiting Ponyville and seeing Twist regularly, she realized she had feelings for her. Panicked with these new thoughts, she talked to Applejack.
It was a sweet summer morning, and Babs couldn’t sleep. Her mind was full of Twist. Is… Is it normal ‘ta feel this way about your best friend???, she found herself thinking as her face flushed. Unable to fall back asleep, she gave into the inevitable and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water, only to run into Applejack on the way there. “Well, good morning there, sugarcube! You’re up early.” Applejack cheerfully greeted as she saw the filly trudge from the guest room. “Haha, yeah…” Babs quietly replied. She grabbed a cup and got some water from the tap. Once it was full, she gulped it down furiously. “Woah there, nelly.” Applejack exclaimed and stopped Babs before the filly could choke. She put her hoof atop of Babs’ shoulder. “Now what’s goin’ on? I only see one chuggin’ water like that when they’ve got somethin’ on their mind. Do ya need to talk?” Babs looked up to Applejack with pleading eyes before surrendering. “Yeah. ‘Ah do.”
Babs sat next to Twist on the grass, and Twist handed her the baguette to feed to the ducks. Babs grabbed a handful of crumbs and threw them out to the ducks happily awaiting. As soon as she did, they started chomping the air and determinedly looking for any piece they could find. They squawked for more even though there was plenty in front of them. “Sthee? Isthn’t thisth fun???” Twist asked, looking to Babs. Babs looked back to Twist and started giggling. “Yeah! Yeah, this is fun!” Before she knew it, her body instinctively leaned against Twists. Twist leant back against Babs as they watched the ducks eat.
“Oh, sugarcube…” Applejack said quietly in her sympathetic-maternal tone. They were sitting alone by the dining room table as Babs spilled everything out to her. “To be honest, I could kinda tell”, was the first thing Applejack said once Babs was done. After that, she told her this: “Listen, I completely understand. I’ve felt this way about my best friends before too. It’s okay. It’s normal, even. Yes, it’s even normal that you’re the same gender. It’s perfectly normal to discover these kinda feelin’s ‘bout yourself. ‘Ah think Twist is an amazin’ filly, and even if she doesn’t feel the same way, you’ll always have her as a friend. Plus, you don’t have to say anything about it until you’re ready. ‘Ah really appreciate you comin’ to me about this. It’ll be okay, hun. You’ll see. No matter how it turns out, you’ll do amazingly. ‘Ah promise.”
As Babs and Twist sit on the grass together, feeding the ducks, Babs felt some words coming up before she could stop them. “Hey, Twist..?” “Yeah?” Twist looked to her, and they were close enough that their muzzles were touching. Babs backed away a little and blushed furiously. She looked down at the discarded bread crumbs scattered throughout the grass before saying, “I… really, really like you.”
Twist smiled and hugged Babs. “I like you too!” she happily replied. Twist might not have understood what Babs truly meant, but at least what she said was out there and done. She doesn’t have to worry about it anymore. Babs hugged back and sighed with small relief.
Until, Twist pecked her on the cheek. Babs nearly jumped away from her, but only backed away a few inches from surprise. “Oh! I’m stho sthorry!!! I thought that’sth what you meant!!! Becausthe-“ Twist then began to blush herself. “N-nevermind.” “No, no!” Babs quickly replied, holding her hoof out. She then shortly rubbed the spot where Twist kissed. “I… I did mean it that way.” She eventually said after a long pause of silence. Twist smiled almost immediately. “But, I’m nervous. Real nervous. I’ve never done anything like this with anyone before.” Babs admitted. Twist slowly closed the gap between them once again, and held her hoof.
“I understhtand.” Twist replied knowingly. “We can take it at our own pacthe. If you want to keep being friendsth for a while, then stho do I. As long as we’re in each other’sth livesth, I don’t care.” It was rare for Twist to to say something so calming and sensible. Though she was a very smart filly, she didn’t show it often. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Babs smiled and hugged her. “Thanks, Twist.” she replied. “No problem.”
Babs looked around the lake to make sure no other pony was looking, even though there weren’t many there to begin with, and quickly kissed Twist on the cheek to return the favor. Twist giggled and clapped her hooves happily. Babs joined her happiness and soon, they were two fillies running and laughing together. Nothing out of the ordinary of what any pony would see by the lake.
But Babs and Twist’s connection was truly special. Nothing could take away what they had for each other. Either platonic or romantic, for now they were just two fillies chasing the ducks and laughing happily. Just as any two would.
