I have had this ship on my brain for weeks and I just had to commission something from @silfoearts​ to satisfy the brainworms. She ended up making this for me and it is EXTREMELY GOOD. Look at that good, flustered cutie in the center there! Thank you so much Sil! :D I’m so chuffed with this pic that I sat down and wrote a little fic to provide some context for it. It’s below the cut if you’d like to give it a read. :D

Warm evening air greeted Sunburst as he trotted through the doorway to the Crystal Palace’s garden. This was not the first time he’d visited the garden but it still amazed him how it was possible to find such a diverse selection of plants so far into the frozen north. Such was the power of the Crystal Heart. A power protected by the two ponies he was here to meet: Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. The invitation to join the royal couple for an evening picnic had surprised Sunburst a little. With Flurry Heart off visiting her aunt in Ponyville, Sunburst figured that they would rather spend some time together instead of entertaining a friend. Not that Sunburst wasn’t happy to enjoy an evening with his friends, just surprised they’d include him.

He found the couple at the edge of the garden, sitting side by side and looking out over the city as the sun set. The whole scene looked oddly romantic. A comfy blanket on the ground, a spread of simple but delicious looking food, beautiful scenery, and two ponies that Sunburst undeniably had a furious crush on. It was that last detail that Sunburst was currently trying to shove to the back of his mind. After all, this wasn’t a date. Unfortunately, Sunburst wasn’t very good at this and his cheeks started to warm as he idly wondered if it could be one. His daydreaming was interrupted as Cadence perked up and turned to face him.

“Sunburst! I’m so glad you could join us tonight!” called the princess.

“Don’t just stand there, come over and have a seat!” her husband chimed in.

Shaking off the lingering daydream, Sunburst trotted over to his friends. Though as he approached, the couple parted, leaving just enough for a pony to sit between them. Sunburst hesitated.

Shining pat the space between them, “cmon Sunburst, let’s get dinner started. I’m starving over here.”

Not able to put it off any longer, Sunburst took a seat in between his friends. Face ablaze, Sunburst silently prayed the imminent meal would be distracting enough to calm him down a bit.

Dinner had been lovely. The sandwiches and salads were far from the exquisite cuisine the royal chefs made regularly but the company they were enjoyed in made the simple meal much more enjoyable. Sunburst had rambled on about his latest readings in between bites while the other two ponies gradually scooted closer to the excited unicorn. This did not go unnoticed by Sunburst, who continued to grow more and more flustered.

“I-it’s been nice to be able to swap b-books with Princess Twilight. S-she has a r-really impressive collection. But I’m sure you d-don’t need me to go on about that.” Stammered the unicorn, nervousness creeping into his voice.

“Don’t worry about it Sunburst, I spent most of my life listening to Twilight talk my ear off about what she was reading.” Assured Shining. “Honestly, I’ve kind of missed it.”

Cadence giggled, no doubt taking playful satisfaction in Sunburst’s squirming. “I’m not complaining, I think it’s adorable.”

The princess then leaned over, nuzzling into Sunburst’s neck, “You know Sunburst, you should join us for dinner more often.”

Sunburst, brain currently firing off on all cylinders, could only mumble a reply, “Y-yeah, I love you”

Wait.

“TO! I’D LOVE TO!”

Now he’d done it. A perfectly good evening that he’d just made unbearably awkward. As Sunburst tried to mumble and stammer an apology, he found that the blanket beneath him was far more fascinating to look at than the ponies next to him.

Shining looked over a Sunburst with a little bit of concern. The unicorn’s fluster throughout the evening had been a little humorous, but this was a bit much. He glanced over at Cadence to gauge her reaction. The princess sported a wide grin with a wicked glint in her eyes. She met her husband’s gaze and gave him a firm nod. It was time and he knew what to do.

Shining placed his hoof under Sunburst’s chin, tilting the unicorn’s head up from the blanket. The touch snapped Sunburst out of his stupor, replacing some of his fluster with confusion. Before he was able to react though, Cadence and Shining struck. The royal couple simultaneously darted in and landed a kiss on each of Sunburst’s cheeks.

Sunburst’s world exploded as did the blush on his face. All of the anxiety and embarrassment from the evening’s events was blown away in an instant. Left in its place was shock and giddy excitement. This was actually happening. This wasn’t a dream. He was being kissed by the two most important ponies in his life. The moment only lasted a few seconds but Sunburst savored it as long as he could.

Cadence broke the silence as she pulled away, “We love you too, Sunburst. I’m glad that you were finally able to tell us, even if you didn’t quite mean to. The amount of love you’ve been giving off lately has been getting hard to ignore.”

“Oh, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you can feel that.” Sunburst admitted, absently holding one cheek in his hoof.

Cadence gave him a wink. “I am the princess of love after all.”

“Alright you two,” Shining cut in. “Let’s get our picnic cleaned up so we can head back inside. I think we have a lot to talk about. Of course, only if you’d like to stick around for a bit longer, Sunburst.”

Sunburst had to admit: nothing in the world sounded better.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!