#shiningcadance nextgen

[ftkd-arts]

Crystal Quin

My Nextgen is confusing these days. I think I'm recalling Scorpan from it, and changing the Twilight ship. My ships are changing a lot, alongside their children. Despite, I thought long and hard about Luster Dawn... Canon threw me a bone with this one, but I couldn't decide who would be her parents.

@lopoddityart threw her in as a Flashburst Nextgen, to WanderingPegasus Twilight and Sunburst were her parents, a majority in the fandom thought of Luster as a Sunlight kiddo... I liked Flashburst, Twiburst was cute, and I headcanon Starlight and Sunburst as stepsiblings.

Then this idea fell to me. At first, it was just Cadence, Shining, Flash and Sunny. I slowly thought to throw Sombra in later. These characters are what have their friends/family dubbed as the Crystal Quin.

Sunburst was quickly assigned to be Flurry Heart's nanny after her crystalling. He and the Crystal Couple grew close, as her ever-protective, tired caretakers. One night after the three had finally gotten Flurry to sleep, they all collapsed on each other. When they woke up, to their blushing surprise, the three were tangled in the married pair's bed. Their relationship took a swift turn. Shining Armor, Cadence and Sunburst kept the romance private from their subjects.

Flash Sentry was soon ordered as Flurry Heart's loyal bodyguard. They spent a lot of time together, nervously watching Flurry and taking care of the alicorn baby. Sunburst developed a crush.

His boyfriend and girlfriend encouraged Sunburst to ask him out. Hesitantly, Sunburst squeaked out the proposal to Flash. He accepted with a smile. Not knowing Flash's opinions of polyamorous herds, Sunburst left ShiningCadence, keeping their relationship under wraps from Flash Sentry.

After a few dates, Flash was his official boyfriend. Sunburst did fall in love with him (quite quickly), but at the same time, he dearly missed his former partners. Sunburst had to confess this to Flash.

Flash Sentry gave him a confused smirk and said, "Why can't you have all three of us?"

Long story short, Sunny had two boyfriends and a girlfriend. Cadence insisted they all hang out together for Sunburst's sake. Slowly but surely, the four fell in love.

And then Cadence found a shadowy figure traveling near the outskirts of the Empire. A frail and scrawny hornless Sombra, purged from the dark magic that craddled his mind, seeking shelter from the barren, icy wasteland. Cadence swooped down and took him back to the castle, under strict evolution from the Equestrian Princesses.

Princess Twilight and the foster child of Friendship, Cozy Glow, pleaded for Sombra's Reformation. Shining Armor was woefully against giving the evil Umbrum a chance to escape. Cadence was cautiously optimistic. Sunburst and Flash Sentry were divided with their stance on the matter. Before the two could make a choice, Celestia ordered for Sombra to be released, but kept under lock and key. She charged Cadence with Reforming the ancient King.

Cadence thought she was helping him. Sombra was genuinely ashamed for the things he had done. He took up extra community work around the Crystal Empire, forgoing sleep and eating in the name of being helpful or brooding in his dark depression. Slowly, the more time she spent consoling him, learning about his life and loneliness and guilt... The more she found herself surprised by his kindness. He warmed to her. She was the only creature he would smile for.

During this, Cadence saw Shining Armor less and less. Their interactions often ended in spats. Anytime the two weren't arguing, their words were filled with passive aggressiveness and tension. Boyfriends Sunburst and Flash Sentry were always on their hooves, running to get them to get along with no success.

Cadence grew frustrated of her husband not believing in her and her boyfriends urging her to see his point of view. That night, she sought comfort in her only friend. The only one on her side. Sombra.

She woke with him. Instantly, she raced to her partners and pulled them into a private room. Still dazed from the early morning, she confessed what she had done. The betrayal shocked them. Cadence begged for one of them to say something, to do anything.

Sunburst broke out into tears. Flash and Armor swept closer to him, Flash putting his wings around the orange unicorn and Shining stepping forward defensively when Cadence tried lending her hoof to Sunburst's face.

The five didn't talk for a few weeks. They lived together, ruled the empire, helped their subjects, took care of Flurry Heart... but all five kept their distance.

Until Cadence came up pregnant... with the child of Sombra.

Finally Shining broke, barging in to Sombra's confined bedchambers and screaming for a reason. At the very least, an apology. Sombra wouldn't give it. He should have believed in his wife's abilities, Sombra reasoned, or else she wouldn't have felt alone and caught feelings for him. He loved her, he said. Sombra didn't waver. Until the rest of them rushed in, and Cadence again awkwardly admitted that she was with child.

Cadence and Sombra entered a real relationship. Shining Armor was still her husband on the outside, but behind the closed doors of the castle, she loved Sombra, and Shiny loved being alone. Sunburst and Flash soon realized that their perfect little quad had died out. Hopeless, they resigned to being only each other's, and acted as Flurry Heart's parents in this time of frustration.

When Prince Valentinus Amor (meaning "Strong Love") was born, Cadence couldn't hide the truth from her subjects anymore. She declared that the child was Sombra's, and they would be raising the baby as a couple. (Disgruntled and disgusted, the Empire quietly sided with Shining Armor with little knowledge of what exactly had went down.)

With almost everything out in the open, Cadence and Shining readied the official divorce papers. Soon came the day when they had to sign it. They sat, alone together for the first time in months, waiting and meekly breathing... Until eventually, they fell, hugging one another and desperately sobbing.

Worried by the noise, Sombra, Sunburst and Sentry entered the room. Cadence wrapped the yellowish boys in her wings, rambling half-intelligible apologies, and Shining Armor and Sombra reluctantly talked things out. The night ended with the quin drunk, crying and in love again.

The Crystal Herd happily married, and soon opted to have a foal that was biologically the child of all of them. Thus, Princess Luster "Lucy" Dawn was born...

To Be Continued.

Here's some sketches of their designs I did before, in-between and after the poly drawing.

I buy into (@DeviantArt's) Eeelt's headcanon that Shining Armor has natural pink highlights in his blue mane and @lopoddityart ’s Lunacorn headcanon. I imagine Shining has golden flecks on his almost-all white body, the most prominent ones on his ears and shoulders. He has big fangs that are blunt, good for raw fruit and roots; a frugivore-looking horseboi.

Few bite-sized hcs; Shining Armor is shorter than both Cadence and Sombra, has ADHD, is dyslexic, goes alpha-male when family/friends are in danger, can hold a grudge for as long as he damn well pleases, is a lover of pastel, still Capt. of the Crystal Empire's Royal Guard, drag queen buddies with the Mane Six's brothers (drag names of "Orchard Blossom" for Mac, "Gleaming Shield" for Shiny, "Saphora Gale" for Zephyr), occasionally crossdresses, totally draws on his eyebrows, eight years older than Twi (he was a carefully planned pregnancy, while his kid sister was born due to a malfunction in their mom's birth control pills. Twilight wasn't planned, but after the initial shock and panic of a positive pregnancy spell, she was quickly welcomed as part of the family. after this Night Light got a vasectomy)

Flash Sentry is always running on black coffee, sleep deprivation and lust for eyeshadow, making his mane wild and his aura to give off an old rock band vibe. Is definitely a more relaxed, laid-back pony, a welcome source of casual advice for his children and partners. Shortest out of them all.

Sombra has a long snoot, and at the end of that snoot, rests his shaggy goatee. He also has sideburns, shaven sides, and a very messy manbun. Has bags under his eyes (much like Flash, he's an insomniac; you can find the pair cuddled up and reading when both are restless), wears gray eyeshadow, a red scarf, a sparkly tie for his bun, and golden horseshoes. He's simultaneously bulky and scrawny.