Chapters It was another typical Saturday, away from school thankfully. Bored of just sitting at home, you decided to head to the mall for a quick venture. Maybe do a little window shopping or something to pass the time. You were sitting down on a bench, munching on a good cheeseburger. You look down at it, satisfied with a good meal.
Man, were you ever grateful you brought just enough money to spare.
You were chewing on your food, then raised a plastic bottle of soda to your mouth, taking a nice sip. You let out a sharp exhale once you put the bottle down, enjoying the fizzy beverage. You looked down, noticing that you only had one bite to go. So, you finished your meal and crunched the plastic wrapper into a ball as you casually tossed it in your palm.
With lunch out of the way, you decided to wander about still. You had nothing better to do, so why not? So once you let out a quiet burp you stood up, grabbing your bottle in the process.
As you made your way to the nearest trash can, you saw something through the corner of your eye.
You saw Sunset Shimmer, a classmate at your school. She was walking with someone, a new friend of hers you believed, judging by how the two spoke to one another. You saw the two of them together before a day or two ago, but you had no idea where she came from. All you knew was that she didn't go to Canterlot High.
And that you thought she was pretty.
Noticing those thoughts running again, you curse your stupid brain. But then your mind wanders back to her. You saw her before. And she was eating ice cream then too. This little crush of your started so strangely, cause you never thought of anyone like that before.
It started off as a simple day, you were pretty much doing the same exact then as you are now, eating some nice food. It was there you saw her with Sunset and they were talking about something. You weren't sure what exactly, but that was the first time you ever saw her. You noticed how beautiful she was immediately.
She looked so innocent, cute. Her voice sounded like a choir of angels to your ears. And seeing her smile just made your heart want to melt. She seemed friendly. And her eyes... There was something about her, but you weren't quite sure what exactly it was yet.
You probably only said a few words to one another beforehand, and it was there you learned her name. Starlight Glimmer, a beautiful name for a pretty girl. You didn't get to say much cause it looked like she and Sunset had something important to take care of and you didn't want to be a bother. But talking with her felt... natural.
You shake your head, ending your little flashback. Maybe you'd finally have the guts to talk to her. To say something at least. Then you chided your brain, telling you it wasn't a good idea. It was stupid and you'd get over it in time.
But you look to your left, see her smile again, and then change your mind in just a few moments. It shouldn't be too hard, you thought. So, once you toss the burger wrapper in the trash, you decided to lean on the wall and take a swig of your soda, seeing the two of them pass by you without saying a single word. You realized you forgot to say something and smacked yourself in the forehead as a result.
"Stupid brain..." you groan to yourself.
As you scold your nervous brain, you choose to change your train of thought by drinking some more of your soda. Your gaze focuses on the two girls, noticing that they were sitting down at the food court you were just at. Suddenly, you were craving another burger, but considering you just ate, it wouldn't be a good idea.
Sunset got up from her chair, saying something to her friend before walking to one of the food shops. Her friend continued to lick her double-scoop ice cream cone. She looked so adorable, you thought. But something else caught your attention.
The top scoop began to tilt downwards, and your eyes widened upon noticing it. Then, the inevitable happened. That poor scoop of mint ice cream fell to the floor with a scrunchy sound, and for some reason you cringed upon seeing it. A perfectly good scoop of ice cream. Gone with the floor.
You notice Sunset's friend sighing to herself in disappointment, "Ugh. Did it again."
Then, you began to walk while clearing your throat. Your own brain was acting against you at this point. "Hey, you alright?" you ask, noticing the girl's soft gaze look at your own.
"I guess. We met before right?" you nod for an answer, "What are you doing here?"
You shrug, "Eh. I got nothing else to do today. I saw your little... uh, ice cream situation."
Starlight rolls her eyes, "Yeah... That seems to be happening more often than I like to admit."
"S-So..." you studder, "Not to sound c-creepy... B-But, I've never seen you around here before a few days ago. Do you go to Canterlot High?" you question.
"I'm actually new here, visiting my friends." Starlight explains simply, "I'll be staying for a few days."
Hearing that her visit was temporary, you looked at the ground in disappointment. "Oh..." you exhaled.
"Is there something wrong?" Starlight asks.
"N-No." you say. "J-Just thinking about something is all."
Starlight tilts her head, her cute smile fading, "You're studdering too... Are you feeling alright?"
You point at yourself, "Me? Never better, ha!" you try to laugh off. Starlight raised a brow at your stupidity, but she grinned, and your embarassment just kinda fades.
"If you say so." she licks her ice cream cone, the last scoop she had now. "Is there a reason you wanted to talk?" she chuckled, "Besides bringing up my ice cream?"
You shrug again, "N-Not really...?" there was a slight squeak in your voice, which you hoped Starlight didn't notice. "I mean, a-am I bothering you?" you ask honestly.
Starlight shakes her head, "No, I was waiting for Sunset with her food... I think she's still in line. Oh dear."
You turn around and sure enough, Sunset Shimmer was standing in the middle of a line, looking a little irritated at what was happening, and you don't blame her on bit. "Oh dear is right. You, um... Mind if I keep you c-ompany in the meantime?" you suggest.
"Sure." Starlight agreed. "I didn't think anyone would pay me any mind, if I'm being honest."
You were confused by her wording, "Why not?"
Starlight purses her lips, taking another lick of her ice cream, "I-It's just... Nevermind. You wouldn't care."
Wondering what she meant, you smile, "I wouldn't? I mean... do you c-consider me a friend?"
Suddenly, your eyes may have been deceiving you, but you swear you noticed a blush on Starlight's face, "Me? Your friend?" she wonders, earning a nod. "R-Really?"
"I don't see why not." you add, "I-I mean, we hit it off pretty well when we spoke, and you didn't hate me b-by the end, and I think you're pretty cute-- I mean cool !" you blurt out your correction, praying to any god that she didn't hear your little screwup.
You notice Starlight blush again, and it either meant she heard your little slipup or your eyes are tricking you again. Luckily for you she didn't comment on it, "I-I'm glad to hear that." you heard her reply, rubbing your neck nervously.
Her innocent eyes glimmered upon hearing your words, then you chided yourself for that punny choice of wording your mind made up, then chuckled inwardly, and that cute smile you love seeing shown itself again.
"S-Sorry... for thinking otherwise." she stammered, twirling her hair with her other hand, still eating her dessert. You just wanted to melt at the sight, but you composed yourself.
You wave a hand, "Don't worry. I'm just glad to keep someone from being bored at least. Heck, I'm just happy doing something other than sitting at home."
Starlight chuckled, and you were mighty proud of yourself, "Alright then. What do you want to talk about? Cause it looks like Sunset's gonna be there for a few minutes longer than I was hoping." she noticed the line, seeing Sunset raise her arms in frustration.
"Uh... hm..."
And then you blink, realizing you didn't think you'd get this far. Now, you have to think of something interesting to talk about. But what? Well, a self-appointed gentlemen such as yourself only had one option in these kinds of situations.
"Let's talk about you. I know we b-barely met." you declared, "I mean, I'm not interesting in the slightest. But I'd love to listen to you... i-if you want." your mouth went dry after the last sentence and you took a nice sip of soda.
Starlight went bug-eyed, "A-Are you sure?"
"I'm all ears." you insist, "U-Unless you want to talk about something else of course."
Starlight said, "Can we?"
You realize you were probably budging her and facepalmed, "O-Okay. Sorry."
"It's fine. It's just... no one's ever actually asked me that." Starlight admits to you. "A-And I don't think you'd want to hear about it."
"No, it's cool." you ease her.
Crap, Plan A didn't work. Now you needed to think of a Plan B before she gets creeped out or bored of your company.
Okay. This was no problem at all. You could handle this. What would Starlight even be interested in talking about? Well, you weren't quite sure yet. But you intend to find out somehow. Some silence was shared among the both of you.
"...Are you okay?" Starlight asks.
You snap out of your trance, looking into her shiny eyes, "Huh? Y-Yeah, I am. Just thinking again. Sorry." you apologize.
"It's alright. You just look confused is all." Starlight assured.
You raise a hand, "Sorry. But, um... W-We can talk about TV." TV's always good ice breaker, right? Well, you thought so at least. You continue, "So, have you hard they're turning Battlesaurs into a series?" a confused shake of her head told you no.
"What's Battlesaurs?" she asks.
You keep your jaw still, holding it back from dropping. "It's like... one of the coolest things in existence! They uploaded the theme song online. It looks like something that should've been made a long time ago." you elaborate.
"Really? Can I see?" Starlight wonders with interest.
Hearing that question, you immediately take your phone out of your pocket and look up the video. You flip it over to the other side, catching Starlight's attention. The theme song started to play and you notice that her interest was more piqued as the video continued. And you had to admit, she looked rather cute when she showed interest in something and you felt your face grow warm, but tried to hide that fact.
Once she was done watching the video, she licked her dessert again and looked at you, "That was actually really interesting. I may have to watch it when I come back."
Again, you try to comprehend your words, "You... You don't have television where you come from?"
Starlight shakes her head, "My home is rather... different than what you may expect." it sounded like she was keeping something secret, but you decided not to pry any further as a means to not sound pushy, though you were a little curious.
"Well, when do you go back home?" you question.
The girl put a finger to her chin, "Well, I was planning to return in about four days. Why?"
You gulp and suddenly you realize what you're about to do. There goes your brain acting crazy again, "W-Well..." you stammer, "The show does premiere tomorrow. D-Do you, I dunno, wanna watch it with m-me?" you offer, letting a quiet exhale. You know she's not gonna agree. Why bother even asking?
But instead of seeing confusion or any other emotion that showed disgust on her face, you saw that smile you began to like seeing form again. "I'd like to." she agreed.
You go bug-eyed. At first, you thought were just hearing things, but now you're thinking she was just being friendly and not really interested, "You s-sure...? I mean..." you began to counter, thinking she was only saying yes to make you happy.
"No, I really want to. I mean, it looks good." she countered in a sincere tone, her voice heaven to your ears and adorably twirling a strand of hair as she spoke, her eyes looking down. "I think it'd be better to see it with someone who's interested."
Your heart skips a beat. Woah. You had to resist the urge to fistpump yourself and remain stoic. "Uh... A-Alright then." you reply awkwardly, scratching your arm for some reason.
Starlight was nearly finished her dessert and you decide to ask another question once she was done, placing the now empty cone on a napkin covered in mint stains. "Okay... What about comics then?" you wonder aloud, "Those are always fun."
You hear her chuckle, "Back home, I have friends who are into Daring Do and the Power Ponies."
"They are? Awesome. They're getting their own movies and it's rumored to be set in some cinematic universe; where Daring Do, the Power Ponies, and any other hero could join forces against some common threat in a few films."
Starlight giggled, "I'm sure they would love to hear that."
"What about you? Not into the whole 'superhero/vigilante' thing?" you wonder.
She shrugs, "Not really, but I don't hate it. I'm more into learning and reading to gain knowledge. I have a lot to learn. My teacher kind of rubbed off on me in that regard." she quietly laughed off.
Huh, so she's someone who focuses on learning. Cool. Even though you felt as though you do enough learning at school, you admit to picking up at least one educational book a month out of sheer boredom. "What do you learn about anyway?" you finally ask, getting into another subject you thought was good. You take another swig of your soda, glad that it hasn't gotten flat yet.
"History... and something else. Sorry, but I promised my teacher I wouldn't reveal too much." she replies. She frowns, "I'm sorry but it's for the best." she adds.
Huh. When it comes to her, she's awfully secretive. Now you're really curious. She should know that nothing's gonna change how you feel about her. Unless she was revealed to be a blood-sucking zombie, an evil AI bent on world domination, or some kind of shapeshifting werewolf, you'd like her all the same. It was at this moment you begin to question your sanity over those options.
Then again, you go to a school that was possessed by Sirens, interdimensional portals, and Sunset was once bent on domination and became a She-Demon or whatever she called it before changing her ways for the better, and you went to camp to solve a mystery seen only in a cartoon. So, with everything you've experienced perhaps you're not as crazy as you would think.
"O-Okay, then." you brush off again. That seems to be a constant pattern with you.
Starlight tilts her head, "I'm probably annoying, you aren't I?"
You shake your head, "No, I promise you're not." you look at the line for a moment, "Holy crap, Sunset actually made it to the front. I've only heard legends of those who make it. That place always has a line and today seemed no different. Heh. She is one of the chosen ones."
A snort came from across from you. Starlight actually let out a giggle while holding back a laugh at your little comment. It was possibly one of the greatest and cutest sounds you have ever heard, honestly up there with the Battlesaurs theme. And that was a tough feat. You laugh as well, resting an arm on the table.
The two of you stop and Starlight speaks, "Hm. Do you wanna stick around?"
You look as Sunset walks back to the table with a bag in her hands, "Nah. I'll let the two of you do what you were doing. It was nice chatting with you though." you say.
Sunset finally made it back, "Sorry about that. Stupid line took forever." she finally acknowledges you, "Oh, hey!" she greets, shaking your hand. "How are you?"
"Pretty good." you reply. "Tough line, huh?"
"Yeah..." she sighs. "Thought I'd never make it."
Starlight looks up, "So, when should we meet up?"
"Meet back here tomorrow afternoon?" you suggest casually. "We could just do whatever until the show premieres."
Seeing her ponder, you patiently await an answer. Finally, Starlight looks at you, her eyes shining, "Sure. I can do that."
"Cool." you respond, "Well, I gotta go. See you two around, hm?" you wave off, walking back to do whatever.
"See you around." Sunset waves back. Once she thought you were out of earshot, she smirks at Starlight, "So, the two of you, huh?" you hear her tease her friend, "Got a date?"
Hearing those three words from your spot, you decide to stop and turn around, your face warming up at being caught. You notice Starlight blushing and this time you weren't making things up. "N-No... It's j-just a friendly hangout. Like what w-we do..." she insists, thought it looked like Sunset wasn't buying it.
However, it seemed she stopped budging and sat down, opening the brown bag and taking out a wrapper and handing it over to her friend. "I'm just messing around..." she says.
"O-Oh..." you can hear Starlight mutter as you walk away to let the two of them talk without you intruding anymore. You wipe a cold sweat from your forehead.
Remember, do not think of tomorrow as a date. It's just a friendly hangout, and couldn't make it awkward. You only have a few days to hang out with Starlight and you had to make a good impression. You curse yourself for being so nervous around her. But before that however, you have one more matter to take care of.
Your oncoming hunger, somehow, despite having just eaten. Curse Sunset eating a burger of her own. You look at the line to the burger joint, seeing it extend again. From the look of it, starving to death was going to happen whether in line or not. So you went to go find a quick snack. And perhaps a few more for the show tomorrow.
The fact that Starlight agreed to come still blows your mind. You could not screw this up.
So there you were in your room, watching some good old fashioned television. Well, not literally anyway, it was just a show you remembered to record this morning. With a bag of chips in hand, you finally decided to sit down and relax. There was no one else home, meaning you had some peace and quiet to yourself and you were grateful for that.
You just hope it was like that tomorrow.
With Starlight coming, the less teasing you'd have to endure from your parents, the better. Luckily, they mentioned that they'd be home later than usual for a few days, so you prayed that was still the case going into tomorrow night.
But then you focus back to the show you're watching. The only notable sound heard besides the television was the sound of you munching on some tasty chips. Boy were you glad you bought yourself some spare snacks. Cause with how many episodes you have left, it was going to be a late Saturday.
At the very least, you won't be bored tonight.
Then, your mind trails to another matter. Starlight. The way she and Sunset were speaking earlier made you think that... Ah, you're probably overthinking things. That's the usual reaction having something called a date, you muse, shrugging it off. It was simple teasing. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yet you kinda wish it was something more. She agreed to hang out with you at least, meaning you haven't scared her off. That was something... Right? No need to rush into things, you feel.
Then again... She's only here for a few more days, and with the last week of school coming up, you'll even have less free time until the school year finally ends on Friday. Now for that you were grateful. On the brightside, no more homework and studying for the entire Summer.
At the mere thought of school, you slouch even more on your chair, dreading the boredom that will come sitting in class for no reason. Then you remember the show tomorrow and perk up again. So you decide to focus on your show to get your mind back on track.
Maybe things will turn out well and you won't embarass yourself.
You awake once your conscious enough to realize the sun is peeking through your window to your eyelids. "Agh!" you groan, groggily raising a hand over your forehead as you slowly open your eyelids. Thinking it was still early, you realize that you somehow fell asleep on the chair with the TV still on.
You barely remember anything, other than the excitement that came with watching some good television. You think you're all caught up, but with how hazy things are, now you're not even sure.
"Ergh... How early is it...?" you ask no one in particular. You stand up and stretch, hearing a small crack in your stiff limbs. A yawn escapes your mouth and you look at the chair, seeing the empty bag of chips you devoured in about... ten minutes. Man, that was a feat even for you. You pick up the bag and throw into the small trash can that was in your room.
Now that you were awake, you might as well see how early it is. So you grab your phone from its spot above the nightstand and press a button. Your eyes widen when you realize you slept past noon. "I... really have to stop doing that..." you mutter.
Without hesitation, you lazily flop on your bed, hoping that this drowsiness would fade. Then, you remember something. Something important for you. And you instantly sit up. "Crap. I gotta go!" you realize, immediately hopping out of your bed as you make an attempt to get ready as soon as you could.
After making yourself presentable and sitting through an annoyingly long bus ride, you finally arrived at the mall. With newfound vigor you step off the bus, nearly tripping as you missed a step, but you catch yourself at the last second and let out a sigh of relief.
The parking lot was still crowded as usual, but considering it's Sunday, it's less filled than usual, and you let out a chuckle. That meant less cars to narrowly avoid for your life.
Okay, you made it. You pray that you weren't late.
So now that you were inside, you set out for the food court, noticing a map. "You are here," it read. "How does it know?" you chuckle to yourself in slight amusement. That joke always clears your mind, and you need that now.
Cause now you were slowly becoming nervous. And many more thoughts snuck into your mind the closer you get.
What if she doesn't show up? What if she didn't like you and was only being nice? What if you make a fool of yourself and convince her that you're an idiot? What if...
Stop, you tell yourself. You may be going crazy. Then again, those are viable outcomes...
Again, you have to convince yourself that everything's going to be just fine.
And then you finally arrive at the food court, and your heart skips a beat once you actually see Starlight Glimmer sitting there sipping a milkshake. And she's as beautiful as ever in your eyes. You perk up at the sight of her and every doubt in your mind just washes away. A thin smile appears on your face.
Then her wandering eyes catch you and she smiles as well as you walk closer, "You made it! For a minute, I thought you forgot..." she mentions to you.
"Sorry." you apologize, "I... kinda woke up later than I hoped. Hope I wasn't keeping you waiting for long."
Starlight shakes her head, "No you weren't, but I didn't mind." you sigh upon hearing her words. "I'm more surprised I got here first considering Pinkie was keeping me back asking questions for a good ten minutes." she laughs and you let out a snicker, knowing about the hyperactive girl yourself.
"Heh. But I'll admit, it's not hard to to be early when I'm involved." you quip, rubbing the back of your neck.
She giggles again, and you realize you'll never get tired of hearing that sound. "I doubt it." she replies, taking a sip of her milkshake, "So, what do you have in mind?"
You shrug, "We got a few hours. We could just roam a bit. I'm game for whatever, honestly."
Starlight swirls the straw around her cup while listening and replies, "Okay then." the sound of your stomach rumbling was heard, and you blush realizing she heard it.
"Uh, how about a bite to eat first?" you offer, "I'll buy."
