//------------------------------// // The Meeting // Story: Starlight Through the Storm // by TwilightVanguard58 //------------------------------// Beep Beep Beep “Mmmmm…” came a groan from beneath the covers of the bed. They shifted a bit as whoever was underneath tried to ignore the alarm. Beep Beep Beep “Ugh…” the sleepy mound of bedding let out in annoyance before a grayish purple hand reached out and shut off the alarm clock. The covers were then removed, revealing a sleepy Starlight Glimmer in her pajamas. She blinked the crud out of her eyes and slowly turned her head to the evil contraption that dared awaken her from her slumber and groaned when she saw that it read 5:30 am. With another groan she got herself out of bed to start her routine and get ready for the day. She didn’t used to be one for mornings but spending time with Applejack and Fluttershy taught her the benefits of waking up early. She could get a lot more done in the day by starting it earlier. She made her way to her small bathroom to brush her teeth and get some of the morning knots out of her purple and blue mane. Once that was done she looked into the mirror. She could see some bags under her eyes but they would disappear soon. Content with that she went to her wardrobe and changed into a pair of purple yoga pants and sports bra that exposed her midriff and a pair of blue running shoes. Tying her mane up into a ponytail, she left her home to start her morning run. Rainbow Dash had gotten her into running as exercise and it didn’t take Starlight long to realize how much she enjoyed it. She liked how calming it was in the mornings to just run through the neighborhood, all problems forgotten. The effect it had on her legs and butt didn’t hurt either. There was another reason she loved it though. Nopony else was really out this early in the morning, which meant she didn’t have to deal with anypony. She loved Twilight and the rest of her friends, they had accepted her after all she had done and taught her the magic of friendship, but that didn’t mean that everyone else liked her. In fact it almost felt like the ponies of Ponyville were afraid of her. When she had first noticed she had actually found it a little humorous. She wasn’t a large pony, only 5’3” and of a petite build, so the idea of ponies being afraid of her seemed absurd. It stopped being funny as she noticed how, unless she was with at least on of the Mane Six, ponies would avoid her like the plague. Honestly, she couldn’t really blame them. She’d be afraid too if she learned somepony who had practically enslaved an entire town had just moved in next door. As she was lost in thought she failed to notice a pegasus stallion walking toward her. He was listening to music and had his eyes closed so he also had no idea that another pony was in his path. Neither of them noticed the other until the unaware ponies crashed into each other, sending them both to the ground with a thud. "Ow. Shit." The stallion groaned as he got to his feet. He walked over to Starlight and held a hand out to help her up. "Hey, sorry about that. I should really watch where I'm going." he said as he gave an awkward chuckle. Starlight took his hand and allowed him to help her up, rubbing her sore rump as she went. "It's ok. Really, I should be the one apologizing to you. I wasn't exactly paying attention either." she said while looking down in embarrassment. She brought her head up when she heard the stallion laughing. "Well how about we just say it was a joint effort. Anyway, name's Thunderlane." Thunderlane said with a goofy grin. Starlight smiled as she took in Thunderlane's appearance. He was tall, about 6'2 she had to guess, and his coat was black with a gray mane. She also noticed his build. He was muscular but not distractingly so, the kind of build she recognized as that of somepony who did a lot of long distance running. "Uh, you ok there?" he asked. Starlight blushed as she realized she had been staring. "Y-yes I'm fine." "Well that's good. So can I get the name of the mare I literally ran into?" he said with a playful smirk. Starlight giggled. "Starlight Glimmer." "Starlight Glimmer. Now where have I heard that name before…" he said as he put a hand to his chin in thought. He then snapped his fingers in realization. "That's right! You're that cute new friend of Twilight's." He said excitedly. Starlight blushed profusely. "C-cute?!" Thunderlane's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. "Oh shoot, sorry! I didn't mean to say that! It's just I'm friends with Rainbow Dash and she's always telling me about you and how you're cute and I should talk to you because you're cute but this is the first time I've actually ever seen you and I wasn't thinking and…" the stallion kept rambling frantically until Starlight put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, calm down. I'm not mad, I was just surprised." Starlight said in a calming manner. After a couple of deep breaths Thunderlane managed to calm down and looked back at Starlight with an embarrassed look. "Sorry, kind of panicked there." he said in an apologetic tone. Starlight gave him a small smile and then giggled. "You apologize a lot, you know." "Yeah, I think it's a habit I picked up from my dad, he was always apologizing to my mom about things. Drove her nuts." he said and then started chuckling. They laughed for a bit and then an awkward silence fell. Starlight looked to the ground and twiddled her thumbs. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks at what she was about to ask. "So now that you've actually met me, do you think Rainbow Dash was right? Do you think I'm…cute?" she said the last word in a much quieter tone. Thunderlane shook his head furiously. "No." he said in a serious tone. Starlight felt her world shatter like glass. She looked back at him with a sad look. "Oh, ok." she said in a wavy voice, she could feel her eyes starting to water. Thunderlane saw this and quickly waved his hands in the air. "Wait, you didn't let me finish." Starlight gave him a curious look, though her eyes were still glistening. "Rainbow Dash was wrong, you're not cute. Cute doesn't even begin to describe the gorgeous mare currently standing in front of me." as he said this his own cheeks started to light up, which was very apparent due to his dark coat. "Thank you." Starlight said with a genuine smile on her face. She then released the flood gates and started sobbing, greatly worrying Thunderlane. "H-hey what's wrong? Was it something I said?" Starlight looked into his eyes. Her coat was stained with fresh tears but there was a smile on her face. "No, well actually yes, but it's a good thing. It's just since I've been here nopony has treated me so nicely, only with fear." she said between sniffles. She then jumped a little when he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Well they're missing out. You have been a pleasure to talk to so far and actually," he started rubbing the back of his neck, "maybe we could talk more? Get to know each other a bit better?" Starlight gave him a wide smile. "I'd love that. How about lunch?" "Lunch would be great, we can meet at that new cafe in the square." Thunderlane added. "That would be wonderful." said Starlight, her smile never leaving her face. "Awesome! Then it's a date." Thunderlane said in excitement. They then said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways, though they were both extremely giddy. He actually asked me on a date! She actually said yes! As they were lost in their thoughts they didn't notice that someone had seen the entire exchange take place.