Chapter 1
A heavy storm had overshadowed Equestria tonight, rain droplets tapping the window just loud enough to let you know they were there. An occasional burst of lightning occurred, followed by the obligatory rumble of thunder. You watched the storm from your bed, relaxing from your day. You had always enjoyed rainstorms (watching them, not being in them), and tonight was a doozy. The ponies usually didn't like it when the pegasi scheduled such a strong storm, but you never minded them, and you had a certain rainbow-colored mare to thank for them.
Tomorrow would mark the sixth month of you living here. Not just in this admittedly amazing crystal castle, but in this world as a whole. You had since given up on trying to figure out how you had gotten here, deciding to make the most of living in a world of talking unicorns and other mythical creatures. When you first arrived here, ponies were quite surprised by you. You were worried they were going to try and hurt you, or worse, put you in some kind of zoo. But one particular pony stepped up and was able to determine you were more than friendly. That pony was Twilight Sparkle. She was eager to learn all about your species, and she even offered you a room in her amazingly spacious castle to stay in for as long as you wanted.
That's where you met her friends, Spike the dragon, and her.
A lilac unicorn with a deep purple and turquoise mane, Starlight Glimmer. When you two were first introduced, she exhibited shy mannerisms, as if she didn't quite know how to act around you. You were experienced in helping people who were shy come out of their shells, so you were able to break down that barrier quite easily. Once you had, her true colors began to shine through. You were introduced to a perky, intelligent mare with a love for studying magic. Before you knew it, you two had become amazingly close friends. You two practically did everything together. Games, meals, shopping, you even began to help her with some of her magic studies. And you, in turn, had introduced her to some of your "human stuff" that you had back home. Even Twilight had commented that Starlight had never been so happy around another creature before. As Spike put it, you two got along "like a house on fire."
Yeah. That was a perfect way to describe you two, you thought.
Your train of thought is interrupted when you hear a faint knock at the door. You look over from your bed, wondering who could still be up right now.
"It's open." You call out.
The door creaks open to reveal none other than your best friend, Starlight. She trots up to your beside with a shy smile on her face. You smile back at your equine bestie.
"Hey." She says quietly.
"Heya." You reply in equal tone.
She continues to look at you for a moment before glancing out the window. The storm had only gotten stronger, your point being accentuated by a distant boom of thunder.
"Storm's really coming down on us hard, huh?" Starlight says.
"So it is." You reply, the smile never leaving your face.
She then looks back at you with a certain look. You know that look all too well.
In the many months you two had known each other, you both had grown close to the point where you could trust each other with anything. One night, when Twilight was out of the castle with Spike on some mission one of the princesses sent her on, you two decided to have a little sleepover in your room. You played games like truth or dare, told each other stories from your childhood, shared some nice snacks, and you introduced her to one of your favorite games, Mortal Kombat 11, which you were able to play once Twilight powered up your console with the magic equivalent of electricity. Despite getting fatality'd over and over again, she still enjoyed it.
But when it was time to sleep that night, she, albeit slightly bashfully, decided that she wanted to spend...more time with you. Which led to your very first cuddle session.
Since that night, cuddles between you two had become more frequent. Day or night, morning or afternoon, you two were always up for cuddling and snuggling. It had become your favorite activity to do with each other, and it had gotten to the point where she didn't even need to say anything to let you know that she wanted cuddles.
And now, she stands at your bedside with that hopeful little smile on her face. You could read her like a book.
Without another word, you scooch over in your bed, and flip the blankets open for her to lay beside you.
She lets out a tiny squee of joy before carefully lifting herself onto the bed and shuffling as close as she can to you. You chuckle a bit, and you two wrap each other into a sort of honeymoon hug.
"Mmm..." She hums as she lightly nuzzles your chest. In response, you take your hands and run your fingers through her silky purple mane. Her hums become a bit louder, making it clear that she enjoys the feeling. She takes her muzzle out from your chest and proceeds to nuzzle the underside of your chin.
"You know..." She says, saying your name. "You're...my best friend."
"Well you're MY best friend, Starlight." You chuckle.
Her eyes flicker away for a moment, almost in...guilt?
"You're honestly...much more than I deserve."
You give Starlight a look of sympathy. You were well aware of her past. She made sure you knew it within the first week of knowing her. She told you of all her misdeeds, how she enslaved a village, forcing them to live equally and other such things, and how she once tried to change the timeline so Twilight and her friends could never stop her. However, once Twilight defeated her, she took Starlight under her wing, deciding to teach her how to be a better pony. And it seems that those lessons have paid off.
You told Starlight that day that you didn't care about her past, only about the mare in front of you that day. She hugged you and practically bawled her eyes out that day, happy to have a friend who accepts her. But you suppose that she still harbors some guilt.
You cup Starlight's cheek, making her gasp and look up at you.
"You've changed so much from the pony you've described to me. You deserve to be happy."
Starlight smiles once again, putting her ear to your chest.
"You always know what to say." She says.
You reach around Starlight's head and begin scratching behind her ear. She lets out a content sigh, pressing her head further into your chest.
"This is...so nice." Starlight mumbles.
"Yeah." You mumble back, nuzzling her mane. "I'm glad you like doing this with me. Having a friend who's comfortable enough to do this with me...it's more than I could've asked for."
Starlight giggles. "Same here."
Another crack of lightning lights up the window, once again followed by a boom of thunder. Though neither does anything to break you out of your state of relaxation.
"Do you wanna stay here for the night?" You ask her.
"Mhm." She eventually responds.
"I have the day off tomorrow. How about we spend the day together?"
"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."
Starlight then turns over to her other side, facing away from you. You can see the content and relaxed smile on her face just as she turns. You wrap your arms around her once again and pull her close to your chest, your heart gently beating against her back. As sleep takes over both of you, you whisper one last sentence to her:
"Goodnight, bestie."