//------------------------------//
// Ch. 1 - The Last Straw 
// Story: Since You Came Along 
// by Sky Scraper 
//------------------------------//

As he walked through the third-floor corridor of Crystal Prep Academy, Sky Scraper reached into his pocket to check his phone. It had been yet another dreary Monday for the blue-skinned teenager, made worse by excessive amounts of homework and the cold February weather. The clock on his phone read 13:58, only two minutes before the final class period would begin. However, that mattered little to Sky. He disliked all of his classes and teachers the same, and didn't really care if he was late to class. He was just relieved that the school day was nearly over. He ran his hand through his hair, which was sky blue with a black streak on either side, and tugged at his shirt collar. He hated the uncomfortably tight and stuffy Crystal Prep uniforms.
Sky rounded a corner and spotted his cousin, a girl with cornflower blue skin and a pair of silky silvery-blue twintails. "Hey, Sugar!" he said, waving to her.
"Hello, Sky!" Sugarcoat replied. "How are things?"
"Shitty as usual," Sky quipped. Truth be told, Sugarcoat was the only real friend he had at school. "I keep getting showered with dumbass homework assignments, every single class. It just never stops."
Sugarcoat shrugged. "You know, maybe if you paid more attention in class and managed your time better, the work wouldn't be such a problem. That's the kind of thing you sign up for when you enroll here."
"Well, I didn't sign myself up for this. My parents did."
"True. But getting into trouble at school is your choice."
Sky laughed. "I'd say that's more on the teachers here. They don't like me because unlike most of their students, I don't automatically bend to their will."
"And that's the line of thinking that keeps getting you detentions. Most of which you didn't even serve."
"That's because there were only a few that I really deserved. The rest just came from teachers who didn't like that I formed my own opinions of them."
"Not all of them. Bleaching your uniform and then dyeing it pink does not count as forming your own opinion."
"Well, I was showing my opinion of the dress code, anyway. Just a little bit of peaceful protest, that's all."
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. Although she cared deeply for Sky, his antics had been increasingly getting on her nerves. "Fine... let's talk about something else. I'm going to be trying out for the Friendship Games next Friday."
"The tryouts are happening already?"
"Of course they are - the Games are only two months away. The team will need time to properly prepare and train for them."
"Oh, right. Well, I haven't read the school newsletter in months, so I wouldn't know that."
"Of course you wouldn't..."
As Sky and Sugarcoat walked past the library, the doors were flung open and a boy with dark blue skin and wavy white hair emerged. In many ways, Royal Pin represented the archetypal Shadowbolt, a stickler for the rules with an extremely self-absorbed attitude. He and Sky had clashed multiple times before. "Well, well, look who it is! Hey there, Sugar!" He looked at Sugarcoat with lidded eyes and a smug smile.
"What do you want this time, Royal?" Sugarcoat groaned. Royal had always had a bit of a thing for her, but she did not reciprocate his feelings. They'd never even been friends.
"Oh, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me after school today? My parents do operate one of its anchor stores, after all. I'll take you there and buy you anything you like. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like something I have no interest in whatsoever," Sugarcoat said bluntly. "We've been over this before - I have no feelings for you, and pestering me every other week isn't going to change that. Quite frankly, I find you more creepy and rude than anything else."
Royal was taken aback. He looked away briefly to compose himself, then turned back around. "You know, I don't really care for girls who play hard-to-get. You may look nice on the outside, but it seems you're really just a prude."
Sugarcoat didn't seem to take much offense to Royal's insult, merely rolling her eyes. Sky, however, became very angry. "Well, you already look like a bag of shit on the outside, and that's exactly what you are. So why don't you take that ugly face of yours and shove it up your ass?"
Royal burst out with laughter. "Oh, that's rich coming from you, Sky! You think you sound all tough and cool with your smart-ass remarks, but you're nothing but a pathetic loser with no friends. I bet your cousin here only puts up with you because your family forces her to."
"That is completely untrue," Sugarcoat interjected. Sky, meanwhile, said nothing.
Royal looked at him and smirked. "Nothing? Figures. You need your cousin to stand up for you because she's all you have. Pathetic, both of you."
By then, Sky was completely out of patience. Without another word, his right hand quickly formed a fist and he punched Royal hard in the nose. Sugarcoat gasped, and Royal staggered back with blood dripping from one nostril. "Oh yeah?" he growled when he regained his senses. "Well, two can play at that game!" Royal grabbed Sky by the collar, but Sky pushed his hand away and punched him a second time.
"Come on, guys!" Sugarcoat cried. "Stop it!" But neither Sky nor Royal heard her. Royal managed to kick Sky in the shin, but Sky retaliated with a side kick that sent Royal to the floor, knocking the wind out of him.
As Royal struggled to get up again, Sky was about to land another blow when Dean Cadance arrived on the scene. "What is going on here?!" she exclaimed. She ran over and bent down to help Royal get to his feet. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Royal coughed and gasped for breath. "Ugh... of course not..."
"Then let's get you to the nurse," said Cadance. She turned to Sky and Sugarcoat. "As for you two, you both need to go to Principal Cinch's office. Now."
Sugarcoat sighed. "You've really done it this time, Sky..."
Sky groaned. He knew he was in for another long lecture from Crystal Prep's extremely haughty and uptight principal. He and Sugarcoat followed Cadance down the hall, watched by a crowd of gawking students.
After dropping Royal off at the nurse's office, Cadance led Sky and Sugarcoat upstairs to Principal Cinch's office. The room was dark and cold, with only a single light overhead. Cinch sat behind her desk, displaying her usual stern expression. "Ah, Dean Cadance," she said when he saw her visitors. "What seems to be the matter?"
"Sky Scraper was fighting in the hallway, and Sugarcoat was nearby as well," Cadance explained.
"I see." Cinch looked at Sky with an expression that indicated both contempt and a complete lack of surprise. "Who was the other student involved in the fight?"
"Royal Pin," Cadance replied. "He's with Nurse Snowheart downstairs."
Cinch nodded, then looked at Sugarcoat. "Well then, let's hear your view of this incident, Sugarcoat. You are one of the top students at this academy, after all. I trust you to give me the honest truth."
Sugarcoat sighed. "All right then." She did her best to recount the full incident from her perspective. "Sky and I were walking down the hall together when Royal came over and asked me out. I rejected him, so he got angry and called me a prude. From there, everything escalated very quickly. Sky and Royal started hurling insults at each other, then Sky punched Royal in the nose and a fight broke out. I told them to break it up, but I doubt they could hear me."
"Thank you, Sugarcoat. That will suffice." Cinch then turned toward Sky. "It seems that at least once per month, I hear about you getting into some form of trouble. Do you care to explain to me why that is?"
Sky remained silent. He knew that Cinch would misconstrue whatever he said, and he didn't have much to say anyway.
"Then I will explain for you." Cinch stood up from her high-backed chair, casting a dark shadow over Sky. "Here at Crystal Prep Academy, we pride ourselves on being one of the top educational institutions in the nation. Our students are the best and brightest from the city of Canterlot and its surrounding areas, and we have no room for those who wish to slack off or step out of line. Now, ever since you enrolled here, Sky Scraper, you have caused no end of disruption. You've spoken insolently to teachers, skipped numerous homework assignments, and ruined a school uniform with artificial dye. In total, your repeated insubordination has earned you twenty-three detentions during your tenure here. Of those, seventeen remain unserved." Cinch leaned forward and raised one eyebrow. Sky didn't flinch because he had heard it all many times before.
"It is clear to me that your fight today was not an isolated incident, but merely the latest in a series of disorderly and destructive behaviors," Cinch continued. "One of the foremost regulations here at Crystal Prep Academy is our zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting or other forms of violence. In accordance with that, as well as your atrocious prior disciplinary record, I am afraid I have no choice but to expel you from the academy. I cannot have troublesome students like you bringing our reputation down." With that, Cinch sat back in her chair.
Sugarcoat looked at Sky with a saddened expression. Sky sat in silence, not quite able to believe the words he had just heard. Cinch reached across her desk to pick up the phone. "I will now call your mother and inform her of your expulsion," she told Sky. "Since you are no longer a student of Crystal Prep, you must now leave. Dean Cadance, write Sugarcoat a tardy note for her final class."
Candace nodded and began filling out a pink slip of paper on Cinch's desk. Sky, meanwhile, simply took his backpack and walked out of the office. He made his way to the end of the hall, down three flights of stairs, and out of the building through one of the side doors. He emerged near the parking lot and stood alone on the sidewalk, quietly contemplating what had just occurred. Once he'd had some time to process it, being forced to leave Crystal Prep didn't bother him much, but he knew he had screwed up, and he was very worried about what his parents would say to him when he got home. After waiting for several minutes, Sky saw his mother's dark gray sedan pull into the parking lot. He sighed and began walking over to it.
Sky's mother, Evening Shade, was a small but outspoken woman with light gray skin and black hair. She had a stern expression on her face as Sky climbed into the passenger seat. "Hi, Mom..." Sky said nervously.
"Hello, Sky," Evening replied. "I don't even know what to say at this point... I'm just so disappointed."
"Yeah, I... kind of figured you would be..."
"Look, I don't know what it's going to take for you to get this, but you have to understand that your actions have consequences. You're sixteen - you're not a little kid anymore. This is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night worrying about you."
Sky groaned. "I know that. And if you want an apology, I'm really sorry about what happened today."
"Well, there's no point in apologizing to me. I'm not the person you punched. And stop saying you know, because if you actually did know, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Sky rolled his eyes. He hated when his mother said things like that.
"I've already told your father about it," Evening continued, "and we're going to have a good long talk about this when he comes home, all three of us. You won't be going anywhere or using any of your electronic devices for the rest of the day. Probably for longer once we decide on a punishment for you."
Sky remained silent. He could see there was no point in arguing. Without another word, Evening put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at home and Evening pulled into the driveway. Their home was a two-story light blue house with a medium-sized yard. The number 273 was displayed above the front door in brass digits. Evening parked the car in front of the garage, and Sky followed her to the front door. When Evening unlocked the door, Sky trudged inside.
Upon entering the house, Sky was greeted by a large yellow Lab who began sniffing him all over. "Hi, Duke!" Sky exclaimed, bending down to pet his dog. He smiled as he scratched behind Duke's soft floppy ears. At least someone would always be happy to see him no matter what.
After getting past Duke, Sky dropped his backpack on one of the kitchen chairs and washed his hands in the sink. He then went upstairs to his room and shut the door. He took off his Crystal Prep uniform and tossed it into his laundry basket. Never again would he wear it. It was the second school uniform he'd had in the past year, as his original one had been completely ruined when he bleached and dyed it. He then changed into a loose white T-shirt and a pair of light blue sweatpants. If he wasn't going to do anything for the rest of the day, he figured he may as well be comfortable.





It was close to dinnertime when Sky's father, Air Raider, returned from work. He was in his mid-50s, with light blue skin and thinning navy blue hair. He worked as a programmer for a software firm, on the seventh floor of a large office building in Canterlot's urban region. When Air heard about what Sky had done at school, he was just as disappointed as Evening, and did not look happy when he sat down at the dinner table.
"Look, Sky, even if that other guy was being a dick to Sugarcoat, there was no reason for you to pick a fight with him," said Air. "If you wanted to stick up for Sugarcoat, you should have actually tried to defend her instead of just throwing out insults."
"Or you could have just left it between the two of them, and not gotten involved at all," added Evening.
Air nodded. "That too. Sometimes the best thing to do in a situation like that is to just walk away."
"Yeah, that's... probably what I should have done," Sky admitted. "I guess it's just that... sometimes when I'm having a bad day, something like that is all it takes to set me off."
"Well, you're really going to need to get a handle on that," Air said firmly. "You're going to run into all sorts of things in life that piss you off, and it's important to learn how to deal with them without flying off the handle. I had a bad temper when I was your age too. It never worked out well for me, so I learned how to control it."
"I know," said Sky. "I guess I just wasn't thinking today."
"You definitely weren't," Evening agreed. "But the bigger problem is that this wasn't just a one-time thing. Not necessarily getting in a fight, but saying and doing things without thinking and then getting in trouble for it. Ever since you started high school, it's been happening over and over again and you haven't seemed to learn anything from it. It's been really frustrating, because we know you're smart and talented. We just don't understand why you can't seem to pull yourself together no matter how much we've tried to help you."
Sky sat in silence, trying to think of what to say. Since Duke was curled up under the table, Sky gently pet him with his foot. "I guess it's just... I just never really felt happy at Crystal Prep. I could handle the coursework all right, but the overall vibe of the place... I just didn't like it, and I guess that made me want to rebel."
Evening took a deep breath. "I suppose I get that. But if that's how you felt, then you should have told us sooner instead of just rebelling at school. Doing that doesn't tell us anything."
"What was it about Crystal Prep that you didn't like?" Air asked.
"Basically everything about the way it was run. The strict rules, the uncomfortable uniforms, the personalities of most people there. I just don't fit in."
"That's understandable," said Evening. "I never really got along with any of the other parents there, either. But you seriously need to pull yourself together at your new school."
"My new school?" Sky asked.
"Canterlot High School, of course," Evening replied. "It's the main public school in the city, and it's only a fifteen-minute walk from here."
Sky didn't know much about Canterlot High, but he'd often heard students at Crystal Prep disparage it as an inferior school. He'd never understood the seemingly one-sided rivalry, though. "Ah, that makes sense," he said. "When would I start going there?"
"I don't know yet," said Evening. "I'm going to try and get you transferred there sometime this week. It'll involve lots of paperwork."
"Do you think they'll accept me after what I did?"
"Well, they're a public school, so they can't really turn down new students."
Sky nodded. That was good to know.
After dinner, Sky headed upstairs to his room. Since he wasn't allowed to use his laptop or his phone, he decided to take a look at the books that were lined up on his shelf. One of his favorites was a compilation of three books by George Carlin, which he had gotten for his birthday last October. Carlin's vulgar humor and cynical outlook really resonated with Sky, and he found reading or watching Carlin material to be somewhat therapeutic, especially after a rough day.
Before long, it was getting late. Sky was still flipping through the Carlin book and laughing to himself when Evening came upstairs and knocked on the door. "It's almost ten o'clock," she ordered. "Time to take a shower."
"All right..." Sky replied. Once his mother had left, he took his clothes off and went to the bathroom.
One nice warm shower later, Sky was ready to hit the sack. He changed back into the shirt and sweatpants he had been wearing earlier, then flopped onto his bed and turned off the light. It took him a while to fall asleep, though, as he was deep in thought - hopeful of a better future, but nervous about what might lie ahead for him.