//------------------------------//
// Ch. 9 - Under the Clear Night Sky 
// Story: Since You Came Along 
// by Sky Scraper 
//------------------------------//

The next two weeks seemed to pass by very slowly. After his visit with Sugarcoat, Sky now felt confident about asking Lyra out, but it looked as though he wouldn't get a chance anytime soon. With the Friendship Games fast approaching, Lyra and Bon Bon were spending most of their time studying and training, and Sky didn't want to distract Lyra from that.
At last, the week of the Games arrived. The Wednesday of that week was a half day with shortened classes and a school-wide pep rally, and the Games themselves would be a two-day event spanning Thursday and Friday. At 10:30 on Wednesday morning, Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon left the art room and walked downstairs to the gym. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring break," Sky remarked.
"Same!" Lyra agreed. "These last few weeks have been exhausting. It feels like we've been training for the Games forever."
"Well, at least you'll have a week off after the Games," said Sky. "Win on Friday and go into the break on a high note!"
"That's the plan!" said Bon Bon. "I hope it is, anyway."
At the bottom of the stairs, Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon joined the rest of the students who were filing into the gym. The bleachers had all been opened up, and several rows of folding chairs had been set up near the stage - the gym often doubled as an auditorium. Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon took seats in three adjacent chairs near the front, and waited for the rally to begin.
After a few minutes, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna took to the stage. Celestia stood in front of the microphone to address the student body. "As I am sure you all know, tomorrow, Canterlot High School will be hosting our fellow students from Crystal Prep Academy as we join together in the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship and fidelity to compete in the Friendship Games."
The students of Canterlot High responded with mostly half-hearted cheers. Clearly, they weren't feeling the school spirit.
"Since the Games only happen every four years," Celestia went on, "I'm sure you're all curious what goes on."
"You mean other than us losing?" Flash Sentry shouted from the back bleacher.
"I seriously don't know how he made the team..." Lyra whispered to Bon Bon.
Celestia gave Flash an unamused look, then continued her speech. "And that is exactly why I've asked Rainbow Dash to come up and give you all a little, um... context." She stepped away from the mic, and a girl with light blue skin and rainbow-colored hair quickly snatched it up.
"Thank you, Principal Celestia," said Rainbow Dash. She cleared her throat, and turned to face her fellow students. "I know a lot of you might think there's no way we can beat a fancy school like Crystal Prep at anything."
"Unless it's a 'losing to Crystal Prep' competition!" Pinkie Pie called out. "Because we're really good at that!"
"Well, she ain't wrong..." Bon Bon muttered.
Rainbow sighed. "And I know that CHS has never won the Friendship Games even once." She paused impressively. "Crystal Prep students are super athletic, super smart, and super motivated. But there's one thing they aren't - they aren't Wondercolts!"





As Rainbow's rallying song ended, everyone gave her and the marching band a huge round of applause. Rainbow went to join her friends backstage, while the rest of the students began exiting the gym to go home for the afternoon.
"These ears are nice!" Sky remarked, adjusting the blue headband with yellow horse ears that he was now wearing. "I think I'll keep them."
"Me too!" Lyra agreed. She and Bon Bon had gotten headbands too. "I feel all pumped up for tomorrow now!"
Bon Bon nodded. "So do I! That pep rally was way better than I thought it would be!"
"Yeah, it was good!" said Sky. "Any plans for the rest of the day?"
Lyra shook her head. "No, I just want to relax before tomorrow. What about you?"
"Me neither," Sky replied. "I just had a meet yesterday, so I'm not going to bother with track practice today."
"That's fair," said Lyra. "Especially since you did so well in that meet. You've earned a day off!"
Sky smiled. "Thank you! I agree." He had finished third in the 800-meter race yesterday afternoon, and had set a new personal record for it.
As they walked out of the school together, Bon Bon checked the time on her phone. "Oh, shoot... I just remembered I have a dentist appointment at eleven today. I have to go now. See you tomorrow."
"That's all right. See you, Bonnie!" Lyra said as Bon Bon headed off.
Sky then remembered the advice Sugarcoat had given him, and decided to take a chance. "Hey, Lyra... if you don't have anything planned for tonight, do you want to get dinner with me at Vincenzo's? My treat."
Lyra initially blushed and looked surprised, but then smiled. "Sure, Sky! I'd love to! I'll pay for my meal, though - I'd feel bad if I made you pay for everything."
"That works too! Thanks, Lyra." Sky could feel himself getting more and more excited. "It's only a few blocks away from Meadowbrook Park, so we could take a walk there too."
"Sounds lovely!" said Lyra. "What time were you thinking?"
"Does six-thirty work for you?" Sky asked.
"Perfect!" Lyra replied. "I'll see you then!" She smiled at Sky again, then waved to him as she began walking home. Sky smiled and waved back, and began walking home himself.
As Sky walked along the road, he couldn't stop smiling. Just like that, he'd overcome his initial uncertainty and asked Lyra out. Although he hadn't referred to it as such, tonight would be their first date. Naturally, he was still a bit nervous about it, but he was looking forward to it enormously.
When Sky arrived back at his house and opened the front door, Duke trotted in from the kitchen to greet him. Sky pet Duke for a while, then walked into the kitchen and placed his backpack on one of the chairs. Evening was there too. "Hi, sweetie!" she said. "Did you enjoy your short school day?"
"I sure did!" Sky replied. "The classes were only 20 minutes long, and there's no homework over the break either. We had a pep rally too, mainly for the Friendship Games tomorrow and Friday."
"Oh, so that's where you got that headband from!" Evening chuckled. "I was just about to ask you."
Sky nodded. "Yeah, it was fun. By the way... I'm getting dinner with Lyra tonight, just so you know."
"Ooh, did you ask her today?" Evening asked.
"Yep. Since she's competing in the Games, she wanted to do something relaxing tonight, so I offered to get dinner with her at Vincenzo's and go to Meadowbrook Park afterward."
"Well, that was nice of you. Though I had a feeling you liked her - your eyes always seemed to light up whenever you mentioned her."
"Yeah... I guess I wasn't great at hiding it," Sky admitted. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know."
"No worries. Vincenzo's is a couple miles away, though. Do you need me to drive you? I can pick up Lyra too if you want."
"No, I think I can walk there. I'll meet up with Lyra on the way and we'll walk there together. Thanks for the offer, though."
"You're welcome," Evening replied. "The thought of you going out with someone is making me feel old, though."
Sky shrugged. "Eh, it was going to happen eventually."
Evening nodded and pat Sky on the shoulder. "Good luck tonight. Most importantly, enjoy yourself."
Sky smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. I will."





At 18:15, the alarm on Sky's phone went off, reminding him that it was time to get going. He got up from his desk and went into the bathroom to comb his hair. Although he wasn't intending his first date with Lyra to be overly formal, he still wanted to look nice for it. He'd shaved the night before, so there was no need to worry about that. Once downstairs, he put on his sneakers and left the house.
It was still bright and sunny outside as Sky walked along his street. Earlier that afternoon, Lyra had texted her address to him so that they could meet up and walk to the restaurant together. Sky looked at her text again to make sure he had it right. "Yep, 87 Amber Road," he said to himself. "Good." He'd always had a penchant for memorizing numbers.
Sky found Amber Road a few blocks west of the school, and it wasn't long before he arrived at number 87, a two-story light green house with nice gold trim. "I'm here! 🙂" he texted to Lyra.
"Coming! 😄" Lyra quickly responded. In less than a minute, she opened the front door and met Sky on the sidewalk. "Hi, Sky!" she said with a smile. "Looks like it didn't take you too long to find me!"
Sky smiled back. "Nope!" He glanced over at the house behind her. "You've got a nice-looking house. The colors remind me of you."
"Thanks!" Lyra chuckled. "I can see why. Anyway, you ready to go?"
"I'm ready if you are," Sky replied.
Lyra grinned, and they set off down the road together. They passed through several wooded side streets that Sky hadn't often seen before. "This is a nice quiet neighborhood," he commented. "I haven't been through here much before."
"Yeah, it's nice around here," Lyra agreed. "Bon Bon lives in this area too. That's kind of why we've been friends for so long - we live, like, two minutes away from each other."
"That's always convenient," said Sky. "I live on Malachite Avenue, about a mile east of the school, so I'm not too far away from you either."
"Oh, nice! Is that near the Bay?"
"Not quite, and it's not close to Crystal Prep either. Crystal Prep is about three miles east of where I live, so getting there in the morning was always a pain."
Lyra nodded. "Ugh... I can imagine. My parents hate driving through east Canterlot - the first thing my mom does when she gets home is complain about the traffic."
"So does my dad," Sky chuckled. "The buildings in the seaport are cool, but the surface roads suck."
"You can say that again," Lyra agreed. "I don't have my permit yet, but when I do, I'm not driving to that side of the city if I can help it."
"That's probably for the best. I turned sixteen in October, so I've been eligible to get mine for a while now, but I've just been too lazy."
"Understandable. My birthday's in July, so I can't get mine yet even if I wanted to. I've driven my parents' cars around parking lots a few times, though."
"I've been doing that too. Although my parents have manual transmissions, so it's basically been a test of how far I can get without stalling it!"
"Seriously?" Lyra exclaimed. "Wow! If you can even get a manual going, I respect you. I've never been in one, but it looks so complicated."
"It's not as complicated as it looks, but starting the car is the hardest part. I'm pretty decent at it now, but sometimes the car just doesn't like me for whatever reason."
Lyra giggled. "That's rude of it!"
They soon emerged from Lyra's quiet neighborhood onto a busy street. Sky and Lyra stuck close by each other as they made their way along the crowded sidewalk. Before long, they arrived at Vincenzo's, a family-run Italian restaurant that they'd both gone to in the past. Sky walked up to the door first and held it open for Lyra. "Oh, thank you!" Lyra said warmly.
"You're more than welcome," Sky replied with a smile.
There was no line at the counter, so Sky and Lyra were able to walk right up. "Good evening!" the young woman at the counter said with a mild Italian accent. "Welcome to Vincenzo's! What can I get for you tonight?"
Lyra looked up at the menu. "I'll have your signature baked ziti, please. And a glass of lemonade."
The cashier nodded, then turned over to Sky. "And for you, sir?"
"I'll have what she ordered," said Sky.
The cashier nodded again, then told them their total. Sky and Lyra reached into their pockets and each paid half that amount. The cashier quickly put the money in the register, then handed them a sign with a table number on it. "All set! We will be with you shortly."
"Thank you!" said Lyra. She turned to Sky. "Where do you want to sit?"
"How about over there near the window?" Sky suggested. "Seems like a nice spot."
"Works for me!" said Lyra. She and Sky found a clean window table and sat down across from each other. Luckily, the window faced east, so they wouldn't be blinded when the sun inevitably set.
"I might have asked you this earlier, but do you have any plans for spring break?" Sky asked.
"I do!" Lyra replied. "I'm going to Manhattan with my parents and sister for a few days. I think we're leaving on Saturday morning and coming back on Wednesday night."
"Ooh, that's awesome! Are you going to check out some of the skyscrapers there?"
"Maybe! I think our hotel is near the Crystaller Building. That's the one with the giant gold horse head, isn't it?"
Sky nodded. "Yep, that's the one. I've never been there myself, but it's pretty famous. I heard there's a big observation deck at the top."
"I heard that too!" said Lyra. "I'll have to ask my parents about it. The main thing they want to do is take me on a tour of this one college there. It looks nice from what I've seen, but isn't it a little early to be thinking about colleges?"
"Yeah, we're not even halfway through high school yet," Sky agreed. "There are several schools with good architecture programs around here, but I'm not going to start looking until this summer at the earliest."
"I wasn't going to either, but my parents say this one has a really good music program. Wolfgang Canter University, I think it's called?"
"Oh yeah, WCU. I've heard of that one. It's mostly an art and music school, I think."
"Yeah, that's what my parents told me. So it could be a good fit, but I'd rather not think that far ahead right now."
At that moment, a waitress arrived at their table with two plates of baked ziti and two glasses of lemonade. "There you are! Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" Sky and Lyra both said. The waitress smiled and returned to the kitchen, while Sky and Lyra began digging into their pasta.
"Wow, this is good," said Lyra. "You picked a good restaurant."
"Thanks!" Sky replied. "The food here is always really good. And if you have leftovers, they taste even better."
Lyra chuckled. "Yeah, leftovers are underrated. Anyway, what about you - are you going anywhere next week?"
Sky nodded. "I am! I'm spending the weekend in the county north of Manhattan, so we'll only be an hour away from each other!"
"Ooh, what a coincidence!" Lyra exclaimed. "What are you going to do up there?"
"I'll be visiting some of the old Gilded Age mansions along the Sapphire River. There are a few that my parents really want to see, and I've always loved touring old houses too. There's something about the antique marble furnishings and big lawns that's just so relaxing."
Lyra smiled. "Sounds like it'll be a nice trip." She then began to giggle. "My parents took me to one of those mansions a couple years ago. I danced around the place and pretended I was a queen, which may have annoyed the tour guide slightly."
Sky laughed too. "That's brilliant! If you ask me, I think you were just too cool for them. Screw that lame-ass tour guide!"
Lyra laughed even harder. "Oh, Sky!"
"Besides, why would you need to pretend to be a queen?" Sky went on. "You already are one. I'm decreeing it."
"Aww, thank you so much!" Lyra giggled, blushing lightly. "Are you going to buy me a crown?"
"Hmm... I can if you want," Sky said thoughtfully.
Lyra grinned. "Yes please!"
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Sky mimed tipping his hat to her and winked, causing Lyra to giggle again.
"Yeah... I've always been a weirdo," Lyra chuckled. "When I was younger, I would dress up and pretend to be a unicorn all the time. One day in second grade, I checked out a mythology book from the library, and that was the start of a new obsession!"
Sky smiled. "Sweet! Can't say I blame you for it. Unicorns are fun - I think we all enjoy them even if we won't admit to it."
"Exactly!" Lyra exclaimed. "Glad we're on the same page! I'm pretty sure most of my classmates back then thought I was crazy, but I never really cared that much. Being crazy is fun!"
"Absolutely!" Sky agreed. "I was never really into mythology and fantasy myself, but I was still a pretty weird kid. In my preteen years, I went through a phase where I was just learning swear words and saying them at every chance I got."
"Oh no!" Lyra laughed. "Did you get in trouble for it?"
Sky nodded. "Oh yeah! Lots of times. Most of my teachers were baffled as to where I'd learned so many bad words! I guess that's what happens when you get access to the Internet at a young age, and you're a joker like me."
"You're not wrong there. The Internet led Bonnie and I down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories when we were around the same age. Not my best self, that's for sure."
"Yeah, the longer you spend looking around, the more weird stuff you discover. Makes me feel normal by comparison!"
"Same! But everyone's weird in one way or another, so you may as well own it."
Sky raised his glass of lemonade. "Amen to that!"
Lyra smiled and winked at Sky. "By the way, when did you first get into architecture?" she asked.
"To be honest, it's pretty much always been an interest of mine," Sky replied. "I didn't mention this before, but I actually did live in Canterlot for a few years when I was very little. Whenever my parents took me into the city, it was hard not to be captivated by all the tall buildings and big bridges. Originally I wanted to be a construction worker, but with my parents' encouragement, I decided to aim a little higher."
"Well, I'd say you're definitely talented enough to become an architect!" Lyra said with a smile. "That city drawing you did last month was amazing! Way better than mine."
"Thanks!" said Sky. "Don't sell yourself short, though. I may be able to draw some awesome buildings, but if you ask me to draw an animal or a person, I'm a lost cause!"
"Yeah, those aren't as easy as they look," Lyra chuckled. "But I've been sketching unicorns and other mythological creatures in my notebooks for years, so I've gotten pretty good at those."
"To be honest, I've always been kind of a perfectionist," Sky admitted. "That was one reason for the problems I had at Crystal Prep - I was okay for the first month or so, but then I started struggling with my classes and it all went down the toilet from there."
"I can imagine," said Lyra. "It's good to challenge yourself, but you don't want to push yourself over the limit. You're not still sad over what happened at Crystal Prep, are you?"
"No, not anymore. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's in the past now, and I can't go back and change it. Besides, if it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have gotten to know you, and I definitely wouldn't want to change that."
"Oh, you're too kind!" Lyra chortled.
After a few more minutes, both Sky and Lyra were finished with their dinner. "I think I'm about ready to go now," said Sky. "Are you?"
"Yep," Lyra agreed. The pair got up from their table and left the restaurant.
"Have a nice night!" the woman behind the counter said as they left.
"You too!" Sky replied.
When Sky and Lyra stepped outside, they found that it was now dark. "I guess the sun set while we were eating," Sky chuckled. "Didn't even notice."
Lyra giggled. "I guess we were too busy looking at each other."
"Probably," Sky said with a smile. "Do you still want to go to the park?"
"Sure!" said Lyra. She pulled out her phone to check the time. "It's not that late, anyway."
Meadowbrook Park was about half a mile south of Vincenzo's. After leaving the downtown area, Sky and Lyra turned onto Midnight Lake Road, a winding street lined with thickets of evergreen trees. "I love nights like these," Lyra said as they walked along. "It's so clear that you can even see the stars." She pointed up at the night sky, where numerous stars were shining far above the treetops.
"Yeah, it's really nice when that happens," Sky agreed. "And somewhere in the park, there's an even better view of it. When I took Duke there on a walk last month, I discovered something amazing that I really wanted to show you."
Lyra's eyes lit up. "What kind of something?"
Sky winked at her. "Wait and see."
The park's west entrance was located at the corner of the next major intersection. Sky pressed the button for the walk signal, and it flashed on almost immediately.
"I usually go through the east entrance when I come here," Sky said as they walked through the open metal gates. "The place I want to show you is basically at the opposite corner of the park, but that just means more time for us to spend together."
Lyra smiled warmly. "Sounds like a good deal to me."
The park was just as serene as it had been the last time Sky had visited it at night, and it felt even more lovely to be walking through it with his dream girl by his side. It also occurred to both Sky and Lyra that they were alone in the park. "It feels so surreal to be here all by ourselves," Lyra observed. "It's so much more peaceful here at night."
"It really does," Sky agreed. "It looks nice at all hours, but sometimes it's so crowded that you can't really relax. I prefer when it's nice and quiet, like it is now."
"I totally get that. As much as I love hanging out with my friends, sometimes I need a quiet space to sit and play my harp."
After walking along the moonlit path for some distance, Sky and Lyra arrived at the fork. "Let's go up this way," Sky said, pointing to the left. "I bet you've never gone up here before."
"No, I haven't!" Lyra replied. "I never even noticed there was a path up there. Is the place you want to show me up there?"
"It sure is! It'll be a steep walk to get there, but trust me, it'll be worth it."
"Then I'll follow you the whole way." Lyra followed Sky up the steep path into the trees. As the path started to ascend, Sky offered Lyra his hand so that she wouldn't stumble. Lyra smiled and blushed as she gently grabbed onto it.
Before long, Sky spotted the opening in the trees up ahead. "We're almost there!" he said. They quickly made their way to the top of the hill, still holding hands. When they arrived at the clearing, Sky motioned to the beautiful vista that lay in front of them. "Well... here it is."
As Lyra gazed out at the panoramic view of Canterlot, her eyes widened, and her smile turned into an awestruck grin. "Sky... this is beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I never bothered to come up here before!"
Sky smiled warmly. "I was just as enamored when I first discovered it. It really is beautiful. But this time, I've got someone even more beautiful to enjoy it with me. You."
Lyra blushed brighter than ever before, and her golden eyes twinkled. "You... you think I'm that beautiful?" she gasped.
Sky nodded as he felt his face getting warm too. "Yes, I do, Lyra. Both on the outside and on the inside. I've felt that way ever since I met you."
"That means so much to me, Sky," Lyra said gently. "And not gonna lie, I've always really liked you, too. How smart and funny you are, and how you've always done everything you can to make me happy. We've only known each other for a couple months, but... I think I love you, Sky."
Sky blushed and smiled, and his blue eyes twinkled too. "I love you too, Lyra."
Sky and Lyra wrapped their arms around each other in a warm hug, and then without even thinking about it, they closed their eyes and allowed their lips to meet. They could each feel their hearts beating with sheer joy, and could envision nothing but the one they loved the most. They explored each other's lips with their own, savoring every second of a wonderfully beautiful moment. After what felt like a blissful eternity, their lips slowly parted and they gazed into each other's twinkling eyes.
"I... I can't believe we did that..." Lyra giggled softly. "Wow..."
"I can't believe it either..." Sky whispered. "Our first kiss on our first date. My first kiss on my first date."
"Mine too," said Lyra. "And I couldn't have asked for a better guy to do it with."
"I couldn't have asked for a better girl, either," said Sky. "The loveliest girl I've ever known."
Lyra sighed happily. "This was truly the best night I've ever had. Thank you so much for everything, Sky."
"You're more than welcome, Lyra. I would do anything for you."
Sky and Lyra admired the view for a little while longer, then began heading back down the hill. Lyra didn't want to stay up too late on the night before the Friendship Games, and Sky figured he should get home before his mom began asking him where he was. Nevertheless, they had both confessed their true feelings to each other, and felt nothing but pure bliss as they walked hand in hand along the street. When they arrived back at Lyra's house, Lyra said goodbye to Sky and kissed him one more time. Sky watched her go up the front steps, then began walking back to his own home, still in a state of euphoria. As Lyra had said, it was truly the best night ever.