"You look like you're in a good mood!" Bon Bon remarked when she met up with Lyra the next morning. "What's going on?"
"I had the most amazing night ever with Sky!" Lyra squealed. "Want to hear about it?"
"Of course!" said Bon Bon. "I take it the date went well?"
"Oh, it went perfectly! After dinner, he invited me for a walk in Meadowbrook Park, and he showed me a path I'd never even noticed before. It led up to a hill with an amazing view of the city. I was awestruck when we got there, and then he told me I was even more beautiful than the view. I told him how much I'd grown to love him since meeting him, he told me he loved me too, and then we kissed. The night couldn't have gone any better!"
"That sounds amazing!" Bon Bon exclaimed. "Congratulations! Just make sure you don't rush the relationship, that's all."
Lyra nodded. "Of course, Bonnie. I'm just so happy right now!" She sighed dreamily as she continued thinking about Sky and the romantic night she had shared with him.
"You know, I'm happy for you, but... are you sure you can compete in the Games today without daydreaming?" Bon Bon asked. "Sky's probably going to be on your mind all day."
Lyra laughed. "Don't worry about it! My mind jumps from place to place all the time. I can switch gears with no problem."
"All right," said Bon Bon. "Just do what you need to do. We've been training for a month and a half - we've got this."
"Totally," Lyra agreed. They nodded to each other and shook hands in agreement.
When Lyra and Bon Bon arrived at the intersection near Canterlot High and crossed the street, they saw a familiar face coming the other way. "Sky!" Lyra exclaimed with delight. She left Bon Bon behind and ran towards her boyfriend.
"Lyra!" Sky exclaimed in return. When they met, they wrapped their arms around each other and shared a warm, tight hug.
"How are you feeling about today?" Sky asked. "You feeling good?"
"You bet I am!" Lyra replied. "Even better now that you're here! Let's go in!"
Sky and Lyra held hands as they walked up to the school, with Bon Bon following behind. Two large sleek buses were parked on the street next to the main entrance. "Looks like Crystal Prep's here already," Sky remarked.
In the main atrium, there was a large handwritten sign on an easel: WELCOME PARTY IN GYM @ 9:00 AM, ALL STUDENTS INVITED TO ATTEND 🙂
"We're having a welcome party for them?" Sky asked.
Lyra nodded. "Yep. I think it's only mandatory for people on the teams, though. So you don't have to go if you don't want to."
"No, I'll still go," Sky replied. "I came here to cheer you on, and I'll be with you the whole way. What kind of boyfriend would I be otherwise?"
"Oh, you're a sweet one!" Lyra giggled, putting her arm around Sky again.
Just then, Sky's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see who had texted him. It was a message from Cloudchaser in their group chat. "Hey, if you're coming to the gym right now, go outside and around the back," the message read. "The main door is jammed."
"Ugh... my friend Cloudchaser says the main door to the gym is really crowded right now," Sky explained to Lyra and Bon Bon. "We'll have to go around back and enter from the outside."
"Um... okay," said Lyra. "Do you think those doors will be open?"
"They should be," Sky replied. "They usually are during the day."
So Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon turned around and went back out the front doors. As they walked down the steps, a lavender-skinned girl in a Crystal Prep uniform hurried past them. She had dark purple hair tied into a bun, wore a pair of thickly framed glasses, and seemed to be holding a small round device in her hands. "Hi, Twilight!" Bon Bon called. But the girl didn't respond, and quickly went into the school. Bon Bon and Lyra looked at each other and shrugged.
"You know Twilight?" Sky asked.
"Yeah, we do!" said Lyra. "She was the exchange student who visited here a couple times back in the fall. How do you know her? You weren't here when she was."
"Well... that's because Twilight's a Crystal Prep student. I think she's the class valedictorian, actually," said Sky. He was beginning to get confused. "And Crystal Prep never sent one of their students here as an exchange. Not that I know of, anyway."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "That's... weird. I'm officially confused now."
"I could have sworn that was her..." Bon Bon added.
"Oh, that was definitely her," said Sky. "When I was at Crystal Prep, I would see her scurrying around the halls all the time. Who knows how many secrets she's hiding?"
They went around the school and found one of the side doors to the gym. When they entered, they looked around and saw colorful balloons and streamers hanging everywhere. "Wow, they really went all-out with the decorations!" Sky remarked.
"Definitely!" Lyra agreed. "Looks like a lot of people showed up, too."
Although there were a lot of people in the gym, the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts seemed to have congregated on opposite sides of it, as if there was an invisible line down the middle that no one could cross. Sky soon spotted Sugarcoat standing with two of her classmates, and waved to her. She smiled and waved back, only for another Shadowbolt to shoot her an angry look. Sky rolled his eyes. "Sour Sweet, of course..." he muttered to himself.
"Hey, guys!" Flash Sentry said when he saw Lyra and Bon Bon. "How are you feeling about today?"
"Pretty good," Bon Bon replied. "What about you?"
"I'm feeling all right," said Flash. "Sorry about my comment at the rally yesterday. I was just exhausted from all the training we had to do."
Bon Bon shrugged. "Eh, it happens. Just don't bring that attitude into the first event!"
"Don't worry, I won't!" Flash chuckled. "Vermilion's not here to roast me, anyway!"
Bon Bon laughed. "Are you sure that's a good thing? I would have said we need her to get your ass into gear!"
"Fair point!" Flash admitted.
None of the Canterlot High students appeared comfortable around their rivals. Lyra, Bon Bon and Flash tried to appear friendly. Sour Sweet, a Shadowbolt with a maroon ponytail and freckled cheeks, initially reciprocated, then suddenly snarled at them, threw her paper cup on the floor and stomped on it. Lyra, Bon Bon and Flash all glared at her, while Sky simply rolled his eyes again.
"What's her problem?" Lyra whispered to Sky.
"That's Sour Sweet," Sky explained. "She's just as two-faced as her name suggests. Please avoid her."
Lyra nodded. "Will do."
When Sour Sweet wasn't looking in her direction, Sugarcoat walked away from her and gestured for Sky to come over. "Looks like my cousin's calling me," Sky said to Lyra. "I'll be right back." He finally let go of Lyra's hand, then walked over to join Sugarcoat at the end of the gym.
"Hello, Sky," said Sugarcoat.
"Hi, Sugar," said Sky. "You wanted to talk to me?"
Sugarcoat nodded. "Yeah, I just wanted to check in with you and get away from some of my classmates. Sour Sweet goes overboard at times."
"You can say that again," Sky agreed.
"Anyway, how are you holding up? I can imagine seeing some of your former classmates again could be nerve-wracking."
Sky scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, it's not ideal but I'm fine. The last two months have been great, so I'm not going to let the little things bother me too much."
Sugarcoat smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. By the way, I noticed you and Lyra holding hands when you came in. Can I assume that means what I think it means?"
Sky smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, you can. I took your advice to heart, and boy, did it pay off!"
"I knew it would. Sometimes a bit of extra confidence is all you really need."
At that moment, a Crystal Prep girl with light blue skin and short magenta hair came over. "Excuse me, Sugarcoat, I just thought I'd let you know..." She trailed off when she saw Sky. "Oh, lovely. It's you."
Sunny Flare had always been very fastidious about her self-image, and was a major stickler for the rules. Needless to say, she and Sky had never gotten along. "What do you want, Sunny?" Sky grumbled. "I'm talking to my cousin."
"Nothing that concerns you, obviously," Sunny replied disdainfully. "I'm surprised you even wanted to show your face in front of the Shadowbolts again after everything you've done."
Sugarcoat was getting fed up. "You're making this conversation awkward for no apparent reason," she said bluntly.
"Exactly," Sky agreed. "Go bother someone else."
"As you wish." Sunny turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Sky and Sugarcoat alone again.
"Yeah... I had a feeling something like that would happen," Sky admitted. "I'm really only here for Lyra."
"I understand," said Sugarcoat. "Hell, some of my classmates have been getting on my nerves today too - like Sunny. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. I'll let you go back to Lyra now."
"Thanks, Sugar. I appreciate it." As Sugarcoat headed over to the refreshment table, Sky went back to reconvene with Lyra. "I'm back! Sugarcoat just wanted to catch up with me, that's all."
"I figured as much," said Lyra. "Do you want to go get some fruit punch?"
"Sure!" said Sky. He and Lyra went over to join Sugarcoat at the refreshment table. "Hey, long time no see!" Sky chuckled sarcastically. Sugarcoat laughed too.
"Hi, Sugarcoat!" said Lyra. "I'm Lyra Heartstrings. Sky's girlfriend as of last night."
"Nice to finally meet you, Lyra," said Sugarcoat. "Sky's talked about you many times. He's always been very up front about his feelings."
"Aww..." Lyra giggled. She leaned against Sky, and he gently nuzzled her hair with his cheek.
Sugarcoat smiled. "I'd say you two make a very nice couple. And it sounds like you've really helped Sky turn things around."
Lyra and Sky both nodded in agreement. "Yes," said Sky. "Yes, she has." He poured some fruit punch into two paper cups, and gracefully handed one to Lyra. "Have a drink on me, my dear!"
Lyra's eyes twinkled. "Thanks, babe!" They feigned clinking their paper cups together, and enjoyed a refreshing drink. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they were rudely interrupted.
"Well, if it isn't Sky Scraper!" Royal Pin sneered as he strode up to the refreshment table. "How's public school been treating you?"
"I fail to see why Sky's personal life should concern you at all," Sugarcoat deadpanned.
"It concerns me because he's the insolent loser who picked a fight with me for no reason two months ago," Royal snapped. "I was in pain for weeks because of him!"
"Oh, that's bullshit!" Sky retorted. "You were able to walk just fine after you got up. Quit whining and get lost!"
Royal shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not finished with you. I hope you're still miserable at your new school, and if you aren't, I will make it so. You can be sure of that."
"And what exactly are you going to do, huh?" Lyra interjected. "My boyfriend doesn't give a rat's ass what you think of him."
"Your boyfriend?" Royal laughed. "Oh, that is a good one! In what world would a pretty girl like you ever settle for a lowlife like him?"
"Oh, you think he's the lowlife in this situation?" Lyra shot back. "You're the one who's being all pissy over something that was dealt with two months ago. You're the lowlife, not Sky!"
"Exactly!" Sky agreed. "I served my punishment, and I've moved on. So how about you dig your head out of your ass and do the same?"
By this point, Royal was furious. He looked as though he was ready to start another fight when Sugarcoat intervened. "The only thing you're accomplishing right now is making a complete ass of yourself in front of everyone," she stated firmly. "And getting into a fight just before you're due to compete in the Games would be a very bad idea."
That seemed to get the message across. Royal looked down and growled in annoyance. "Fine, you have a point there. But this isn't over. One of these days, I will get even, and you're not going to like it." He pointed his finger at Sky one more time, then walked away in a huff.
Sugarcoat sighed. "Sorry you two had to deal with that. Royal is an insufferable asshole."
"He always has been," said Sky. "Thanks for standing up for me, both of you."
"Anything for you, babe," said Lyra, wrapping her arms around Sky again.
"No problem at all," Sugarcoat replied. "But you held your own pretty well. I'd say you won that argument."
Sky managed a smile. "Yeah, it felt good to shut him down."
"Hey, Sugarcoat!" called a loud, obnoxious voice from across the gym. "Get over here!" Sky recognized the voice as belonging to Indigo Zap.
"I'll be right there!" Sugarcoat called back. "Sorry, Sky. Indigo's calling me, so I have to go. I'll talk to you later." She jogged away to find out what her teammate wanted from her.
"Let's just go sit on the bleachers together," Sky suggested to Lyra. "I'm not in the mood for any more confrontations."
"Me neither," Lyra agreed. "I just want to be alone with you for a while." She gave Sky a peck on the cheek, and they walked over to the bleachers. They climbed up to one of the higher rows and sat down, glad to finally have some alone time away from everyone else.
"Well, this party's been a bust so far," Sky remarked.
"Tell me about it!" Lyra groaned. "It seems like nobody's getting along well with anyone." She pulled out her phone and opened up a music playlist. "Do you want to listen to some harp music with me? This concerto is one of my favorites."
Sky smiled. "I would love to."
Lyra pulled a set of pink wired earbuds out of her other pocket, and handed one end to Sky. "Only my boyfriend is allowed to share my earbuds with me." She pressed the play button, and she and Sky leaned in close together as the gentle music began. They tuned out everything else around them, simply enjoying the silky smoothness of the harp and the warm presence of the one they loved. There may have been tension brewing elsewhere in the gym, but Sky and Lyra felt perfectly content in their own little corner of it.
Just as the harp concerto drew to a close, Principal Celestia stepped onto the stage to address the students. "Hello, everyone! I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS. I would also like to recognize the twelve students that CHS has elected to compete. I don't think we could have chosen a better group to represent the excellence, sportsmanship and friendship that the Games stand for."
Lyra looked up and waved, as did Bon Bon and Flash who were sitting nearby. No sooner had Celestia finished speaking than the lights in the gym suddenly dimmed, and the big disco ball hanging from the ceiling turned on. Smooth disco beats began playing from Vinyl Scratch's turntable stand. Like magic, everyone in the gym stopped glaring at each other, and started to dance and mingle instead. Moments later, two blasts of rainbow confetti shot into the air.
"Now this is more like it!" Sky exclaimed. Lyra smiled and nodded in agreement. They climbed down from the bleachers and began getting into the groove.
"Hey, Sky!" said Flitter.
"Some party, huh?" added Cloudchaser.
"Oh, yeah!" Sky agreed. "Much better than before!" He and Lyra moved around the gym, holding hands and dancing to the rhythm. To Sky's surprise, several students from Crystal Prep nodded and smiled at them.
Unfortunately, the dance party came to an abrupt end just a few minutes later. Principal Cinch strode up onto the stage and tapped on the microphone, which sent an ear-piercingly loud feedback noise through the speaker system. The lights came back on, the disco ball shut off, and everyone groaned and held their ears.
"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Sky growled.
"I'd like to thank Principal Celestia for her... unconventional welcome," Cinch said in a condescending manner. "It's been four years since the last Friendship Games, but it feels as though nothing has changed. Canterlot High continues to pick its competitors in a popularity contest, and Crystal Prep continues to field its top twelve students. It is a comfort to know that even after so many years of losses, your school remains committed to its ideals, regardless of how misguided they may be. I wish you all the best of luck, regardless of the inevitable outcome." Cinch gave a smug smile, then stepped back from the microphone.
"I hate her already..." Lyra muttered.
"Trust me, you are not alone," Sky quipped.
Just like that, the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts were back to glaring at one another. Sky and Lyra simply returned to their spot on the bleachers.
About an hour later, Sky made his way up to the art room. About half of the first floor was now reserved for the Friendship Games' first event, but the remaining students in attendance were free to follow the action from anywhere else in the building.
"Hey, Sky!" Vermilion said when Sky walked in. "You here to watch the Games?"
"Yep!" Sky replied. "Are you streaming it live?"
"Indeed I am! I've got it on my computer, and I've hooked that up to the projector. Take a seat up front!"
So Sky did just that. He sat down next to a boy that he recognized from his Latin class. This boy was tall and slender, with pale white skin and long light green hair. "Hey!" said Sky. "Emerald Leaf, right?"
"Yup, that's me," Emerald replied. "And you're Sky Scraper?"
Sky nodded. "Yep! You know, we've been sitting near each other in Latin for a couple months now, but we've never really had the chance to talk properly. Do you also take Drawing & Painting?"
Emerald shook his head. "No... I'm not a very good artist, to be honest with you. And sorry if I never really talked to you before - I guess I'm just kind of shy." He motioned to the girl sitting alongside him. She had light green skin and scarlet dreadlocks. "By the way, this is my girlfriend, Tree Hugger. She's a better artist than me, so she invited me here."
"Radical to meet you, Sky," Tree Hugger said in a laid-back voice.
"It's nice to meet you too," said Sky. "How long have you two been together?"
"Since last Christmas," Emerald replied. "We made out at a holiday party that some of the other eco-kids were hosting."
"Nice!" Sky chuckled. "Coincidentally, my girlfriend and I had our first kiss just last night, at Meadowbrook Park. And she's competing in the Games today!"
"Really?" Emerald asked. "That's awesome! Who is she?"
The live stream of the Games was now up and running, and the two teams could be seen lined up on opposite sides of the main atrium. Sky spotted Lyra and pointed to her on the projector screen. "That's her! The cutie with the mint green hair. Her name's Lyra Heartstrings."
"Cool!" said Emerald. "Best of luck with her!"
Sky smiled. "Thanks! Good luck to you two as well!"
The voice of Vice Principal Luna came over the intercom. "Good morning, students. I'm sure you're all thrilled to start the first day of the Friendship Games. Our competitors will face off in every aspect of the CHS curriculum, culminating in the elimination equation finale."
In the atrium, Dean Cadance addressed the competitors directly. "Welcome to the first event - the Academic Decathlon! You'll be scored on Chemistry, Home Ec, and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move onto event number two. Good luck!"
And with that, the latest edition of the Friendship Games officially began.
Over the next couple of hours, the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts faced off against each other in all kinds of competitions, including chemistry, baking and woodshop. Lyra put in solid performances in every category, but Bon Bon suffered a major embarrassment when she and Flash Sentry somehow baked a loaf of bread with sprinkles instead of a layer cake. On the opposing team, Sugarcoat passed through every event with flying colors. There was a midday break for lunch, but after that, the competition was back on. The Academic Decathlon proved to be an extremely close contest, with the Shadowbolts scoring a narrow victory in the final round. At the end, the six highest-scoring students from each team were revealed. Sugarcoat was one of the six for Crystal Prep, but Lyra and Bon Bon narrowly missed the cutoff.
"I just saw the full scores - I was literally only nine points away from advancing to the second round!" Lyra groaned as she, Bon Bon and Sky walked out of the school together.
"What? Oh, man!" Sky cried. "That's so frustrating!" He put his arm around Lyra. "You're still number one to me, though. You did an amazing job today."
Lyra smiled. "Thanks, Sky. You're the best."
"Hey, at least you managed to get close," put in Bon Bon. "That stupid loaf of bread killed my chances completely."
"I was just about to mention that!" Sky laughed. "How did that even happen?"
Bon Bon sighed heavily. "Well, I thought I was following the right recipe, but Flash Sentry insisted he knew a better one. Goes to show you how much he knows about baking."
"Well, in the words of Vermilion, Flash is garbage!" said Sky. "Sorry you had to get partnered up with that guy."
"Yeah, I'm never letting him live that one down," agreed Bon Bon. "Ever."
Soon, it was time for Sky and Lyra to head their separate ways. "See you tomorrow, Sky," said Lyra. "Thanks for cheering me on today!"
"You're more than welcome, Lyra," Sky said with a smile. They exchanged a short but sweet kiss, then headed home in opposite directions. The day had been far from perfect, but the important thing for Sky was that he'd been there to support Lyra throughout. That's what a good boyfriend was there to do.