Over the next week, a new wave of excitement swept over Canterlot High. The month of May was set to be an exciting one, with several fun events in store. The two annual spring dances - the Spring Fling for freshmen and sophomores, and the CHS Prom for juniors and seniors - were fast approaching, and during the week before Memorial Day weekend, a portion of the sophomore class would go on a camping trip in the Everfree Forest.
On the Tuesday before the Spring Fling, the track teams were practicing for the last regular meet of the season. Sky and the other distance runners were doing laps around the school grounds. Thunderlane was keeping a good pace, but didn't see the point of the exercise.
"I don't know why we're doing such a long workout," complained Thunderlane. "I mean, we're going to lose tomorrow no matter what."
"What makes you say that?" Sky asked.
Wind Waker, a senior, drew alongside the two sophomores. "We're competing against Titania High at their own track," Wind explained. "Both of their teams are undefeated this year, and their number one guy is the fastest high school runner in the state. I'm not trying to discourage you, but winning against them would be a really tall order."
"Ah... I see what you mean," said Sky. "Well, at least we've had a good season up to this point."
"We've had a really good season!" Wind agreed. "We're currently 4-1. Well, we'll probably be 4-2 after tomorrow, but that's still pretty good. You guys have done a great job too - keep it up!"
"We will," said Thunderlane. "Thanks, Wind!"
Wind ran ahead to talk with the team captains, while Sky and Thunderlane remained side by side. "You ready for the Spring Fling this Friday?" Thunderlane asked.
"You bet I am!" Sky replied. "I've got my tux, Lyra's got her dress, we're all set! Her parents have booked a limo to take the two of us there. I can't wait!"
"Sweet! Unfortunately, I don't have a date this year," Thunderlane admitted. "In fact, I haven't been on a date with anyone since my breakup with Rarity last spring."
"I remember you mentioning that before. What happened with her?"
"Oh, it was ugly. Basically, what happened was..."
Suddenly, Sky's right foot hit a sharp divot in the ground. He felt his ankle twist to the side, and searing pain shot through it. "Aw, shit!" he groaned, gradually slowing to a stop.
"Are you okay, Sky?" Thunderlane asked with concern.
Sky shook his head. "No..."
Wind Waker came jogging back. "Did something happen?"
"I think I just twisted my ankle," Sky muttered. "Stupid lumpy dirt... why can't the groundskeeper fill in the holes?"
Wind nodded. "All right. We'll get you back to the track, and you can go home for the afternoon. Do you think you can still walk on your own?"
"I think so," said Sky. "Just not very fast."
"That's good then," said Wind. "Take it easy."
"I'll go tell Coach what happened," volunteered Thunderlane.
Wind gave him the thumbs-up, and Thunderlane began running ahead to find Coach Soarin. Meanwhile, Wind accompanied Sky as he hobbled back to the school.
"Did you twist your ankle, Sky?" Soarin asked when Sky arrived back at the track.
"Yeah." Sky lifted his right foot, then winced as he put it down again. "I think I stepped in a hole over there." He pointed toward the back of the school's property, which was lined with trees.
"The ground can get pretty bumpy back there," Soarin agreed. "You'd better go home and rest for at least today. Do you have ice packs at home?"
"Of course I do," Sky replied.
"Then make sure to ice up your ankle as much as possible," Soarin advised. "Keep that foot elevated whenever you can, too. Unless you're back to 100 percent by tomorrow morning, skip the meet and give yourself time to recover."
"Okay," said Sky. "Thanks, Coach." He gingerly went over to his running bag and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to his mom, explaining what had happened and asking her to pick him up.
"Oh no! 😟" Evening responded. "I just got here a few minutes ago. Come right over and we'll get you an ice pack."
Sky put his phone back in his bag, then slowly entered the school to retrieve his backpack. Fortunately, the locker rooms were on the first floor, so he didn't have to go up the stairs. He picked up his backpack, closed his locker, and slowly went out to the parking lot.
Evening was waiting for Sky in the front row. Sky placed his backpack in the back seat, then carefully climbed into the front, making sure to avoid placing any weight on his injured foot. "Hi, sweetie. Twisted your ankle while running?" Evening asked.
Sky nodded. "Yep. My right foot hit a hole in the ground somewhere, which twisted the ankle. Coach said I should ice it up and keep it elevated."
"That's good advice," agreed Evening. "We'll get you an ice pack, and then you can sit on the couch with your foot on the ottoman. I'm sure Duke won't mind keeping you company while you rest."
"Good idea. I'm just annoyed this happened."
Evening nodded. "Of course it's annoying. But the important thing is that you give your body time to heal."
"I really hope I'll be okay for the dance on Friday..." said Sky. "I'd be a lot more upset if I had to miss that."
"If you miss it, you miss it," said Evening. "But that's still three days away, and in any case, I'm sure Lyra will understand. Now let's get you home."
Sky was out of action for the remainder of Tuesday afternoon, sitting on the couch with a reusable ice pack around his injured ankle. When he woke up the following morning, he found that his ankle still hurt, so Evening gave him a nylon brace for support. The brace helped to reduce the pain, and Sky felt better by the time he arrived at school and found Lyra waiting for him.
"Sky!" Lyra exclaimed, running up to give him a hug. "Is your ankle feeling better?"
Sky nodded. "Compared to yesterday, yes. I'm still going to take it easy for the rest of the week, though. I want to make sure I'm in good shape for the dance!"
"That's good! It'd be so sad if our first dance together got ruined by some stupid rut in the ground."
"Exactly!" Sky agreed. "I won't allow that to happen if I can help it. But since I'm skipping the track meet today, do you want to come over to my house this afternoon? I still haven't showed you around, or introduced you to Duke."
"Sure!" Lyra replied with a grin. "I'd love to! Right after school?"
"That's what I was thinking. My mom's car has plenty of room - I'll keep you company in the back!"
"Perfect! Anyway, I have to go now. See you later!" Lyra kissed Sky on the cheek, then headed off to her first class. Sky smiled and watched her leave before doing the same.
Sky walked down the hall at a slower pace than usual, nursing his injured ankle as much as he could. When he arrived at Mr. Script's classroom, he took his usual seat next to Thunderlane.
"Hey, Sky!" said Thunderlane. "How's the ankle?"
"Better than yesterday," Sky replied. "No more running for me this week, though."
Thunderlane laughed. "Lucky you! You've got a legit reason to skip the meet today."
"Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it! I invited Lyra over to my place this afternoon instead, just to hang out. You know, typical boyfriend-girlfriend stuff."
Thunderlane rolled his eyes. "Even luckier. Your afternoon's gonna be so much better than mine."
At the end of the day, Sky and Lyra walked leisurely down the stairs and out a side door. "My mom usually parks on this side," Sky explained.
"Does she work during the day, or does she stay at home with you?" Lyra asked. "If I'm not at a friend's house, I'm usually home alone with my sister until our parents get back."
"She started working part-time again a few years ago," Sky recalled. "So she works in the morning but comes home in the afternoon."
"Oh, that's nice! At least she's around if you need her for anything."
"Exactly! And she never had to hire anyone to watch me when I was younger."
When Sky and Lyra stepped out into the parking lot, Sky spotted his mom's car and pointed it out. "It's that gray sedan over there. I'll sit in the back with you!"
Lyra smiled as Sky opened one of the sedan's rear doors. "Hi, Mom!" he said. He then motioned to his girlfriend. "This is Lyra. I invited her over to hang out with me this afternoon."
"Hi!" Lyra said, waving to Evening.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Lyra!" Evening said with a smile. "I'll be happy to have you over for this afternoon. If you and Sky want to sit together in the back, feel free to put your backpacks up front."
"Thanks for having me!" said Lyra. She and Sky placed their backpacks on the front passenger seat, then climbed into the back seat together. Once they'd fastened their seat belts, Evening started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
"How's your ankle feeling, Sky?" Evening asked. "Is the brace helping?"
"Definitely," Sky replied. "My ankle feels a lot less painful than it did yesterday."
"Oh, good! Glad to hear it's helping you."
"So, how often does Sky talk about me?" asked Lyra.
"Any time I ask," replied Evening. "But he's always happy whenever he does. He can be hard to read sometimes, but not when he talks about you."
Lyra turned to her boyfriend and smiled. "You weren't hard to read for me, either. I could tell you liked me as soon as we met."
"Guess I was that obvious?" Sky chuckled.
Lyra winked at him. "Well, not too obvious, but just enough for me to see it. Of course, I felt the same way, so I didn't mind at all!"
Sky smiled. "Glad we were in agreement from the beginning."
"So, Lyra, what do you like to do when you're not at school?" Evening asked.
"Well, I've been playing the harp for a long time now," Lyra replied. "My dad taught me how to play it when I was really young. Sometimes I perform at concerts in the city."
"Oh, wow!" Evening remarked. "Playing an instrument for that long must take a lot of dedication."
Lyra nodded. "It does. But my dad was a musician too, and now he's a music professor, so it runs in my family. Other than that, my friend Bon Bon and I both love spy and mystery movies. Mainly the ones about SIA 97."
"The SIA 97 movies are some of the best!" Evening agreed. "You and your friend have good taste."
Lyra chuckled. "Thanks!"
Evening soon arrived at 273 Malachite Avenue. She slowed down as she approached the light blue house, then turned the car around, reversed into the driveway, and stopped in front of the garage. Sky and Lyra got out, retrieved their backpacks, and waited at the front door.
"You have a house key in your backpack too, you know," Evening said to Sky.
Sky shrugged. "I know, but mine gets stuck in the lock whenever I try to use it."
"I think you're just not trying hard enough," Evening scoffed. She took out her keys, found the correct one, and unlocked the door to let Sky and Lyra into the house.
As soon as Sky entered the living room, Duke came running up to greet him. "Hello, Duke!" Sky exclaimed with a grin as he began massaging his dog's neck.
Lyra smiled warmly and held out her hand. "Hi, Duke! I'm Lyra." Duke sniffed Lyra's hand for a little while, then gently pushed his head against her to ask for pets. Lyra happily obliged, scratching Duke behind the ears in the same way that Sky normally did. "Are you a good boy?" she asked in a high-pitched voice. "Yes, you are!" She turned to Sky. "Looks like I've made a new friend already!"
Sky chuckled. "I knew he'd like you. Duke's a good judge of character."
"You can leave your backpack in the kitchen if you want," said Evening. "Feel free to take off your boots, too."
"Sure thing!" Lyra replied. "Thanks again for having me over."
"You're welcome, Lyra!" Evening said with a smile.
Sky and Lyra took their shoes off, then went into the kitchen and left their backpacks on a chair. Sky washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and Lyra did the same after Sky was done.
"If either of you is hungry, I've got a container of watermelon cubes in the fridge," said Evening.
"That sounds great!" said Lyra. "Thank you so much!"
Sky opened the refrigerator and pulled out the box of watermelon. He then grabbed a pair of toothpicks for him and Lyra. "My mom always has something cut up in the fridge for me when I get home," Sky explained.
"Wow, that's really nice of her!" said Lyra. "It seems like she does a lot of really nice things for you."
"She does! I'm really grateful for her."
Sky and Lyra stood by the kitchen counter for a while, enjoying some refreshing fruit. When the container was empty, Sky placed it in the sink. "Do you want to head upstairs with me?" he asked. "I'll show you around my room."
"Of course!" Lyra replied. "You can lead the way!"
On the way to the stairs, Sky and Lyra passed by Duke's bed, and both stopped to pet him again. "He's feeling comfortable around you already," Sky chuckled.
Lyra smiled. "He likes me just as much as Artemis likes you!"
The morning after their sleepover, Sky had met Lyra's cat, who warmed up to him in no time at all. "I guess you could say that!" Sky agreed. "We have such good pets."
Lyra nodded in agreement. "We do!"
After a little while, Sky and Lyra left Duke and headed upstairs. Since Sky's injured ankle prevented him from climbing stairs quickly, he let Lyra walk ahead of him.
"Would you like my support?" Lyra asked, holding out her hand.
"Oh, you don't have to. But I'll hold your hand anyway because I love you."
"Aww, you're the best!" Lyra giggled.
At the top of the stairs, Sky pointed out the door to his room and went over to open it. "So what do you think?" he asked once Lyra had taken a look around.
"It looks really comfy!" said Lyra. "I like how it's not too messy or too neat."
"That's how I try to keep it!" Sky said with a smile. His room had a few stacks of books and papers lying around, mainly consisting of anything that didn't fit on his bookshelf or in his storage bins. But other than that, he did his best to keep everything organized. The only exception was the dark blue fleece blanket on his bed, which lay unmade and wrinkled on top of the mattress.
"To be honest, I've never really seen the point of making my bed," Sky admitted. "I mean, why bother tucking in my blanket if I'm just going to undo it as soon as I go to sleep?"
"Well, I usually make my bed just so it looks nice," said Lyra. "But you're not wrong about the blanket! I don't tuck mine in either - I just smooth it out and lay it across. Besides, sleeping with a tucked blanket makes my feet uncomfortable."
"Exactly!" Sky agreed. "I'm glad to see you have sensible views on this."
Lyra laughed. "We really do get each other, don't we?"
Sky smiled and nodded. "Better than anyone else." He then glanced over at the armchair at the end of his bed. "I wonder if my chair has room for both of us?"
"Let's find out!" said Lyra. They both darted over to Sky's armchair, squeezed themselves into it together, and then burst out laughing.
"Oh no, I'm stuck!" Sky exclaimed.
"What, am I too thick for you?" Lyra teased.
"What makes you say that?" Sky chortled. "Just scooch a teeny little bit to your left..."
So Lyra did, and Sky fit himself neatly into the space between her and the chair's right arm. "Perfect!" Sky said as he and Lyra propped their feet up on the end of the bed. They put their arms around each other and looked into each other's eyes, still giggling to themselves.
"Is this comfortable for you?" Lyra asked.
"Well, I'm next to you, aren't I?" Sky replied with a flirtatious smirk. "So yes."
Lyra giggled some more. "We're such goofballs, aren't we?"
Sky smiled. "I wouldn't have us any other way." He and Lyra playfully rubbed noses with each other and shared a series of short kisses.
"I don't know about you," Sky said after their lips parted, "but I'm feeling too comfortable to leave."
"So am I," agreed Lyra. "I guess we're stuck here."
Sky chuckled. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"
Lyra winked at him. "Of course not."
"By the way... remember how you sent me a picture of your dress's tag last week?" Sky asked with a smile. "That was such a tease!"
"Mm-hmm! I just wanted to get you excited. You're gonna love my dress when you see it on Friday!"
"Well, I hope so!" Sky laughed. "You've been keeping me in suspense for over a week!" He winked at Lyra. "Also... I might have a surprise waiting for you as well."
"Oooooooh... now you've got me excited too!"
At that moment, Duke came trotting into the room. "Oh, look who it is!" Lyra chirped.
"It's Duke!" exclaimed Sky. "Hey, buddy!"
Duke made a beeline for where Sky and Lyra were sitting, then ducked underneath Sky's legs and poked his head up between Sky and Lyra. "Looks like he wants attention from both of us!" Lyra chuckled. She and Sky began petting Duke simultaneously, with Sky petting the left side of Duke's head and Lyra petting the right. All the affection made Duke excited, and he suddenly tried to jump up into their laps.
"Duke, no!" Sky said firmly. "Off!" Duke quickly retreated back to where he had been sitting, and Sky returned to petting him. "You can't sit in my lap, Duke! You're too big!"
"He just wants to be close to us!" said Lyra. When Lyra reached over to pet Duke again, he licked the palm of her hand. "Aww, thank you!"
Lyra stayed where she was for the next half hour, chatting with Sky and petting Duke. Eventually, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and read the message. "Wait... what?" she exclaimed, trying not to laugh.
"What is it?" Sky asked.
"Minty accidentally locked herself out of the house!" Lyra snickered. "She needs me to come home and let her back in."
"Oh no!" Sky laughed.
Lyra did a facepalm, still chuckling to herself. "I don't know what she gets up to when I'm not around. Sorry, babe, but I guess I have to go home now." She quickly typed a reply to Minty's text, reassuring her sister that she would be there as soon as possible.
"No worries!" said Sky. "I understand. Besides, I should probably be doing my homework now anyway."
Lyra nodded. "Honestly, me too. Well, thanks so much for inviting me over here... and for introducing me to this good boy!" She gave Duke one more neck massage.
"Do you need me to scooch over?" Sky chuckled.
"No, I'm fine! You left enough space for me." Lyra stood up and stretched, and then Sky did the same.
"See you tomorrow, Lyra," Sky said with a smile.
"You too, Sky." Lyra hugged and kissed her boyfriend, then went downstairs to the living room, where Evening was sitting on the couch.
Evening smiled. "Hello again, Lyra. Have you been in Sky's room this whole time?"
"Of course!" Lyra replied. "But I have to go home now. Again, thank you so much for having me over today."
"You're welcome," said Evening. "Have a good afternoon!"
"You too!" Lyra put on her boots, then opened the front door and headed out of the house. There really was nothing better than spending time with Sky.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and the following day, Sky's ankle continued to heal. When he got out of bed on Friday morning, he found that he could walk normally without any pain at all.
"Good morning, sweetie!" Evening said when Sky came downstairs for breakfast. "How's your ankle feeling?"
"It's all better now!" Sky replied. "I'm definitely ready for the school dance tonight."
"Yay!" exclaimed Evening. "I told you not to worry about it! Do you think you'll be okay without the ankle brace?"
"I think so," said Sky. "I can walk just fine without it now, so I should be able to dance without it too."
"Good! I'm glad your ankle was able to heal so quickly."
When Sky arrived at Canterlot High later that morning, he found that the main atrium was much more decorated than it usually was. Colorful, glittery streamers hung everywhere, and the walls displayed pictures of the two girls running for Spring Fling Princess. Since Sky didn't recognize either of the candidates, he didn't stop to look at the posters. He made his way through the usual crowd of students and headed to his English class.
Sky sat down at his desk just as Thunderlane came in. "Well, tonight's the night!" Sky announced.
Thunderlane nodded. "Sure is. Have you voted for the Spring Fling Princess yet?"
Sky thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I have. Should I? I don't know either of the girls who are running for it."
"Well, you don't have to if you don't feel like it," said Thunderlane. "Personally, I voted for Trixie. She's running against Rarity, and I really don't feel like seeing my ex-girlfriend win. The polls are still open until the end of the day, so you can drop off a ballot at lunch if you want."
"All right, I guess I can vote today," said Sky. "Didn't Rarity lose last spring, though?"
"Yeah, she did," Thunderlane replied with a grimace. "And then she blamed me for it, which is why we broke up."
"Good morning, everyone!" Mr. Script said, calling everyone's attention to the front of the room. "Today's the day of the Spring Fling, so if you're attending the dance tonight, I hope you have a wonderful evening. In our class today, we'll be reading chapters nine and ten of The Midnight Flyer. Since I understand this is an exciting night, there will be no homework for this weekend!"
Everyone cheered upon hearing that. Sky pulled out his copy of the book and began reading, still looking forward to that night's dance with Lyra.
Sky looked into the mirror on top of his dresser and smiled. "Looking good!" he said to himself. He was standing in his room, wearing a midnight blue tuxedo with a white undershirt and a black tie. He had rented the tuxedo at the end of spring break, nearly three weeks in advance, and he was sure that Lyra would love it. His hair was perfectly combed, and his teeth shone a pure shade of white.
Sky glanced over at the digital clock next to his bed. The time was 19:32, meaning that just under half an hour remained before the Spring Fling officially began. Sky gently straightened his tie one more time, then picked up a black box that had been sitting on his desk. With the box in his hand, he left his room and walked down the stairs.
Evening and Air were both waiting for him in the living room. "You look wonderful!" Evening exclaimed when she saw him. "That tux looks like it was made for you!"
"Thanks, Mom!" said Sky. "I'm all set for tonight, I think. Hair combed, teeth brushed, everything."
"Do you want us to take a picture of you?" Air asked.
"How about we wait until Lyra gets here?" Sky suggested. "I'd rather have a picture of me and her together."
Air nodded. "True, that would be better. But I agree with your mom - that tuxedo fits you perfectly. You chose well!"
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. "That must be her!" said Evening.
"I'll open the door," said Sky. He took the handle and slowly swung the door open. When he saw Lyra, his eyes lit up like never before.
Lyra was wearing a beautiful blue and purple dress with gold trim. The sleeveless bodice was decorated with pink and white vertical stripes, and the wavy golden hemline flowed down to her knees. The waistline featured a golden lyre similar to the necklace that she usually wore, and she was also wearing a nice pair of blue and gold heels. She smiled warmly at her boyfriend. "Hey, Sky... how do I look?"
Sky smiled. "You look absolutely gorgeous, Lyra. You were right - I love your dress! How about me?"
"Wonderful to the extreme," said Lyra. She entered the house, and Sky gently closed the door behind her. While they gazed into each other's eyes, Evening grabbed her camera off of the bookshelf.
"I agree with Sky," Evening said to Lyra. "You do look lovely tonight! Are you two ready for a picture?"
"Well, hang on a minute," said Sky. He picked up the black box and presented it to Lyra. "Remember our first date, when I offered to buy you a crown? Well..." Sky opened the box, revealing a shiny pink tiara inside. "How's this?"
Lyra gasped, then grinned. "Oh, Sky! I love it! Thank you so much!"
"You're more than welcome," Sky said with a smile. "Would you like me to crown you?"
Lyra giggled. "Yes, please!"
So Lyra lowered her head, and Sky gently placed the tiara on top of her head. "There you go, Lyra," he whispered. "Now that's a look befitting a queen."
Lyra simply put her arms over Sky's shoulders and kissed him on the lips. They then stood together in front of the door. "All right, we're ready now!" said Sky.
Evening held the camera in position, while Sky and Lyra took each other's hand and smiled. Evening took three pictures, then lowered the camera to look through them. "These look amazing!"
Air pat Sky on the shoulder. "Enjoy your first school dance, buddy. I hope you and Lyra have a great night."
"Thanks, Dad," Sky said with a smile. He then turned back to Lyra. "Are we ready?"
"You bet!" Lyra replied. "Our limo is parked right outside."
Sky waved goodbye to his parents, and then he and Lyra walked out together. A white stretch limo was parked in front of the house. When the chauffeur opened the door for them, Sky and Lyra thanked him and gracefully climbed into the seating area. The interior was very luxurious, with soft white cushions lining the seats along the back and side of the limo. Sky and Lyra sat down near the corner, and the ride began.
About ten minutes later, the limo came to a stop in front of Canterlot High. "We're here!" said Lyra. She pulled out a thin purple envelope and held it open. "You want to tip the driver?"
"Of course!" Sky opened his wallet and placed a ten-dollar bill into the envelope, matching the ten that Lyra had already put in. Lyra sealed the envelope and handed it through the window to the chauffeur, thanking him for a smooth drive. The chauffeur accepted the tip, then got out and came around to open the door again. Lyra and Sky held hands as they disembarked and made their way toward the school.
Colorful streamers and lights adorned the corridors of the school, along with fake flowers and vines to represent the springtime theme of the dance. When Sky and Lyra entered the gym, they met up with Bon Bon and Octavia.
"Good evening, my friends!" Octavia said with a smile. "It's so lovely to see you here!"
"You too, Tavi!" said Lyra. "You look amazing tonight!"
"Why, thank you!" replied Octavia. "You look gorgeous as well, my dear, and Sky is looking most dapper too."
"Thanks, Octavia," Sky chuckled. "This is actually the first time I've ever been to a school dance. Looks like I'm fitting right in!"
Lyra put her arm around Sky. "You sure are, my boy! There's no one else I'd rather spend tonight with."
Sky smiled. "Same here, dream girl. It'd take a lot more than a bit of ankle pain to stop me from dancing with you."
Bon Bon looked up at the pink tiara on Lyra's head. "Did Sky get that for you?"
Lyra grinned. "He sure did!" She kissed Sky on the cheek. "Isn't he the best?"
"Lyra may not be running for Spring Fling Princess, but she'll always be a queen to me!" said Sky.
Lyra giggled and gave Sky another kiss, while Bon Bon simply smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of the Spring Fling Princess, I wonder who will win this year?" remarked Octavia. "I overheard Pinkie Pie saying that it's been quite a close election."
"Well, Rarity might be tough to beat, given how many people she's friends with," said Bon Bon. "But Trixie's been advertising herself really well."
Sky whispered in Lyra's ear. "I don't know either of them, so I wrote in your name for Princess instead!"
Lyra burst out laughing and gave Sky a big hug. "Oh, Sky!"
Crowds of sharply dressed students continued to file into the gym. When the clock struck eight, Principal Celestia walked onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone. "Good evening, everyone!" she announced. "It is now time for the annual Canterlot High Spring Fling to begin. But first, I would like to announce the name of this year's Spring Fling Princess."
Vice Principal Luna joined her sister on the stage, holding a golden tiara decorated with green jewels. Celestia held up an envelope and drew a small card out of it. After reading the card, she turned back to the crowd with a smile. "The Princess of this year's Spring Fling is... Rarity!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd as an overjoyed Rarity hurried up to the stage. Principal Celestia placed the tiara on Rarity's head, while Rarity beamed from ear to ear. "It is an honor to be your Spring Fling Princess," Rarity said to the audience. "Thank you, my dears. This means so much." She then skipped excitedly off the stage to celebrate with her friends.
At the back of the gym, a girl with light blue hair flipped over a chair in frustration. "This illegitimate result will not stand!" Trixie bellowed. "The Great and Powerful Trixie demands a recount this instant!" The two girls next to her nodded and patted her on the back, but everyone else simply ignored her outburst.
Thunderlane sighed. "Well... this makes up for what happened last year, I guess."
"That's a good way of looking at it," agreed Flitter. "No matter how your relationship ended, losing two years in a row would be even worse."
"Besides," added Cloudchaser, "if you need a partner or two to dance with tonight, you've always got us."
"Thanks," said Thunderlane. He gave each of the twins a hug. "You two are the best friends I could ask for."
"Now then," said Celestia, "the night has only just begun. Who's ready to dance?"
Everyone cheered, even louder than before. As romantic music started playing from the speakers, Lyra held out her hand for Sky. "Ready to have some fun with me?"
Sky smiled. "I'm ready if you are." He placed his hand on top of Lyra's, and their first dance together began.