After getting expelled from Crystal Prep in heated circumstances, Sky Scraper transfers to Canterlot High. There, he meets a beautiful girl whose affection may be just what he needs to rebuild his self-esteem.
Sky Scraper's rocky tenure at Crystal Prep comes to an end when he gets into a fight and is expelled. He transfers to Canterlot High, where his family hopes he can pull himself together. Upon arriving at his new school, he meets a lovely girl named Lyra Heartstrings, whose friendship may be just what he needs to help rebuild his self-esteem. And as the semester goes on, their friendship may blossom into something more.
This story begins two months before Friendship Games.
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.
Lyra Heartstrings was feeling very excited. It was a sunny Friday morning in Canterlot, and the weather was beginning to warm up again. As a bonus, it was also the last day before the traditional week-long February break, and she was looking forward to having several days to relax and sleep in. As she walked along the road to Canterlot High School, the morning sunlight illuminating her mint green skin and her lush turquoise and white hair, she hummed a cheerful classical melody and smiled.
When Lyra arrived at the school, she saw her best friend sitting on a bench, and jogged over to sit down next to her. "Good morning, Bonnie!" she chirped. "What's up?"
"Nothing much, Lyra," Bon Bon replied. She had cream-colored skin and curly dark blue and pink hair. "Just looking forward to vacation."
"Me too!" Lyra agreed. "I wish we didn't have a math test today, though."
"Same! Who schedules a test on literally the last day before a break?"
"Apparently Mr. Cranky does. But I'm sure we'll do fine. Want to go inside, hang out in the library or something?"
"Sure!" Lyra and Bon Bon got up from the bench. They passed by the large marble Wondercolt statue, then walked up the steps and into the building. As usual, only a handful of students and teachers were in the halls when Lyra and Bon Bon entered. Since they both lived within half a mile of the school, they often got there a few minutes early, which gave them some extra time to hang out in the library or cafeteria.
As the girls passed by the administrative offices, they were greeted by Principal Celestia. "Good morning, Lyra and Bon Bon!" Celestia said with a warm smile. "A pleasure to see you. How are you doing today?"
"We're doing great!" said Lyra. "We're just going to the library before classes start."
"That's good." Celestia smiled, then thought for a moment. "Since you're good students who know the school well, do you think you could stay for an extra half hour after school today? I know it's the last day before vacation, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
"Um... sure," said Lyra. "What kind of favor?"
"Would you be willing to give a new student a tour of the school this afternoon?" Celestia asked. "His name's Sky Scraper. He's in tenth grade, the same year as you. He had some trouble at his old school, but I'm sure you two could help him settle in nicely here."
"Trouble at his old school?" Lyra asked.
Celestia nodded. "Yes. Sky is transferring here from Crystal Prep."
Bon Bon groaned. "Oh, great. A Shadowbolt coming over here... just what we need."
"Oh, don't be so negative!" Lyra scolded. "We haven't even met the guy yet."
"I agree with Lyra," said Celestia. "It's not right to judge someone simply because of what school they used to attend. Are you still up for giving Sky a tour?"
"Sure thing!" said Lyra. Bon Bon hesitated for a moment, but Lyra gave her a nudge.
"All right..." Bon Bon said halfheartedly.
"Splendid!" said Celestia. "Wait for Sky in the main atrium after school gets out today. I'm sure the tour won't take too long." And with that, Celestia continued walking down the hall.
Soon many more students began filing into the building. "We'd better go to class now," said Lyra. Bon Bon nodded in agreement. As the two girls went their separate ways, Lyra was looking forward to meeting the new student, but Bon Bon felt unsure.
That afternoon, Sky got ready to go to Canterlot High for his tour. "All right, I'm heading over to CHS now," he told his mother as he walked downstairs into the living room.
"All right," said Evening. "See you in about an hour then?"
"Sure." Sky reached over to the bookshelf to grab his phone, but then remembered it wasn't there. As punishment for what he'd done on Monday, Sky's parents had taken away his phone and laptop for the next month. He was also grounded for the same amount of time, meaning he wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere except to and from school. All things considered, Sky thought the punishment was fair. He pet Duke on his way out the front door, then set off down the street.
As Evening had mentioned earlier, Canterlot High wasn't very far away at all. It was only a mile west of Sky's house, which was quite a bit closer than Crystal Prep was. Sky enjoyed the walk there - the weather was the warmest it had been in months, and there weren't too many other people on the streets. Sky always appreciated a bit of solitude whenever he was out walking.
Within fifteen minutes, Sky arrived at CHS. From the outside, the building looked rather nice. It was about the same size as Crystal Prep, but looked much more inviting. Compared to Crystal Prep's cold spiky exterior, the simple red brick facade of CHS seemed more personable and down to earth. There was also a big white statue of a horse in front of the building, which Sky thought was pretty cool. He was glad that CHS had a different appearance from his old school, and hoped the same would hold true for the inside.
After admiring the building for a little while, Sky walked up the steps to the main entrance and entered the school. In the main atrium, two girls were waiting for him. "Hi!" said one, a girl with a minty color scheme. "Are you Sky Scraper?"
"Um... yep, that's me," Sky Scraper replied. "Are you two giving me a tour?"
"And I'm Bon Bon," said the other girl. "Well, my real name's Sweetie Drops, but I prefer to be called Bon Bon."
Sky smiled. "Nice to meet both of you." He then felt a feeling of warmth inside him as he looked at Lyra. Without a doubt, she was the prettiest girl he'd seen in a long time. She had a beautiful color scheme, an adorable hairstyle, and a pair of gorgeous golden eyes. She was also wearing a lovely outfit, consisting of a sleeveless magenta dress and a pair of frilly blue shorts. Simply put, she looked amazing.
"So where do you want us to start the tour?" Lyra asked him. "Do you know where your classes are?"
Sky shook himself out of his trance. "Uh... nope. I haven't gotten my schedule yet."
"That's fine," said Lyra. "We'll just go this way, then. Follow us!" Lyra and Bon Bon led Sky down the corridor to the left. As they walked, they asked him some questions to get to know him better.
"So you're from Crystal Prep, huh?" Bon Bon asked.
"Yep..." Sky replied. "Unfortunately."
"How come you transferred?" Lyra chimed in. "Just didn't like it there?"
Sky thought about what to say, then decided there was no point in glossing over the truth. "Well, yeah, I didn't like it there. But the real reason is because I got expelled."
"For what?" Lyra and Bon Bon asked in unison.
"Well... I was a bit of a troublemaker at Crystal Prep, not gonna lie. I guess it was my way of protesting against the strict rules and the arrogant culture. Then a few days ago I got into a fight, and... well, that was the last straw."
Lyra looked at Sky sympathetically. "Wow, I'm sorry to hear you had such a bad time there. I'm sure you'll like CHS better, though. People here are a lot nicer and more relaxed."
"As long as you don't cause any more trouble," added Bon Bon.
"I can assure you that I won't," said Sky. "I'm looking forward to getting a fresh start."
"Good," said Bon Bon.
Sky turned to Lyra. "By the way, I, um... really like your outfit," he said with a smile.
Lyra grinned. "Thank you!" she giggled. "I like yours, too!"
Sky was wearing his preferred everyday outfit; a royal blue polo shirt and a pair of black jeans. On his shirt's chest pocket was a symbol of a skyscraper. "Thanks. I'm glad I can finally dress the way I want. Much better than wearing the exact same uniform as everyone else."
"Yeah, I heard Crystal Prep makes everyone wear a uniform. That must have sucked."
"Pretty much everything about Crystal Prep sucked," Sky quipped, eliciting another laugh from Lyra.
"Maybe this is the year we finally beat them in the Friendship Games," said Bon Bon.
Sky smirked. "Even though my cousin's trying out for the Crystal Prep team, I would love to see that happen."
"You have a cousin at Crystal Prep?" Lyra asked.
Sky nodded. "Yep! Her name's Sugarcoat. She and I have been close ever since we were little. Going to school with her was the only good thing about my time at Crystal Prep - she was pretty much my only friend there."
"Well, at least you weren't completely alone," Lyra said kindly. "One friend is still better than none."
"True," Sky agreed. "Hopefully I won't be so lonely here, though."
"Oh, I'm sure you won't be," Lyra said with a smile. "Making friends here is pretty easy, and you already have us to start with!"
Sky couldn't help but smile. It meant a lot that Lyra was already thinking of him as a friend, even though they'd just met.
"As for Lyra and I, we go all the way back to kindergarten," put in Bon Bon. "We've been best friends for ten years!" She and Lyra looked at each other and put their arms around each other's shoulders.
"Really?" Sky exclaimed. "Wow, that's a long time! You must know each other really well by now."
"We sure do!" Lyra giggled. "We have a lot of secrets..."
"...that are kept just between the two of us," Bon Bon finished.
"Then I will ask no further questions," Sky chuckled.
After showing him around the north wing of the first floor, which included the cafeteria and the band room, Lyra and Bon Bon led Sky to the school's library, another large atrium at the center of the school. When Sky walked in, he was very impressed. Nearly every inch of the round walls was lined with bookshelves, and a golden statue of a horse's head sat atop a circular computer desk in the middle of the room. There were two sets of stairs leading up to a mezzanine level, and the dome-shaped roof was made out of blue glass, which let in plenty of sunlight. It was quite the contrast from the dark and gloomy library at Crystal Prep. "Wow, this library is amazing!" Sky remarked.
"Isn't it?" Lyra agreed. "It's a nice place to study or just relax with your friends. Let's go upstairs!" She led Sky up one of the staircases to the mezzanine, and Bon Bon followed behind. From there, the trio headed out a side door and into the second-floor corridor.
"By the way, how many floors does this school have?" Sky asked. "From the outside, I couldn't tell if it was two or three."
"There are three, but the third floor is only used for storage and offices," Lyra explained.
"So basically only two," said Bon Bon.
Sky nodded. "Ah, good to know. Crystal Prep has four, which I always thought was overkill."
"Oh, definitely," Lyra agreed. "By the way, what do you like to do in your free time?"
"Well, I like to draw stuff, usually buildings," said Sky. "I've always been interested in architecture, which is why I have this symbol on my shirt." He pointed to the skyscraper symbol on his chest pocket.
"That's awesome!" said Lyra. "Architecture is really cool. Are you going to take an art class here?"
"Yep! I signed up for Drawing & Painting - hopefully it gets put on my schedule."
"I hope so! Bonnie and I are taking that class too, so maybe you'll be in the same class as us!"
"That would be great! Anyway, what kind of hobbies do you like to do?"
Lyra smiled as she held up the gold pendant around her neck. It was shaped like a lyre. "Well, I've been playing the harp since I was really young. I got this necklace for my birthday a few years ago."
"That's amazing!" said Sky. "The harp is one of my favorite instruments, it sounds so smooth!"
"It does!" Lyra agreed. "My dad's also a harpist, and he began teaching me as soon as my fingers were long enough to pluck the strings. The golden harp we have at home is an heirloom in our family."
"You must come from a long line of talented people, then. I've never had any musical talent whatsoever."
"No shame in that. And if you change your mind, you're never too old to start learning!"
"Well, Lyra tried to teach me how to play once, but I was no good at it," Bon Bon chuckled. "I've always liked confectionery myself. Baking chocolate and other types of candies."
"Ooh, sweet!" said Sky. "You'll have to bring some to school someday."
"I do! I like to keep a stash in my locker. I don't have any in there now, though - wouldn't want to leave them there over break."
"Ah, of course. You're lucky that you get a whole week off like that - Crystal Prep is much stingier with vacations."
"Yeah, it's really nice," said Lyra. "After Christmas break, we get a week off in February and a week off in April, so a vacation every two months."
"That is a sweet deal!" said Sky. "I like this school way better than Crystal Prep already."
Lyra and Bon Bon showed Sky around the second floor, then went back down to the first floor and walked him through the south wing, which included the gymnasium. All in all, Sky quite liked the vibe of the school. It seemed like it would be a good place for him to make a fresh start. The tour finished back in the front atrium. "So what did you think?" Lyra asked.
"I really enjoyed that!" Sky replied. "And it was a pleasure meeting you, too! Thanks for giving me a tour."
"You're welcome!" said Lyra. "Any plans for your break next week?"
Sky shook his head. "No. After I got expelled, my parents grounded me for a month, so I'll be stuck at home for the whole week. Although that's still better than going to Crystal Prep."
"Sorry to hear you got grounded," said Lyra. "I don't have much planned either. Just relaxing and sleeping in."
"Sounds like a great plan to me!" said Sky. "Anyway, I'd better head home now. See you again soon!"
"Bye, Sky!" Lyra replied. "You too!"
Sky walked out of the building and began heading home, while Lyra and Bon Bon stayed in the atrium for a bit longer. "Well, looks like you and Sky hit it off pretty well," Bon Bon remarked.
"Yeah, I guess we did!" Lyra chuckled. "He seems nice, don't you think?"
Bon Bon thought for a moment. "Sort of, but for some reason I don't quite trust him. Maybe it's just because he's from Crystal Prep."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "I think you've been watching too many spy movies, Bon. He said a bunch of times that he hated Crystal Prep, so he's clearly not one of those types."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Still, I'm going to be keeping an eye on him."
Lyra shrugged. "Suit yourself. Anyway, let's go to the mall now. We were going to do that this afternoon, weren't we?"
"Of course! I'm ready if you are."
Lyra and Bon Bon smiled at each other, and the two girls headed out of the school to begin their February break.
As expected, Sky's February break was uneventful since he wasn't allowed to go anywhere. He did, however, appreciate the chance to catch up on sleep and not have to do homework. He spent much of his time either reading books in his room or hanging out with Duke.
On Monday morning, Sky discovered another nice thing about Canterlot High. Their school day started at 8:30 instead of 7:30, so Sky got an extra hour of sleep and didn't feel quite as grumpy when he woke up. After getting dressed, eating breakfast and brushing his teeth, Sky was ready to go. Evening drove him the rather short distance to CHS, and pulled up in front of the school at 8:25. "See you, Mom," Sky said as he picked up his backpack and got out of the car.
"Bye, sweetie!" Evening replied with a smile. "I hope you have a good first day!"
"Thanks! I hope so too." Sky walked toward the school and joined a sizable crowd of teenage boys and girls all filing into the building. When he made it into the atrium, Sky found a bench and sat down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his folded schedule, which he'd received via email and printed out a few days prior. According to his schedule, his first class of the day was English in room 117. Once the crowd of students had dissipated, Sky got up from the bench and made his way down the hall, reading the room number on each door. When he found number 117, he opened the door and walked into the room.
Although the teacher was nowhere to be seen, most of the students had already arrived and were sitting at their desks, casually chatting with one another. Sky wasn't sure where to sit, so he found an empty desk near the back of the room and sat down. Sitting at the back of the class was a habit he'd developed at Crystal Prep - he liked to have his own space and be out of the teacher's view.
Just then, the door opened and a man with light purple skin and light gray hair walked into the room. All of the students turned their attention to him.
"Good morning, everyone!" he said. "My name is Silver Script, and I'm one of the English teachers here at CHS." He chuckled. "You might be wondering why I'm introducing myself to you again. After all, it's only been a week since we last saw each other! Well, it just so happens that today, we have a new student joining our class!" He looked around the room. "Is Sky Scraper here?"
Sky Scraper raised his hand. "Yep, that's me."
"Great to have you with us, Sky!" said Mr. Script. "Could you please stand and introduce yourself to the class?"
"Sure thing." Sky stood up from his seat. He wasn't very good at public speaking, so he wanted to make his introduction as brief as he could. "Hey, everyone. I'm Sky Scraper, but you can just call me Sky. I just transferred here from Crystal Prep, so today's my first day at CHS."
At the mention of Crystal Prep, some students began whispering to one another. "Don't worry, I'm not one of those people," Sky said, feeling a bit annoyed. "I didn't like being at Crystal Prep, and I'm glad to be coming here instead."
"Thank you for sharing that with us," said Mr. Script, "and welcome to CHS!" Sky sat back down, and Mr. Script turned his attention to the full class. "Anyway, I don't have much planned for today, since I didn't want to give you too much work on the first day back. Today we'll just be reading the first three chapters of The Klugetown Files, which I introduced right before break. There will be no written homework for tonight!" Everyone in the class smiled upon hearing that.
Mr. Script walked over to Sky's desk and handed him a copy of the aforementioned book. "We're starting this book today," he explained to Sky. "It's one of my favorite books, so I hope you enjoy it too!"
"Cool." Sky began thumbing through the book, which contained about three hundred pages. The chapters looked fairly short, so reading the first three wouldn't take him very long. He flipped to the first page and began reading.
As it turned out, The Klugetown Files was a really interesting book, much better than any of the boring books that Sky had been forced to read at Crystal Prep. When he finished reading the assigned section, it was only halfway through the class period. Since he was enjoying the book and didn't have anything else to do, he began reading ahead. When he got to the end of chapter six, class was nearly over, so he stopped reading and put the book away in his backpack.
At that moment, the boy sitting on Sky's left turned over to talk to him. "Yo, Sky!" he said. "How you doing?" The boy had dark gray skin and a silver mohawk.
"Pretty good," Sky replied. "I'm liking this book so far. It's way better than anything I read in any of my other English classes. What about you?"
"Same here," the gray-skinned boy agreed. "We're lucky to have Mr. Script, he's such a cool teacher. My name's Thunderlane, by the way. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." Sky and Thunderlane shook hands.
"So I heard you used to go to Crystal Prep," said Thunderlane. "You must know about the big rivalry between us and them."
Sky nodded. "Yes, I do. It's stupid if you ask me."
"Well, it was all started by them. They think they're better than everyone else just because they're some bougie private school. Cross-country and track meets with them are the worst. They always beat us because they can afford to have pro runners as their coaches."
"I actually ran cross-country and track when I was there," Sky recalled. "The running itself was great, but my times were pretty average and I barely talked to anyone else on the team."
"Yeah, I never talked to anyone on that team either," Thunderlane chuckled. "You should join the track team here, though. Sign-ups are next week, and if you were average at Crystal Prep, you'll probably be above average on our team."
"Good idea! I'll definitely do that."
Just then, Mr. Script announced that class was over. "It's now 9:15, so that's the end of our class for today. Have a wonderful rest of your day!"
Everyone began getting up from their seats and grabbing their backpacks to head out. "Well, I gotta go now," said Thunderlane. "My History teacher doesn't take kindly to people being late, I'll tell you that. It was nice meeting you, man!"
"You too!" Sky replied. He got up and followed the crowd of students out of the room. "Thank you, Mr. Script!" he said as he walked past the teacher's desk.
"You're welcome, Sky!" Mr. Script said with a smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you today!"
Sky simply nodded and continued on his way. Near a staircase, he stopped to look at his schedule again. Seeing that his next class was on the second floor, he turned and began walking up the stairs.
A few hours later, Sky arrived at the school cafeteria for lunch. So far, his first day at Canterlot High had gone smoothly, as all of the teachers seemed to have planned a relaxing first day back for the students. Unfortunately, Sky's last class before lunch was located on the opposite side of the school, so he ended up stuck near the back of the lunch line. "Note to self: next time leave History a few minutes early if you can," he muttered to himself.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sky was able to pick up two chicken parmesan cutlets, a green apple and a carton of chocolate milk. He paid for his food, then began looking around the cafeteria for a place to sit. After a minute of not spotting anyone he recognized, he was about to find an empty table and sit by himself when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Sky!"
Sky turned around and saw Thunderlane sitting at a table with two lavender-skinned girls. He waved back to Thunderlane and took a seat next to him.
"How you been, Sky?" Thunderlane asked. "Haven't seen you since first period."
"Pretty good," Sky replied. "My first day has gone well so far."
"This is your first day here?" one of the lavender-skinned girls asked. She had spiky silvery-blue hair styled wildly upward, which made her look a bit taller than the average girl. She then realized she forgot to introduce herself. "I'm Cloudchaser, by the way."
"And I'm Flitter!" said the other girl. She had soft mint green hair with a pink bow. "Me and Cloudy are twins."
"But I'm older by seven minutes," Cloudchaser added.
"Nice to meet both of you!" said Sky. "My name's Sky Scraper. And yeah, this is my first day here."
"Welcome to CHS, then!" said Cloudchaser. "Where did you move here from?"
"Well, I didn't move anywhere - I've been living in Canterlot for a couple years now. I transferred here from Crystal Prep."
Cloudchaser and Flitter exchanged a look. "A Shadowbolt transferring over here... since when does that happen?" Flitter asked.
"Since I got expelled from there," Sky replied nonchalantly.
Thunderlane nearly spat out his apple juice. "You got expelled?!" he cried. "For what?!"
Sky sighed. "It's... a bit of a long story. But basically here's what happened: a couple weeks ago, my cousin and I were walking down the hall when this jerk came up and started acting like a creep toward her. She rejected his advances, and then he got mad and called her names. That got me angry too, so I insulted him back, we got in an argument, and then I busted him in the nose. That's what I got expelled for."
"I think getting expelled for that is kind of harsh," said Cloudchaser. "If that guy was being a creep, then he got what was coming to him."
Flitter nodded in agreement, and Thunderlane gave Sky a pat on the back. "Good for you, showing that asshole who's boss!" he chuckled.
"Thanks," Sky said, stifling a laugh. "I'm not too bothered by it anymore, though. I mean, my parents grounded me for a month because of it, but other than that, I'm fine. I'm just glad I can start fresh here."
"I don't blame you for that," said Flitter. "Crystal Prep students are jerks."
"Pretty much," Sky agreed. "And the administration is even worse."
"Did you get a tour of the school last week?" asked Cloudchaser. "Principal Celestia likes to do that for every new student that comes here."
Sky nodded. "Not last week, since the school was closed, but I did get one on the Friday before break. These two girls named Lyra and Bon Bon stayed after school to show me around, which was really nice."
"That's great!" said Cloudchaser. "I know Lyra and Bon Bon, they're pretty nice. Really smart, too."
"They definitely seemed nice when I talked to them!" Sky agreed. "Lyra and I really hit it off. I hope she's in one of my remaining two classes today."
"Ooh, do you like her?" Flitter giggled, causing Sky to blush. "Just kidding, just kidding! I know it's always nice to have friends in your classes."
"So anyway, what kind of things do you do in your free time?" asked Cloudchaser.
"There are a few different things I like to do," said Sky. "I like drawing architectural stuff - buildings, bridges, that sort of thing. I also like just going outside to walk or run when the weather's nice. Thunderlane told me this morning that spring track sign-ups are next week, so I'll definitely sign up for that."
"That's awesome!" said Cloudchaser. "Flitter and I are runners too. Some of the top runners on the girls' track team graduated last year, so we might have a shot at making the varsity team this season."
"Nice!" said Sky. "I hope you do. I might also have a chance of making varsity."
"He says he was an average runner at Crystal Prep," put in Thunderlane. "As much as we don't like them, their team is insanely good."
"Oh yeah, then you'll do well here," agreed Cloudchaser. "What's your best 5K time?"
Sky scratched the back of his head. "I think it was around twenty minutes? I don't remember exactly."
"That's pretty good," said Cloudchaser. "I'm usually in the high 20s or low 21s. I've been training a lot, though, so you can expect some PRs from me this fall."
"What track events do you think you'll run?" asked Flitter. "I hate sprinting, so I run either the mile or two-mile."
"Probably a mid-distance event, like the 800," Sky replied. "I also hate sprinting, and running for too many laps around an oval track would probably bore me to sleep. I mainly do track just to train for cross-country."
"That is honestly understandable," Flitter chuckled. "Running on trails and streets with different scenery is a lot more interesting. One of the perks of being a distance runner."
"Indeed!" said Sky. "Canterlot has a lot of nice running routes, too."
"Yeah, there are a lot of pretty places in Canterlot," said Flitter. "This city has so much to offer."
"It really does," Sky agreed. "I feel like this is going to be a good spring." He looked out the window. Even though none of the trees had sprouted buds yet, the sun was shining and the grass was looking green again. Spring would be on its way soon, no doubt about that.
Eventually, Sky and his new friends had finished their lunches and were getting ready to head out of the cafeteria. "All right, I'm gonna head off," said Thunderlane. "I have to meet up with my Geometry teacher in a few minutes because I am not doing well in that class."
Sky raised an eyebrow. "Geometry? I took that last year. I'm taking Algebra 2 now."
"Well, I'm stupid at math, so I'm a level below you," Thunderlane laughed. "Anyway, see you later!" He emptied his lunch tray into the trash, then hurried out of the cafeteria.
Cloudchaser and Flitter then got ready to leave. "Flitter and I are going to go shoot some hoops in the gym," said Cloudchaser. "Do you want to come?"
Sky shook his head. "No, thanks. I suck at basketball."
"Ah, that's all right," Cloudchaser chuckled. "See you around, Sky! Nice meeting you today."
"You too!" As the twins left the cafeteria, Sky threw the core of his apple in the trash and tossed his empty milk carton in the recycling bin. He went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then headed to the library. The lunch period at CHS was the same length as any other class period, which gave Sky half an hour to get some homework done. Today, all he had was a set of algebra problems, which he figured wouldn't take him too long.
In the library, Sky found a small table on the mezzanine and sat down. His Algebra 2 class that morning had basically been a review of stuff he'd already learned, and the same was true for the homework assignment. He finished the problem set within twenty minutes. Going home with no homework was a great feeling, and one that he'd almost never experienced at Crystal Prep.
For the rest of his free period, Sky walked around the mezzanine browsing the bookshelves. He soon found and became immersed in a book about famous skyscrapers around the world. After reading for quite some time, Sky looked up at the clock and saw that his free period was nearly over. He quickly returned the book to where he'd found it, then pulled his schedule out of his pocket. His next class was on the first floor, so he grabbed his backpack and walked down the stairs.
As Sky exited the library, he ran into someone he'd been hoping to see all day. "Hi, Sky!" Lyra said with a smile. "I haven't seen you all day! How's your first day been?"
Sky blushed lightly upon seeing Lyra again. She looked just as pretty as she had when he'd last seen her. "My first day has been great!" he replied. "I don't have any homework tonight!"
"Really? Good for you!" said Lyra. "Say, what class do you have next?"
"I have Chemistry in room 129."
"Hey, so do I! Do you want to walk there together?"
Sky smiled. "I'd be happy to." And he and Lyra walked down the hall, enjoying each other's company.
Lyra stood on the Canterlot High soccer pitch, dressed in a full-body peacock suit. What started as a perfectly normal tryout session had steadily evolved into... whatever this was. She stared blankly at the audience and let out a squawk. On the other side of the field, her best friend Bon Bon was now dressed as an owl. Then the next thing Lyra knew, she and Bon Bon were running, or perhaps flying, straight at each other, squawking and hooting at the top of their lungs. They drew closer and closer, and were about to collide in mid-air when Sandalwood's voice cut through their war cries. "Dudes! Vice Principal Luna just posted the roster for the Friendship Games team!"
Just like that, Lyra and Bon Bon forgot about whatever it was they were doing, and quickly rushed off to follow the rest of the students into the school. But before Lyra could reach the bulletin board, she heard a beeping noise coming from somewhere off to the side. It started quietly, then got progressively louder and louder. "Where's that noise coming from?!" she exclaimed.
None of the other students responded. Apparently, they couldn't hear anything.
The noise continued to get louder, and soon the incessant beeping was all Lyra could hear. "What the...?!" she shouted. "Whoever's making that noise, quit it!"
There was still no response. "Ugh!" Lyra growled in frustration. "Is this some kind of -"
Lyra jolted awake to find herself staring across the bed at her digital clock. It was 7:30 in the morning, and her alarm was going off. She reached over and slapped the snooze button. "Agh... what a night..." she groaned.
It was Friday morning, which meant the day of the Friendship Games tryouts had arrived. On most Fridays, Lyra sprung out of bed in a heartbeat, ready for the last day of the week. But this morning, she felt exhausted. The impending tryouts had been playing on her mind nonstop the night before, and the subject had found its way into her dreams as well. Lyra shut her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to clear her mind before she got up to start the day.
Ten minutes later, the alarm went off again. Lyra groaned as she realized she had to get up eventually. She reluctantly rolled out of bed and changed out of her soft pink pajamas. Once she'd gotten dressed, she hurried down the hall to the bathroom. Unfortunately, she found the door to the bathroom closed, and she could hear the voice of her younger sister humming inside. She knocked on the door. "Minty, will you please hurry up in there?" she shouted.
"Be patient, I'll be out in a sec!" came the annoyed reply. "I got here first. You snooze, you lose!"
"Fine..." Lyra stood outside the bathroom and waited.
Two minutes later, Minty Bubblegum came out. She was two years younger than Lyra, and had spring green skin and two-tone pink hair in almost the same style as her older sister. "Okay, the bathroom's yours now," she quipped. "Maybe I should have taken a little longer in there. Payback for you making me wait almost every other morning."
Lyra sighed. "Sorry. I overslept my alarm this morning. And the tryouts for the Friendship Games are today, so I really need to look nice."
Minty shrugged. "Eh, these things happen. Anyway, the bathroom's all yours now."
"Thank you very much!" Lyra said with a smile. She quickly entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Minty rolled her eyes and went downstairs for breakfast.
After applying her perfume and hair spray, Lyra trotted down the stairs and poured herself a bowl of cereal with strawberry milk. As usual, both of her parents were already out of the house. Her father was a music professor at a university several towns north, and her mother worked at a tea company in Canterlot's seaport district. After finishing her cereal and brushing her teeth, Lyra grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, waving goodbye to Minty as she left. But she'd barely made it down the steps before she'd realized she'd forgotten something - her disco outfit for the tryouts. She frantically ran upstairs to her room, grabbed the paper bag she'd been keeping the outfit in, then ran back downstairs and out the door again.
Two blocks down the street, Lyra met up with Bon Bon. "Hey, Lyra!" Bon Bon said cheerfully. "You ready for the tryouts?"
"As ready as I'll ever be..." Lyra chuckled. "I almost forgot to grab my outfit before I left." She held up the bag.
"Oof!" Bon Bon laughed. "Well, it's a good thing you realized before it was too late. I've got mine right here." She held up a plastic bag containing a tap dancing outfit.
"Speaking of the tryouts, I had a really weird dream about them last night," said Lyra.
"Really? I actually had one too. What was yours about?"
"Well, in my dream, the tryouts started like normal. I did my disco routine, you did your tap dance routine. Then for some reason, we started doing all kinds of weird stuff. Arm-wrestling with Bulk Biceps, ripping phone books in half, competitive eating, you name it."
"That's... crazy, because I think all of those things happened in my dream as well!" Bon Bon exclaimed. "Did we dress up as a peacock and an owl too?"
Lyra gasped. "We did! We were about to crash straight into each other in those costumes when we heard that Vice Principal Luna had posted the roster for the team. But before I got to see it, my alarm went off."
"Yep, same here," Bon Bon agreed. The two girls promptly burst out with laughter.
"Well, I guess we had literally the exact same dream!" Lyra laughed. "Right down to the costumes and everything!"
Bon Bon smiled and nodded. "Must be best friend telepathy. We know each other so well, don't we?"
"We sure do!" said Lyra.
The girls soon arrived at CHS, early as usual. They entered the main atrium and walked upstairs to put their dance outfits in their lockers. Bon Bon then headed to her first class, while Lyra stood by her locker and checked her phone for any social media notifications. She put her phone back in her pocket, and was about to go to the library when she saw Sky come up the stairs. "Hi, Sky!" she said, waving to him. "What's up?"
Sky smiled. "Hey, Lyra! Nothing much, I just got here. What are you up to?"
"Just chilling before class," Lyra replied. "Do you want to see my outfit for the Friendship Games tryouts?"
"Sure!" said Sky.
Lyra grabbed the paper bag and opened it for Sky to see. Inside were an airy yellow top, a purple skirt, dark purple leggings, and a pair of sparkly purple boots. "Ooh, pretty!" Sky exclaimed. "Is it a disco outfit?"
"It sure is! Bonnie and I are each doing a different dance style. I'm doing disco, she's doing tap dancing. We bought our outfits at the mall two weeks ago, right after we showed you around the school."
"Ooh, nice! I can't do any kind of dance to save my life..." Sky chuckled. "Good luck. I'm sure you'll blow everyone away!"
"Aww, thanks! I won't let you down." Outwardly, Lyra seemed confident and relaxed about the tryouts. But secretly, she was feeling rather nervous. "Anyway, I'd better go to class now. See you this afternoon!"
"You too!" said Sky. "Enjoy your day!"
Lyra headed to her Orchestra class with a smile on her face. Sky had only been at CHS for a week, but talking with him always put Lyra in a good mood.
Unfortunately, Lyra's good mood didn't last. Throughout the morning, she had difficulty concentrating during her classes, as her mind kept wandering back to the tryouts. She'd been practicing her disco routine for about a month now, but she was suddenly having second thoughts about it. She'd never danced in front of a crowd before, and the thought of taking a wrong step or getting stage fright was a fear that she couldn't push out of her mind. She tried to distract herself and focus on other things, but it was difficult when there were Friendship Games posters hung on seemingly every wall in the school.
Lyra went to the library after lunch, hoping to finally get some quiet time to relax. She found Sky doing homework at one of the side tables. "Hey..." she said as she sat down across from him.
"Hey, Lyra!" said Sky. "How's your day been so far?"
"It's been... all right, I guess," Lyra admitted. "Could be better."
Sky looked at Lyra with concern. "Oh, what's wrong?"
Lyra sighed. "Nothing, I guess I'm just feeling kind of nervous about the tryouts, that's all."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," said Sky. "Hell, I'd probably be too nervous to even try out at all! Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Lyra shrugged. "I'm not sure. Hopefully I can get over it before the end of the day."
Sky thought for a moment. He could tell that Lyra wasn't feeling like her usual sweet and cheerful self, and wanted to do whatever he could to help her. "You know, whenever I feel nervous about something, what usually helps me is just going outside. Do you want to do that? The weather's pretty nice today."
Lyra thought about it, then smiled. "Sure! I'd love to do that. We've got some free time before Chem right now, anyway."
Sky nodded. "Yep! We can go out to the field behind the school, maybe even take a short walk together."
"Ooh, a walk would be nice!" said Lyra. "Let's do that."
"Sounds good to me!" Sky and Lyra walked out of the library and down the hall. They exited the school through one of the side doors. "Good thing this isn't an emergency exit," Sky chuckled. "I remember when I used to set off the fire alarm at Crystal Prep just for the hell of it."
"Oh, jeez!" Lyra laughed.
Sky and Lyra walked along the sidewalk next to the school's main parking lot. When they reached the end, they turned left and began strolling over to the next block.
"One of my favorite things to do in the afternoon is take my dog for long walks around town," Sky said as they ambled through the peaceful neighborhood. "Did I tell you about my dog before?"
Lyra's eyes twinkled at the mention of a dog. "No... what kind of dog is it?"
"He's a yellow Lab. His name's Duke. I got him as a puppy when I was ten."
"Aww! I bet he's a good boy."
Sky smiled and nodded. "Oh, he's the goodest boy! He loves nothing more than getting attention from his favorite people. Being grounded right now isn't ideal, but Duke probably loves it because now I spend even more time petting him."
"Probably," Lyra giggled. "That's really nice. I have a cat at home, but I love dogs just as much."
Sky chuckled. "I've always been good with both. Almost every dog or cat I've met seems to love me."
Lyra winked at Sky. "I guess they know a good person when they see one."
Sky smiled and blushed lightly. "I guess so!"
As they continued their walk around the block, both Lyra and Sky could feel themselves decompressing. The sun was shining overhead, they could hear birds chirping in the trees, and there was hardly any wind at all. "This is a nice day for a walk, isn't it?" Sky remarked.
"Oh, it's perfect!" Lyra agreed. "I think this is just what I needed to unwind."
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Sky said with a smile. "Sometimes we all just need a little fresh air. It's almost like a rest cure."
Lyra nodded in agreement. "It really is. But I think my 'rest cure' is just spending time with my friends. Like you, Sky."
Sky smiled warmly. "Thanks, Lyra. That means a lot. I'm always happy to help a good friend feel better."
Lyra smiled back. "Same to you, Sky."
Sky and Lyra turned back onto the road that led to CHS. When they entered through the front door, the hallways were full of students all walking to their next class. "Looks like we're just in time," Sky chuckled. "You ready for Chem?"
"I sure am!" Lyra replied. "Especially now that I've gotten some fresh air with you." She and Sky set off down the hall together. Lyra didn't feel nearly as nervous about the tryouts now, and she was ready for whatever the rest of the day had to offer.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. "All right, everyone, time to clean up!" Vermilion Brushstroke announced to her Drawing & Painting class. She was Canterlot High's most popular art teacher, a young woman with light tan skin, long wavy scarlet hair, and a laid-back and friendly personality. She allowed all of her students to call her by her first name. "As always, your only homework is to do something fun and relaxing over the weekend. And to those of you trying out for the Friendship Games, best of luck! I'm sure you'll do great!"
Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon got up from their table and returned their colored pencils to where they'd found them. They then grabbed their backpacks and headed out of the art room. "Thank you!" Lyra called to Vermilion as she left.
"You're welcome!" Vermilion replied with a smile. "Good luck at the tryouts!"
"Isn't Vermilion just the nicest teacher ever?" Lyra remarked to Sky as they walked down the hall together.
"She really is!" Sky agreed. "I don't think I've ever had a teacher as laid-back as her. It's nice having an art class again."
"Did they not have art classes at Crystal Prep?" Bon Bon asked.
"They did," Sky replied, "but... let's just say my disciplinary record meant I didn't get first pick when it came to electives."
Further down the hall, Lyra and Bon Bon stopped to retrieve their dance outfits from their lockers. "Looks like it's time for me to head home," said Sky. "Good luck, and see you on Monday!"
"Thanks, Sky!" Lyra replied with a grin. "And thank you so much for helping me relax today. I really needed it!"
Sky smiled. "It was my pleasure. I'm glad I was able to help you!" With that, Sky headed downstairs and out of the building to begin his weekend.
Lyra and Bon Bon headed across the school to the gym. They entered the girls' locker room and found two empty changing stalls. A minute later, they emerged wearing their dance outfits. "Wow, you're looking fab!" said Bon Bon.
"So are you!" Lyra said in return. "You ready to show 'em what we got?"
"Readier than ever!" replied Bon Bon. "How about you?"
"Ready and roaring!" Lyra said with determination. "Let's do this!" They slapped their hands together and shook in agreement, then headed outdoors to the soccer pitch.
A handful of students were already waiting in the bleachers, and Vice Principal Luna sat in the front row holding a clipboard. When Lyra and Bon Bon arrived, Luna checked both of their names off the list.
Lyra and Bon Bon sat next to each other in the third row. Looking around, Lyra could see many more students filing in. The competition looked stiff, so she hoped her disco routine would be impressive enough.
About ten minutes later, Luna stood up to make an announcement. "Since it looks like everyone who signed up is here, it is my pleasure to announce that tryouts for the Friendship Games will now commence! We will go in alphabetical order, so first up is Applejack!" Everyone clapped as the blonde country girl made her way onto the field, holding a bag of apples.
"I'm gonna entertain y'all with a quick jugglin' routine," said Applejack. She opened the bag to reveal two green apples and two red apples. She tossed the apples into the air and began to juggle them rapidly. She juggled the apples for about two minutes, and at the end, she caught the green and red ones separately. The audience applauded as she tipped her hat to them and returned to the bleachers.
One by one, each student showed off a unique talent of theirs, while Luna jotted things down in a small notebook. After what seemed like ages, it was Lyra's turn to go. When Luna called her name, she quickly hopped down onto the field and motioned to Vinyl Scratch, the school's resident DJ. Vinyl quickly brought out a pair of speakers, and Lyra connected them to her phone. "I'll be dancing to a song I wrote and mixed together myself," she explained to the audience. "I hope you enjoy!"
Lyra placed her phone on top of one of the speakers, and pushed the play button on the screen. When the music started to play, she began to dance. To create the music, she'd written a harp solo piece and mixed it with electronic disco instruments to create a very unique song. As soon as it began playing, she was totally in the groove. She forgot all about the audience that was watching her, and moved effortlessly to the rhythm. When the song ended, she flashed the audience a peace sign and returned to her seat. She was given incredibly loud applause, and Luna had a big smile on her face as she took notes on Lyra's performance.
Within the next half hour, the tryouts concluded. "All right, it looks like that's everyone," said Luna. "To each of you who tried out, thank you very much! You all did a wonderful job, so my sister and I will certainly have our work cut out to determine the Friendship Games roster. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!"
With that, the students began filing out of the bleachers to head home for the weekend. Lyra and Bon Bon walked off together. "Lyra, you did amazing!" exclaimed Bon Bon. "You were so smooth out there!"
"Ah, well," Lyra replied modestly, "all I had to do was just get in the groove. You were amazing, too! I've never seen anyone move their feet so fast!"
Bon Bon smiled. "You know me, Lyra. I'm like a secret agent, quick on my feet!" The two girls put their arms around each other, and giggled long and loud. While they would have to wait until Monday to know the results, they knew they'd both put in performances they could be proud of.
On Monday morning, Lyra hurried along the road to school, a new spring in her step. While she'd had a nice weekend, she had been dying to find out if she had made the Friendship Games team. When she met up with Bon Bon, she found that her best friend had been feeling the exact same way. "Let's hurry up!" said Bon Bon. "The sooner we get to school, the sooner we'll know!"
Lyra and Bon Bon arrived at school in record time, and quickly found the bulletin board outside Principal Celestia's office. At the center on the board was a list of twelve names - the names of the students who would be on the Canterlot High Friendship Games team.
"I made the team!" exclaimed Lyra.
"I made the team too!" exclaimed Bon Bon.
"We both made the team!" they exclaimed in unison. They hugged each other tightly and squealed with delight. All those weeks of preparation had well and truly paid off.
It was a quiet Sunday night in Canterlot. Sky was sitting in the armchair at the end of his bed, with Duke squeezed in between his legs. He was massaging Duke's fuzzy chest, which Duke was enjoying immensely, when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He got up to answer it. "Yes?"
Both of Sky's parents were standing outside his room. Evening was holding Sky's cell phone, while Air was holding Sky's laptop. "Would you like your devices back?" Evening asked.
"Of course!" said Sky. "Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?"
"It's been a month now, so yes," Evening replied with a smile. "We're glad you're doing well at your new school."
"It seems like you've been much more relaxed since you transferred," said Air.
"Honestly, I have been a lot more relaxed," Sky agreed. He had been going to Canterlot High for two weeks now, and had settled into his new school very nicely. "The atmosphere at CHS is just better all around. Thanks for not giving up on me."
Evening smiled. "Since when have we ever given up on you, Sky? We know you've got a good head on your shoulders. You just have to make an effort."
"It's good that you learned from what happened last month," said Air. "It's better you learn now than when you're an adult."
Sky nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
"Just so you remember, the first day of track practice is tomorrow," said Evening. "Make sure you pack everything you need."
"Oh, right!" said Sky. "I'd better do that now before I forget."
"Good idea," said Evening.
Sky grabbed his gym bag from his closet, and took a light T-shirt and a pair of polyester shorts from his dresser. He stuffed them into the bag, then left his bedroom and went downstairs. He found his running sneakers in the linen closet, and put them in the bag as well. Lastly, he filled up a plastic water bottle and slid it into one of the side pockets. Now Sky was ready to go for tomorrow. He hoped that Monday's weather would be nice.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. When Sky woke up the next morning, it was raining hard outside, and water drops were slamming against the windows. "Oh, fuck..." Sky muttered to himself. "Please tell me this is just a passing shower..." He reluctantly rolled out of bed and got dressed, then headed downstairs for breakfast.
"How long is this rain supposed to last?" he asked Evening.
"Pretty much the whole day," Evening replied. "Sorry, dude. Looks like your first day of practice will be in the rain."
"Great..." Sky said sarcastically.
About half an hour later, Sky was trudging along the walkway toward CHS, with his raincoat on and the hood pulled over his head. He walked as quickly as he could, and was relieved when he made it to the front doors. As he entered the school, he spotted Lyra and Bon Bon sitting on a bench in the atrium. "Hey, girls!" he said as he sat down next to Lyra. "Good to see you!"
"Hi, Sky!" said Lyra. "Same to you, but I wish I could have stayed home today. This weather sucks."
Sky nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's awful out there. It's even worse for me because I have track practice this afternoon, and it's going to be raining all day."
"Oof!" Lyra chuckled. "I wish it was below freezing. That way, we could have had a snow day."
"That would have been ideal," Sky agreed. "I would be much happier if I was still asleep right now."
"Same!" said Lyra. "This is what I call stay-at-home-in-my-pajamas-all-day weather."
Sky laughed. "That's a good way to describe it! Say, do you have a group study session with the Friendship Games team this afternoon?"
Lyra nodded. "Yep! We have those on Mondays and Thursdays."
"Fortunately, those are always indoors," added Bon Bon.
"That's good!" said Sky. "At least you get to stay dry."
Bon Bon nodded, then looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, class starts in a minute, so we'd better get going."
"See you later, Sky!" Lyra said with a smile.
"See you!" Sky replied. Lyra and Bon Bon got up and headed to their first class of the day, and then Sky headed to his.
A few hours later, Sky was having lunch at his usual table. "Man, it must be nice not being grounded anymore," Thunderlane chuckled.
"Oh, definitely," Sky replied. "I've got my phone and computer back now, and I can actually go places again."
Flitter pulled out her phone and opened up her messages. "Since you have your phone back, do you want to join our group chat? It's just us and a few other people from the track teams."
"Sure!" said Sky.
"Great!" Flitter handed Sky her phone. "Just put your number in and send a text so I know it's you."
"Will do." Sky added his number to the group, then pulled out his own phone and found the group at the top of his messages list. He then typed a message with his name and hit Send.
"Got it!" said Flitter.
"There's also a group chat with the entire girls' track team, but we prefer using this one," Cloudchaser explained. "The main one eats up way too much battery."
"That's a good idea," said Sky. "The boys' team has a group chat too, but I'm considering leaving it. I literally had about two hundred unread messages from it when I got my phone back. There's no way I'm scrolling through all of that."
Thunderlane laughed. "Yeah, the main group chat isn't worth it. The team captains barely use it, so most of the time it's just freshmen posting dumb memes and shit. I already left it a while ago."
"I think I'll do the same right now," said Sky. He highlighted the boys' track group chat, then hit the "Leave Chat" button. "Done."
"By the way, did you hear about what Snips and Snails did on Friday?" Cloudchaser asked. "I swear, those two are the biggest idiots in the whole school."
"I don't know who you're talking about," Sky replied. "What did they do?"
"You didn't hear about it?" Thunderlane laughed. "Oh, man!"
Cloudchaser snickered. "Principal Celestia sent an email about it on Saturday. Just read it." She opened her school email account and showed it to Sky.
Principal Celestia Saturday, March 9 at 2:47 PM
The Importance of Checking One's Emails
Dear students of Canterlot High,
At the beginning of last week, I sent out an email letting you know that the school building would be fumigated at 3 PM on Friday afternoon (3/8), and that all indoor extracurricular activities for Friday would therefore be canceled. Unfortunately, two students did not seem to get the message, and stayed after school regardless. These two students had to be taken to the hospital as a result, and I sincerely hope that they will both recover from the incident. This is a sincere reminder to always read the emails that either I or my sister send out to you, as they may contain very important information that you do not want to miss.
Warmest regards, Principal Celestia
Sky could hardly contain his laughter. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "I didn't have any access to my emails last week, and even I knew the school was being fumigated. How stupid do you have to be to miss something like that?"
"Very!" said Cloudchaser.
"How did you find out who it was, though?" Sky asked.
"Well, who else would it be?" Thunderlane laughed. "Trust me - you'll probably come across them at some point, and then you'll know what I mean."
"Also, Snails posted about it on SnapGab yesterday," added Flitter, "bragging about how he didn't pass out whereas Snips did. Apparently that's a big achievement for him."
"Jeez..." Sky chuckled. "They must be freshmen."
Thunderlane shook his head. "No, they're in our grade. But they look like they should still be in middle school. Like, I don't think they ever hit puberty."
"Oh, then that makes it even worse!" Sky laughed. "I don't even know them, but they already sound hopeless to me."
"They absolutely are," Cloudchaser agreed. "As I said, biggest idiots in the whole school."
Flitter looked out the window and saw that it was still raining outside. "I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to track practice this afternoon..." she sighed.
"Me neither," Sky agreed. "I was hoping for good weather today, but that obviously didn't happen."
"Honestly, I'm wondering how many people are actually going to show up," said Cloudchaser. "The cross-country team had some freshmen who just skipped all the rainy days."
"That's... pretty lazy," Sky remarked. "I get that running in crappy weather sucks, but at least show some commitment."
"Pretty much," Cloudchaser chuckled. "My advice, don't ever skip practice if you can help it."
"That's good advice," said Sky. "At least we'll all be out there together this afternoon."
"Yup!" said Cloudchaser. "You gotta push through the crappy days to get to the good ones."
Eventually, Sky and his friends finished their lunches and left the cafeteria. As usual, Sky went to the library to do homework. When he entered, he spotted Lyra and Bon Bon sitting at a table next to the stairs. However, they seemed to have fallen asleep while studying. Well, I guess that can happen on a Monday, Sky thought to himself. He decided not to disturb them, and sat down at another table to quietly do his algebra homework.
A few minutes later, the doors to the library were flung open and a pair of very ugly, immature-looking boys strutted in. They immediately noticed Lyra and Bon Bon, who were still asleep. "Well, would you look at this!" screeched the shorter, fatter one with brown hair. "Lyra and Bon Bon fell asleep on the job!"
"And they want to be on the Friendship Games team," snickered the taller, skinnier one with green hair. "What do you say we wake 'em up?" He held up a brown paper bag.
"Oh, this is gonna be awesome!" the shorter one wheezed. "I gotta film this!" He pulled a very dirty and battered cell phone out of his pocket. Meanwhile, his friend held the paper bag above Lyra's head and got ready to pop it.
Sky saw all of this unfold, and decided to spring into action. He got up from his table and ran over. "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.
"We're about to pull off an epic prank!" the fat boy laughed. "You wanna watch?"
"No, I do not!" Sky said firmly. "And this is hardly an 'epic' prank anyway." He pointed to the skinny boy. "Put that bag down. Now."
"Make me!" the skinny boy said smugly.
"Yeah, what gives you the right to boss us around?" sneered the fat boy. "We don't even know who you are!"
"My name's Sky Scraper," Sky retorted. "I'm a good friend of Lyra and Bon Bon here, and I know they wouldn't appreciate you popping a paper bag above their heads. Let me guess, you're the two idiots who stayed at the school while it was being fumigated on Friday."
"Hey, we're not idiots!" Snips shot back. "We're just two guys trying to have some fun, that's all."
Sky rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure, that's a good excuse. Now get lost, both of you. I've got better things to do than argue with Dumb and Dumber."
"Oh, now you've done it!" Snips growled. He ran toward Sky, who saw him coming from a mile away. Sky stuck out his leg to trip Snips, and the fat boy was sent sprawling across the floor. Snails put down the paper bag and tried to follow, but Sky tripped him too.
Snips slowly dragged himself off the floor. His face and arms were scuffed up from sliding across the carpet. "You're a big bully!" he whined, glaring at Sky.
"Hey, you're the ones who wanted to troll my friends and then tried to attack me," Sky said nonchalantly. "Don't blame me for this." He sat down next to Lyra.
Snips was unable to think of a response. "Come on, let's go," he said to Snails. "It's no fun hanging around with a meanie face like him."
Snails gradually got up. "Ow..." he muttered. The two idiots trudged out of the library together.
Sky smirked as he watched them leave. "Well, that's that."
At that moment, Lyra and Bon Bon woke up and noticed Sky sitting next to them. "Hey, Sky!" said Lyra. "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago," Sky replied. "I'm surprised you managed to sleep through all the noise that Snips and Snails made."
"What noise?" Bon Bon asked.
Sky explained how he prevented Snips and Snails from giving them a rude awakening. When he finished, Lyra giggled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Sky, you are brilliant! You sure showed them who's boss!"
Sky blushed and smiled. "Ah, it was nothing. I dealt with the idiots, and that was that. How'd you sleep?"
"Very well!" Lyra replied. "Sometimes you just need a quick nap, especially on a Monday."
Sky nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Mind if I sit here while I finish my algebra homework?"
"Not at all!" Lyra said with a smile. "You can sit with us any time you want."
Later that afternoon, Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon were sitting in the art room together. Last week, Vermilion had introduced the class to two-point perspective, and had assigned a two-point perspective drawing of a city as the next project. Since Sky had such a strong interest in architecture, this project was right up his alley, and he was making very quick progress on it. Vermilion was very impressed. "Wow, you're moving right along, Sky!" she remarked. "Very nice!"
Sky smiled. "Thanks! I'm having fun with this project. I really like architecture, as you know."
"Yeah, I figured you'd enjoy this one a lot," said Vermilion. "Are you drawing a waterfront?"
"Yep!" Sky replied. "It's turning out really well so far. I'm looking forward to coloring it in."
"I'm sure it'll look great!" Vermilion agreed. "Speaking of which... this just reminded me of when my brother fell out of a boat last summer. Now that's a good one!"
Sky chuckled. "Oof! How did that happen?"
"My older brother Crimson and I went on a historic boat ride in Turquoise Cove. It's a seaside town about thirty miles south of here."
"Oh yeah, I know where that is. I've actually gone on one of those boat rides before. It's a nice place."
"It is a nice little town! Anyway, our boat was sailing along the Turquoise River when this really brightly-colored bird flew overhead. I'm not sure what kind of bird it was, but Crimson and I both leaned over the boat's railing to catch a glimpse of it. The next thing I knew, Crimson had lost his balance and toppled overboard!"
"Oh, no!" Sky laughed.
"Was he okay?" Lyra asked.
Vermilion nodded. "Yeah, he was fine. The two deckhands just had to toss him a lifebuoy and pull him back up. But he had to go into the tiny bathroom below the deck and wring all the water out of his clothes. And he still had some water in his ears the next day!"
Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon all laughed. "I bet you never let him live that one down!" Lyra chortled.
"Oh, of course not!" said Vermilion. "We rib each other over all sorts of things. We get along really well, though."
Just then, there was a loud crash on the other side of the room. Vermilion whipped around to see what it had come from. "What the hell happened there?" she exclaimed. "Flash, are you all right?"
Flash Sentry got off the floor and turned his chair the right way up. "Yep, I'm fine," he replied. "I just fell out of my chair because Thunderbass here kicked it for no reason."
"Hey, that's not true!" Thunderbass retorted. "You kicked my chair first, so I kicked yours in return!"
"Oh, so that's what this was about?" Vermilion laughed. "How about you both get back to work! I swear, you guys have fallen behind on almost every project this year."
"Well, that's not my fault!" Flash argued. "Thunderbass keeps distracting me!"
Vermilion playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! You're garbage and you know it!"
"Roasted!" Lyra and Bon Bon giggled. Sky snickered too. Hearing Vermilion roast her students was always entertaining.
The class quieted down after that, and almost everyone got back to drawing. But with only ten minutes left in the school day, the fire alarm suddenly started going off, and the red lights on the walls began to flash. "Attention, everyone," Principal Celestia said over the intercom. "There has been a fire alarm reported in the building. All students and staff, please make your way to the nearest exit."
Vermilion held the door open as all of her students began to file out. "Turn left to go down the stairs, then exit through the door next to the cafeteria," she ordered.
"I wonder who pulled the fire alarm this time?" Sky whispered to Lyra.
The rain was lighter than it had been that morning, but it was still very wet outside. "I hope we're not stuck out here for too long..." Sky muttered.
"There's a tree over there," said Lyra. "Let's go stand under it."
"Great idea!" said Sky. He followed Lyra under the tree, and Bon Bon and two other girls joined as well.
Just as Vermilion finished taking attendance, she received word from another teacher that it had been a false alarm. "All right, it wasn't actually a fire," she told her students. "We can head back in now. Since it's the end of the day, you can just clean up, grab your stuff and head out."
"In that case, I'd like to know who decided to pull the fire alarm on a day like today," Sky muttered. Lyra nodded in agreement.
When Sky got back to the art room, he put his drawing back in the cabinet and returned the art supplies he'd been using. He was about to grab his backpack off the floor when Lyra came up to him. "Hey, Sky... before we go, do you want to exchange numbers?" she asked. "I mean, now that you have your phone back..."
Sky blushed at first, then grinned. "Oh, yes! That would be great!"
Lyra simply smiled. The pair of them exchanged phones and put in their numbers. "Thank you so much, Lyra!" Sky said when he handed Lyra's phone back to her. "I'll be sure to text you sometime soon."
"Sounds good to me!" Lyra replied. With that, she and Sky picked up their backpacks and left the art room. Lyra went to the library for her Friendship Games study session, while Sky headed downstairs and across the school to the gym. On his way there, Sky stopped at his locker to grab his running bag. He met up with Thunderlane near the gym's entrance.
"What's up, Sky?" said Thunderlane. "You ready for practice?"
"Not really..." Sky chuckled. "The weather is still shit."
"Yeah, this wasn't a good day for a fire alarm," Thunderlane agreed. "Anyway, let's go to the locker room."
Sky and Thunderlane entered the gym, then went into the boys' locker room and quickly found the section of lockers reserved for the track team. A tall, lean man with light cyan skin and spiky navy blue hair was standing nearby. "Good to see you again, Thunderlane!" he said, giving Thunderlane a high five. "Just pick a locker, get changed if you need to, and then head out to the track." He turned to Sky. "What's your name?"
"Sky Scraper," Sky replied. "I just transferred to CHS last month."
"Welcome to CHS, Sky Scraper! I'm Coach Soarin. Nice to meet you!" Soarin extended his arm, and he and Sky shook hands. Soarin then checked off Sky's name on his roster. "You're good to go now. Pick a locker, get changed, and then you can head out."
Sky nodded and went over to join Thunderlane. A box of combination locks, a roll of foil tape and several Sharpies were lined up on a bench. "Just pick any locker and write your name on a piece of tape above it," Thunderlane explained.
"All right," said Sky. He grabbed a lock from the box and tore off a strip of tape. He spotted a row of several unclaimed lockers, and selected a locker in the middle of the row to give himself some space. Once he'd written his name above the locker, gotten changed and secured his belongings, he jogged out of the locker room.
As Sky made his way out of the gym, he thought over the day's events. Despite the poor weather, it had actually been a pretty fun day for him. Best of all, he now had Lyra's number, and she had his. That was something to be very happy about.
"Today's the day!!!" Lyra and Bon Bon shouted in unison as they burst through the library doors.
"Shush!!!" hissed Miss Cheerilee, the school librarian. Lyra and Bon Bon just shrugged and giggled as they sat down next to Sky.
"The day for what?" Sky asked.
"The new SIA 97 movie premieres today!" Bon Bon replied. "Didn't you hear?"
"Well, I knew there was a new one, but I didn't know it was coming out today," said Sky. "I heard they filmed it in Monaco last summer. Is that true?"
Lyra nodded. "It sure is! Bonnie and I have been looking forward to it for months - they really went all out on this one!"
Bon Bon held her phone up to show Sky a picture of the franchise's lead actress. "Iris Magnifico. AKA Moonlight Envisage, AKA Special Intelligence Agent 97. Is she not the most gorgeous woman in the world?"
"She is quite stunning!" Sky agreed. "Doesn't she have a sister who's also an actress?"
"Yep! Iris and Chestnut, the Magnifico Sisters," said Lyra. "They had a falling-out not too long ago."
"I think Chestnut is jealous that Iris is prettier and more popular than her!" Bon Bon whispered.
"Well, I don't follow celebrity gossip, but that sounds about right to me," said Sky. "I've seen several good movies that have Iris, but I can't remember anything Chestnut's been in."
"That's because Iris is the superior actress and person," Bon Bon said with a smirk. "Iris Magnifico, my beloved..."
"Celebrity crush?" Sky chuckled.
"Mmm-hmm," said Lyra. "Bonnie's got a whole gallery of Iris pics on her phone."
Bon Bon blushed bright red. "No, I don't!"
"Last time I checked, you did," Lyra said smugly.
Bon Bon sighed. "Fine, maybe I do. I don't think you can blame me, though. Everyone loves Iris."
"True..." Lyra chuckled.
"What's the new movie called again?" Sky asked.
"SIA 97: The Monte Carlo Conspiracy!" said Lyra. "Say, if you're free on Sunday... do you want to watch it with us?"
Sky's eyes lit up. "Sure, that'd be great! What time were you thinking of? I'm not doing anything on Sunday, so any time works for me."
"We haven't decided yet," Lyra replied, "so I'll text you when we do!" She turned to Bon Bon. "Does that sound good to you, Bonnie?"
"Fine by me!" said Bon Bon. "It'll be me, you, Tavi and Sky."
"Octavia's a good friend of ours," Lyra explained to Sky. "British girl who plays the cello. Do you know her?"
Sky thought for a moment. "I think she's in my History class. I've never actually talked to her, though."
Lyra smiled. "Trust me, you'll love her once you get to know her. She might seem kind of stuck-up at first, but that girl knows how to party hard!"
"Nice," Sky chuckled. "Anyway, I was just doing some last-minute review for the Chem test today. Do you want to study with me?"
"Oh, sure!" said Lyra. "I could really use some of that. It's been three weeks and I've still barely figured out stoichiometry."
Sky nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that stuff's been tripping me up too."
"I took the test earlier today," said Bon Bon. "It's really not as bad as Dr. Hooves made it sound. The stoichiometry questions are pretty basic, easier than the ones on the homework. So it shouldn't give you too much trouble."
"Ah, that's good to know!" said Sky. "Maybe we're not screwed after all."
Lyra giggled, and she and Sky began reviewing their Chemistry notes together.
Eventually, the lunch period ended and it was time to head to class. "You feeling better about this?" Sky asked as he and Lyra went to Chemistry together.
"I think so," Lyra replied. "What about you?"
Sky nodded. "I think so too. Good luck, Lyra!"
Lyra smiled. "Same to you, Sky!"
Sky and Lyra arrived on time and sat down at their usual desks, which were located right next to each other. But before passing out the tests, Dr. Hooves made half the class move to the lab tables to prevent students from cheating. "Bye, Lyra..." Sky chuckled as he took his backpack and moved to the back of the room.
Once half the class had moved, Dr. Hooves began handing out the tests. As soon as Sky got his copy, he flipped through it. It was almost all multiple-choice questions, which was good.
"Does everyone have a copy of the test?" Dr. Hooves asked.
His students nodded in response.
"All right, then. You may begin now!"
Sky cleared out any possible distractions from his mind, and set to work.
Since it was a Friday, Sky didn't bother doing any homework when he came home from track practice. Instead, he took a nice cool shower, then sat on the couch and texted back and forth with Lyra. After getting her number on Monday, Sky had texted her for the first time on Wednesday evening. It was nice having a way to talk with her outside of school.
"How was practice? 🙂" Lyra asked via text.
"Tiring... 😅" Sky responded. "A lot of laps around the school. Needed a cool shower after!"
"Oooof! Yea, today was a warm one."
"It was! I'm probably gonna take Duke for a walk this evening."
"Ooh nice! I had to mow the lawn today. But we have a riding mower so it's fun." After sending that message, Lyra quickly typed another one. "My mom doesn't trust my sister with it anymore since she hit the garage wall last week 😂"
Sky burst out laughing. "Oh deer! 🤣" he typed back. "Hope not too much damage was done!"
"Nah, just a scratch on the front," Lyra replied. "She wasn't going very fast! 😛"
"Ah, good!"
"BTW, we're thinking of seeing the movie at 2pm Sunday," said Lyra. "Sound good?"
"Sounds good!" Sky replied. "Gives us time to get lunch before the movie."
"We thought the same thing. See ya then!"
"You too! 😄"
Lyra sent Sky a picture of her black cat sprawled out on the railing of the stairs. "Also, here's where Artemis fell asleep today... she takes naps in the weirdest places 😂"
Sky laughed again. "Classic 😁"
At that moment, the front door opened and Air Raider walked into the house. "Hey, buddy!" he said when he noticed Sky on the couch.
"Hey, Dad!" said Sky. "You're home early!"
Air nodded. "Yep! I managed to get out of work an hour early. How was school today?"
"Pretty good," Sky replied. "I had a Chemistry test today, which I think went pretty well."
"That's good! You're a lot better at Chemistry than I was."
"Well, it's tricky sometimes but the subject is really interesting. Also, I'm going to be seeing the new SIA 97 movie with some friends on Sunday, just so you know."
Air smiled. "Cool! Your mom and I were thinking of seeing that next weekend." He chuckled. "Don't spoil it for us!"
"Don't worry, I won't!"
Duke hurried into the living room and began sniffing Air, who bent down to pet him. After Air went to hang up his coat and set down his backpack, Duke walked over to Sky and awkwardly squeezed himself into the space between Sky's legs and the ottoman. "How is that comfortable for you?" Sky laughed.
After dinner, Sky was upstairs in his room again, using his laptop. He was reading an interesting article about some of Canterlot's historic buildings. He was about halfway through it when Evening Shade knocked on his door. "Yes?" Sky asked.
"It's time for Duke's last walk of the day," Evening replied. "Do you want to take him?"
"Sure!" said Sky. He closed the article and shut his laptop off, then went downstairs to find Duke. Duke was laying on his side on the living room rug. Sky walked over to him and said the magic words. "Are you ready?"
Duke's ears perked up, then he stood up and bolted into the kitchen, making a beeline for the back door. Sky followed and grabbed Duke's collar and leash from one of the cabinets. Once Duke had managed to sit still, allowing Sky to attach the collar and leash to him, Sky opened the back door and let Duke outside. After peeing in the backyard, Duke quickly led the way down the driveway. At the end of the driveway, Sky turned left and they set off down the street.
It was a perfect night for a walk. The air was warm and the sky was dotted with stars. Sturdy metal lampposts illuminated the quiet street with soft yellow lighting. This was the type of night that Sky found most relaxing; just him and his dog on a nice walk through their neighborhood. Tonight, however, he had a different route in mind.
As usual, Sky took a left when he reached the intersection with the street that led to Canterlot High. Two blocks later, he and Duke passed by the school. It was always a bit surreal to see CHS at night, quiet and empty with no lights on. While Sky stuck to the sidewalk, Duke walked along the grass, sniffing at the ground as he went along. Then Duke stopped, squatted, and took a dump about ten feet away from the Wondercolt statue.
Sky pulled a bag out of his pocket. "Nice going, taking a shit right on the school grounds," he chuckled as he opened the bag. Luckily, there was a trash can at the entrance to the soccer field, so Sky was able to quickly dispose of it.
After that, Sky and Duke were on their way again. A few blocks further south, they arrived in one of Canterlot's numerous downtown areas. The street got more crowded here, as many people were still out and about. Duke darted back and forth across the sidewalk, sniffing at the doors of restaurants on one side and at the bases of lampposts on the other. Most pedestrians smiled at Duke as they passed, but when Duke darted in front of one young woman, she nearly tripped and grunted in annoyance.
"Sorry!" said Sky. "He gets very excited whenever we come through here. There's a lot of stuff to sniff." He looked down at Duke. "Boy, you're just full of energy tonight, aren't you, bud?" Duke looked up at Sky and smiled.
At the end of the next block, Sky came to a busy intersection. Instead of turning left to start heading back home like he usually did, Sky pushed the button for the walk signal. The traffic lights went through a full cycle, but the walk signal didn't turn on. Sky began impatiently tapping his foot.
After three light cycles which seemed to take an eternity, the green symbol of a pedestrian finally flashed on, and Sky quickly jogged over the crosswalk with Duke.
On the other side of the street, the road curved slightly to the right. Tightly packed buildings gave way to lush trees and suburban homes with big yards. Here, Duke moved at a much more leisurely pace, occasionally sniffing at a tree when he passed by one. At the next set of traffic lights, Sky and Duke took a right turn onto a different street. This street ran alongside a small river before crossing over it via a stone arch bridge. On the other side of the bridge, Sky spotted the entrance to Meadowbrook Park, the destination he'd had in mind. He figured he'd take Duke for a walk through the park before heading home for the night. Although Sky had occasionally been to the park during the day, he'd never visited it after dark.
When Sky entered the park, he found that it felt even nicer at night. As far as he could tell, he and Duke were the only ones there, and it was completely quiet except for the occasional chirping of crickets. The paved pathways were illuminated by soft moonlight, and a gentle night breeze helped to cool the air. As Duke trotted through the park, he often stopped to munch on the grass. Sky had long since given up trying to dissuade Duke from eating grass. As long as it never made Duke sick, Sky figured it was fine.
Sky and Duke soon reached a fork in the path. The path to the right continued along the main loop, while the path to the left went uphill through a grove of trees. Although Sky had originally been planning to stick to the loop, the other path looked very inviting, and he couldn't recall ever going up it before. So just for a change, Sky turned left at the fork, and tugged on the leash for Duke to follow him.
The path turned out to be steeper than Sky had expected, and in some places the tree cover made it difficult to see. Duke, however, didn't seem to mind the steep walk, as he continued trotting along at his usual pace. Before long, Sky and Duke passed under the last few trees and arrived at a clearing at the top of the hill. There, Sky was greeted with the most amazing vista he had ever seen in his life.
Sky was standing at the summit of a big hill, and beyond the hilltop lay a panoramic view of the entire city of Canterlot. Sky had always felt that cities looked best at night, and that was certainly true of his home city. From where he stood, Sky could see the whole eastern side of Canterlot all lit up. In the foreground, the lights of suburban houses shone through the trees, and in the background, the bright lights of skyscrapers and radio antennae dominated the skyline. Between some buildings, Sky could even see parts of the ocean, where the moonlight shimmered off the water. Above it all, the starry night sky completed a beautiful picture.
Just behind him, Sky spotted a pair of wooden benches, and took a seat on one of them. For several minutes, he was perfectly content to just sit still and gaze out into the beautiful night. He soon began to dream of having Lyra next to him as he sat there. I bet Lyra would love this, he thought to himself. He could just imagine going out with her on a night just like this one, and then bringing her up here and showing her the breathtaking view he'd discovered. He could just imagine the starstruck look on her face when she saw it for the first time, and then her leaning her head on his shoulder as they gazed out into the starry night together.
Sky awoke from his fantasy when he spotted Duke walking toward the edge of the hilltop. He immediately jumped up and grabbed onto the leash. "Duke!" he called. "Come back here!" Duke quickly followed the command, and Sky pet him on the head. "That's a steep hill, Duke! You could have gotten hurt!"
Sky then pulled out his phone to check the time. The digital clock read 20:35. "All right, it's getting late. Come on, Duke, let's start heading back." He turned around and began leading Duke back down the path up which they had come. But Sky knew he would return to the view in the future, and he hoped that one of these days, Lyra would be by his side to enjoy it with him.
At around noon on Sunday, Sky walked down to the bus stop across the street from Canterlot High. Lyra and Bon Bon were already waiting there. "Hi, Sky!" Lyra said with a grin. "You ready for the movie?"
"I sure am!" Sky replied. "Though at the moment, I'm more ready for lunch!"
"I feel that!" Bon Bon agreed. "The movie doesn't start until two, so we can go to the food court first."
Just then, a girl with light gray skin and long dark gray hair came around the corner and joined them on the bench. "Afternoon, all!" she said in an upper-class English accent.
"Good afternoon to you, Tavi!" Lyra replied. She motioned to Sky. "This is my friend Sky Scraper, if you haven't met him before. Sky, this is Octavia Melody."
"Oh yes, I remember you!" said Octavia. "You're in my History class, though I don't believe we've ever been formally introduced. A pleasure to meet you, Sky."
"Same to you, Octavia," Sky replied. "How long have you known Lyra and Bon Bon for?"
"Around three years now, I believe," Octavia recalled. "We met not long after I moved here from England in seventh grade."
"Wow! That's a long trip!" Sky remarked.
"Oh, it was," Octavia agreed. "The moving process itself was quite arduous, but I've enjoyed living here since then."
At that moment, a white transit bus pulled up in front of them and came to a stop. The bus's LED destination board read "27 - CANTERLOT MALL".
"That's our bus!" said Lyra. When the doors swung open, she and her friends climbed aboard. They scanned their transit cards at the front, then filled out a row of four seats further back. The doors swung shut, and the bus continued on its way.
It was a comfortable ride for Sky and the girls, because the bus remained relatively quiet and empty throughout the trip. When the bus pulled into the Canterlot Mall parking lot and stopped in front of the main entrance, the four friends hopped up from their seats and disembarked. "Have a good one, kids!" smiled the bus driver.
"You too!" Lyra replied. Sky, Bon Bon and Octavia smiled and nodded as they got off the bus.
The food court was located on the second floor, directly above the main entrance. When Sky, Lyra, Bon Bon and Octavia entered the mall, they got on the nearby escalator and rode it to the upper level. Unlike the bus, the food court was very crowded. Most of the tables were taken, and almost every restaurant had several people waiting in line. "I forgot how busy the mall can get on weekends," Sky remarked. "I hope we can find a table."
They each headed off to different restaurants. Sky went to an Indian place called The Tasty Treat, Lyra and Bon Bon went to a place that made sandwiches and crepes, and Octavia went to the sushi bar. After waiting in line for quite some time, they each got their food and reconvened at a table near the front of the food court. "Ah, butter chicken always hits the spot!" Sky said as he began eating his lunch.
"Ooh, you went to The Tasty Treat?" said Lyra. "Nice!"
"Yep! I was excited when I found out they were opening a second location here," Sky recalled. "My parents and I have been going to the original one in Valesbridge for years."
"Where's Valesbridge?" Octavia asked. "I'll admit I'm not too familiar with the surrounding towns."
"Valesbridge is about ten miles south of here," Sky explained. "That's where I lived before I moved to Canterlot. It's a nice suburban town with a big lake in the center. My dad and I go kayaking there every summer."
"Ah, I see," said Octavia. "Can't say I've been there before, but it does sound quite nice!"
"Are you still in touch with anyone there?" Lyra asked.
Sky shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I used to be, but we lost touch after I got buried under Crystal Prep's ridiculous workload."
Lyra nodded. "That's a shame, but it's understandable. At least you have plenty of friends at CHS now."
"I sure do, and I also have my cousin Sugarcoat. Obviously I couldn't talk to her while I was grounded, but she just texted me yesterday. I told her about how the past month has gone for me, and she said she's happy that I'm doing better now, even if we're now at rival schools."
"Aww, that's sweet," Lyra said with a smile.
"I assume your cousin goes to Crystal Prep?" Octavia asked.
"Yeah. She was pretty much the only friend I had there. She's lived in Canterlot her whole life, so even though I didn't move here until a couple years ago, I've been visiting since I was young."
"Hmm, maybe we've seen each other when we were younger and didn't realize it!" Lyra joked.
Sky chuckled. "That's entirely possible!"
"Do you know if Sugarcoat made the Friendship Games team?" Bon Bon asked. "I remember you said a while ago that she was trying out."
Sky nodded. "Yep! She said the tryout couldn't have gone better for her. I guess you'll be competing against her next month."
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to be rooting for us, right?"
"Of course!" Sky replied. "Duh! I like Sugarcoat, but I'm the last guy who would be rooting for Crystal Prep in anything."
Bon Bon smiled. "Good! Just wanted to make sure."
"Speaking of your cousin, that reminds me of my cousin Montgomery," said Octavia. "He's lived in London his whole life, and until last summer, claimed to know the city's subway lines like the back of his hand."
"What happened with him?" Sky asked.
Octavia chuckled. "Well, Monty's a year older than me, and he and I have always gotten along well. He's a nice bloke, though a bit boastful at times. At the beginning of last summer, my family went to London for two weeks, and we stayed with Monty and his family. During our stay, we often rode the Tube - that's what they call the subway there - to get to places around the city. Since Monty's ridden the Tube so many times, he often boasted that he knew its layout like the back of his hand. One night, he and I were coming home from a party, and he led me down to the Tube station as usual. Unfortunately, he led me to the wrong platform, and we boarded a train in the wrong direction. Instead of going home for the night, we ended up in an old rundown station in one of the city's roughest neighborhoods. There were so many unsavory characters lurking about, I was afraid we were going to get mugged, or in my case, worse." She shuddered at the thought. "We did manage to get home safely after switching platforms, but Monty was never allowed to boast about his navigational skills again. I told him that if he knows the Tube like the back of his hand, then he must not look at his hand very often!"
"Oh, man!" Sky laughed. "That's a good one! Talk about jinxing yourself!"
"Indeed!" agreed Octavia. "Monty did not cover himself in glory that night, that's for sure!"
"Well, at least you didn't run into a drunk woman who thought you were spying on her," Lyra quipped. "Sky, have we told you this one before?"
"No, what happened?" Sky asked.
"This happened last Halloween," said Lyra. "Bonnie and I were on our way to a costume party at our friend Minuette's house. I was dressed as a unicorn..."
"...and I was dressed as a secret agent," finished Bon Bon. "Gotta keep things on brand!"
"Always!" Lyra agreed. "Anyway, we were walking down the street when this woman staggers up to us and starts yelling at us to stop spying on her. We could smell the alcohol on her breath from ten feet away, that's how wasted she was."
"The sun hadn't even set yet and she'd already gotten herself drunk," said Bon Bon. "After yelling at us for like a minute, she then started blabbering about how the government was trying to take away her freedom and privacy, and that we were only pawns in some kind of master scheme they were planning."
"She's not just drunk, I'd say she's mentally unstable!" Sky remarked. "Jeez."
"I know!" said Lyra. "Bonnie's secret agent costume was very convincing, to be fair, but I was literally wearing a fuzzy pink unicorn onesie. I don't know how someone could have looked at me and thought yep, she's a top-secret government spy out to get me."
"I have no idea either," Sky chuckled. "I bet you made a cute unicorn, though."
"Thank you so much!" Lyra giggled, lightly blushing. "I like to think I do."
The four friends continued eating and chatting for a while. Eventually they were all finished with their lunch, and they got up to return their trays. Octavia checked the time on her phone. "Are we all ready to go?" she asked. "We've about fifteen minutes before the movie starts."
"I'm ready," Sky replied. Lyra and Bon Bon nodded in agreement. With that, they left the food court and set off for the Flixiplex Cinemas, which were located at the opposite end of the mall.
"You know, I'm not really into store-hopping, but I've always liked coming here just to walk around," Sky said as he passed by the various storefronts on the second floor. "Sugarcoat and I used to run around this place all the time when we were younger."
"Yeah, it's really nice," Lyra agreed. "It always seems so bright and sunny in here."
"Oh, definitely," said Sky. "It's because of the glass roof. And the pastel-colored walls reflect the light really well."
Up ahead, the floor had recently been mopped. Since he'd always been a fast walker, Sky was at the front of the group. But he was so busy talking to Lyra that he didn't notice the wet floor sign ahead. He hit a slippery spot and his feet suddenly slid out from under him. He rapidly rotated his arms to try to catch his balance, but it was no use. He braced himself for impact with the tiled floor, but then he felt his head come to rest on something soft and warm. He looked up and saw Lyra's beautiful golden eyes looking down at him. "Are you okay?" Lyra asked with concern.
"Yeah... I'm fine..." Sky stuttered. He realized that his head was resting on Lyra's chest, which felt really nice. "Thanks for catching me."
"You're welcome," Lyra said with a smile. "I saw you slip and I ran right over without a second thought."
Sky and Lyra both couldn't help but blush as they looked at each other. Eventually, Sky stood up straight again and Lyra let go of him. "Did you two enjoy that?" Octavia asked knowingly.
"Well, we're both fine," Sky replied, "so yes."
The Canterlot Mall's most distinctive feature was the large golden water fountain in its center. Sky, Lyra, Bon Bon and Octavia rode down the escalator next to it. When they got off on the first floor, Lyra found a penny in her pocket and tossed it into the fountain. "Made a wish!" she announced.
"What kind of wish?" Sky asked.
"I can't tell you!" Lyra laughed. "It won't come true if I do!"
Before long, they arrived at the Flixiplex Cinemas. They paid for tickets at the front window, and then entered the theater complex itself. Since there was a long line at the concession counter, and they were all full after eating lunch, they didn't bother buying snacks or drinks. They found the specific theater that SIA 97: The Monte Carlo Conspiracy was being shown in, and went in to find seats.
"Looks like we might have gotten here a bit too late," Bon Bon commented. "There aren't too many seats left."
"Most of those seats are empty," Sky said, pointing to the back row. "Let's take those."
"Oh, good idea!" said Bon Bon. She, Lyra and Octavia followed Sky up the steps to the back row, and they filled out four adjacent seats. Sky had always liked sitting in the back of the theater, since it was easiest to see the big screen from there.
The next fifteen minutes were devoted to showing trailers for other upcoming movies. After what seemed like ages, the lights in the theater dimmed, the screen widened, and the audience fell silent. It was time for Moonlight Envisage's mission in Monaco to begin.
TWO HOURS LATER
As the movie came to an end and the credits began to roll, many members of the audience clapped and cheered. Sky, Lyra, Bon Bon and Octavia stayed to watch the credits for a few minutes, then got up to leave together.
"So what did you think, Sky?" Lyra asked as they exited the theater and walked back into the light.
"I thought it was awesome!" Sky replied. "Best movie I've seen in a while!"
"Same!" said Lyra. "I think this might be the best SIA 97 movie yet."
"I think so too!" Sky agreed. "This one had pretty much everything. High stakes, stunning locations, badass fight scenes, and some awesome car chases. My favorite part was when Moonlight sent both of her pursuers off the cliff with one swipe and then just continued on like nothing happened. That was such a power move!"
Lyra nodded. "Totally! There was also the part when she knocked out that thug who broke into her hotel room, and then just casually rolled him off the balcony and into the swimming pool. I loved that!"
"Me too," Sky chuckled. "I know the fight scenes are supposed to be impressive and serious, but when she does stuff like that, I can't help but laugh out loud."
"No shame in that!" put in Octavia. "SIA 97 movies always blend action, mystery and comedy so well. This one particularly excelled in the mystery department."
"Absolutely!" Bon Bon agreed. "There were so many crazy twists in this one. Especially SIA 85 being a mole all along - even I didn't see that one coming!"
"I know, right!" said Octavia. "There I was, thinking that Moonlight's partners were just useless, as they sometimes are, and then it turns out one of them was aligned with the terrorists the entire time. I must say, 85 hid her duplicity brilliantly under a veil of incompetence."
"That she did," said Sky. "I had a feeling there was something off about her, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was."
"Honestly, 74 both cracked me up and pissed me off," said Lyra. "He was just fawning over Moonlight the whole time while barely even helping her at all. Like, his crush on her was funny and kind of cute, but there were a lot of times where I just wanted to punch him in the face."
"He was me..." Bon Bon giggled.
"Well, you still would have been more helpful than he was!" Lyra laughed.
"At least he finally did something useful at the end, knocking 85 into the harbor and then rescuing Moonlight from the torture chamber," said Sky. "I'm glad they didn't kiss, though. No cliches allowed!"
"That's why we love Moonlight Envisage," said Bon Bon. "She's an independent woman who does things her own way, just like Iris Magnifico herself!"
The friends walked out of the Flixiplex Cinemas and back into the mall proper. "So... is there anything else you want to do while we're here?" Sky asked.
"Not really, no," Lyra replied. "I actually feel kind of tired now. What about you?"
"I can't think of anything either," said Sky. "I'm feeling kind of tired too - I guess sitting in a dark theater for two hours will do that. I guess we'll just catch the bus and head home for the evening, then?"
"Sure," said Lyra. "It was fun getting lunch and seeing a movie together."
Sky smiled. "It sure was. We should do this more often in the future."
Lyra smiled back. "Sounds good to me!"
The four friends walked back to the other end of the mall at a leisurely pace, still talking about how great the movie had been. They exited through the main entrance, and when the next number 27 bus arrived, they got on and rode it back home together. There was no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
The soles of Sky's running sneakers pounded along the sidewalk that led back to Canterlot High. It may have been Friday afternoon, but the intensity of the track team's workouts wasn't easing up. Coach Soarin had sent all of the male distance runners to the seaport, and they were just now returning from it. Sky had felt exhausted around the midpoint of the run, but he'd kept good pace throughout, and as the shape of CHS grew near, he found an extra burst of energy. He suddenly pulled out from the pack, overtook Thunderlane and the two team captains, and began sprinting back to the school.
"Hardo!!!" Thunderlane shouted jokingly. Sky didn't respond. He was solely fixated on finishing the run. Behind him, a few other runners sprinted ahead as well.
Sky was the first one to arrive back at the school. Under a tree next to the track, he found his gym bag and hastily opened it. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and after taking a good long drink from his water bottle, he wiped off his face with a hand towel and began stretching his legs and arms.
Sky's teammates soon came jogging in. When Coach Soarin returned, he spoke to Sky first. "What a kick, Sky! Outstanding!"
"Thanks!" Sky panted. "I found some extra speed right at the end."
"Well, keep that up and you'll do great next week!" said Soarin. He turned his attention to the whole team. "Our first meet is on Tuesday right after school. It's an away meet at Ashleaf High, so don't miss the bus. Great job today, all of you. Enjoy your weekend!"
Whenever Sky went on a distance run, he always carried his phone with him in an armband. After stretching for a few minutes, he took the armband off and texted his mom to come pick him up. "I'm already in the parking lot," Evening replied. Sky stuffed everything back into his gym bag, then walked around the school to where his mom was parked. As he entered the parking lot, he saw the female distance runners go past - Coach Fleetfoot had given the girls' team a hard workout too. He waved to Cloudchaser and Flitter as they ran by, and the twins waved back. Sky then found his mom's car and climbed into the front passenger seat.
"Hi, sweetie!" Evening said as Sky climbed in. "Tough workout today?"
"Yeah, we must have run seven or eight miles," said Sky. "I'm definitely going to need a shower when we get home."
About an hour later, Sky was feeling clean as a whistle. He'd taken a long cold shower to fully wash himself off, and was now sitting on the armchair at the end of his bed, with his feet propped up on the mattress. He was scratching Duke behind the ears when he heard his phone vibrate. He picked it up and saw that Sugarcoat had texted him. "Hey, do you want to come to my house tomorrow?" read Sugarcoat's message. "I'm free this weekend."
"Sure!" Sky texted back. "What time?"
"Does 11:00 work for you?" Sugarcoat asked.
"Sounds good," Sky replied. "I can get up before then. Looking forward to seeing you again!"
"Same to you!" said Sugarcoat. "Six weeks without seeing each other feels like an eternity."
"Yeah, it's been a while. So glad I'm not grounded anymore!"
"I'm glad you've gotten your act together and seem to be happier. Dinner's ready at my place now, so see you tomorrow!"
"You too!" Sky turned his phone off and placed it back on the arm of his chair. Sugarcoat was right - even if a month and a half wasn't very long in the grand scheme of things, it certainly felt like it had been a long time since Sky had last seen her. He was curious to know what she'd been up to since then, particularly with the Friendship Games approaching in a few weeks.
His thoughts then shifted back to Lyra. During Sky's first month at CHS, they'd developed a strong friendship, but ever since meeting her, Sky had been hoping they could eventually become more than that. Whenever he wasn't with her during the day, he would often daydream about her beautiful appearance and sweet personality, and imagine them going someplace special together. However, there was a seed of doubt in the back of his mind. Although he was very much infatuated with Lyra, he was unsure if she would ever feel the same way about him. He feared getting stuck in the "friend zone" if he waited too long, but he also didn't want to ruin their friendship by making a move too soon. He'd never talked about these feelings with anyone before, but since he was going to see Sugarcoat tomorrow, he decided it would be a good idea to talk it over with her. Since Sugarcoat was a girl who knew Sky well, maybe she could offer him some advice on how to approach the situation.
"Dinner's ready!" Evening called from downstairs.
Sky was jolted out of his train of thought. "I'll be down in a sec..." he called back. He got up from his chair and began walking downstairs to the kitchen. Duke ran ahead of him - food was always that dog's number one priority.
Sky woke up at 9:30 the next morning, and treated himself to a delicious breakfast of chocolate waffles with whipped cream. He then went outside and set off for Sugarcoat's house. Since he'd been there so many times, he knew the route to her house by heart. It was a splendid day to be outside. The weather was warm, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Sky walked along his street at a leisurely pace, admiring his surroundings while at the same time mulling over how to tell Sugarcoat about his feelings for Lyra.
Soon, Sky entered a wealthy neighborhood, full of big houses with large well-trimmed lawns. The Canterlot Bay neighborhood, located in the northeast, was the most affluent part of the city because it was close to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mistmane River, which formed the northern border of Canterlot. The only downside was that a number of Crystal Prep students lived here, and Sky didn't fancy running into any of his other old classmates.
Fortunately, it was a Saturday morning, so the sidewalks were pretty much empty. Sky got to enjoy some nice solitude as he walked along the wide open streets. When he arrived at Sugarcoat's house, a three-story lavender house with a silver metal fence around its lawn, he walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell.
Within a few seconds, Sugarcoat came downstairs to answer the door. She was wearing her casual outfit, which consisted of a light yellow top, a light blue skirt, and a pair of blue and yellow striped leggings. "Hello, Sky!" she said with a smile. "Good to see you again!"
"It's great to see you too, Sugar!" said Sky. He and Sugarcoat exchanged a hug. "How have you been?"
"I've been doing fairly well," Sugarcoat replied. "Studying and training for the Friendship Games takes up quite a bit of my time, but I've managed to stay on top of everything. I take it you've been enjoying yourself since leaving Crystal Prep?"
Sky nodded. "Yeah, I've been great! I've made several friends at CHS, and I'm just enjoying my life a lot more now."
"That's good to hear. Now how about you come inside? I don't feel like standing here with the front door open all day."
"Oh yes, of course!" Sky entered the house and Sugarcoat shut the door behind him. They sat down in the two living room recliners and propped up the footrests. "Man, I forgot how comfy these things are," Sky remarked.
"Yeah, these were a good purchase. It's a good thing my parents aren't home right now, otherwise my dad would have claimed one already," Sugarcoat chuckled.
At that moment, a gray cat with a blue collar came into the living room and meowed. "Hi, Alaric!" Sugarcoat chirped. She pointed to Sky. "Look who's here!"
Alaric let Sugarcoat pet him for a while, then ran over to Sky and rubbed himself up against his legs. After a few seconds of petting, Alaric jumped into Sky's lap. "Aww!" Sky giggled. "Hey, buddy..." He began scratching Alaric behind the ears, and Alaric curled up in his lap, purring gently.
"He's certainly happy to see you again," said Sugarcoat. "He's always liked you."
"Let me guess, is Eric asleep upstairs?" Sky chuckled.
"He's asleep somewhere. I see him once a day if I'm lucky. Alaric and Eric may be brothers, but their personalities couldn't be more different."
That was certainly true. Alaric was a very friendly and excitable cat, always begging to be pet by whoever was nearby. In contrast, Eric was an extremely skittish and reclusive cat who spent most of his time hiding from everyone. Sky had hardly ever seen Eric, but he and Alaric had always gotten along wonderfully.
"This probably won't affect you much," said Sugarcoat, "but apparently Royal Pin has blacklisted both of us from his parents' store. He announced it on SnapGab a few days after the fight."
Sky rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I've never gone there anyway, but wow, that's petty. Typical of him, though."
"Absolutely," Sugarcoat agreed. "He's always been a petty blowhard, but this takes the cake. He also won't stop going on about how much he hates your guts and wants to get even with you. He's full of shit."
"Well then, it sounds like not much has changed since I left," Sky remarked. "Apart from you making the Friendship Games team, of course."
"Of course. As I said before, I had no trouble making the team. Unfortunately, Royal made the team too. I really hope I never get partnered with him for anything."
"Seriously?" Sky groaned. "How desperate did they get?"
"I'm not happy about it, but I wouldn't necessarily call it desperate," Sugarcoat pointed out. "Royal may be an asshole, but academically he isn't stupid. Almost nobody at Crystal Prep is."
"Didn't he also get off scot-free for the fight?" Sky asked.
Sugarcoat nodded. "Indeed he did, which was completely wrong. You may have thrown the first punch, but he was the one who initiated the altercation in the first place. But enough about that. How's the track season been going so far?"
"It's been going pretty well," Sky replied. "We haven't had any meets yet, but I've had good pace on every practice run."
"That's good. When is the first meet?"
"Tuesday, against Ashleaf High. It's an away meet, so unfortunately that means a long bus ride."
"Well, that's one of the things you sign up for as a student athlete," Sugarcoat chuckled. "I'm sure the meet will go well, though. Indigo Zap told me Ashleaf has the worst track team in the league. You'll beat them easily."
"That's good to know!" said Sky. "I'm definitely one of the quicker distance runners on the CHS team, too. Maybe I'll win a medal."
Sugarcoat smiled. "I'm sure you can! I could keep pace with you when we were younger, but there's no way I could do it now."
"Thanks, Sugar. Ah, I remember when we used to race each other through the park. Good times!"
"Oh, yes! Hanging out during the summer was always fun. We had quite the friendly sibling rivalry, you could say."
"Well, we're both only children, so I guess that was the closest thing we had," Sky chuckled.
"Pretty much!" Sugarcoat agreed. "It's better this way, though. As much as I enjoy spending time with you, I can't imagine us being able to share a house 24/7."
"Me neither!" Sky laughed.
By now, Alaric had practically fallen asleep in Sky's lap. Sky looked down at him and smiled as he continued stroking his fur. He then turned back to Sugarcoat. "By the way... I know I'm doing a lot better now, but I was wondering if you could give me some advice on something."
"What kind of something?" Sugarcoat asked.
Sky thought for a moment. "You know the two girls who gave me a tour of CHS after I transferred?"
"Yes, I remember. What were their names again?"
"Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon. They're on the Friendship Games team, so you'll see them next month."
"Those names ring a bell," said Sugarcoat. "I think I went to middle school with them. I didn't know them personally, but I remember them being practically joined at the hip, they were that close."
"Yeah, they've been best friends since kindergarten," said Sky. "Sometimes they even finish each other's sentences. But anyway... I've had a huge crush on Lyra ever since I met her. Her beautiful face, her sweet personality, how smart and talented she is... everything. I think about her almost any time I'm not with her."
"That certainly sounds like a crush to me," Sugarcoat said with a smile. "You're good friends with her now, aren't you?"
"Yep! But that's the thing - I eventually want to become more than just friends with her, but I'm not sure if she feels the same way. I really hope I'm not stuck in the friend zone."
"The entire concept of the friend zone is bullshit," Sugarcoat said firmly. "A girl is either attracted to you or she's not. The closeness or longevity of a friendship has no bearing on that."
"Okay," said Sky. "That makes sense."
"Short of outright asking Lyra how she feels, the best thing to do would be to analyze the interactions you've had with her," Sugarcoat explained. "For starters, who usually initiates your conversations?"
Sky thought for a while. "I'd say it's about half and half," he concluded.
"That's a good sign," said Sugarcoat. "It means your friendship isn't one-sided. Do you have her number?"
"Yes, I do! We exchanged numbers a couple weeks ago, as soon as I wasn't grounded anymore. I sent my first text to her a few days later, and we've texted each other every day since."
"That's good too. Are your texting conversations initiated at the same 50-50 rate?"
"I think so, yeah. I guess that means she must like me to some degree."
Sugarcoat nodded. "Exactly. She wouldn't be contacting you outside of school if she didn't."
"That's true. Also, I went to the mall with her and two of her friends last Sunday. We got lunch together, and then we watched the new SIA 97 movie. We had a great time!"
"That sure sounds great to me! But don't spoil the movie. I'm seeing it with my friends tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I won't!" Sky chuckled. "I was going to wait until this weekend too, but Lyra invited me to see it with her, and of course I couldn't say no."
Sugarcoat smiled. "She initiates half of your conversations and she invited you to see a movie with her? Looks like you've got nothing to worry about. If I were you, I'd just go for it."
"Thanks, Sugar. I'm always happy to get advice from you."
"Oh, no problem at all. Even though I have no experience with romance myself, I figured I'd do what I can."
At that moment, Sugarcoat's phone vibrated, and she quickly typed a response. "That was Indigo Zap, asking if we could do a motorcycle ride around the city tonight," she explained to Sky.
"A motorcycle ride?" Sky asked. "Did you buy a bike while I was grounded?"
"No, but Crystal Prep owns a few. Since Indigo and I got our motorcycle licenses in Zirconia City last summer, we're allowed to borrow them. And since the Tri-Cross Relay includes a motocross race this year, we've decided to start training for that."
"Wow! Lyra and Bon Bon told me about the two big events, but I didn't know there was going to be a motocross race. That should be fun to watch, as long as I don't go deaf."
"Then you'd better bring a set of earplugs," Sugarcoat laughed. "I always wear them when I go for a ride."
"That's smart," said Sky. He looked out the window. "Next month is going to be interesting, that's for sure."
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.
"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?"
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.
Sky and Lyra sat on a bench outside a small ice cream shop, each enjoying a refreshing treat. Sky had gotten cookies and cream, his usual favorite, while Lyra had gone for mint chocolate chip. Sky put his arm around Lyra. "I gotta tell you, I really needed that vacation after everything that happened on Friday."
Lyra put her arm around Sky and nodded in agreement. "Me too, Sky. Me too."
The first day of the Friendship Games had been normal, but on the second day, all hell had broken loose. Luckily, no one was injured in the calamities, and the Games ended with the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts being declared joint winners by Principal Celestia. When the students of Canterlot High went home that evening, spring break officially began for them.
On Saturday morning, Sky and Lyra headed north across the state line for their respective vacations. Lyra went to the famous island city of Manhattan, while Sky went to the beautiful Sapphire River Valley just north of it. They both enjoyed getting out of their element for a few days, seeing new sights and exploring some fascinating places. Nonetheless, they missed each other during their time away from Canterlot, and were very happy to see each other again when they came home. It was now Thursday afternoon, and they were enjoying another warm spring day together.
"I think going to the Crystaller Observatory was my favorite part of the trip!" said Lyra. "You were right, Sky. Cities do look even better after sunset, and the higher you go, the prettier it gets!"
Sky smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed that. You went on Monday night, didn't you?"
"Yep! We rode a special glass elevator up to the 79th floor. The whole city was lit up in different colors, and we got to see everything from up there! We stayed there for about an hour before going back to our hotel."
"Sounds like an awesome night!" said Sky. "I really want to go there myself one of these days."
"Maybe you can take me with you!" Lyra suggested. "I wouldn't mind going there a second time."
"That would make it even better," Sky replied with a smile.
Lyra giggled and leaned in closer to Sky. "Anyway, what was the best part of your vacation? Those landscape pictures you sent me looked amazing."
"Yeah, the Sapphire River Valley does have some incredible scenery," Sky agreed. "I think my favorite part was touring the Ivory Brushstroke Mansion on the west riverbank. She was not only a great painter, but a great landscape architect too!"
"That sounds fun! Brushstroke... is she related to Vermilion?"
Sky's eyes lit up. "You know, I didn't think about it when I was there, but now that you mention it, she could be! I'll have to ask Vermilion when we go back to school on Monday."
Lyra nodded. "Good idea. I think Vermilion said something about having a famous relative once, but I don't remember exactly what she said. You should definitely ask her!"
"I definitely will! What a neat coincidence that could be!"
At that moment, a transit bus with the words "39 - MARINA PARK" on its destination board drove past, giving Lyra an idea. "Hey, do you want to go to Marina Park tomorrow?" she asked.
"Ooh, yes!" said Sky. "I love Marina Park! And I'd love going there with you even more."
Lyra giggled. "Same here. We could walk along the causeway together, sit on the benches together, lay down under the trees together..."
"Those all sound wonderful to me!" agreed Sky. "We should go there in the morning. Spend as much time there as we can."
"That's a great idea! There's nothing better than spending a day with you."
Sky just smiled and leaned his head on Lyra's shoulder.
When they were finished with their ice cream, Sky and Lyra tossed their cups and spoons into the trash. Lyra looked at Sky with a playful expression. "Hey, Sky... you've got some ice cream on your lip..." She didn't give him time to respond. Instead, she pulled him in and gave him a firm kiss on the lips. When their lips parted, Lyra was smiling and giggling with a twinkle in her eye.
Sky gave Lyra a knowing smirk. "So do you..." He put his arms around her and kissed her back. They kissed for a bit longer this time, and when they finished, they were still smiling and laughing together. "I love you so much, Lyra!" Sky whispered.
"I love you so much too, Sky!" Lyra giggled. It sure was good to be home.
At around 9:30 on Friday morning, Sky and Lyra arrived at the bus stop just down the street from the ice cream shop. While they sat on the bench and waited for the bus to arrive, Sky pulled out his phone to show Lyra some more pictures.
"Sugarcoat sent me a bunch of Duke pictures last night," Sky explained. "Seems like she really enjoyed having him over at her house while we were gone."
"Well, who wouldn't like having a dog for a few days?" Lyra chuckled.
"Exactly!" Sky pulled up a picture of Duke poking his snout at the hinges of Sugarcoat's back door. "The doors at Sugarcoat's house open from the opposite side as the ones at my house, so she says Duke kept waiting at the wrong side whenever she took him out for a walk."
"Oh no!" Lyra giggled. "Well, I guess you can't really explain how a door works to a dog."
"I guess not. What's even funnier is that Duke apparently got it right one time, and then went back to doing it wrong again!"
Lyra laughed. "Aw, man! Did he get along with Sugarcoat's cats while he was there?"
"He sure did! I mean, Duke gets along well with just about everyone." Sky pulled up a picture of Duke sleeping next to Alaric. "See? Everyone likes Duke."
"Aww! You should bring him over to my house sometime. I bet Artemis would like him too."
"I can definitely do that!"
Just then, a transit bus pulled over and came to a stop. "All right, here we go!" said Lyra. The doors swung open, and she and Sky climbed aboard. They scanned their transit cards and found a pair of seats near the window. The doors swung shut, and the ride began.
As the bus drove down the street, Sky and Lyra continued looking at pictures on each other's phones. "This was the state of our hotel room after the pillow fight," Lyra giggled.
"Oh, jeez!" Sky laughed. "How many pillows did you and your sister have?"
"Honestly, too many! There were five of them on each bed, and a few more in the closet too. So Minty and I just went at it, because why not?"
"That is fair! I mean, what else are you supposed to do with extra pillows?"
Lyra grinned. "Exactly! Hotels always give you way too many, so you may as well have some fun with them!"
"It would have been hard to do, but imagine if you'd filmed your pillow fight," Sky chuckled.
"I wish!" Lyra laughed. "I totally would have sent it to you."
"And I would have been watching it on repeat."
"We should have a sleepover one of these days..."
Sky smiled. "I would love that."
Sky and Lyra snuggled up to each other and looked out the window together as the bus passed by several familiar locations on its route into the city. Soon it reached an intersection with State Route 83. Instead of continuing east toward the seaport district, the bus made a right turn onto Route 83 south. Neither Sky nor Lyra noticed this at first. However, as time went on, Sky started to get impatient. "Is it just me, or is this bus taking a really long time to get to the waterfront?" he asked.
Lyra thought for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. It feels like we should have gotten to Marina Park already. We've hardly hit any traffic."
As the bus continued along its route, the scenery alongside the road began to look suspiciously unfamiliar. "I don't recognize these buildings," Sky remarked. "Do you?"
"Me neither," said Lyra. "It doesn't look like we're getting any closer to the coast."
Eventually, the bus stopped in an old-looking neighborhood. "Feldspar Road at Sable Street," said the voice on the PA system. "Next stop, Cobalt Avenue Bus Depot."
"Should we get off here?" Sky asked.
"Yeah, probably," Lyra replied. "I think we might have gotten on the wrong bus."
When the doors opened, Sky and Lyra hopped out onto the sidewalk. The doors then closed again, and the bus pulled away. As it left, Sky noticed that the rear LED board was showing the number 38. "Yep, we got on the wrong bus. I think we were supposed to take the 39."
Lyra looked up and noticed the number as well. "Well, that would do it. My bad. I must have gotten the numbers mixed up."
"Don't worry about it," Sky said kindly. He put his arms around Lyra and gave her a hug. "It happens. I didn't check the number before we got on, either. In any case, we should probably figure out where we are." He pulled out his phone and opened up Boogle Maps. When the map finished loading, he showed it to Lyra.
"Hey, we're just a few blocks north of the interstate!" said Lyra.
Sky nodded. "Yep!" He zoomed in on Interstate 99. "Looks like we're halfway between Route 83 and Quartz Street." He then zoomed back out again. "Man, that's going to be a long walk..."
"Well, are there any other buses that we could take?" Lyra asked. "I promise I won't get us on the wrong one again!"
Sky chuckled, and opened his web browser to find a map of the Canterlot bus system. "Hmm, let's see... how about the 66? It stops just a couple blocks east of where we are, and it'll get us to within a few blocks of Marina Park."
"Close enough!" said Lyra. She took Sky's hand and they set off down the street together. They found the bus stop that Sky had noticed on the map, and sat down on the bench.
"This neighborhood looks like it's seen better days," Sky remarked as he looked around.
"Yeah, this is definitely one of the poorer parts of the city," Lyra agreed. "Although the sketchy parts of Manhattan look way worse than this."
"I can imagine that. You know, this reminds me of Octavia's story about her cousin getting her on the wrong subway train."
"Now that you mention it, yeah! I'll have to tell her about this later."
At that moment, a bus with the number 66 on its destination board pulled up in front of them. "Is this the one?" Lyra asked. "Just making sure!"
"Well, it's a number 66 bus headed for Cerulean Avenue, so yes. Rest assured, we're definitely heading to Marina Park this time!"
For the second time that morning, Sky and Lyra boarded the bus together, scanned their transit cards and sat down together near the window. The doors swung shut, and the bus pulled back onto the road.
Before long, Sky and Lyra were out of the old rundown neighborhood. Grimy and overgrown tenement houses gave way to bright and colorful storefronts. "We're definitely getting closer to the seaport now!" Sky remarked.
"Yep!" Lyra agreed. "Not gonna lie, sometimes I forget how big Canterlot is."
"Me too. I know some parts of the city by heart, but there are other parts that I've never even seen before. I think the whole city covers about ninety square miles, which is huge."
"That sounds about right. What's your favorite part of the city?"
"That's a great question," Sky said thoughtfully. "There are a lot of good choices for that. I think I'll go with the area up by the Mistmane River. It's just really nice up there. What about you?"
"Hmm... probably the whole area around the mall. There's always something fun happening there."
"Ooh, I like that area too! The Emerald Parkway is a nice road. I love how it's lined with trees all the way into the city."
"Me too!" agreed Lyra. "I think it's my favorite road in Canterlot. My parents get annoyed at the lights sometimes, but I don't mind them. Sometimes it's nice to stop and look at the scenery."
"Oh, absolutely! Canterlot's got a lot of amazing scenery, no matter where you look. And no matter how long you've lived there, there's always some hidden gem that you haven't seen yet."
"Like the big hill at Meadowbrook Park," Lyra said with a smile.
Sky smiled too. "Yep, just like that. Did the view from the top of the Crystaller Building remind you of it?"
"Sort of, but you weren't there, so it wasn't quite as special."
"Aww... thanks, Lyra. Going on vacation was fun, but it's good to be home again."
"Yeah... we sure make a great pair, don't we, Sky?"
Sky gave Lyra a peck on the cheek. "The best pair. I can't wait to let all of our friends know."
"Me neither, Sky. But right now, I think I might take a nap. All this sitting around on buses has been making me tired."
"I understand. If you do, then I'll be happy to act as your pillow."
"Thanks, Sky." Lyra let out a soft yawn and leaned her head onto Sky's chest. It wasn't long before she was asleep. Sky remained as quiet and still as he could, enjoying the soft touch and sweet minty aroma of Lyra's hair. Luckily, the bus was fairly quiet too since it was outside of rush hour. Within a few more minutes, Sky found himself falling asleep too.
Sky and Lyra were awakened by the sound of seagulls squawking outside. They opened their eyes to find that one of the bus's windows had been opened, allowing the scent of ocean water to waft in. "Looks like we're here!" said Sky.
"Finally!" Lyra laughed. When the bus came to a stop, they got up and stretched before hopping out onto the sidewalk. The entrance to Marina Park stood at the end of the street, only a few blocks away.
"Well, we took an unexpected detour to get here, but we made it," said Lyra. "I guess you're a better navigator than me, Sky."
Sky shrugged. "I've always liked looking at maps," he said modestly. "It's just what I do. Anyway, a beautiful day at the seaside awaits, and I can't wait to spend it with you."
Lyra's eyes twinkled, and she slowly interlocked her fingers with Sky's. They quickly walked past the remaining three city blocks, and passed through the open metal gate together. Sky took a deep breath. "Ah... this ocean air just hits the spot, doesn't it?"
"It sure does," Lyra agreed. "You want to take a walk on the causeway?"
"I would love to!" said Sky. They set off down the paved pathway toward the ocean.
Marina Park was famous for its half-mile causeway that connected the south and north ends of the park. As Sky and Lyra walked along it, ocean waves rippled and splashed against the rocks, and a gentle sea breeze fluttered around them, keeping them cool. Out on the water, sailboats and cargo ships could be seen moving in and out of Canterlot Harbor. "It's always so nice to just walk along the coastline and let your mind wander," Sky said thoughtfully.
Lyra nodded. "Mm-hmm. Whenever I'm near the ocean, I always end up thinking about where I want to be in the future."
"That's usually what I think about too," Sky agreed. "Not big career plans or anything like that, but just things that make me happy. Like spending time with my favorite girl in the world."
"Well, you don't need to fantasize about that anymore, do you?" Lyra teased.
Sky smiled warmly. "Nope."
As Sky and Lyra continued their leisurely stroll, they passed by several other people walking or jogging in the opposite direction. Some of them were fellow Canterlot High students, who smiled and waved as they passed by. Sky and Lyra returned their friendly gestures. It was a perfect day for a visit to the waterfront.
At the north end of the causeway, there was a small pier that jutted out into the water. Sky and Lyra walked out to the end of it, which was just wide enough for two people to stand on. From there, they could see the gantry cranes of Canterlot Harbor to the south, some lush green islands to the north, and the wide open ocean beyond.
"I could stay here for a while," said Sky. "Just watching the boats and listening to the waves."
"Me too," said Lyra. "This pier's in the perfect spot, and so are we."
"Right next to each other?"
Lyra gave Sky a wink. "Right next to each other." She pulled out her phone and turned on the front-facing camera. "Want to take a selfie? I'll post it on SnapGab afterward."
"Sure thing!" Sky replied. "Can you send it to me, too?"
"Of course I can. You really should create a SnapGab account, though. I bet you'd get a bunch of followers in no time!"
"Probably, yeah. I just never had any reason to use that site until now. I mean, up until a couple months ago, my only real friend was Sugarcoat."
"That's understandable. I mean, I don't post anywhere near as much as some people at our school, but it's a fun place to share stuff with your friends." Lyra held her phone up and leaned in so that her face was right up against Sky's. "Say cheese!"
Sky gave the most photogenic smile he could, and Lyra hit the capture button. "Now that's a cute selfie!"
"Indeed!" agreed Sky. "Going to post it now?"
"I sure am!" Lyra opened up the SnapGab app and uploaded the selfie that she and Sky had just taken. She added a filter to enhance the colors a bit, and typed in a short but sweet description: Just spending a day at the ocean with Sky 💙. She then published the picture. "There we go!"
"I'll be sure to create an account there when I get home," said Sky. "But for now, let's just enjoy being here together."
"Of course," said Lyra. "There's no better way to live than in the moment with your favorite people."
Sky wholeheartedly agreed. Getting on the wrong bus hadn't been ideal, but getting to spend the day with Lyra more than made up for it.
After enjoying a week off for spring break, the students of Canterlot High returned to school the following Monday. The first week back at school was relatively uneventful, but most of the students were glad to have a few quiet days to ease back into their normal routine.
On Friday afternoon, Cloudchaser and Flitter headed to room 119 for English, their last class of the day. When they got there, they found a notice taped to the door: Friday 4/26 - All of Mr. Trope's English classes are canceled for today. Please check online for any reading assignments. Have a great weekend!
"Sweet!" Cloudchaser exclaimed. "We're free! Where do you want to go, sis?"
"How about we swing by Vermilion's room?" Flitter suggested. "Sky should be there right now."
"Good idea! I'm sure Vermilion won't mind if we hang there until track practice."
The twins went up the nearest set of stairs and headed across the school to the art wing. "Room 232, right?" asked Cloudchaser.
"Yep," replied Flitter. "Down the hall to the left." She had taken Drawing & Painting the year before, so she knew Vermilion well. When the twins got to Vermilion's classroom, they found that the door was open, so they walked right in.
"Hi, Vermilion!" said Flitter. "Long time no see!"
"Oh, hey, Flitter!" Vermilion said with a smile. "What's up?"
"Our English class was canceled, but we can't go home early since we have track practice," Flitter explained. "So we were wondering if we could hang out here until then."
"We're friends with Sky," added Cloudchaser. She looked over to where Sky was sitting, and he smiled back.
"Sweet!" said Vermilion. "Feel free to sit with him. It's great to see you again!"
"You too!" replied Flitter. She and Cloudchaser went over to Sky's table and sat down.
"Hey, Sky!" said Cloudchaser. "You mind if we sit here?"
"Not at all!" Sky replied. He motioned to the girl sitting right next to him. "Do you know Lyra?"
Lyra laughed and gave Sky a playful nudge. "Silly! Of course they do. Cloudchaser's in Algebra 2 with me!"
"And besides, Sky talks about you all the time anyway," said Cloudchaser. "It's kind of cute, actually."
Sky blushed. "Yeah, you got me there. I'm just showing how much I love her, that's all." He got out of his seat and began gently massaging Lyra's shoulders. Lyra looked up at him and smiled.
"Remember when I caught you two staring across the cafeteria at each other on Tuesday?" Bon Bon remarked. "You weren't even trying to be subtle that time."
Cloudchaser and Flitter looked at each other and rolled their eyes, while Sky gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I guess we just kind of zoned out," he admitted. "At least it happened after we started dating, though."
"True..." said Cloudchaser. "Anyway, what are you working on right now?"
"Animal scratchboards," Sky replied. He held up the scratchboard picture of Duke that he'd been making. "For mine, I decided to just do my own dog."
"I'm doing a picture of a horse," said Lyra. "I wanted to do a unicorn, but Vermilion wouldn't let me."
"I guess she doesn't believe in them!" Flitter laughed.
Lyra shook her head. "Apparently not. I still do, though."
Cloudchaser chuckled. "Eh, why not? This seems like a fun project, though." She glanced over at Bon Bon, who had now hard at work on her scratchboard. "Watching the black stuff get scraped away is so weirdly satisfying."
"Yeah, it really is," Sky agreed. "The only drawback is that there's no way to erase if you make a mistake. I'm on my second board now since I messed up my first one."
"I think I went through three when I did mine last year," Flitter recalled. "Scratchboards are fun to make, but they're not as easy as they look."
At that moment, Vermilion came over to their table. "How are we doing over here?" she asked.
"Great!" replied Lyra. "Just having a good time, hanging out with my besties."
"That's the best way to spend a Friday!" said Vermilion. She inspected the work that Lyra had done on her scratchboard. "Looks good! When you get to the top of the head, make sure you show the shadow of the mane. Thinner, shorter lines will make that area appear darker."
"All right, I'll do that," said Lyra.
Vermilion turned to Sky. "Looking good so far! I think this is the first time I've had a student do their own pet for this."
"Well, I had a bunch of pictures of him on my phone, so I figured why not?" chuckled Sky.
Vermilion nodded. "That was a good idea! Probably makes it easier too, since you're already familiar with what he looks like."
"Yeah, exactly! I've had him for six years."
"Oh, that's nice!" said Vermilion. "I'd totally bring my dog into school if I was allowed to."
"Well, if it's a small enough dog, maybe you could smuggle it in your bag like Fluttershy," suggested Cloudchaser.
Vermilion laughed. "I might be able to fit her in there, but I don't think she would enjoy it! Anyway, I'll leave you girls - and Sky - alone now. Keep up the good work!" She went off to check in with the next table.
Cloudchaser turned to Bon Bon. "So... have you been feeling like a third wheel lately?"
"Kind of..." Bon Bon admitted. "Lyra and I are still besties, though. That'll never change."
For the rest of the class period, Sky and the girls enjoyed hanging out and chatting with one another. Vermilion stopped by their table at regular intervals as well. Eventually, the bell rang and it was time for everyone to leave. Vermilion announced that it was time to clean up, and Sky, Lyra and Bon Bon put away their scratchboards and returned their X-Acto knives. They then headed out with the twins.
"Bye, Vermilion!" Flitter said as she left.
"It was great seeing you again, Flitter!" Vermilion replied. "I hope you get to take DP2 with me next year!"
Flitter nodded in agreement. She had originally wanted to take Drawing & Painting 2 this year, but hadn't been able to fit it into her schedule. "I hope so too! By the way, did Sky tell you about how he visited your great-great-aunt's mansion over spring break?"
"Yes, he did!" said Vermilion. "It's a small world. Have a great weekend!"
Sky and the girls headed downstairs before splitting up at the school's main entrance. "Well, we have to go to track practice now," said Sky. "See you later, Lyra!"
"You too, Sky," Lyra replied with a smile. She and Sky exchanged a kiss, and then she and Bon Bon headed out the door. Sky, Cloudchaser and Flitter began heading to the gym for track practice.
"I hope today's workout isn't too hard," said Flitter.
"Well, we just had a meet yesterday, so probably not," replied Sky. "Still, I'm looking forward to sleeping in this weekend."
"And snuggling up to Lyra, I'd imagine," put in Cloudchaser.
"Maybe!" chuckled Sky. "I'll have to see if she's up for anything."
That night, Lyra took a nice long shower as usual, and put on her pajamas after drying off her hair and body. She hung her towel on the rack, and went back to her room and got into bed. Since it wasn't that late yet, she picked up her phone from the top of her dresser and gave Sky a call. "Hey, Sky..." she said sweetly.
"Good evening, milady!" Sky replied in a suave tone.
"Oh, Sky!" Lyra giggled. "I just thought I'd give you a ring before I go to bed."
"Aww... I appreciate it. I was about to go to bed too. We're always on the same page, aren't we?"
"Always!" Lyra then had an idea. "Say... if you're not doing much this weekend, do you want to have a sleepover at my place? I think my bed has room for two..."
"A sleepover with you?" Sky exclaimed. "I would love to! Do you think your parents will be okay with it?"
"Eh, I'll find a way to convince them. I know they do want to meet you, though. So does my sister."
"Well, um... how much have you told them about me?"
"Well, they know I'm super good friends with you, but not much else, I don't think. My sister is so nosy, though. Every time I text you, she wants to know about it!"
"Oh no!" Sky laughed. "Well, perhaps she'll get to meet me this weekend."
"And maybe she'll finally stop poking her nose into our private time!" Lyra tittered. She let out a soft yawn. "Anyway, I'm not going to keep you up all night. Good night, Sky. Stay warm and cozy!"
"Good night, Lyra. I love you so much." And Sky hung up.
Lyra turned her phone off and put it back on top of her dresser. She got out of bed and walked over to her bookshelf. At the end of the top shelf was a fantasy novel called Last of the Highland Unicorns, which she hadn't finished reading yet. She took it off the shelf, got back into bed and opened the book to where she'd left off. She usually found that she slept better if she spent some time reading before going to sleep.
After reading for about half an hour, Lyra felt herself starting to doze off. Once she finished the chapter she was on, she closed the book and put it on top of her dresser. She fluffed up her pillow, pulled her soft magenta blanket over her body, and turned off the lamp next to her bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she imagined Sky snuggled up next to her and smiled to herself.
At 19:00 on Saturday evening, Sky arrived at Lyra's house, carrying his sleepwear in a small gym bag. Lyra had managed to convince her parents to let Sky spend the night, though they wanted to get to know him over dinner first. Sky had expected to feel nervous about meeting Lyra's parents for the first time, but all he felt was excitement for the sleepover. He hopped up the front steps and rang the doorbell.
Lyra answered the door almost immediately, greeting her boyfriend with a warm smile. "Sky!" she exclaimed. "Come on in!" She put her arms around Sky and gently led him into the house. Once inside, Sky set his bag down on a chair, then gave Lyra a nice warm hug and a kiss on the lips.
Lyra was wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt with a lyre on the chest, and a pair of pink pajama pants dotted with red hearts. "I see you're in your PJs already," Sky chuckled.
Lyra grinned. "I've been wearing them all day! How do I look?"
"You look lovely," Sky said with a smile. "Cute, beautiful, amazing." He thought Lyra looked even cuter in her pajamas than she did in her normal outfit. He leaned in to kiss Lyra again, and they happily explored each other's lips for a while. When their lips parted, Lyra turned toward the kitchen. "Come here, let me introduce you to my family!"
Sky nodded and followed Lyra into the dining room. Sitting at the table was a tall, slim man with cyan skin and shoulder-length alabaster hair, and a younger teenage girl with spring green skin and two-tone pink hair. Lyra introduced Sky to them. "Sky, this is my dad and my little sister Minty."
Lyra's father smiled and stood up from his seat. "A pleasure to meet you, Sky. I'm Orpheus Heartstrings." He and Sky exchanged a firm handshake.
"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Heartstrings," Sky replied with a smile.
Orpheus chuckled. "As long as you keep my daughter happy, you can just call me Orpheus. I won't demand a title from you!"
"Um... very well then, Orpheus!" said Sky.
Minty Bubblegum tilted her head to look at Sky. "So you're the boy that Lyra's always talking with," she remarked. "I was wondering when she'd bring you over here."
"Well, I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long!" Sky joked. "This is me. Sky Scraper."
Minty thought for a moment. "You know... for a guy named Sky Scraper, I thought you'd be taller than this."
"Minty!" Lyra groaned, rolling her eyes.
Sky shrugged. "Yeah... I get that sometimes. But in any case, it never bothered Lyra."
"Of course not!" Lyra agreed. "Don't listen to anything my sister says. She acts all weird whenever she's around boys."
Minty's face went red. "No, I don't!"
"Uh, yeah, you do," Lyra replied. "I've seen you before."
"Now, now, let's not bicker about silly things like this," said Orpheus. "It's not nice to be nosy toward guests, but a little awkwardness here and there is nothing to be ashamed of."
Lyra and Minty promptly stopped arguing. "So this is what it's like having a sibling..." Sky chuckled to himself.
At that moment, a woman with light green skin and turquoise hair walked into the dining room. "Ah, you must be Sky!" she said. "I'm Lyra's mother, Spearmint Tea. It's very nice to meet you!"
"You too!" Sky replied. "Thanks for agreeing to have me over."
"You're welcome!" said Spearmint. "We were surprised when Lyra asked, but we didn't see any real harm. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so I hope you enjoy beef stroganoff!"
"Sounds good to me!" agreed Sky.
When Spearmint had finished cooking, Sky allowed her to serve him his portion, and then sat down at the table next to Lyra. "This is really good!" he said after taking a forkful of beef.
Spearmint smiled. "Thank you! I'm glad you like it."
"My mom's always been an amazing cook," Lyra said to Sky.
"So is mine," said Sky. "She can make just about anything."
"How have you been liking Canterlot High so far?" Spearmint asked. "You transferred there a few months ago, if I recall."
"Yes, in February," Sky replied. "It's been great so far. I have a lot more friends here than I did at my previous school. My best friend there being Lyra, of course." He smiled as he brushed his hand against Lyra's under the table. Lyra giggled and smiled back at him.
"Ah, that's good to hear!" said Spearmint. "Where did you go to school before?"
"Crystal Prep," Sky replied. "Going there was not fun."
"Then I certainly don't blame you for transferring," Spearmint agreed. "Glad you're having a better time now!"
Sky nodded. "Me too." He figured that he wouldn't elaborate on his time at Crystal Prep unless Lyra's parents specifically asked about it.
"Any ideas of what you want to do when you grow up?" Orpheus asked. "Lyra's always wanted to be a professional musician like me."
Sky thought for a moment. "Probably an architect or some kind of civil engineer. I've always been interested in stuff like buildings and bridges, so anything that involves designing them would be a good career for me."
"That sounds like a great plan!" said Orpheus. "I know some architecture professors at the university I teach at. They and their students do some really interesting projects."
"Oh, what university do you teach at?" Sky asked.
"Opal Valley University, in the town of the same name. I work in the music department, of course."
"Cool!" said Sky. "I've heard of that place before, though I'm not looking at any colleges right now."
"Well, you still have plenty of time, so there's no need to get started just yet," said Spearmint.
"Exactly," agreed Sky. "Typically I use my free time to just read about stuff I'm interested in, or go out and explore different parts of the city. I also really like looking at road maps for some reason."
"Ah, you'd get along with my brother Atlas then!" remarked Orpheus. "He's a professional cartographer."
"Really?" Sky exclaimed. "Wow, that's so cool!"
"Yep!" said Lyra. "Whenever we visit him, he always shows us whatever map he's been working on."
"That's awesome!" said Sky. "Looking at maps is fun, and knowing how to read one is a good skill too."
"Absolutely," agreed Spearmint. "The GPS doesn't always take you on the best route, that's for sure."
"Anyway, what kind of music do you like to listen to, Sky?" asked Orpheus.
"My taste in music is probably different from most people my age, but I actually like listening to classical," Sky replied. "I never had the patience to learn how to play an instrument, but I find classical music more relaxing than whatever kind of songs are trending these days."
Orpheus smiled. "Then you've come to the right family! I'm a classically trained harpist, and I've been training Lyra since she was young too. Has she played any of her original compositions for you yet?"
Lyra brushed up against Sky. "Not yet, but I can play one for you later tonight! I've got my lever harp in the basement, so if you come down there with me after dinner, I'll play a special song for you."
Sky grinned. "Ooh, yes please!"
"So what first got you into classical music?" asked Spearmint.
Sky chuckled. "Honestly, I think it was from watching old cartoons with classical soundtracks when I was younger. My ears have always been pretty sharp."
"That's as good a way as any!" said Orpheus. "It's always interesting to see how the soundtrack compliments the visuals."
Sky continued talking with Lyra, Orpheus and Spearmint about the various works of music and art that they enjoyed. Even Minty joined in on the conversation a bit, though she was usually preoccupied with her phone. When Sky was finished eating, he took his empty plate to the kitchen and placed it in the dishwasher. "Thanks again for inviting me to dinner," Sky said to Spearmint. "The beef was delicious!"
"You're welcome, dear!" Spearmint said with a smile. "And thank you for helping us get to know you."
Sky smiled in return. "No problem at all! I'm going to get changed and head down to the basement with Lyra now."
"All right then, enjoy the rest of your night!" said Spearmint. "Orpheus and I will be watching TV in the living room if you or Lyra need anything."
"Sounds good. Thank you so much for letting me spend the night here!"
Spearmint left to join Orpheus on the living room couch, while Lyra came up and put her hand on Sky's shoulder. "Looks like my parents approve of you!"
"Yay!" said Sky. "Both of your parents are really nice."
Lyra smiled. "I'm glad you get along with them. Anyway, want to come downstairs with me? We've got a nice couch in the basement."
"Well, let me change into my PJs first. If I'm going to be snuggling with you on the couch, I want to be extra comfy."
Lyra giggled and kissed Sky on the cheek. "Good idea! I'll see you down there, cutie."
Sky went back to the living room to grab his bag, and then went into the first-floor bathroom to change. He took off the clothes he'd been wearing during the day, and put on the loose white T-shirt and light blue sweatpants that he always wore to bed. He then exited the bathroom, found the door to the basement stairs, and leisurely headed down.
Sure enough, Lyra was sitting on the basement couch, with her hand on top of a golden lever harp. "So, what do you think of my basement?" she asked. It was a furnished basement with a large TV, a fireplace, and a small kitchenette.
"I think it's really nice!" Sky replied. "My house has a finished basement too, but my parents haven't done much with it since we moved in. Did your parents do all of this?"
"They did! A long time ago, back when I was in elementary school. Anyway, I've got a song to play for you now." Lyra winked at Sky and gestured for him to sit down next to her. Sky happily obliged and put his arm around her. Lyra placed her fingers on the strings of the harp, and began to play.
Sky had never heard a more beautiful piece of music. As Lyra gently ran her fingers over the golden strings, she produced a beautifully smooth and calming melody. Sky allowed himself to get completely lost in the sound of Lyra's music, closing his eyes and gently leaning his head on her shoulder. Lyra looked over at him and smiled while she continued playing. "You're loving this, aren't you, babe?" she whispered.
Sky opened his eyes and quietly replied, "It's lovely. You're lovely."
As the song went on, Sky allowed his mind to wander. He thought about how much his life had changed for the better over the course of the past two months, and how lucky he felt to now be able to call Lyra his girlfriend. He imagined himself and Lyra going to more of their favorite places together, and all of the things they both had to look forward to. The connection that he felt with her was something truly special.
After a few more minutes, Lyra finished her song. She reached up and gave Sky a gentle pat on the head. "Asleep already?" she giggled.
Sky opened his eyes and sat upright again. "Nope, still awake! That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard in my life. Thanks for playing it for me, Lyra."
Lyra smiled. "Aww... you're welcome, Sky." She went over to the kitchenette and pulled a bag of mini marshmallows out of one of the cabinets. She opened the bag, stuffed a few in her mouth, then came back and held it out for Sky. "Marshmallows?"
"Don't mind if I do!" said Sky. He reached in and grabbed a few for himself.
Lyra sat back down next to Sky on the couch and pulled a light green fleece blanket over them both. She placed the bag of marshmallows in between them, and grabbed the TV remote off of the armrest. "There's a good rom-com starting in a few minutes," she said. "Octavia recommended it to me. Want to watch it?"
"If you want to, then sure! I don't think I've ever actually seen a rom-com before. I'm not into the romance genre that much."
"Me neither, but Octavia said this was one of her favorites. It's called Two Girl Summer."
"Yay!" Lyra turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. After scrolling past the local news stations, she found the channel that the movie was on. As it began, Lyra and Sky leaned against one another, and Lyra placed her leg on top of Sky's. "Ooh, you're warm!" she exclaimed.
"So are you..." Sky replied with a smile. "I really love your PJs, by the way. Not sure if I said that earlier."
"Oh, thank you!" Lyra moved the blanket to reveal her thighs. "Yeah, they're really cute, and comfy." She gave Sky a kiss on the cheek, and Sky responded by giving her a kiss on the lips. They were soon more intent on giving each other affection than watching the movie. When their lips parted, Sky fed himself two more marshmallows.
"Hey, save some for me!" Lyra giggled.
"Okay, here you go!" Sky grabbed another pair of marshmallows and allowed Lyra to eat them out of his hand. They continued sharing marshmallows for the next hour and a half, laughing together at the movie but mainly enjoying the warmth of each other's company on a Saturday night.
When the movie came to an end, Sky looked down at the bag of marshmallows and saw that it was empty. "Wow... we went through the entire bag together!"
Lyra laughed. "Well, who can blame us? They're good! Did you like the movie?"
"It was better than I thought it would be! The competition between the two girls was hilarious."
"Totally! Even Bon Bon and I would never act like that! I think this movie's one of my favorites now too."
Sky nodded. "It was a good one, that's for sure. Anyway, do you mind if I go brush my teeth? I figure I should do that before we hit the sack."
"I'd better do that too. You can use the bathroom down here, I'll go upstairs."
"Works for me!" Sky pulled a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste out of his bag and went into the basement bathroom. Once he had brushed and rinsed, he came back out and laid down on the couch.
Before long, Lyra came back downstairs too. She smiled and looked at Sky with lidded eyes. "Time for cuddles..."
Sky simply grinned and nodded. Lyra laid down on top of Sky, her head resting against his chest, and pulled the blanket over them both. Sky gently wrapped his arms around Lyra and buried his nose in her turquoise hair, taking in her sweet minty scent. "I love you, Lyra..." he whispered.
"I love you too, Sky..." Lyra whispered back. It wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.
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.
Lyra gave her boyfriend a gentle nudge. "Sky!" she hissed. "Wake up!"
Sky slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head off of Lyra's shoulder. "Huh? What is it?"
Lyra pointed out the bus window to a wooden sign, which read "CAMP EVERFREE - 1 MILE". "We're almost there!" she laughed.
"Oh... right," Sky said sheepishly. He had been admiring the scenery for most of the bus ride, but Lyra's shoulder made such a nice pillow that he had eventually fallen asleep.
At that moment, Twilight Sparkle, who had transferred to Canterlot High after the Friendship Games and was sitting two rows ahead, screamed in terror. "Guess I wasn't the only one who fell asleep," Sky chuckled to himself. "Well, at least I didn't have a nightmare... and I had a nice pillow to lean on."
"Attention, students, we're almost there," said Principal Celestia. "But before we arrive, we just wanted to say how proud we are of you for raising enough money to go on this class field trip."
"When we were your age," said Vice Principal Luna, "we made some of our favorite memories in these woods, and we're sure you will, too."
Celestia smiled. "Now who's ready for Camp Everfree?!"
All of the students cheered as the bus made one final turn and entered the Camp Everfree grounds. When the bus came to a stop, everyone grabbed their bags and began getting off.
"Wow... this place is sick!" Sky exclaimed as he stepped out, holding a small navy blue duffel bag over his shoulder. "Look at that lake over there!"
"Totally!" Lyra agreed. She put her arm around Sky's shoulders. "We're going to have such a good week here, babe."
For the trip, every camper had gotten a shirt with the Camp Everfree logo on the front. Lyra was wearing a white T-shirt with magenta sleeves, along with a pair of teal cargo shorts. Sky had a similar outfit, though his T-shirt had black sleeves, and his shorts were a light shade of gray. He set his bag down on the ground and stretched. "How about we take a walk around the lake?" Sky suggested. "I could use a chance to stretch my legs and enjoy a nice view with my favorite girl."
"That would be lovely!" agreed Lyra.
Just then, a nearby loudspeaker screeched into life. "Hey, everyone!" shouted a voice. "If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!"
"Who was that?" Sky asked.
"It's probably the camp director," Lyra replied. She pointed to her right. "I think the courtyard is somewhere over there."
So Sky followed Lyra and the rest of the campers to the courtyard, where the director and co-director were waiting to welcome them to Camp Everfree.
Once Gloriosa Daisy and her brother Timber Spruce had explained all of the camp's traditions and safety rules, it was time for tent assignments to be given out. The girls got their assignments from Timber, while the boys received theirs from Gloriosa.
While Sky waited in line to pick a card from Gloriosa's bag, he glanced back at Snips and Snails, who were a few spots behind him. I really hope I don't get paired with one of those idiots, he thought.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that. Sky reached into the bag and grabbed a card that had an opaque white gemstone on it. "Which one is this?" he asked.
"That's Moonstone!" Gloriosa replied cheerfully. "One of my personal favorites!"
Emerald Leaf came running up, his light green hair tied in a ponytail. "Sky, did you get Moonstone too?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Sky exclaimed. He and Emerald excitedly high-fived each other.
"Sweet!" said Emerald. "I got a good tent mate!"
"Me too!" Sky agreed. "Though I can't guarantee that I won't sneak off to Lyra's tent sometimes."
"I'll probably do the same with Tree Hugger's tent," Emerald chuckled. "Anyway, let's go find ours. I could use a nap - that bus ride was way too early for my liking."
Sky raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you could function on only a few hours of sleep per night?"
"Yeah, but last night I barely slept at all," Emerald admitted. "There were just too many videos on MyTube that I wanted to watch. I have a really weird circadian rhythm."
"Well, as long as you don't keep me awake too much, that won't be a problem," said Sky.
"Don't worry about that," replied Emerald. "I'll probably just be watching MyTube videos on my side of the tent, or going out on night walks with Tree Hugger."
"Fine by me!" said Sky.
Moonstone Tent was located near the back of the tent area. On the way there, Sky and Emerald ran into Lyra and Bon Bon. "Sky!" said Lyra. "Which tent did you get?"
"I got Moonstone!" Sky replied. "I'm with Emerald Leaf here. Which one are you in?"
"Bonnie and I are both in Garnet!" said Lyra. She pointed to the tent behind her, which was marked with a red gemstone. "Even with random tent assignments, we still ended up together!"
"I guess things just work out sometimes!" chuckled Sky. "Let's get our tents set up, and then we can go to the lake."
Lyra smiled. "Sounds good to me!"
Sky and Emerald found that everything had already been set up for them. The beds on either side of the tent were perfectly made, a potted plant sat on the back windowsill, and a small lantern hung from above. There was a small wooden cabinet in each of the front corners, as well as an ornate trunk at the end of each bed.
"Which bed would you rather have?" Emerald asked.
Sky shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."
"All right, then I'm taking this one," said Emerald. He went over to the bed on the right and placed his backpack on the floor next to it. He then fluffed up the pillow and flopped onto the mattress.
Sky placed his backpack on top of the other cabinet, and sat down on the other bed. He then noticed something crawling up the wooden bedpost. "Hey, Emerald! Look at this!"
"What is it?" Emerald asked.
Sky pointed to a large cylindrical myriapod at the end of his bed. "It's a giant millipede! I can't believe I found one here!"
"Well, millipedes are quite common in forests like this," said Emerald. "But it's still nice! You should be like me and take it home with you."
"That might be difficult, since we're not going home until Friday," chuckled Sky. "But in the meantime, I hope it sticks around."
"I hope so too!" Emerald agreed. "The three giant millipedes I have at home are a lot of fun."
"I remember them!" said Sky. "When I was younger, I would find little millipedes under plant pots all the time, but my mom wouldn't let me keep them. Anyway, I'm going to go walk around the lake with Lyra now. See you later!"
"See you!" Emerald replied. "I might still be asleep when you get back."
Sky left the tent and went back out to find Lyra again. Not seeing her outside, he went over to Garnet Tent and poked his head in though the flaps. "Hey, Lyra! You ready?"
"Yup!" Lyra replied with a smile. She came out of the tent and linked arms with Sky. "I love it here already. See you later, Bon!"
As she watched Sky and Lyra walk down to the lake together, Bon Bon sighed. She was happy for Lyra, but had begun to feel more and more like a third wheel whenever Sky was around.
"Lake activities are available every day until sunset," Gloriosa announced to the campers. "So if you want to canoe, sail, windsurf or swim, just let me know!"
As Sky and Lyra passed by the picnic tables near the lake, another girl came running up to them. She had white skin and pink hair with a white streak. "Hey, Lyra!" she said with a smile. "What are you up to?"
"Hi, Candy!" said Lyra. She turned back to Sky. "This is Candy Blossom. She's a friend of me and Bon Bon. Candy, this is my boyfriend, Sky Scraper."
"Lyra's told me all about you!" said Candy. "So nice to finally meet you!"
"Sky and I are just going for a walk around the lake," Lyra explained. "Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure!" replied Candy. "I'm sure my boyfriend would enjoy a nice walk too." She pulled out her phone and sent her boyfriend a quick text.
A moment later, a boy with light green skin and blonde hair came out of the boathouse. "Apologies, Candy, I was busy checking out the boats," he said with a soft but clearly discernible German accent.
"No worries, darling!" said Candy. "We can go sailing any time you like."
The boy smiled, then introduced himself to Lyra and Sky. "My name's Hanzal. Hanzal Fray."
"I'm Sky Scraper," said Sky. "Lyra's boyfriend, of course!"
Sky, Lyra, Candy and Hanzal began walking along the lake's sandy shore. The clear blue water was perfectly calm, rays of sunlight glistened on the surface, and the mountains to the west provided a stunning backdrop. "I've been looking forward to this trip for a while," Candy remarked. "It'll be nice to get out of my element for a few days."
"Indeed," agreed Hanzal. "I believe this is the first time I've left Canterlot since moving here."
"Really? When did you move here?" Sky asked.
"Over the winter break," Hanzal replied. "My parents and I moved here from Germany as my father had gotten a new job in the city. Although it's not my homeland, I have been enjoying it here so far."
"That's great!" said Lyra. "Canterlot is a really fun city. I've lived there all my life."
"So have I, but I've moved houses and schools a couple times," said Candy.
"Meanwhile, I just transferred schools a few months ago!" Sky chuckled.
"Oh, that's right!" Candy recalled. "You came over from Crystal Prep, didn't you?"
Sky nodded. "Yep! About a week before my first day at CHS, Lyra and Bon Bon gave me a tour of the school, and that's how I met my favorite girl!" He smiled and gently brushed shoulders with Lyra.
"Mm-hmm!" agreed Lyra. "Right from the start, we had each other's backs."
"That's very nice!" said Hanzal. "I have a similar story with Candy, as she was the first friend that I made here."
"I had an empty seat next to me in my History class, so when he came in, I invited him to sit next to me," Candy explained. "His knowledge of European history amazed me right away."
"It's a rather strong interest of mine," added Hanzal. "But more than anything else, I was happy to meet a nice girl who cared for me. I must admit, I did not have many friends at my old school."
"I know how that feels," remarked Sky. "My only friend at Crystal Prep was my cousin. I didn't get along with anyone else there."
"Yeah, that school is known to be full of snobs," agreed Candy.
"But now that they've got a new principal, hopefully things will change," added Lyra.
As they continued their walk around the lake, Lyra and Candy shared stories about the fun times they'd had with their respective boyfriends. Hanzal's left hand was crippled from being born prematurely, which had led to bullying when he was younger. But Candy had seen past that, knowing that a good heart counted for much more than a minor physical fault. "Besides," said Candy, "Hanzal does things better with one hand than some people do with two!"
On the other side of the lake, there was a large rock that sat partially in the water and partially on the sand. "You think I can climb up onto that rock?" Sky asked.
"Go for it!" said Lyra.
So Sky went ahead and scaled the rock in just two steps. "Wow, you're fast!" Candy remarked.
"Well, running cross-country and track will do that to you!" Sky chuckled. He extended his hand for Lyra, and helped her up onto the rock as well.
Lyra put her arm around Sky and leaned against him. From where they were standing, they could see all the way across the campsite and into the thicket of conifer trees beyond. "What a view this is, huh?" Lyra remarked.
"It sure is!" agreed Sky. Camp Everfree was located 37 miles north of Canterlot and situated firmly within the northwestern part of the state, an area dominated by the Everfree Forest and the Zircon Mountains. "I love places like this... especially when you're with me."
Lyra smiled. "Me too, Sky."
Next to the large rock, there were several smaller stones and pebbles scattered on the ground. Hanzal picked one up with his right hand and tossed it into the lake. It made twelve skips across the water before sinking.
"How the hell did you do that?" Sky exclaimed.
Hanzal smiled. "You see, I may not be able to open my left hand very far, but my right arm has become quite strong."
"Well, I can certainly see what Candy was saying about you earlier," Sky chuckled. "If I play any cornhole games while I'm here, remind me to be on your team." He and Lyra climbed down from the rock, and the two couples continued their walk around the lake.
The first day at Camp Everfree ended up being much more arduous than expected. While Sky and Lyra were on the other side of the lake, one of the boards on the old wooden dock had caved in. Vice Principal Luna had initially advised closing the dock for the rest of the week, but Applejack suggested that the campers could build a new dock as their camp gift. When Sky and Lyra came back to the campsite, they agreed to help with the project, but constructing the foundation was hard work.
The camp's bath house was located in the same area as the tents. As soon as Sky got the chance that night, he went in and took a much-needed cool shower. After drying himself off, he changed into the same white T-shirt and light blue sweatpants that he always wore to bed, then returned to his tent. When he got back, he found Emerald sitting around and watching MyTube videos on his phone.
"Hey, Emerald," said Sky. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed."
"Oh, were you working on the dock today?" Emerald chuckled. "I barely did anything with that."
"Yeah, Lyra and I helped put in some of the foundation," Sky replied. "Of course, we also walked all the way around the lake before that."
"Nice!" said Emerald. "Tree Hugger and I spent today exploring different parts of the forest. We kinda went off on our own instead of sticking with everyone else."
"Lyra and I will probably do that tomorrow," said Sky. "I figure we've done our part with the dock." He then glanced at the end of his bed. "Hey... that millipede from earlier is still there!"
Emerald looked over and noticed it too. "Really? Wow! I guess it wants to be your friend!"
"I guess so!" chuckled Sky. He sat up to look closely at the millipede, and the millipede lifted the upper half of its body to look at him too. One of its segments was missing its legs. "If the millipede has a missing set of legs, that means it's a male, right?"
"Yep," replied Emerald. "I have a male and two females at home - Octavia and Pandora both have an extra set of legs that Sebastian doesn't have."
Sky nodded. "All right, then... I think I'll name this guy Bertram."
"That's a good name!" said Emerald. "Are you gonna take Bertram home with you?"
"If he's still here on Friday, maybe!" replied Sky.
Just then, Emerald's phone vibrated, and he typed out a quick text message. "Well, Tree Hugger's invited me to take a night walk with her, so you and Bertram will have this place to yourselves for a while."
"All right," said Sky. "See you later!"
Emerald left the tent to meet up with his girlfriend, while Sky laid back down and kept an eye on his newly named millipede friend. A few minutes later, his phone vibrated too. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Lyra. "Wanna come over and snog with me? 😉"
"Oh yes! 😊" Sky quickly responded. He got out of bed and quickly went over to Lyra's tent.
Lyra was laying in a seductive position on her bed, wearing the same pretty pink pajamas that she had worn during her sleepover with Sky. On the other side of the tent, Bon Bon was quietly reading a book and paying no attention to either of them. "C'mere, Sky..." Lyra whispered, winking at her boyfriend.
Sky blushed and smiled, then gently crawled into bed with his girlfriend. Lyra put her arms around Sky, who did the same to her and gave her butt a gentle squeeze. Lyra blushed and giggled quietly, then began kissing Sky's face. Sky kept one hand resting on Lyra's butt while gently stroking her soft hair with the other. All the while, both he and Lyra could feel their faces heating up and their hearts beating faster and faster. In one wonderful moment, their lips met and they began making out, lovingly caressing each other and exploring each other's lips with their tongues.
While Sky and Lyra soaked up all the pleasure and excitement of making out with the one they loved, Bon Bon was left feeling extremely uncomfortable and annoyed. She tried pulling the blanket over her head, but eventually, unable to take hearing any more of Lyra and Sky gently moaning to each other, she threw the covers off and stormed out of the tent.
On the other side of the tent area, Octavia and Flitter were in Diamond Tent getting ready for bed. "Do you mind if I turn off the lantern now?" Octavia asked.
Flitter shook her head. "Nope! You don't snore, do you?"
"Bless you, no!" Octavia laughed. "Certainly not as badly as Cloudchaser, from what you've told me."
"That's a relief!" Flitter chuckled. "Good night, Octavia."
But just as Octavia was about to turn the lantern off, Bon Bon suddenly poked her head into the tent. "Oh, goodness!" Octavia exclaimed in alarm. "Oh... it's only you, Bon Bon. What's the matter?"
Bon Bon sighed. "Do you mind if I come in?"
"Not at all, dear," replied Octavia.
So Bon Bon took a seat at the end of Octavia's bed. "It's Lyra and Sky," she explained. "They started making out while I was right there with them. As if I didn't feel like enough of a third wheel whenever they're together..."
Octavia nodded. "I must say, there are times where Lyra and Sky's affection for each other becomes a bit... excessive. I suggest you speak to Lyra about it when you return. If not tonight, then tomorrow morning."
"Well, that depends on me being able to catch her," Bon Bon scoffed. "She'll probably be out and about with Sky before I even get a chance. Ever since she and Sky made themselves official, Lyra's barely talked to me at all outside of school. It's like she's ditched me for him."
"I've heard that such things can happen when a new relationship begins," said Octavia thoughtfully. "If you're feeling left out, I certainly don't blame you."
"I know that feeling, too," agreed Flitter. "I felt the same way when Cloudchaser had this really loud, annoying boyfriend last year. In fact, that was worse because she's literally my twin sister. Just give it some time, and try telling Lyra how you've been feeling."
"All right," said Bon Bon. "I'll try. But do you mind if I stay here for a while? There's no way I'll be able to sleep in my tent until Sky leaves."
"Of course we don't mind," said Octavia. "We'll be glad to keep you company until then."
"Though we might be asleep by the time you leave," added Flitter.
"No worries," replied Bon Bon. "I'll get out of your hair before I start falling asleep myself."
Bon Bon stuck around for a while, talking quietly with Octavia while Flitter read a book. Eventually, Flitter put her book down and began drifting off to sleep, and Bon Bon decided that it was time she went back to her own tent. "Good night, Tavi," Bon Bon whispered as she left.
"Good night," Octavia replied with a yawn.
When Bon Bon returned to Garnet Tent, she saw that Lyra was already asleep and Sky was no longer there. "Figures," Bon Bon muttered to herself. She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her head, hoping that she would fall asleep quickly.
It took a while for Bon Bon to fall asleep that night, and she was still feeling tired when she awoke the next morning. She looked across the tent and saw that Lyra's bed was empty. She sighed and reached over to grab her phone from the nightstand. Her phone's digital clock read 9:19 AM. "Ugh... guess I'd better get up now..." she muttered. She rolled reluctantly out of bed and stretched, then changed out of her pajamas and into her camping outfit.
Bon Bon went into the bath house to apply her hair spray and put on her bandana. On her way out, she saw Cloudchaser. "Morning, Bon Bon!" said Cloudchaser.
"Hey, Cloudchaser," said Bon Bon. "Do you know where Lyra went, by any chance? I just woke up a few minutes ago."
"I think she and Sky went on the early morning nature walk with Gloriosa," Cloudchaser replied. "Flitter went on it too. Not sure when they'll be back, though."
"Oh, all right," said Bon Bon. "I'll just talk to her whenever she gets back here. For now, I need to get some food. See you around!"
The mess hall was empty when Bon Bon got there, as most of the other campers had already eaten. She filled up a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice, and sat down by herself at one of the long wooden tables.
After she had finished breakfast and brushed her teeth, Bon Bon walked down to the lake, where the campers' new dock stood mostly completed. Only a few other campers were sitting at the picnic tables. "Seriously, where is everybody?" she wondered. "I hope Lyra comes back soon so I can work things out with her."
Just then, Timber Spruce walked up. "Ahoy, Bon Bon! Looking for something to do?"
"Yeah..." Bon Bon admitted. "I'm waiting for my friend Lyra to come back. In the meantime, I think I'll just canoe around the lake for a while."
Timber smiled. "Sounds like a plan! Want to hear my recommendation for that?"
"Um... all right," said Bon Bon.
Timber walked over to the boathouse and placed his hand on a royal blue and purple canoe. "This here is one of our Kingfisher canoes. It's the fastest model we've got at Camp Everfree. Want to give it a try?"
"Sure!" said Bon Bon. "The paddles are in the boathouse, right?"
Timber nodded. "Paddles, life vests, everything you need is right here in the boathouse. Need any tips before you head out? I'm quite the expert at boating, if I do say so myself."
Bon Bon shook her head. "No thanks, I think I'm good. I've paddled canoes before."
While Timber placed the canoe on the shore, Bon Bon went up the stairs into the boathouse, and came out with a life vest and paddle. She sat down in the canoe's cockpit, and Timber pushed it from behind to launch it into the lake. "Thanks," said Bon Bon.
"No prob!" replied Timber. "If you ever need anything, I'm your man!"
"At least he's not bragging as much as he was yesterday..." Bon Bon chuckled to herself.
The Kingfisher canoe was indeed fast, but it was also highly unstable. As Bon Bon paddled through the water, she felt the canoe rocking from side to side every time a small wave rippled past. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as a slightly larger one hit. She paddled quickly to steady the boat and keep it straight.
Eventually, Bon Bon had to slow down to prevent the canoe from tipping over. As she paddled around the lake at a leisurely pace, her thoughts shifted back to Lyra, and what she would say to her friend about the previous night. Bon Bon became so lost in thought that she didn't notice a sharp rock poking out of the water. She began to absentmindedly pick up speed, and by the time she realized what was in front of her, it was too late.
Bon Bon was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud cracking noise. She looked down and saw that a hole had been torn through the bottom of the canoe. The boat rapidly filled with water, flipped on its side, and began to sink. "Oh, help!" Bon Bon cried. She began climbing out as fast as she could. She managed to get her left leg free, but she turned at the wrong angle and her right leg became stuck. She paddled desperately at the water, trying to keep herself afloat and calling out for someone to help her.
Meanwhile, Sky and Lyra had returned to the campsite after their nature walk. Emerald and Tree Hugger were also with them, along with Flitter and a few others. Sky looked down at his left shoulder, where Bertram the millipede was hitching a ride. "Boy, you're just glued to me today, aren't you, Bertram?"
"It's so cute how you named him!" Lyra giggled. "You've definitely made a new friend there."
"I know what it's like," chuckled Emerald. "I've got three millipedes at home, and they love me just as much. I feel like a proud father whenever I look at them."
"They really dig my vibes too," added Tree Hugger. "Millipedes are such beautiful and radical creatures."
Flitter glanced out at the lake. "Hey... did somebody's boat capsize out there?" she asked. She then squinted for a closer look. "Wait a minute... I think that's Bon Bon!"
"Wait, what?!" Lyra cried. She looked to where Flitter had pointed, and saw her best friend flailing in the water. "Oh no, you're right! Come on, Sky! We need to go help her!"
"Of course!" Sky exclaimed. "Emerald, you hold Bertram for now. Lyra and I have to go!"
Emerald gently plucked Bertram off of Sky's shoulder, and then Lyra, Sky and Flitter ran toward the boathouse. Flitter went inside and grabbed a pair of life vests. "Here!" she said, tossing the vests to Lyra and Sky. "You guys get in a boat. I'll go tell Timber what's happened!"
Lyra simply gave Flitter a thumbs-up. She and Sky quickly put on their vests and jumped into the nearest sailboat.
A moment later, Timber came running up. "Yep, I see her!" he said. "I'll give you a push, and then you sail straight over there as fast as you can." He gave the boat a shove, and it glided into the water. Lyra and Sky adjusted the sail to get the boat up to speed, then set off to rescue their friend.
When Lyra and Sky found Bon Bon, she was panting heavily and struggling to keep her head above the water. "Oh, thank goodness!" Bon Bon gasped.
"Take our hands!" Lyra and Sky shouted in unison. They each extended a hand, and Bon Bon grabbed onto both. Together, Lyra and Sky pulled Bon Bon free of the canoe and onto the sailboat. They got her aboard just in time, as the wrecked canoe sank beneath the surface.
Bon Bon was very wet and completely exhausted. Getting stuck in the cockpit had left her with a bruise on her knee. Nevertheless, she was relieved to have been rescued. "Are you okay, Bonnie?" Lyra asked with concern.
Bon Bon nodded. "I think so. I got distracted while canoeing, and hit a rock."
"Well, that could happen to anyone," said Sky. "So don't feel bad about it. The important thing is that you're safe now."
Lyra put her hand on Bon Bon's shoulder. "Now that I have the chance, I also want to apologize for what I did last night. As soon as you left, I realized how uncomfortable you must have been."
"From now on, we'll keep our displays of affection private," added Sky. Lyra nodded in agreement.
"That's all right," said Bon Bon. "Starting a new relationship is exciting, I know. I don't blame you for wanting to spend time together. But lately I've been feeling like a third wheel around you two, and I don't want our friendship to fall apart over that."
"I'm really sorry if I was making you feel that way," said Lyra. "We'll always be besties, whether we're in relationships or not." She bent down and gave Bon Bon a hug.
When Sky and Lyra brought the sailboat back to the dock, Gloriosa ran up to check on Bon Bon too. "Are you all right, dear?" Gloriosa asked. "That looks like a nasty bruise on your knee."
"I think it looks worse than it feels," replied Bon Bon. "But it could definitely use some ice... and I could use a towel to dry myself off."
"You got it!" said Gloriosa. "I've got plenty of ice and towels in my office. Come with me!"
As Gloriosa helped Bon Bon back to her office, Lyra couldn't help but smile. She was relieved that Bon Bon was safe, and she was glad that they had been able to patch things up after what had happened the night before. And of course, she, along with everyone else, was still blissfully unaware of the chaos that would unfold over the remainder of that week.
It was a warm and sunny Saturday morning, and the Canterlot High students who had spent the past week at Camp Everfree were now returning home. As the bus turned onto the road that led to CHS, Principal Celestia turned back to address the students. "Well, class," she said with a smile, "I hope you enjoyed our trip to Camp Everfree. Although not everything went to plan, I'm very proud of how you all came together to make the most of the circumstances."
"That's a bit of an understatement..." Sky whispered to Lyra. When he signed up for the trip, nearly getting trapped in a cage of brambles by a possessed camp director was not something he had envisioned.
"You can say that again," Lyra chuckled. "But at least we had a fun gala in the cave, which gave me an excuse to wear my Spring Fling dress again!"
"That's true!" Sky agreed. "Certainly not a bad way to end the week. A cave is way more romantic than a regular old gym, anyway."
"Oh, totally! It's also better for millipedes." Lyra looked down at the wooden box sitting in Sky's lap. It had originally been full of leaves, but Bertram had eaten most of them during the ride.
Sky nodded. "Yep! My new friend here enjoyed the gala too."
Lyra smiled. "Where are you gonna keep him when you get home?"
"Hmm... I'll probably set up a terrarium for him in the spare bedroom upstairs. That way, he'll have his own little space."
"Good idea. Now you've got two pets!"
"I sure do!" chuckled Sky. "I'll have to keep them separate, though. Duke is gentle, but I'd rather not take any chances. You never know what he might try to put in his mouth!"
The bus turned into the parking lot behind the school and stopped next to the sidewalk. "We're now back at CHS," Principal Celestia announced. "I wish you all a wonderful long weekend!"
The students excitedly began grabbing their bags and rushing toward the exit to begin their Memorial Day weekend. Sky carefully placed Bertram's box on the seat next to him, then put his duffel bag over his shoulder and picked up Bertram's box with both hands. When the aisle was clear, he and Lyra got off the bus together.
"Bertram's asleep now, so I'd better get him home," said Sky. "If you want to hang out this weekend, feel free to call or text me at any time. I'll always be available for you!" He kissed Lyra goodbye, then went off to find his dad's dark blue hatchback in the parking lot.
Since it was a Saturday, both Air and Evening had come to pick Sky up. When Air spotted his son, he got out of the car and waved to him. "Hey, buddy!"
"Hi, Dad!" said Sky.
"How was your trip, sweetie?" Evening asked.
"It was great!" Sky replied. "I enjoyed my first proper camping trip." He held out the wooden box to present Bertram to his parents. "Speaking of which, here's Bertram, my new millipede pet. Remember how I sent you a picture of him earlier this week?"
"I remember!" said Evening. "Since I ordered a terrarium on Wednesday, it'll be on the kitchen counter when you get home."
"Wow!" Sky exclaimed. "Thanks! That makes things a lot easier."
"You're welcome!" replied Evening. "I also have a bag of potting soil that you can fill the terrarium with."
"Your mother likes to have everything set up ahead of time," added Air.
"Of course," agreed Sky. "But since he's my pet, I'll buy the decorations for his terrarium."
"That would be good," said Evening. "But for now, let's get you home."
Sky put his duffel bag in the back seat, then got into the front passenger seat with Bertram's box sitting in his lap. Air started the car, and they set off for home.
Sky was as good as his word. Once he'd gotten all of his stuff sorted out, he filled the new terrarium with soil and placed Bertram in it. Later that day, he went to the local pet store to buy decorations, and by Sunday afternoon, he had finished setting up Bertram's new home. The giant millipede had a little log for a house, along with plenty of fake flowers, vegetation and painted rocks to give the terrarium some color. Sky placed the terrarium on an empty table in the spare bedroom, which his parents had been using as a storage space. Duke, always a good boy, did not interfere.
After Memorial Day, the remainder of the week was very laid-back. The track season was over, and the school year was beginning to wind down, but final exams were still two weeks away.
On Friday evening, Sky fed Bertram an assortment of leafy greens and watched him eat them for a while. He then went downstairs to the living room, where his parents were watching TV. As soon as he sat down on the couch, Duke scooched over to be next to him. "Good boy, Duke!" Sky giggled as he massaged Duke's ears.
Moments later, Sky's phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting it to be Lyra. To his surprise, it was Sugarcoat. He quickly answered the call. "Hi, Sugar! Long time no see!"
"Hello, Sky!" said Sugarcoat. "It has indeed been a while since we've seen each other. That's why I decided to call you. How have you been doing lately?"
"I've been great!" Sky replied. "Since Lyra became my girlfriend, I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. What about you?"
"I've been doing quite well too. Shortly after the Friendship Games, Cadance replaced Cinch as principal, and most people at Crystal Prep seem to be much happier now. I certainly am."
"I can imagine," Sky agreed. "Cadance was always much nicer than the rest of the administration."
"Indeed," said Sugarcoat. "Cadance is also planning to make changes to the school calendar for next year, such as adding more vacation time and reducing the number of days in the school year. That will be much appreciated by everyone, I'm sure!"
"Oh, that's definitely a good move!" Sky agreed. "I never understood why they were so stingy with vacations in the first place. All that does is burn people out."
"Exactly. I may be one of the top students there, but I too have experienced severe burnout on several occasions. Anyway, straight to the point. Would you like to have lunch with me at Coppertop Grill tomorrow?"
"Of course I would!" replied Sky. "What time are you thinking of?"
"How does one o'clock sound? Or thirteen hundred, if you prefer that notation."
"Works for me! I'll see you then."
"Excellent. Anyway, I'll be having dinner now. See you tomorrow!" Sugarcoat hung up, and Sky put his phone down.
"Ah, was that Sugarcoat?" Air asked.
"Yep!" replied Sky. "I'm having lunch with her tomorrow. We're going to Coppertop Grill."
"Cool!" said Air. "I was thinking of going to Chip's Electronics tomorrow myself. So how about I drive you there, and then drive you and Sugarcoat home when you're done?"
"Sure!" said Sky. He was really looking forward to seeing Sugarcoat again.
Sky slept in on Saturday morning and had a late breakfast. At around 12:40, he and Duke were both in the spare bedroom, watching Bertram slowly crawl around the terrarium. "This must be like watching TV for you, huh?" Sky chuckled as he pet Duke on the chest.
Air knocked on the door. "Hey, bud. You ready to get going?"
"Yep!" replied Sky. "Hang on." He said goodbye to Duke, then headed downstairs to the living room. Once he was ready to go, he went outside and got into the front passenger seat of Air's car. Air put the car in gear and began driving east along Malachite Avenue.
To avoid traffic, Air took a route that avoided the urban districts. Instead, he drove north toward the Mistmane River before heading east along Atlantic Boulevard, the main road through the Canterlot Bay neighborhood. It had a median lined with tall green trees, and was home to numerous upscale businesses and residential complexes. "This is when you know you're in the rich part of the city," Air quipped as he drove past a row of stores selling various luxury goods.
After coasting along the boulevard for another mile, Air and Sky arrived at Riverview Landing, located just west of a big rotary interchange with Interstate 99 and the Mistmane River Parkway. Riverview Landing was the newest mixed-use development in the city. It had opened two years ago, at around the same time that Sky and his parents had moved back to Canterlot. In a way, it almost functioned like a miniature city in itself, featuring a diverse collection of restaurants, stores, condos, and green spaces. At the entrance to the complex, Air made a left turn onto Riverview Drive and pulled into the main parking lot. He parked in a space close to both Coppertop Grill and Chip's Electronics, which were conveniently located next door to each other.
"Well, we're here," said Air. "Do you need any money to pay for lunch?"
"Nope, I think I'm good," Sky replied.
"Cool. Enjoy your lunch, buddy!" Air shut the car off and began walking over to the electronics store, while Sky headed over to the grill. He found Sugarcoat waiting on a bench nearby.
"Sky!" Sugarcoat exclaimed.
"Sugar!" Sky called back. The cousins shared a warm hug.
"It's so good to see you again," remarked Sugarcoat. "It's been a long time - not in absolute terms, of course, but certainly by our standards."
"Yes indeed!" agreed Sky. "I'm sure we've both got a lot to catch up on. Anyway, let's go in and grab some food! I'm getting hungry."
"Me too." Sugarcoat pulled open the main door, and she and Sky entered the restaurant together. Coppertop Grill's decor was rustic, fitting its reputation as a classic burger joint. "Where do you want to sit?"
Sky looked around. "How about over by those big windows? We can see the river from there."
"Excellent idea!" said Sugarcoat. She followed Sky to one of the tables next to the windows, and they sat down and waited for a server to come by.
Sky noticed a large green metal sign bolted on the wall next to the table. It was a square sign for Exit 87, which was the exit number of the nearby rotary. "I think that's new!" Sky remarked. "I love it!"
Sugarcoat nodded. "I don't believe it was here the last time we came. I wonder how they acquired that."
At that moment, a young man with a dark red beard walked up to their table. "Afternoon! My name's Brick, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"I'll have a glass of fruit punch, please," said Sugarcoat.
"And I'd like a vanilla milkshake," said Sky.
"Got it!" Brick said as he scribbled on his notepad. He then handed them a pair of menus. "Here you go! I'll be right back."
"Well, before you go," Sugarcoat interjected, "may I ask how exactly you acquired that exit sign on the wall?"
Brick chuckled. "Our manager bought it from the DOT when they replaced some of the signs on I-99 last winter. We're right off Exit 87, so it's a perfect fit."
"Oh, cool!" said Sky. "I didn't know you could do that."
"Neither did I!" agreed Brick. He went to take an order at another table, while Sky and Sugarcoat looked over the menu.
A few minutes later, Brick returned. "Here you go... milkshake for you, fruit punch for you! Do you know what you want to order?"
"Yep!" replied Sky. "I'll have a classic bacon cheeseburger."
"Make that two," added Sugarcoat.
"Sure thing!" said Brick. He took the menus and walked briskly back to the kitchen.
"So, how was your trip to Camp Everfree?" Sugarcoat asked. "I heard you were one of the students who got to go."
"It was good!" said Sky. "Spending a week in the forest up north was a nice way to get out of my element. I also ended up acquiring a pet millipede there!"
"Really?" Sugarcoat remarked. "You didn't tell me about that! How did that happen?"
"To be honest, I don't really know," chuckled Sky. "I just found him on my bedpost on the first day of the trip, and then he was practically glued to me for the rest of the week! I fed him leaves and bark that I found in the forest, and he rode on my shoulder whenever I went for a nature walk."
Sugarcoat smiled. "Aww, that's cute. You always did like millipedes."
"Well, they have more legs than any other type of bug, and they're a lot cuter and nicer than centipedes," Sky replied. "So they're just cool. I named this one Bertram. I figured that if he's going to be my pet, he ought to have a name."
"That's a good name. It sounds strong and dignified."
"I thought so too!" Sky took a sip of his milkshake and licked some whipped cream off the straw. "Millipedes are very durable and honorable creatures, after all."
"How does Duke feel about your new pet?"
"Duke finds him fascinating! Bertram's terrarium is in our spare bedroom, so when I go in there to check on him, Duke likes to follow me. And then sometimes he'll sit and watch Bertram go slowly about his daily millipede activities. I think it's like watching TV for him!"
"I'm sure it is," chuckled Sugarcoat. "Dogs and cats enjoy watching anything that moves. That's why Alaric and Eric are so useful at hunting bugs in my house. They watch until it gets close, and then they kill it!"
Sky laughed. "Duke is useless at that. He'll just stare at the bug and then look up at us. I think he's just too pure to hurt a little thing like that."
"That could very well be the case. He has always been a bit of a marshmallow. Anyway... how's your relationship with Lyra been going?"
"It's been going wonderfully," Sky said with a twinkle in his eye. "She was on the Camp Everfree trip too, so we got to spend plenty of quality time together there. We're both looking forward to hanging out even more this summer."
"I'm glad to hear it. It sounds like meeting her has really helped you turn your life around during the last few months."
"Honestly, she really has. Being with Lyra has given me a new feeling of fulfillment in my life that I just didn't have before." Sky paused, then chuckled. "Remember back in March, when I wasn't sure if Lyra liked me back? It turned out I was getting worried over nothing."
"Of course I remember," replied Sugarcoat. "It was just over two months ago. But the important thing is that it worked out well in the end. You simply needed to stop second-guessing yourself."
Just then, Brick arrived with two glass plates. Each one was carrying a bacon cheeseburger and some French fries. "Here are your burgers! Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" said Sky. He took a bite of his burger, then drank some of his milkshake to wash it down. "Ah, a great meal as always!"
Sugarcoat nodded in agreement. "I've always considered this to be the best burger joint in Canterlot. I appreciate how they don't mess around with too many exotic condiments or extra toppings."
"Oh, me too," Sky agreed. "It's a nice contrast from all those other places that try to be all fancy and trendy."
"And this part of the city contains many such places," Sugarcoat chuckled. "So the presence of a Coppertop Grill here is certainly welcome."
Sky looked out the window, where the shimmering water of the Mistmane River was clearly visible. "You excited for our trip to Montreal in a few weeks?" he asked with a smile.
"Of course I am!" Sugarcoat replied. "There's no need to ask me that. I'm glad your parents extended the invite to mine."
"Me too," Sky agreed. "I've never been to Montreal before, but I've heard it's a really cool city. It's going to be an awesome way to start the summer."
"I'm sure you're going to miss Lyra, though," Sugarcoat teased.
"Yeah..." Sky admitted. "I'll definitely video call her at some point while we're there. Probably more than once! I love her too much to go a whole week without seeing her."
After a while, Sky and Sugarcoat were done eating. Sky finished off the rest of his milkshake, then got up from his seat. "I'm going to go wash the grease off my hands," he explained.
"That's a good idea," said Sugarcoat. "I'll do the same." They walked down to their respectively gendered bathrooms to wash their hands. Shortly after they returned to their table, Brick arrived with their receipt. Sky and Sugarcoat calculated the totals for their respective meals, and each paid the appropriate amount, along with an extra tip for Brick.
"Have a good one!" Brick called as Sky and Sugarcoat left the restaurant.
"You too!" Sky replied.
When Sky and Sugarcoat walked out of Coppertop Grill, they found that Air had not yet returned. "Whenever my dad goes to Chip's, he always takes forever," Sky chuckled.
"Well, he's quite the computer aficionado, so that's to be expected," said Sugarcoat. "Let's just wait on a bench until he's done."
There were plenty of benches scattered around Riverview Landing. Sky and Sugarcoat found one in a small garden nearby and sat down there. The bench had shade from a tree overhead, so it was a comfortable place to wait. "I appreciate that even though this is a big modern shopping complex, it still takes the time to integrate some nice green spaces into the layout," Sky remarked.
Sugarcoat nodded. "I agree, the designers did a very nice job at that. That's one of the reasons why my friends and I enjoy hanging out here. Even if you're not interested in shopping at the stores, it's still quite a nice place to take a walk and relax."
"Lyra and I have been discovering a lot of places like that," said Sky. "Meadowbrook Park, Marina Park, the lake at Camp Everfree. We just like chilling out together."
"As I imagine most couples would. It's important to have those kinds of people in your life. The ones with whom you can spend time doing nothing and still enjoy yourselves together."
"That's actually a great way of putting it. It's not necessarily about what you're doing, it's about who you're spending the time with."
"Precisely. That described us for quite a while, and now you have Lyra to fill that role as well."
A few minutes later, Air returned from the electronics store, and sat down to chat with his niece for a little while. However, Sugarcoat soon had to leave as she still had some homework to do. So Sky and Air hugged her goodbye, then walked back to their car and began heading home for the afternoon.
That evening, Sky was sitting in the armchair in his room, looking at the Boogle Maps satellite view on his phone. As he admired the bird's-eye view of Canterlot City and the surrounding towns, he thought back to his first date with Lyra on the night before the Friendship Games. That night would always be special to him, especially their first kiss at the top of the hill in Meadowbrook Park. He thought about how he had discovered the spot on a whim while walking with Duke one night, and how that discovery had led to a wonderful moment with Lyra just under a month later. He began replaying the moment in his mind, and as if on queue, his phone began ringing with an incoming call from Lyra. He picked it up and answered immediately. "Hey, angel..."
"Hey, babe!" said Lyra. "How's your day been?"
"It's been good!" Sky replied. "I had lunch with Sugarcoat today, then came home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. How about you?"
"Mine's been good too. I slept in and stayed in my PJs for a while, then went out and played my harp in the backyard. You know, the usual stuff I do on a weekend."
"Sounds like a nice day to me. I'm looking forward to spending even more time together this summer."
"Of course! So am I. Are you busy with anything tonight?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Meadowbrook Park with me tonight. We can go to our favorite spot and watch the sunset together!"
Sky's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I would love to! Funnily enough, I was just thinking about our first date there when you called me. I'll come by your house after dinner, and then we can walk to the park just like we did back then."
"Lovely! I'll see you then, cutie pie."
"You too, sweetheart. Mwah." Sky feigned kissing Lyra through the phone. Lyra giggled, then hung up. Sky put down his phone and continued smiling to himself. It was going to be a lovely night.
For dinner that night, Evening made ketchup beef with rice, one of Sky's favorite dishes. Sky ate a full bowl of it, then had an ice cream sandwich for dessert. After that, Sky grabbed his sunglasses and went to the front door to put on his shoes. "I'm going to Meadowbrook Park to watch the sunset with Lyra," he explained.
"Fine by me," replied Evening. "Enjoy it! Good to see you're bringing sunglasses too."
"Yep. I figure that's a good idea so I don't get blinded."
"Definitely. I'm glad you're taking more responsibility for yourself now, even when it comes to little things like this."
"Me too. After what happened back in February, I realized that I really needed to. Anyway, I've got to get going now, so that Lyra and I can make it to the park on time." Sky opened the front door and stepped outside.
It was a lovely summer evening. The air was warm and still, and the final remnants of daylight still lit up the sky. Summer nights had always been Sky's favorites - there was something so uplifting and soothing about how the daylight lingered long past dinnertime. He smiled as he began walking west along his street, in the direction of both Lyra's house and the setting sun.
About twenty minutes later, Sky arrived at Lyra's house and rang the doorbell. Lyra came downstairs and opened the door in no time. "Hey, Sky..." she said with a calm smile. She gently brushed her hand against Sky's, and he held onto it.
"Ready to go?" Sky asked.
Lyra nodded. "Of course." They began strolling down the road together, toward their favorite park in the whole city.
Like Sky, Lyra was also wearing a pair of sunglasses. "Do I look cool with my shades on?" she giggled.
Sky smiled. "You look cool with anything on, Lyra. How about me?"
"Like the coolest man in the world," Lyra replied with a wink.
Sky and Lyra continued on their relaxing walk through Canterlot, enjoying the warm summer breeze and the fading sunlight. "You know, Lyra... before I came to Canterlot High, I hardly ever gave romance a second thought," admitted Sky. "My mind was always weighed down with other things, whether it be frustration over past mistakes I'd made or petty grudges that didn't actually matter in the long run. These things ended up making me needlessly unhappy a lot of times, and going to Crystal Prep made it worse. But then I met you, Lyra, and all the negativity in my mind was instantly washed away. You brought me happiness and fulfillment when I needed it most, and so I always tried my best to do the same for you."
Lyra leaned against Sky and gave him a warm smile. "Aww, Sky... that's one of the most heartfelt things I've ever heard. Before I met you, I never thought much about romance either. I had some amazing friends already, and most other people just thought I was weird. I've never been one to care that much about others' opinions, though, so that never really bothered me."
"As well it shouldn't," added Sky. "Your quirks don't make you weird, they make you amazingly cute and fun to be around. I love that about you."
Lyra promptly stopped, got in front of Sky, and gave him a nice long kiss on the lips. Sky immediately leaned in and reciprocated. When their lips parted, they took each other's hand again and continued on their way.
"I bet you liked that, huh?" teased Lyra.
Sky grinned. "I loved it. I love you. Never stop being you."
"I'll always be me. I'll always be here for you. And I love you too." Lyra promptly burst out with laughter, as did Sky.
"Ah, we're so perfect for each other!" Sky snickered.
"Totally." Lyra sighed happily. "I'm so grateful that I have you, Sky. When we first met back in February, I could tell I was going to like you. The way you opened up about everything was just so sweet. Especially since I could kind of sense that you had a crush, which just made you even cuter!" She gave Sky a peck on the cheek, as she often did whenever they were walking together. "Thanks for making these past few months amazing."
"You're very welcome," Sky replied with a smile. "And thank you for doing the same for me. This is just the beginning, though. We've still got a whole summer ahead of us."
"You bet!" agreed Lyra. "It'll be the summer of... Skyra? Oh goodness, that is perfect! You're Sky, I'm Lyra, and together we're Skyra!"
"Oh yeah!" Sky exclaimed. "I can't believe I never thought of that before! Guess we really were meant to be. Skyra. I love the sound of that."
The couple soon arrived at the west entrance to Meadowbrook Park. The sky overhead was just beginning to turn from blue to red in the distance. They entered the park together and began walking along the loop path. Much like the previous times they had visited, the park was quiet and calm, with hardly anyone else there, and nothing that could possibly distract them from the warm presence of each other.
"This really is just like our first date," said Lyra.
"Mm-hmm," agreed Sky. "Except this time, we're officially a couple. Ah... so many amazing memories packed into just a few months."
When they reached the fork, they followed the path that led up the hill, feeling absolutely certain of their destination. It had become comfortably familiar, like a dependable friend that would always be waiting there for them. At the clearing atop the hill, the place where they had shared their first kiss on that wonderful night in April, the panoramic vista of Canterlot City greeted them, every bit as beautiful as they had remembered it.
"And here we are..." said Sky. "There really is nothing quite like this, is there?"
"Nope..." Lyra agreed. "Especially when we're up here together, just the two of us. It doesn't get any better than this. But I think we'll have to look the other way if we want to watch the sunset." She giggled and pointed in the opposite direction, where the sun was beginning to set beyond the western horizon.
"Oh... right," Sky chuckled. "The city is to the east. Too bad I'm not enough of a morning person to watch the sunrise."
"Yeah... me too." Lyra then noticed a large flat rock on the other side of the hill, near another clearing in the trees. "I think we'll get an even better view if we stand on that."
"Ooh, yes!" agreed Sky. "You're amazing." He followed Lyra to the rock, and they climbed onto it and stood side by side. They put their arms around each other, and Lyra gently placed her head on Sky's shoulder. As they watched the sun go down, turning the sky a beautiful shade of red, Sky and Lyra also took time to admire the view of the suburbs and trees below, all basking in the final light of the day.
"We live in such a beautiful place, don't we?" said Lyra.
"We really do," agreed Sky. "Though I have to admit, I never fully appreciated it until recently. In these last few months, my outlook on life has brightened in a way that I never would have expected at the start of this year. I feel like a new person now, and I've felt this way ever since..."
Lyra's eyes twinkled. "Since I came along?"
Sky smiled knowingly, and gave Lyra a kiss on the cheek. "Mm-hmm. Since you came along."
