Over the next few days, word of Noteworthy's actions spread quickly, and at some point, the story reached Principal Celestia. According to Flitter, Noteworthy was suspended from school for three weeks, a punishment that Sky thought was well-deserved. The following week passed by fairly quickly, and soon April vacation had begun.

That Friday evening, Sky's parents had gone to dinner in Manebridge with some friends of theirs, which left Sky on his own. Since he hadn't had Indian food in a while, and he figured it wouldn't take him very long to get there, he decided to go to The Tasty Treat, a restaurant located just a few blocks away in downtown Canterlot. He'd never been there before, but Emerald had recommended it to him, so he figured he'd try it.

Sky rode the elevator down to the lobby and took his usual route past Canterlot High and into the town center. The Tasty Treat was actually right across the street from the Sweet Shoppe, so he had no trouble at all finding it. He walked in, sat down at one of the tables, and was greeted by a young woman with dark purple hair. "Hi! I'm Saffron Masala, the chef here at The Tasty Treat." she said as she handed Sky a menu. "What can I cook for you today?"

Sky looked over the menu. "I'll have the butter chicken and a mango lassi."

"Of course! I'll be right back." Saffron hurried back into the kitchen to cook Sky's dinner. As Sky waited, the door of the restaurant opened and two familiar faces strode in. One of them turned in Sky's direction. "Is that who I think it is?" he called.

Sky immediately recognized Party Favor's voice. "Party! Double!" he called. "How you been?"

"Good to see you again, Sky!" Party said as he and Double Diamond sat down at the table next to Sky.

"This past week was great." said Double. "You know why?"

"Why?" Sky asked.

"Starlight Glimmer got expelled." Double replied.

"Really?" Sky exclaimed. "What happened?"

"The school administration finally grew a pair and decided to do something about the bullying problem." Party explained. "They realized that she'd been terrorizing pretty much the entire grade for years, so they kicked her out."

"That's awesome!" said Sky. "I guess you won't have to deal with her ever again."

"Nope!" said Double. "Anyway, how's Canterlot? You haven't texted us or anything since you left Manebridge."

"Canterlot is better than Manebridge in every way." said Sky. "I've made a lot of new friends in the two months I've been here, and I've been going out with a girl..."

Party and Double perked up. "Ooh, who's the lucky lady?" Party asked.

Sky pulled out his phone and showed his friends the selfie that he'd taken with Lyra the week before. "Her name's Lyra Heartstrings." he said, blushing a bit. "She's the prettiest and sweetest girl in the world."

"That's amazing!" said Party. "You definitely have good taste. Of course, I'm still single as a Pringle, at least for now."

"While we're still on this topic... you know those three girls who follow Feather Bangs around?" Double asked.

"Yeah." said Sky. "What about them?"

"I went on a date with Dear Darling last weekend." Double replied.

"Dear Darling? Which one of the three is that?" Sky knew who Feather Bangs' trio of fangirls were, but he had difficulty telling which one was which because he'd almost never seen them apart.

"She has blonde hair with a green bow." Double explained. "Anyway, I asked her out because Night Glider bet me a hundred bucks that I wouldn't. So I asked her out, and she actually said yes. We went to the Manebridge Mall together, and we actually had a lot of fun. I think I'll call her when I get home, and see if she wants to hang out again this weekend."

"You and Dear Darling, eh?" Sky chuckled. "Now there's an odd couple if I've ever seen one..." Party nodded in agreement.

"Well, she's actually really nice once you get to know her." said Double. "Plus I got a hundred bucks from Night Glider."

Party turned to Sky. "So how did you and Lyra meet?"

"She and her best friend Bon Bon, whom she's known since kindergarten, gave me a tour of Canterlot High before my first day. Lyra and I really liked each other right away, and we just progressed from there." Sky recounted. "I asked her out a couple weeks ago, and we spent an amazing night at the Canterlot Mall. I also went out with her last Friday and this past Wednesday."

"That sounds great!" said Party.

"Oh, it has been!" Sky agreed. "Honestly, things have never been better since I came here."

Just then, Saffron returned with Sky's dinner and set it down on the table. She then introduced herself to Party and Double, and after handing them menus, took down their orders and headed back to the kitchen.

"So, what brought you guys to Canterlot this evening?" Sky asked as he dug into his bowl of butter chicken.

"We just wanted to go someplace different, since we hadn't been here in a while." Double replied. Then he laughed. "We probably should have told you we were coming."

"That's all right." said Sky. "At least we ran into each other here."

Party smiled. "Funny how things work out sometimes."

For the next half hour, the three old friends continued catching up with each other, as although it had only been a couple of months since Sky moved, quite a bit had happened in that period of time. When they had all finished their dinners, they paid for the food and headed out the door.

"It was great seeing you again, Sky." said Double.

Sky nodded. "You too. I'll try to text you more often from now on."

"Yeah, we should make plans to hang out again sometime." said Party. "Of course, only when you're not with Lyra."

"Don't worry, I'll always save time for my boys from Manebridge." Sky chuckled.

Party and Double smiled and waved goodbye as they headed toward the train station to catch the next northbound train to Manebridge. Sky turned in the opposite direction and began walking back to his apartment. He was glad that even though he'd made a lot of new friends during the past two months, he hadn't lost touch with his old ones.

On Sunday morning, Sky was home alone again, as his parents had gone to the movie theater to see a film he had no interest in. Since he hadn't gotten a chance to yesterday, he decided to give Lyra a call. He speed-dialed her and it wasn't long before she picked up. "Hey, Sky!" said Lyra. "What's up?"

"Not a whole lot." Sky chuckled. "I'm just home alone right now because my parents went to see a movie."

"I'm home alone too!" Lyra replied. "Want to come over to my place?"

"Of course!" said Sky. "I think I remember where it is."

"One thing though." said Lyra. "I'm still in my PJs right now - I should probably change before you come over."

"Oh, I don't mind." Sky laughed. "You don't have to. I'll be right over!" Sky hung up and put his phone in his pocket. He grabbed a sticky note off the kitchen counter and wrote "Went to Lyra's house" on it, in case his parents got back home before he did. He stuck the note on the door, then headed out.

Lyra's house wasn't exactly close to Sky's apartment building. To get there, Sky had to take a somewhat long route past the Canterlot Mall, where he and Lyra had had their first date two weeks ago. He was remembering that night fondly as he walked down the street on this quiet Sunday morning. He was looking forward to visiting Lyra's house for the first time, as well as seeing what Lyra wore to bed.

Eventually, Sky arrived at the light green two-story house that he'd walked Lyra home to on the night of their first date. He walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, Lyra opened the door. "Hi again!" she giggled. "Come on in!" She took Sky by the hand and gently pulled him inside.

Lyra was wearing light pink pajama bottoms with red hearts, and a loose red T-shirt with a lyre on it. Sky followed her into her living room, still holding her hand and glancing down to admire the cute pair of pants that she was wearing. He then looked around the expansive living room. Lyra's house was definitely much fancier than his apartment. "Wow, Lyra, this is really nice!" he remarked.

Lyra smiled. "Well, I made sure to tidy it up before you got here. I should probably show you around, since you've never been here before."

"Of course!" Sky replied. "That'd be great!"

For the next several minutes, Lyra led Sky through every room of her house. Sky was very grateful for this, because he hoped that Lyra would invite him over more than once. The house was neater than Sky had expected it to be, and he felt honored that Lyra would tidy it up just for him.

"Do you want to see my room?" Lyra eventually asked. "I was saving it for last."

"I'd love to!" Sky replied, his excitement building up. Apart from Sugarcoat, he'd never been invited into a girl's room before. He followed Lyra into her room and looked around. Lyra's bookshelf was filled with books from the "My Little Unicorn" series, as well as various mythology books. A life-sized unicorn plushie sat next to her bed, and a shiny golden lyre stood propped up on her dresser.

Lyra sat down on her bed and invited Sky to sit down next to her. "You probably noticed that I have a lot of MLU stuff." Lyra laughed.

"Yeah, I did." said Sky. "I guess you're a big fan of that series?"

"Oh, I am!" Lyra replied. "I've seen every episode of the show and read every book! I was actually in the middle of the most recent book when you called me."

"How long have you been a fan?" Sky asked.

"Pretty much ever since it premiered about eight years ago. I was in second grade at the time. It's hard to believe it's gone on for so long."

"I remember watching it with Sugarcoat when we were around that same age," Sky remarked, "although I can't say I've seen any of it recently."

"Yeah, almost all the girls were into it back then." Lyra went on. "Most of them eventually grew out of it, but I never did." She sighed. "Middle school sucked for me. Everyone just thought of me as that weird girl who still liked unicorns. Bon Bon was pretty much my only friend during those years."

Sky put an arm around Lyra and nuzzled her hair, causing Lyra to giggle. "Don't dwell on things like that, Lyra." he said kindly. "If someone isn't willing to accept you for who you are, then they're not worth your time."

Lyra blushed. "Aw, Sky... you're so sweet." She wrapped Sky in a gentle hug and ran her hand through his hair, causing Sky to blush violently. When she let go, she went to her dresser and picked up her lyre. "Want to hear me play?" she asked.

"That would be wonderful..." Sky said as he gazed dreamily at Lyra. She looked absolutely adorable in her pajamas, and as Sky had noticed when he nuzzled her hair, she smelled incredibly good. Her hair had a very sweet minty scent to it, one that made Sky want to bury his face in her hair and sniff it all day.

Lyra sat back down next to Sky. "I composed this song myself about a year ago." she said with a smile. "I think you'll like it." She then began playing her lyre. The music that she produced was the most beautiful thing Sky had ever heard in his life, and it was being played by the most beautiful girl he had ever met. As she ran her fingers over the golden strings, Lyra winked at Sky, then gently closed her eyes as she continued to play. Sky found himself getting lost in the music, becoming more and more enamored of Lyra with every note she played. Soon, he too closed his eyes and laid his head in Lyra's lap. Her pants were soft, warm and very fluffy, and smelled just as lovely as her hair. Sky felt as though he was in heaven, with his head resting in Lyra's thighs and her music gently flowing through the air above him. Both Sky and Lyra felt their hearts beating faster, and Lyra struggled to keep a straight face with Sky nuzzling her lower body. Sky's nose between her legs both tickled and aroused her.

Eventually, Lyra finished playing the amazing song that she'd written. She set down her lyre and gave Sky a gentle pet on the head. "How did my song sound from down there?" she asked in a playful tone.

Sky looked up at Lyra and blinked a few times. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, played by the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

Lyra blushed and looked at Sky seductively. She laid down and pat the soft mint green blanket. "Come here, Sky..." she whispered.

Sky laid down next to Lyra, incredibly nervous and incredibly excited at the same time. "It's just the two of us in here..." he giggled quietly.

Lyra nodded. "Yes. I'm home alone with you. And it's just as wonderful as I imagined it."

Sky gasped. He couldn't believe where this was going. "Do... do you mean..."

"Mm-hmm..." Lyra moved closer to Sky. "I've wanted to do this for quite a while..."

Without even thinking, Sky closed his eyes and slowly shifted toward Lyra. He felt Lyra's soft hands around his neck, and then it happened. Sky felt a rush of warmth through his cheeks as for the first time, Lyra's lips met his.

All Sky could hear was the sound of his heart beating with sheer pleasure and joy, and all Sky could see was a vision in his mind of Lyra's beautiful golden eyes twinkling. He wrapped his arms around her body and gently rested his hands on her rear, pulling her in even closer to him. He continued exploring Lyra's lips with his own, savoring every second of this glorious moment. The feelings he was experiencing right now were unlike anything he had ever felt before. He moved one hand to run it through Lyra's lush hair, and she responded by caressing both sides of Sky's face. With his other hand, Sky gently rubbed Lyra's inner thigh, causing her to moan with pleasure. After what seemed like forever, their lips slowly parted and they gazed into each other's eyes.

Sky opened his mouth to whisper. "That... that was..."

"Amazing." Lyra finished. "We did it. Our first kiss."

"You know, that was my first kiss ever." said Sky.

"Mine too." said Lyra. "You're the only guy I've ever felt this way about."

Just then, Lyra and Sky heard the front door opening. Sky suddenly became nervous. "Well... it sounds like your parents are back." he said. "What should I do?"

Lyra put her arms around Sky again. "They don't bite! Just act normal. I'll introduce you to them." She got up from her bed and led Sky downstairs.

Lyra's parents were standing in the kitchen. Sky really hoped that he wouldn't make a bad first impression on them. He tended to get somewhat nervous around new people, and overthink things as a result.

"Hi, Mom and Dad." Lyra said as she entered the kitchen, holding Sky's hand.

Lyra's father turned around. "Hello, Lyra!" he said. He then noticed Sky. "Who is this?" he asked.

Sky took that as his cue to say the introduction that he had been repeating in his head. "I'm Sky Scraper. Lyra invited me over while you were gone, that's all." He scratched the back of his head. "It's... nice to meet you both."

"Oh, so you're Sky!" Lyra's mother remarked. "Lyra's talked about you a lot recently!" Then she raised one eyebrow. "Lyra... you invited Sky over and didn't even bother to get changed?"

"Oh, come on, Mom!" Lyra laughed. "It's not like this is the first time I've ever hung out with Sky! Plus, he said he didn't mind." Lyra nudged Sky, and Sky nodded in agreement.

"Well, in any case, it's good to finally meet you in person." said Lyra's mother. "My name's Spearmint Tea."

"And I'm Orpheus Heartstrings." said Lyra's father. "But you can just call me Orpheus."

"Once again, a pleasure meeting both of you." Sky chuckled as he and Orpheus exchanged a firm handshake. So far, his first time meeting Lyra's parents had gone better than he had expected.

"So you moved to Canterlot in February?" Orpheus asked.

"That's right." said Sky. "Lyra and her friend Bon Bon showed me around the high school before my first day."

"What do you think of CHS so far?" Spearmint asked.

"Everything's been going really well." Sky replied. "All of my grades are good, and I've made a lot of friends. Canterlot is an amazing city." He then noticed the symbol on Orpheus' shirt pocket. It was another lyre, but had a slightly different shape than Lyra's necklace. "Do you play the lyre too?" he asked.

"Yes indeed!" Orpheus replied. "I taught Lyra how to play it when she was just six years old."

Sky grinned. "Well, clearly you've taught her very well." Lyra blushed and smiled modestly, still holding Sky's hand.

Orpheus turned to his daughter. "So you've played for him?"

Lyra nodded. "Yep! Today, actually. I played him one of my original songs."

"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life." Sky added.

"Which one?" Orpheus asked.

"'Sweet Summer Angels'." Lyra replied. "That's probably the best one I've done."

"That's definitely a good one." said Orpheus. "It captures your personality very well."

Sky chuckled. "That must be why I liked it so much." He then glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost twelve. "Wow, it's almost noon already? I'd love to stay a while, but I should probably go home soon."

"Actually, it'd be nice if you could stay for lunch." said Spearmint. "We'd love to get to know you better."

"Oh, sure!" said Sky. "What were you planning to have for lunch?"

"We were just going to order some Chinese take-out, that's all." Orpheus replied.

"You can count me in on that!" Sky exclaimed. He was never one to refuse sweet and sour chicken. He pulled out his phone and texted his mom about his plans. His mom replied that it was all right.

"I'd better get changed before the food gets here!" Lyra laughed. She kissed Sky on the cheek one more time, then ran upstairs to her room to change out of her pajamas and into her day clothes.

Sky greatly enjoyed having lunch at Lyra's house. Her parents seemed to have taken a liking to him already, which meant that one of the biggest hurdles in any new relationship was out of the way, at least for the time being. For a long time afterwards, this Sunday would stand as the best day of Sky's life. It was the day that he experienced the joy of his first kiss, and officially became Lyra's boyfriend.

Author's Note

All aboard the SS Skyra! The ship has set sail!