See How the Night Sky Glows

Following his last two classes of the day - Chemistry, which he shared with both Lyra and Bon Bon, and Algebra, which he also shared with Lyra - Sky left Canterlot High feeling great. He completed the short walk back to his apartment building and rode the elevator up to the ninth floor. He then unlocked the door to his apartment, where his mom was sitting on the couch. "Hi, Mom." he said.

"Hi, sweetie." Sky's mother, Evening Shade, replied. "How was your first day?"

"It was good." Sky said. "Better than my old school, anyway."

"Well, that's good." said Evening. "Do you have any friends yet?"

"Yeah. A group of guys as well as a couple of girls."

"Oh, nice! That's a lot for your first day."

"Yeah, I have more friends here than I did back in Manebridge already."

After setting down his backpack on a chair and washing his hands in the kitchen sink, Sky poured himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes and went into his room. He figured he'd chill out and listen to music for a while before doing the set of algebra problems he'd been assigned as homework.

An assignment that should have taken Sky only about half an hour ended up taking him almost two hours, due to him getting distracted and making lots of silly mistakes. After dinner, he decided to take one of his usual night walks through the town.

"Okay, just remember to be back by eight-thirty." said Evening.

"All right, I will." Sky replied. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven o'clock, which meant he'd have an hour and a half to stroll around Canterlot and come back. After grabbing his phone and putting on his coat, he left his apartment.

Sky walked to the elevator and pushed the down arrow. The doors opened and Sky got in. But just as he did so, the door to number 18, the other apartment on his floor, opened and an overweight middle-aged man began making his way over to the elevator. Sky chuckled and pushed the door close button. "Oops!" he said sarcastically to himself as the doors closed.

Sky pushed the button for the lobby and the elevator began to move. Sky had always liked being alone in the elevator. There was something so relaxing and peaceful about it. Being in tight spaces with other people made him uncomfortable.

Sky watched the numbers on the floor counter tick from nine down to one. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Sky stepped out into the very spacious and modern lobby. Like his apartment, it had tall ceilings, bright lighting, and glass windows. It was empty except for the doorman at his desk. As Sky walked through the lobby, the doorman waved to him, and he waved back. Sky then pushed open the glass doors at the front of the lobby and walked out into the night.

Sky began by taking his usual route, passing by Canterlot High on his way to the town center. Multiple people were still hanging out and having dinner at the various restaurants in the area. Sky was still feeling a bit peckish himself, and he had some money in his coat pocket, so he went into the Sweet Shoppe to buy something to eat.

As soon as Sky entered the Sweet Shoppe, he was greeted by a girl with fluffy bright pink hair. "Hi!" she said with a gigantic smile on her face. "I've never met you before! You must be new! Welcome to Canterlot!"

"Um.. yeah." Sky said, taken aback by the girl's boundless energy. "I'm Sky Scraper. I moved here last week."

"Awesome! I'm Pinkie Pie!" the girl said, rapidly shaking Sky's hand. "Welcome to the Sweet Shoppe! What can I get ya?"

"Well, let's see..." Sky looked at the display case to see what was available. He spotted a large vanilla cupcake with lots of icing and sprinkles. "I'll take that cupcake. How much is it?"

Pinkie smiled again. "As a reward for being a new friend, you can have it for free!"

Sky was surprised. "Really? I don't have to pay for it?"

"Nope!" Pinkie pulled the cupcake out from the display case and gave it to Sky. "Here you go!"

"Wow! Thanks!" Sky took the cupcake and after grabbing some napkins, sat down at a table to eat it. Pinkie sat down across from him.

"So, I guess today was your first day at CHS? Pinkie asked.

Sky nodded. "Yep."

"Cool! I guess you know Lyra and Bon Bon?"

"Well... yes, I'm friends with them. How did you know?"

Pinkie laughed. "I know everyone in this town, silly! Besides, they're on the Friendship Games team, along with me and all of my friends!"

"Oh yeah, the Friendship Games. Lyra and Bon Bon told me about them. They're at the end of next month, aren't they?"

"Yep! We're competing against Crystal Prep."

"Well then, that'll be tough. I have a cousin who goes to Crystal Prep - she says they've never lost against our school."

Pinkie sighed. "Yeah, I know. I hope that changes this year, but it probably won't."

"Hey, you never know what'll happen." Sky said encouragingly, as he finished the cupcake and wiped his hands off with a napkin. "Anyway, I gotta go now. See you around, I guess!"

"You too!" Pinkie said as Sky left the Sweet Shoppe.

After leaving the Sweet Shoppe, Sky continued on his way. He left the town center and headed into the suburban side of Canterlot. He passed a few blocks of houses and trees before spotting the entrance to the town park up ahead. He decided to do a quick loop of the park before heading home for the night. Although Sky had been through it a couple of times during the day, he'd never taken a walk through it at night.

When Sky entered the park, he was struck by just how quiet and peaceful it was. It was completely empty except for him, and many light poles lit up the paved pathways. Many people are fearful of being alone at night, but Sky had always found solace in it. A cool night breeze helped him to clear his head and collect his thoughts.

Sky remembered a poem by the poet Robert Frost, that he'd first read back in seventh grade. It went like this:

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Sky felt like this poem was one he could relate to. For most of his life, he'd been an outsider compared to his peers, as he'd never really had a whole lot in common with them and found it difficult to form lasting friendships. Coming to Canterlot had been a breath of fresh air for him, because in only his first day, he'd already found several people that he liked. He was looking forward to what the rest of tenth grade would hold.

Sky soon came to a fork in the path. The path to the left continued on the loop around the park, while the path to the right went uphill through some trees. Sky had been through this fork before, but he'd never gone up the hill. So just for a change, Sky took the path to the right.

The path led him up a steep incline through a deeply wooded area. Sky could barely see anything in front of him and was beginning to think that maybe taking this path wasn't such a good idea, when he saw an opening in the trees up ahead. He power-walked the rest of the way up the hill, and when he emerged from the woods he was greeted with one of the most beautiful vistas he'd ever seen in his life.

Sky was at the edge of a cliff, and out beyond the cliff was a breathtaking view of the entire city and more. There was a lake directly below, with the moonlight shimmering off of the water. Past that were all the lights of Canterlot, both the houses of the suburbs and the tall buildings of the city. The entire place looked absolutely incredible from above. Sky had always had an interest in architecture, especially skyscrapers. After all, they were his namesakes, and they were huge. After high school, he definitely wanted to go to college and pursue a career in architecture.

Beyond the suburbs, Sky could see all the way out to the hills that lined the edges of Canterlot, and beyond the city, he could see the ocean. He'd never had such an expansive view of a city before, and couldn't believe that he'd never been up this path until now. For several minutes, Sky stood there, gazing out into the starry night that seemed to stretch on forever in all directions. He soon began to dream of showing this view to Lyra, who was without a doubt the prettiest and sweetest girl he'd ever met. He could just imagine the look on her face when she saw it, and then her laying her head on his chest as they gazed out into the beautiful night together...

Sky awoke from his fantasy and checked the time on his phone. It was now eight-fifteen, and he'd promised his mom that he'd be back home by eight-thirty. He had fifteen minutes to go back the way he came. So he quickly turned around and began heading back down the hill, leaving the view behind. But he knew he wanted to return to it sometime, and when he did, he hoped that a certain girl would be by his side to enjoy it with him.