See How the Night Sky Glows

"Well, that was one insane Friendship Games." Sky remarked at lunch the following Monday.

"Tell me about it!" said Wiz. "I mean, that's the third time someone possessed by otherworldly magic has wreaked havoc at this school."

"But aw the same, I'm glad Twilight's here noo." said Sherbert. "Shair, magic may hae gotten the better o' her yisterday, but she's a real cute lass. I juist met her yisterday, but she an' I are awready startin' tae become freends."

"And to think that just a few weeks ago, I'd said it was time for you to let Twilight go." Emerald chuckled. "Well, this Twilight isn't actually the same Twilight as the one from before, but you see what I mean."

"Aye! I canna believe me luck either!" Sherbert agreed. "Sometimes, ye get a second chance that ye didna see comin. Speakin' o' which, how are things gaein between ye an' Tree Hugger?"

Emerald smiled. "Really well! She and I have become pretty good friends over these past few weeks. I'm hoping to ask her out to the Spring Fling next month. It'll be my first school dance, and I'm really excited for it."

"That's great tae hear!" said Sherbert. "I'm hopin tae ask Twilight, o' course. Hopefully I'll hae better luck wi' her than I did wi' the ither Twilight."

"Oh, I'm sure you will." said Sky. "I mean, if you're already friends after less than 24 hours, that's really good."

"Och aye." Sherbert agreed. "I'm guessin ye'll be gaein tae the dance wi' Lyra?"

Sky nodded. "Hopefully, yes." He turned to Wiz and Curly. "Do you guys have anyone you're hoping to go to the dance with?"

Curly shook his head. "Nope. Usually I just go with a group of friends, mainly athletes."

Wiz shrugged. "I've never even been to a school dance. Maybe that'll change this year, maybe it won't. Who knows."

Curly laughed. "You're missing out, dude! The dances here are really fun, whether you have a date or not!"

Wiz smiled. "Well, if you say so, then I may just have to see for myself."

"You should!" said Curly.

Sherbert nodded in agreement. He then turned to Sky. "Anywey, how hae things been between ye an' Lyra?" Sherbert asked. He then winked. "Hae ye askt her oot yet?"

Sky smiled. "Believe it or not, yes. I had dinner with her at the mall on Saturday evening, and we went for a nice walk in the park afterwards. At the top of the cliff, there's this spot with an amazing view of the city and the ocean. I showed it to her, and she was just as mesmerized by it as I was the first time I saw it." Sky sighed happily. "Ah, that was such an amazing night."

"That sounds pretty great to me!" Emerald said in agreement.

"Aye! Congratulations, laddie!" put in Sherbert.

"Thanks, guys." said Sky. "I just hope Lyra likes me enough to go out with me again."

Sherbert smiled and winked at Sky. "I think ye'll hae no worries thare."

"What do you mean?" Sky asked.

"Well, ye must remember hou mad she got when that weird bipolar lass started flirtin wi' ye yisterday."

Sky thought back to what had happened at the games the day before...

Yesterday...

The welcome party for Crystal Prep was in full swing, and everyone finally seemed to be getting along, thanks to some much-needed intervention by Pinkie Pie, who brought a pair of party cannons and some nice disco music. Lyra and Bon Bon had introduced Sky to Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Moondancer, and the group had hit it off splendidly.

"It's so great to meet you, Sky!" Minuette giggled. The blue-haired girl was definitely the chattiest and most excitable girl in the group. "Lyra talks about you all the time!"

"She... she does?" Sky asked, a bit surprised.

"Oh, sure!" Minuette went on. "She's had nothing but good things to say about you! Isn't that right?" She gave Lyra a playful nudge.

Lyra blushed lightly. "Of course! We are really good friends, after all."

"Yeah, we kind of figured that from how often you talk about him to us." said Twinkleshine. She turned to Sky. "So, how long have you been in Canterlot?"

"Only about a month and a half." Sky replied. "I moved here from Manebridge in the middle of February because my dad got a new job here."

"So you're from Manebridge?" Moondancer remarked. "I heard that city is kind of a dump. No offense, of course."

Sky laughed. "Absolutely none taken, I totally agree with you! It used to be okay, but over the past few years it's just gone really downhill, probably because of the stupid new mayor that they elected. I'm glad I don't live there anymore."

"I can imagine." said Lemon Hearts. "How do you like Canterlot so far?"

Sky smiled. "It's been great! Better than Manebridge in every way. Most of the people at CHS are really nice."

"That's great to hear!" said Minuette. "I've never been on board with the CHS vs. CPA rivalry. I mean, they're both really great schools, so why can't we all just accept that?" Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Moondancer nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Sky agreed. "I mean, I get a really nice and relaxed vibe from you girls, and I have a cousin who goes to Crystal Prep too. She and I have known each other forever."

"Ooh, who is she?" Minuette asked with interest.

"You know Sugarcoat, the girl with the silver twintails? Yep, that's my cousin!" said Sky.

"Really?" Bon Bon asked. "Wow, I wouldn't have guessed it!"

Minuette smiled brightly. "What a coincidence! I was just talking to her on the way here!"

Sky chuckled. "It's a small world, isn't it?"

"It sure is!" said Minuette.

Just then, the girl herself arrived. "Hey, Sky!" said Sugarcoat. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?"

"Sugar!" Sky exclaimed. "Good to see you here! I've just been hanging out with some of my friends. I'm sure you're familiar with them."

"Of course I am!" Sugarcoat replied. She turned to Lyra and Bon Bon. "It's been a long time since I saw you two. I hear you've become really good friends with Sky."

"It sure has!" said Lyra. "And yes, Sky's a great friend of both of us. But especially me!"

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I haven't seen you since eighth grade." she remarked. "How have you been?"

"I've been great." said Sugarcoat. "I'm ready to go out there and win for Crystal Prep!"

Lyra smirked. "We'll see about that!"

Just then, Sky and the girls heard an angry voice behind them, and a girl with straight maroon hair tied in a ponytail came running up. "Sugarcoat!" she demanded. "What are you doing!?! How are we supposed to prepare for the Games if all you do is chat up the competition!?!"

Sugarcoat sighed heavily. "Oh great, it's you, Sour Sweet. I'm talking to my cousin and some of his friends." she said matter-of-factly. "Besides, four of them are from Crystal Prep, so they're not our competition."

"Well, Lyra and Bon Bon are our competition, so you're not allowed to talk to them!" Sour Sweet shot back.

Sky was frustrated. "You can't tell my cousin who she can and can't talk to!" he snapped. "You're not her mother!"

At that moment, Sour's demeanor completely flipped. "Oh my gosh, you're Sky Scraper!" she exclaimed in an obnoxiously sweet voice that sounded completely fake to Sky. "Sugarcoat told me all about you! I haven't even met you before, but you just seem like the sweetest guy in the world!" She put her arm around Sky's shoulder and pulled him close to her.

Sky tried to pry Sour's arm off of him. "Can you let go of me?" he grunted. As uncomfortable as he was, he never used violence against a girl unless she did so first.

Sour Sweet continued on trying to flirt. "I already feel a wonderful connection between us!" she sighed dreamily.

This made Lyra absolutely furious. "Leave Sky alone!" she growled, and got ready to tackle Sour. But before she could, Sugarcoat intervened.

"All right, that's more than enough!" she said firmly, and pulled Sour away from Sky.

Upon being pulled away, Sour returned to being angry and snippy. "Fine! Be that way!" she retorted. "Don't share your cute cousin with anyone else!" She stormed off in a huff.

"What was the deal with her?" Sky asked, feeling very confused.

"Don't mind her. She's always like that." Sugarcoat replied reassuringly. "I mean, her name's Sour Sweet. What did you expect?"

Sky chuckled. "Fair point."

Lyra was still angry. "I swear, if I see that bitch again..." she muttered.

"Don't bother with her." said Sugarcoat. "I'll see to it that she doesn't try to bother you or Sky any more."

"Good!" said Lyra.

Sherbert had witnessed the whole incident from four bleachers above. Och, Sky shair dodged a bullet thare, he thought to himself.

"Oh, I definitely remember that." Sky replied. "Man, if Sugar hadn't stepped in, that could have gotten ugly."

"Definitely." Sherbert agreed. "I saw the whole thing fae the bleachers, an' I was juist waitin fer the exploosion. But it niver happent, thanks tae yer cousin."

"Yeah, it was really lucky that she was there." said Sky. "I just hope Lyra isn't too steamed up about it anymore."

"Or you'd better hope that Lyra hasn't seen sense and ditched you for good." said an all-too-familiar voice. Sky turned around and saw Noteworthy with a very arrogant sneer on his face.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Jerkface." Sky remarked. "What the hell do you want?"

"You think you're a hard man, don't you?" Noteworthy went on. "You wish you were as good as me."

"I don't wish to be as good as you!" Sky retorted. "I'm better!"

"Oh yeah?" Noteworthy snarled. "Then why haven't you gotten hitched with Lyra already? If she was with me, her lips would be on mine at all hours."

"But she's not with you." said Sky. "She likes me. She doesn't like you."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that!" Noteworthy laughed. "She and I are in the band together. I play the saxophone, a.k.a. the ultimate chick magnet. You can't beat that!"

"He's already beaten that by being a nice person and a good friend, unlike you!" Emerald interjected.

"Aye!" put in Sherbert. "Ye're naething but a wee prick tae everyone, and tae be honest, ye're the warst lad I've iver met! Even waur than Flash Sentry!"

"Oh look, now Rarity's ex-boyfriend is talking!" Noteworthy sneered.

"At least his relationship with her lasted more than a week, unlike yours!" said Curly.

"That's irrelevant!" Noteworthy snapped. He turned back to Sky. "Mark my words, Sky. Lyra's going to lust for me eventually, and when she does, she'll be mine for eternity. I'll never keep my hands off of her. Ever."

At Noteworthy's latest remark, Sky completely snapped. He jumped up from his seat, grabbed Noteworthy by the collar and slammed him against the table hard. Emerald, Sherbert, Wiz and Curly were shocked.

Sky held Noteworthy down and pointed one finger in his face. "If you so much as lay one finger on Lyra, I will kill you!" he growled menacingly. "Literally kill you, with my bare hands!"

"Hey, hey, break it up!" another voice shouted. Mr. Blackpool, Canterlot High's groundskeeper, came running to the scene. "What happened between the two of you?" he asked, pointing to Sky and Noteworthy.

"He was being rude to me and my friends, and I wasn't going to put up with it." Sky responded flatly.

Mr. Blackpool nodded. "You're both lucky I'm not a teacher, because that means I can't write you up. Just don't touch each other again." He turned and walked away to continue sweeping the cafeteria floor.

Noteworthy pushed Sky's hand off of his collar. "Between you and me, this isn't over. Principal Celestia may have moved me to a different gym class, but I'm not just going to disappear. Your days as Lyra's friend are numbered." He got up off the table and strode away with his characteristic pompous swagger.

Sherbert gave Sky a pat on the back. "Guid job, Sky. Ye shawed him who's boss."

"Thanks." Sky replied. He clenched his fists. "But seriously, I have had it with that guy's sh*t! I've punched him once already. If he tries anything else, I might do something even worse."

"I understand." said Emerald. "If he does approach you again, we'll all have your back."

"Although if you two ever get in another fight, you'd definitely kick his ass." Curly added.

"Oh, I'm sure I would." said Sky. "I'm not afraid of him."

"We already knew that." said Wiz. "We just want you to know that we'll always be on your side. We're your friends, after all." Sherbert, Emerald and Curly nodded in agreement.

Just then, the lunch bell rang, and everyone had to go to their next class. This meant it was time for Sky to find Lyra and Bon Bon. As per usual, he met up with them near the cafeteria exit. "You girls ready for chemistry?" he asked.

"Not really!" Lyra chuckled. "I'm still tired from the Games."

"Yeah, so am I." Bon Bon agreed.

"In my humble opinion, you both should have been in the second event." said Sky.

Lyra smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Sky. As fun as the games were, I'm still really annoyed that I missed the Tri-Cross Relay by two points."

"I probably would have made it, but the baking competition killed me." put in Bon Bon.

"Oh, right. The one where you and Flash Sentry somehow managed to bake a loaf of bread instead of a cake!" Lyra laughed.

"Yep, that's the one." said Bon Bon. "I had an idea for a really good cake, but nope, Flash insisted that we follow his recipe, and you know how that turned out."

"Honestly, just don't pair yourself up with that guy for anything." said Sky. "He's in my History class, and pretty much every day, Miss Harshwhinny yells at him because he either didn't do his homework, showed up late to class, or both!"

"Oh jeez!" Lyra giggled.

"Indeed." Sky agreed. "I bet he was only in the Games because someone got desperate."

"I would not be surprised!" said Bon Bon.

As soon as Sky stepped through the front door of CHS on Wednesday morning, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. Many students, mostly girls, seemed to be glaring in his direction. Sky became even more concerned when he saw Sherbert and Emerald standing around with worried expressions.

Sky walked over to his friends. "Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" he asked, very puzzled.

Sherbert shook his head. "Och, I think ye ken whit's gaein oan richt noo, lad."

Sky was now even more confused. "Um... I actually don't know what's going on. Can you tell me?"

"Okay, I'm really surprised that you don't know what's going on." said Emerald. "Look, I get that you're angry about this whole thing with Noteworthy, but you really need to be careful about what you say on social media. You should probably stay away from Lyra for a while." He and Sherbert turned and headed to their respective classes.

Sky was now in a state of complete bewilderment. He had no idea what Emerald was talking about. He decided to look for Lyra and find out what was actually happening. It wasn't long before he did.

Lyra and Bon Bon were sitting together on a bench further down the hall. Lyra was leaning on Bon Bon's shoulder and crying quietly, while Bon Bon was doing her best to console her.

Sky was shocked, and worried for the girl he loved. "Oh my gosh, what happened?!" he exclaimed.

"You posted some disgusting things about my best friend on SnapGab!" Bon Bon snapped. "What do you think happened?!"

"What!?!" Sky cried, feeling even more mystified. "I don't even use SnapGab! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I can't believe you, Sky!" Lyra muttered through tears, a remark that pierced right through Sky's heart.

"Me neither." said Bon Bon. "Come on, Lyra, let's just go to class." She and Lyra got up from the bench, turned their backs to Sky, and trudged angrily away.

Sky felt terrible. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to think in such a bizarre situation as this. He frantically dug his phone out of his backpack and opened the SnapGab app. Then he typed his own name into the search bar. Two results popped up. The first result was his own account, which he had named SkyScraper39. The second account was called TheRealSkyScraper1. Knowing that he had never posted anything on his own account, and wondering if some sort of mix-up had occurred, Sky clicked on TheRealSkyScraper1. He was horrified by what he saw.

A picture of Lyra, the same one as her SnapGab profile picture, had been posted on this account. The caption was as follows:

This is Lyra, my sexy woman for eternity. I got with her as soon as I got bored with White Flower, my previous lover from Crystal Prep. She belongs to me, and ONLY ME. She's my property, and if Noteworthy or any other guy so much as says a single word to her, I will track that guy down and beat him to death with my bare hands! And speaking of Noteworthy, I have absolutely had it with that f*cker's crap. The next time I see him, I will legitimately rip his brains out of his stupid head and paint them on the sidewalk. No one, and I mean NO ONE, goes near my girl and comes back alive!

Sky was absolutely disgusted by this post. He would never say something as awful as this about anyone, especially not on social media. He sat on the bench for a while, just trying to mentally process what had happened. Clearly, this post had not been made by him, and this account was not his. Someone was impersonating him online, and he was going to find out who.

TO BE CONTINUED...