Harmonic Blue Skies

At half past five the next morning, Sky and Lyra simultaneously opened their sleepy eyes, awakened by the light and warmth of the early morning sun. They were both surprised to find that instead of laying down on their own beds, they were sitting outdoors on the far side of the big lake. They were a bit disoriented at first, but then saw each other and remembered the previous night.

Sky let out a yawn, then smiled. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Lyra nodded. “Mhm. Did you?”

“Yeah… these deck chairs are more comfortable to sleep in than I thought they’d be.” said Sky.

Lyra giggled softly. “I can’t believe I spent a whole night out here. With you.”

“Me neither.” Sky agreed. “I just thought I’d show you the view from my house, but then we both fell asleep. Nice way to spend a summer night, though.”

“It sure is.” said Lyra. “The warm summer air sent me right to sleep.”

Sky nodded in agreement, and then both he and Lyra fell back asleep. Sunrise was considerably earlier than either of them was accustomed to waking up. At around nine o’clock, they awoke again. The sun was now high in the sky, and its warm rays of light were shimmering over the calm blue water.

Sky felt his stomach starting to growl. “I’m going to need breakfast soon.” he muttered.

“Me too.” Lyra agreed. “Do you want to go to the Hay Burger? They have the best breakfast in Ponyville.”

Sky had an idea. “How about I treat you to some homemade vanilla pancakes?” he suggested. “I learned the recipe from my mom when I was a teenager.”

Lyra grinned. “That would be lovely! I love vanilla pancakes!”

“Great!” said Sky. “I’ll get the griddle ready.” He got up from his chair and led Lyra into the house.

When Lyra looked around Sky’s living room, she was very impressed. It had comfy furniture, a shiny wooden floor, and many large open windows to let in the sunlight and the refreshing lake breeze. “This place is amazing!” Lyra remarked. “It feels so open and relaxing. You definitely picked the right house.”

“Thanks!” said Sky. “I was really lucky that this house was put up for sale just as I was moving away from Manehattan.”

While Lyra sat in front of the main window, letting the cool lake breeze blow against her chest fluff, Sky began preparing the ingredients for the pancakes. He whisked the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and whisked the wet ingredients together in another. He then mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, and spooned two cups of batter onto the griddle, a third of a cup for each pancake. Within a few minutes, Sky had made six fresh vanilla pancakes. “Pancakes are done!” he called to Lyra.

“Yay!” Lyra exclaimed. Sky gave her a plate, and they each took three pancakes. They then sat down together at Sky’s kitchen table.

“Your pancakes are amazing!” Lyra said after she took a bite. “These might be the best pancakes I’ve ever had!”

Sky smiled. “Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying them. My mom always made the best pancakes, and she taught me the recipe so that I could make them myself.”

“Then she definitely taught you really well!” said Lyra. She laughed. “My mom could never make pancakes. Like, she’s not a bad cook, but she just can’t do pancakes for whatever reason.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” said Sky. “My mom’s homemade pancakes are so good that restaurant pancakes just can’t satisfy me.”

“I totally understand that!” Lyra agreed. “Can you send me a copy of the recipe? I’d love to be able to make these myself.”

“Of course I can!” Sky said with a smile. “I’ll go down to the print store later today.”

“Thank you!” Lyra replied. “That would be great!”

Sky and Lyra soon finished their breakfast, and Lyra again thanked Sky for making the pancakes. “I’m honored that you liked them so much.” Sky said modestly. “I mean, apart from a few breakfast foods and desserts, my cooking skills are pretty limited.”

Just then, Derpy the mailmare appeared outside the front window. She swooped down and dropped an envelope into Sky’s mail basket. “Ooh, looks like I’ve got mail!” Sky remarked. He opened the front door and picked up the envelope. “Well, would you look at that!” he exclaimed, showing it to Lyra. “It’s from your dad!”

“Oh, cool!” said Lyra. “I wonder what it’ll say?”

Sky tore open the envelope and read Orpheus’ letter. The two floor plans that Sky had given to Orpheus and Spearmint earlier were also there.

Dear Sky,

Spearmint and I have chosen the larger of the two extension layouts that you designed for us. I was able to convince my wife to let me have the larger game room. Since we don’t know of any builders in this area, we’d like you to recommend one to us.

Also, we’ve made our own copies of the floor plan, so you can have the originals back. Thank you for designing our extension, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Sincerely,

Orpheus Heartstrings

Lyra laughed. “I guess my parents only took a few days to settle this argument! Usually they take a week or more.”

“Well, I’m glad they settled this one quickly.” said Sky. “Now the project can move to the next level! And you were right – it sounds like they are happy to be working with me. I still want to apologize next time I see them, though.”

Lyra nodded. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Sky. You can apologize to them if it makes you feel better, but I’m sure they’ve already forgiven you.” She looked up at the clock and saw that it was a quarter to ten. “I’ve got to go to Canterlot now, though. Bon Bon, Minuette and I are helping Twinkleshine move some boxes to her new house today. I forgot to tell you about it last night.”

“That’s all right!” Sky replied. “I wasn’t expecting you to stick around for this long, anyway.”

“Well, your lake house is really comfy!” said Lyra. “Do you have any plans for today?”

“Sugarcoat is coming over to visit me later this morning.” said Sky. “We’ll probably fly around the lake for a while, and then get lunch afterward.”

“Ah, you’re making me jealous!” Lyra chuckled. “That sounds like so much more fun than moving boxes.”

Sky shrugged. “As long as you’re helping a friend out, moving boxes can’t be too bad, right?”

“True!” said Lyra. “Anyway, I’d best be off now. Thank you so much for taking me to dinner last night, and for showing me your amazing lake house.”

Sky blushed. “You’re more than welcome, Lyra. It was my pleasure.”

Lyra smiled sweetly and gave Sky another kiss on the cheek. Then she headed out the door, with Sky smiling and waving to her as she left.

Sky was simply thrilled. His first date with Lyra had been the most amazing night of his life, and she seemed to really like him back. He could feel their friendship beginning to blossom into something more.

After arriving back in town, Lyra stopped off at her house to brush her teeth and take a shower, since she hadn’t taken one the night before. She then headed to Bon Bon’s house, which was only a block away. She rang the doorbell, and Bon Bon quickly answered.

“Morning, Lyra!” said Bon Bon. She paused, and smiled knowingly. “How was your date last night?”

“It was really nice!” Lyra replied, blushing lightly. “Sky and I shared our cutie mark stories and some career experiences over dinner, and then we took a walk along the river and around the lake. It was a perfect night. The air was warm, and the stars were out.” Lyra didn’t mention that she had spent the night with Sky. She figured Bon Bon didn’t need to know that.

“I’m glad to hear it went well.” said Bon Bon. “I’ve never seen you this interested in a stallion before.”

Lyra blushed again. “Well… fine, you’re right.” she conceded. “I really do love spending time with Sky.”

Bon Bon chuckled. “I could tell by how often you talk about him, and how worried you were about him last week.”

“Yeah.” Lyra admitted. “He’s so kind and thoughtful. And not just to me, but to everypony.”

Bon Bon nodded, and put one leg around Lyra’s shoulder. “I would have to agree. I may tease you about him sometimes, but I’m happy for you.”

Lyra gave Bon Bon a hug. “I know. That’s what best friends are for. Anyway, are you ready to go help Twinkleshine?”

“Of course!” Bon Bon replied. “We’d better not keep her waiting!”

Lyra smiled, and she and Bon Bon walked down to the train station together. They boarded the train, and were soon riding along the big wooden trestles that led up to Canterlot. “I had to deal with a really rude customer at my candy shop yesterday.” Bon Bon remarked.

“Really?” Lyra asked. “What happened?”

“There was a delay with the latest shipment of white chocolate to my shop, so I can’t make any more white chocolate truffles until it gets here.” Bon Bon explained. “I put a sign on the counter explaining the situation. At around half past three yesterday, Noteworthy came in and ordered a bag of white chocolate truffles. I told him to read the sign, and then he started yelling at me, even though it wasn’t a problem on my end. I reminded him that I had sixteen other truffle flavors, but he still yelled at me. So I kicked him out of my shop, and told him not to come back if he’s going to have such a bad attitude.”

Lyra thought for a moment. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Bonnie. Rude customers are the worst. But that’s actually really interesting, because last night Sky was complaining about Noteworthy too.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Not surprising. What else has Noteworthy done?”

“The last time Sky visited my parents, Noteworthy sat down next to him on the train and started insulting him.” Lyra replied. “That’s why the visit was so awkward. Apparently, Noteworthy has a crush on me and thinks Sky is getting in the way. I obviously don’t have a crush on Noteworthy, and if he’s being mean to Sky, I don’t even like him as a friend.”

“Wow!” said Bon Bon. “You definitely need to confront him about this the next time you see him.”

“Oh, I will!” Lyra agreed. “Hopefully it doesn’t get too ugly.”

Bon Bon shrugged. “If it does, it does. We’re both strong mares. We can handle a jerky stallion just fine!”

“True!” Lyra chuckled.

The train steamed into Canterlot, and the best friends disembarked. From there, Lyra led the way to Twinkleshine’s old house, where Twinkleshine and Minuette were waiting. “Hi, Lyra! Hi, Bon Bon!” Minuette called out. “It’s so great to see you both!”

“Hi, Minuette!” said Lyra. “It’s great to see you too!” She looked over at the cart behind Twinkleshine. It was loaded with a dozen boxes. “Guess you got a head start?”

“Yeah, we filled up the first cart before you got here.” said Twinkleshine. “Thanks so much for coming to help me, though. This house is falling apart and I didn’t want to keep paying the repair bills. The movers moved all of my furniture yesterday, but I’d rather move the smaller things myself. There are about twenty boxes left, and another cart sitting in the alley.”

“Cool!” said Lyra. “We’ll get right to it!” She and Bon Bon went into the old house and found several stacks of boxes. They soon found out that some of the boxes were quite a bit heavier than others. “Holy horseapples, what is in this one?!” Lyra groaned as she attempted to levitate a particularly heavy one. She set it down on the floor with a loud thud.

“How about you take all the light ones while I use my earth pony strength to push the heavy ones?” Bon Bon suggested.

“Good idea.” Lyra panted. “Thanks.”

Over the next ten minutes, Lyra and Bon Bon moved all the remaining boxes to the front door, where Twinkleshine and Minuette magically lifted them into the carts. The box that Lyra had had trouble with earlier was the heaviest one of all, and it took the magic of two unicorns to comfortably lift it. Soon, all of the boxes had been sorted into two carts. Each cart had two harnesses, so Twinkleshine and Minuette took the first cart while Lyra and Bon Bon took the second. “Ready to go?” Twinkleshine asked.

“Yes!” Lyra replied. “Lead the way!”

Twinkleshine and Minuette set off down the road, with Lyra and Bon Bon following behind. “So what have you two been up to lately?” Minuette asked in her usual cheerful tone. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen either of you!”

“Well, I’ve been spending more time with this stallion…” Lyra giggled, blushing a bit.

Minuette’s ears perked up. “Ooh, that’s so exciting!” she tittered. “What’s his name?”

“His name’s Sky Scraper.” Lyra replied. “He’s an architect who recently moved to Ponyville all the way from Manehattan!”

“That’s so cool!” Minuette exclaimed. “How did you two meet?”

“We were in the same tour group at the Ivory Estate last month.” Lyra recalled. “You know, the big mansion on the river in Ponyville? Anyway, we ran into each other while looking at some of Ivory Brushstroke’s paintings, and then we just started talking!”

“Well, I was there too, but Lyra and Sky really hit it off!” Bon Bon added.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to go to the Ivory Estate one of these days, but I never got around to it.” said Twinkleshine. “It’s nice to hear you met somepony. Is he working on any new buildings right now?”

“He’s actually working for my parents right now!” Lyra laughed. “My parents finally got around to adding that extension they always wanted, and since they needed an architect to design it, I recommended Sky!”

“That was a great idea!” said Minuette. “Now you just have to spend more time with him! You should invite him to have donuts with us sometime, we’d love to meet him!”

Twinkleshine nodded in agreement. “If one of our friends is getting close to a stallion, we have to get to know him. It’s part of the mare code.”

“Of course!” said Lyra. “I’ll ask him once Lemon Hearts and Moondancer get back from the Crystal Empire.”

The four friends laughed and gossiped for the remainder of the journey, and eventually arrived at Twinkleshine’s new house. It was a large white house that was only a few blocks away from Canterlot Castle. “This is really impressive!” said Lyra.

“Yeah, you sure picked a good one!” added Minuette.

“Thanks, girls.” replied Twinkleshine. “And thanks for helping me move everything, too.”

“No problem!” said Minuette. “Do you want us to help you unpack?”

“No, I think I can do it myself.” said Twinkleshine. “Do you girls want to go to the cafe now? Lunch is on me today!”

Everypony agreed, and they walked down the street to the cafe, the same one where Lyra and Bon Bon had run into Sky and Sugarcoat about a month before. “Should we sit indoors or outdoors?” Twinkleshine asked.

“I’d rather sit indoors with the AC.” said Bon Bon. “Hard work makes me hot.” Lyra and Minuette nodded in agreement.

The four mares went into the cafe to find a table. Lyra and Bon Bon then spotted Noteworthy and Royal Riff getting ready to leave. “Oh, great.” Bon Bon muttered. “Him again.”

“Hi, Lyra!” said Royal Riff. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, hey, Royal!” said Lyra. “I was just helping my friend Twinkleshine move some boxes to her new house. What about you?”

“Nothing much, really.” Royal replied. “Note and I were just walking around Canterlot today.”

“As all high-class musicians do.” Noteworthy said pompously. “You’re more than welcome to join me any time.”

Lyra was not impressed. “Well, Noteworthy,” she said firmly, “I’ve got some questions for you.”

Noteworthy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? Do you want to learn how to play the sax? It’s a true art form – not just anypony can do it.”

“No.” said Lyra. “What I want to know is what happened with you and Sky the other day? Sky told me you said some mean things to him on the train to Canterlot.”

Noteworthy pretended to not know what Lyra was talking about. “What? I never said mean things to Sky. What reason would I have to insult a good pony like him? And when did Sky tell you this, anyway?”

“Last night.” Lyra replied. “We had dinner together at the Ponyville Cafe.”

Noteworthy laughed. “I’m not believing that! There’s no way a pretty mare like you would ever go out with a sad loner like him.”

“Sky’s not a sad loner!” Lyra snapped. “He’s a very kind and intelligent stallion, and a great friend to me. Also, you just insulted him right now, and I really don’t appreciate that.”

Noteworthy lowered his eyes. “Listen to yourself, Lyra. Are you seriously choosing him over me? I’m the most talented musician in Ponyville, probably the most talented in Equestria. You and I have known each other since the start of our musical careers. A beautiful mare like you deserves a strong stallion who shares her interests, and Sky is certainly not that. First of all, a musician and an architect have nothing in common. Secondly, if Sky can’t handle me tossing some shade at him, then he’s never going to survive in the real world. But that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. It’s your choice. I just hope, for your sake, that you don’t choose the wrong stallion.” Noteworthy smirked and strutted out of the cafe. Royal Riff followed with a concerned look on his face.

“Noteworthy seems like a real meanie!” Minuette remarked.

Lyra nodded. “He’s definitely not who I thought he was. He was rude to Sky, he was rude to Bonnie, and now he’s tried to manipulate me.”

“You need to stop being friends with him.” Bon Bon said staunchly.

“Definitely.” Lyra agreed. “Anyway, let’s get something to eat.”

Having two friends who are enemies is always an awkward situation, but Lyra knew whose side she was on. Her friendship with Noteworthy was at an end, but her connection with Sky was getting stronger and stronger.