Aquamarine Horizons

Chapters

Ch. 1: Swansong of Summer
Ch. 2: Old Friends Reunited
Ch. 3: Meeting Her
Ch. 4: Breaking the Ice
Ch. 5: Sunday Afternoon Stroll
Ch. 6: No Sugarcoating

Ch. 1: Swansong of Summer

It was the afternoon of Friday, August 30th. A young man sat in his armchair, alternating between looking at his phone and looking out his bedroom window. He had sky blue skin, sky blue eyes, and sky blue hair with a black streak on either side. One week ago, Sky Scraper and his parents had moved to their new address at 273 Aquamarine Avenue, in Canterlot. Their new home was a two-story light blue house located in the city’s northwestern region. It had a large yard with fresh green grass, and a nice furnished basement too. It was a dream house in a nice location, and Sky knew he would be very comfortable living here. It felt good to be back in his home city after six years away.

Eventually, Sky looked at his phone’s clock and saw that it was 14:37 – he preferred to have 24-hour time on his devices. He and his cousin had agreed to meet up at 15:00 that afternoon for a walk in Meadowbrook Park. Since the park was a few miles away, Sky figured it was time he got going. He put his phone in his pocket and walked downstairs to the living room, where his mother was sitting. “I’m going to the park now."

“All right, have fun and stay safe!” said his mother, Evening Shade. She had light gray skin and black hair. “Maybe you should take Sunny with you.”

Sky looked around the corner and smiled. “Good idea!” He walked into the hallway, where a large yellow Labrador retriever was taking a nap. Sky bent down and pet his dog on the head. “Hey, Sunny…”

Sunny opened his eyes and looked up at Sky. He licked Sky’s wrist as Sky gave him some nice ear scratches. Sunny was one of those sweet dogs who wanted nothing more than to be around his favorite people. “Aww, you’re such a good boy!” Sky said as he continued to pet him.

Eventually, Sunny got up from his bed and stretched. Now that he was standing, Sky decided to ask him the question. “Are you ready?”

Sunny stared at Sky for a second, then began running in circles and wagging his tail. Whenever one of Sunny’s humans asked if he was ready, it meant they were taking him for a walk. Sky chuckled and went to the kitchen to get the collar and leash. Sunny excitedly followed.

Sunny was full of energy, and it was difficult to get the collar onto his neck. “Can’t you just sit still?” Sky groaned, laughing slightly.

When Sunny eventually calmed down and let Sky put the collar and leash on him, they were ready to head out. Sky opened the back door, and led Sunny across the porch and down the driveway.

As Sky walked east along Aquamarine Avenue, he breathed in the warm summer air and smiled. It was a beautiful day outside, and the trees and lawns were all a vivid shade of green. Canterlot was often described as a city of two halves. The western half, where Sky lived, was a large suburban area, full of nice houses and lush trees. The eastern half, near the coast, was the urban “Crystal City” region, with lots of tall buildings and narrow streets. Both sides of Canterlot were vibrant throughout the year.

On the opposite side of the street, Sky noticed a small white sign with the number 17 on it. Two miles west of Sky’s house, Aquamarine Avenue met Route 17, one of the three main highways in Canterlot, at a partial cloverleaf interchange. The interchange was exit 39 on the highway, and since Sky had also lived on Aquamarine Avenue when he was younger, 39 had always been his favorite number. He'd always had a strong interest in roads, bridges and buildings, and he planned to study civil engineering when he went to college.

Sky was starting to get lost in his thoughts when Sunny suddenly darted to the right. Before Sky could say anything, Sunny had squatted on the grass and taken a dump in someone’s front yard. Sky sighed and pulled a bag out of his pocket. “Why do you always do it on people’s lawns?”

Fortunately, there was a trash can at the end of the block, so Sky didn’t have to carry the bag for long. Two blocks later, Sky turned onto the street that led to the park. On the opposite side of the street stood Canterlot High School, which Sky would soon be attending. It was a modern-looking brick building, with many glass windows and large grassy fields. Sky felt a bit awkward walking past the school that he would soon be attending for eleventh grade. Even though he had lived in Canterlot before, fourth grade was a long time ago. The idea of starting as a new student all over again made him anxious.

After walking with Sunny for three more blocks, Sky arrived at the park entrance. He looked around for his cousin, but didn’t see her anywhere. He stood at the gate and waited.

A minute later, Sky’s cousin arrived. She was a girl the same age as Sky, with cornflower blue skin, lavender eyes, and silky silver hair tied into a pair of twintails. She and Sky smiled when they saw each other, and Sunny stood up and wagged his tail. “Good afternoon, Sky!” Sugarcoat said as she and her cousin exchanged a high five. “It’s been a couple of months since we last saw each other. How have you been?” She was then interrupted by Sunny rubbing himself against her legs. “Oh my gosh, hi, Sunny!” she laughed as she reached down to pet Sky’s dog.

“It’s good to see you again, Sugar." Although Sky had often struggled to connect with most other people his age, he and Sugarcoat had always gotten along very well. “The end of summer is always disappointing, but it’s good to be back in Canterlot.”

“It’s good that you’ve been mostly enjoying yourself,” Sugarcoat said as they walked into the park. “You must be glad your dad quit his job in Valesbridge last month.”

“Yeah, I am. And I’m even more glad he got his old job in Canterlot back. Valesbridge is just so boring compared to here.”

“It’s certainly not a tourist destination. The downtown area is all right, but there’s very little to actually do there.”

“Exactly, there’s so much more stuff to see in Canterlot. I really missed this place. And I missed seeing you around all the time.”

Sugarcoat smiled. “I missed you too, Sky. I’m glad we live within three miles of each other again. You live on Aquamarine Avenue, right? Just like you used to?”

“Yes. Same street, different house. I’m at number 273 this time.”

“Cool. I remember you showing me pictures of the house just before you moved in. It’s quite a nice house, almost as nice as mine. So what else have you been doing in the past week?”

“Mostly just taking Sunny for walks around town. Exploring the area, seeing what’s changed since I left. And enjoying the last few days before school starts up again.”

“I’m trying to do the same. I’ve said this before, but being a Crystal Prep Shadowbolt is a 24/7 grind. If you thought Valesbridge High was tough, wait until you come to my school.”

“Well, Crystal Prep is an expensive private school, so that’s no surprise. And Valesbridge High wasn’t that tough in terms of the workload, I just didn’t like most of the people there. Speaking of which, what’s Canterlot High like? I know you competed against them in the Friendship Games last spring.”

Sugarcoat nodded. “Yes, I did. I told you all about it, the giant plant monster and the portals and all that. Weirdest day of my life.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. I thought you had gone crazy, but then I saw it all over the news!”

“Hey, I pride myself on my honesty. I always tell the straight truth, no matter who doesn’t want to hear it. But anyway, Canterlot High is a good school. Me and the other Shadowbolts used to look down on it, but we were wrong to do so, because the CHS students are actually quite nice. I’m sure you’ll fit in well, as long as you open yourself up to making new friends.”

“That’s good to know. I guess I am feeling some back-to-school anxiety, but more than usual because I won’t even know anyone this time. I mean, I did live in Canterlot when I was younger, but that was a long time ago. I doubt anyone from elementary school would still remember me.”

Sugarcoat shrugged. “They might, they might not. In any case, you won’t find out until school starts. Besides, you didn’t have any friends in Valesbridge anyway, so what difference does it make? You just have to put yourself out there instead of just sitting alone.”

Sky nodded. “I’ll try my best. I’ve always been more of an introvert, you know.”

“Of course I know. So am I. I used to be arrogant and self-centered when it came to school. I didn’t think much about other people, since all I wanted was to be the smartest and the best, but the events of last spring changed my attitude. I had much more fun getting to know the girls from CHS than I did competing against them. Our schools used to be bitter rivals, but not anymore.”

“I remember that music video you made with them. That was awesome. It really makes me wish I was here last year.”

“Be careful what you wish for. For about a year, Sunset Shimmer ruled CHS with an iron fist. You should be glad you weren’t there during her reign of terror.”

“That's true. I guess I did dodge a bullet there.”

“Not to mention all the other insane things that happened at CHS last year. I hope for your sake that this year is much calmer.”

“Well, at least that means everyone will have a good story to tell me,” Sky chuckled.

“True. You can also tell them that you’re my cousin. I do know plenty of the girls there, after all.” Sugarcoat winked and gave Sky a playful nudge.

Sky gave a nervous laugh. “If you mean what I think you mean, then I highly doubt that’s going to happen. I’ve never had a girlfriend in my life. I’m nowhere near athletic or charismatic enough for that.”

“Maybe not, but you are a nice guy with a good heart. If you meet a girl you like, you just need to stay true to yourself and have confidence. And if you ever need advice from a girl, I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks, Sugar.” Sky put his arm around Sugarcoat and leaned against her shoulder. “You’re the best.”

“Anything for my favorite cousin,” Sugarcoat replied with a smile. “Even if you don’t have many other friends, you’ll always have me. Although I hope you’re able to find some new friends this year.”

“I hope so too. And I’m feeling a lot better about starting at CHS now. I guess the end of this summer will be a new beginning.”

“Exactly. You’re finally back in your home city, so you should loosen up and enjoy yourself.”

Meadowbrook Park was one square mile in area. It had paved walking paths, soft green grass, and plenty of large trees to provide shade. Sky and Sugarcoat used to play there all the time when they were little. “Remember when I had to rescue you from the monkey bars?” Sugarcoat laughed as they passed by the playground. “You made it, like, three bars and then you got scared!”

“Well, in my defense, it was a high altitude for a six-year-old,” Sky replied. “Besides, you made it across, so I was just following you.”

“And you failed miserably at that,” Sugarcoat remarked with a smirk. “I had to grab onto your ass and pull you to safety.”

Sky chuckled and gave her a playful shove. “I can’t believe you still bring that up.” Sugarcoat never let him live anything down, no matter how long ago it was. And Sky was more than willing to return the favor. “Remember the time you threw a frisbee into that tree?” he asked, pointing to a large maple tree in the distance. “You told me I was bad at throwing frisbees, and then you went and did that!”

“Not my proudest moment, I will admit,” Sugarcoat laughed.

Sky went on teasing her. “And then you tried climbing up there to get it, and you slipped and got stuck hanging upside down for two minutes! My dad had to come and pry you off the branch!”

“I think that’s more than enough about the different ways we embarrassed ourselves as small children,” Sugarcoat finally said. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?” She then glanced over at Sunny. “Like how Sunny is having grass for lunch today?”

Sky looked down and noticed that Sunny was grazing on the grass next to the path. “Hey, stop that!” Sky ordered, pulling on the leash. “Grass is not food!” Sunny looked up, wondering what he did wrong. Sky chuckled and shook his head.

“You’re lucky that grass doesn’t make him sick,” Sugarcoat commented. “Otherwise he’d be throwing up every few hours, with how often he eats it.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why grass tastes so good to him. He’s just a big goofball.”

With that, Sky continued strolling through the park, accompanied by his cousin and his dog. He was back in Canterlot, and he was determined to enjoy it.

Ch. 2: Old Friends Reunited

At 7:30 on Wednesday morning, Sky’s alarm clock went off. He groaned and pulled the blanket off of his head, before opening his eyes and pressing the snooze bar. Even if he felt a lot better after talking to Sugarcoat a few days ago, he certainly didn’t feel ready for school right now. Waking up on the first day of school was always hard.

The alarm went off again at 7:39, and this time Sky was able to haul himself out of bed. He stood up and stretched before changing into his normal day-to-day outfit, which consisted of a royal blue polo T-shirt and gray khaki shorts. After combing his hair, he headed downstairs for breakfast, petting Sunny as he passed by him in the hallway.

Sky poured himself a bowl of cereal and a cup of orange juice, and brought both to the dining table, where Evening Shade was sitting. “Good morning, Mom,” Sky said as he sat down.

“Morning, sweetie,” Evening replied with a smile. “This is it, your first day at your new school. How are you feeling?”

Sky shrugged. “Pretty good, I guess. I’m feeling better after I talked to Sugarcoat on Friday.”

“Sugarcoat has always been very nice to you. I’m glad you’ll get to see her more often again.”

“Yeah, we’ve always gotten along really well. I’m looking forward to hanging out with her like I used to.”

“Hopefully you can make some friends at your new school. I know you didn’t like Valesbridge that much, but I think a change of environment will be good for you.”

“That’s pretty much what Sugarcoat told me. And yeah, I hope so too.”

After finishing his breakfast and brushing his teeth, Sky looked at the clock and saw that it was only 8:07. Since school didn’t start until 8:30, he had some time before he had to leave. He picked up his phone and sat down on the couch to browse the local news sites. It wasn’t long before he came across a headline that interested him. An auto racing movie titled The Garage Guys would be premiering on October 18th. The movie was to be centered around a ragtag team of drivers and mechanics who would come together to compete in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sky had always enjoyed European auto racing, so this was definitely a movie he wanted to see. “Hey, Mom, did you hear about that Garage Guys movie that’s coming out soon?” he asked.

“I did! I’m guessing you want to see that!”

“Definitely! It looks like a really good movie, and there aren’t too many movies about racing these days.”

Sunny soon trotted in and sat on the floor near Sky. Sky smiled and gently pet him with his foot. A few minutes later, Sky decided it was time for him to leave. Since the weather was nice, he decided to walk. He put on his sneakers, grabbed his backpack and opened the front door. “All right, I’m heading to school now. Bye!”

“See you later!” Evening replied as Sky walked out the door.

Canterlot High was located just two miles directly down the road from Sky’s house, so it was a short and simple walk to get there. Sky arrived at 8:26, four minutes before first period would start. The first day of school was a half-day, ending at 11:20 instead of the usual 14:15. To avoid the throng of students and figure out where he was supposed to go, Sky found a bench in the main atrium and sat down. He pulled his class schedule out of his backpack’s front pocket. His first class would be English in room 122. Once the crowd of students had dissipated, Sky got up again to look for that room.

As Sky walked through the corridors, he couldn’t help but notice how nice and clean everything looked. The doors and windows were all crystal clear, and the marble walls and tiled floors looked like they had just been polished. It was a major upgrade from Valesbridge High, which was an ugly old building that hadn’t been properly cleaned in a decade. I like this place better than my old school already, Sky thought to himself.

Sky soon arrived at a door with the number 122 painted above it. He entered the room and saw that most of the class was already seated. The class seating chart was displayed on the board. Sky found his name listed near the back of the room. He was glad he wouldn’t be sitting up front.

Sky walked over to his desk and sat down. The guy to his right was tall and thin, with white skin and very long light green hair. The guy to his left was of a more average build, with indigo skin and navy blue hair with gray streaks. They both looked half-asleep, and didn’t notice Sky at all.

After the last few students had filed in, the teacher stood up from his desk. He had purple skin and sleek gray hair. “Good morning, everyone! Welcome to your first day of eleventh grade,” he announced. “My name is Silver Script, and I’ll be your English teacher this year. Today we’ll just be going over the syllabus for this class, but let’s start by taking attendance.” He began reading names off of his clipboard in alphabetical order. “Afterglow Eventide?”

The guy to Sky’s left raised his hand. “Here,” he grunted.

Mr. Script put a check mark next to Afterglow’s name. “Nice to meet you, Afterglow.” He then moved to the second name on the list. “Amethyst Star?”

A girl with bright purple skin and hair answered. For the next minute, Mr. Script continued going through the attendance list. The guy next to Sky was named Emerald Leaf. Eventually, Mr. Script arrived at the letter S. “Sky Scraper?”

Sky raised his hand. “I’m here."

“Nice to meet you, Sky,” Mr. Script replied. “Interesting, we have the same initials!”

“Oh yeah, I guess we do,” Sky remarked. Mr. Script smiled, then continued reading through the remainder of the list. After checking off the last student, he went around the room and handed everyone a copy of the Honors English 11 syllabus. The class spent the remainder of first period reading through it. Most of it wasn’t very important, but Mr. Script seemed like a chill guy who was easy to get along with, so it was a decent start to Sky’s day.

After spending the next twenty minutes sitting through a rather boring introduction to Pre-Calc, Sky made his way to room 215 for his Biology class. It was a large classroom, with five lab tables and many shelves full of science supplies. Unlike his first two classes, there seemed to be no assigned seats, so Sky looked around for a good place to sit. It didn’t take him long to decide, as he soon heard a voice call out to him. “Hey, is that who I think it is?”

Sky turned around to see a familiar face from elementary school, a guy with dark gray skin and a silver mohawk. “Sky Scraper, my cool man!” Thunderlane exclaimed. “Long time no see!”

Sky’s eyes widened. “Thunderlane? I can’t believe you still remember me!”

Thunderlane laughed. “You think I’d forget? Of course I remember you, you’re a legend! Come over and sit with me and the twins.”

Sky followed Thunderlane to a table on the far side of the room, where two lavender-skinned girls were sitting. One of them had wildly spiky light blue hair, while the other had soft mint green hair with a pink bow. Both grinned and waved at Sky.

Sky couldn’t believe it. He was in the same class as not just one, but three of his old friends. “Cloudchaser! Flitter! You’re both in this class too?”

“That’s right!” Cloudchaser replied. She ran a hand through her spiky hair. “Where have you been, Sky? We haven’t seen you since fourth grade.”

“I just moved back here from Valesbridge. You know how I had to move six years ago because my dad got a job down there? Well, he quit his job this summer, and he managed to get his old job back. Therefore, I’m back too!”

“It’s so good to see you again,” said Flitter. “I’ve never been to Valesbridge myself, but I heard it’s not a good place.”

“Yeah, Valesbridge sucks. The schools are old and rundown, there’s nothing interesting there except maybe a burger joint, and it’s a pain in the ass to get to. I wish I never had to move there.”

“That sounds so bad,” said Cloudchaser. “Though I’d still say freshman year at CHS was worse.”

“Oh, freshman year was ass!” Thunderlane burst out. “That was back when Sunset was bullying everyone.”

“Yeah, my cousin Sugarcoat told me about that. Last year sounds like it was crazy. Hopefully this year is more normal.”

At the moment, the teacher walked in. She was an attractive young woman, with white skin and radiant pink hair with yellow highlights. “Good morning, everyone!” she said with a cheerful smile. “Welcome to Honors Biology. I’m Hyacinth Blossom, and I’m super excited to get to know all of you this year!”

Thunderlane gave a low whistle. “Ooh, we scored a hot one!”

“Can’t say I disagree with you there.” said Sky.

Miss Blossom began going around the room to take attendance. When she got to Sky’s table, Thunderlane acted suave, or at least he tried to. “What is up, my girl?” He leaned his elbow on the counter. “My name’s Thunderlane. I’m not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together.” He pointed and winked at her.

“It’s, um… nice to meet you, Thunderlane,” Miss Blossom replied in a confused tone. “All I needed was your name, though.” She checked him off the attendance list. After Sky and the twins gave her much more normal introductions, she headed to the next table.

“Imagine actually trying to use pickup lines on a teacher,” Flitter deadpanned.

“I think I nailed it,” Thunderlane replied nonchalantly.

For the rest of third period, Miss Blossom showed the students a slideshow about herself. In addition to being a biology teacher, she also co-owned a flower shop in downtown Canterlot with her sister. Throughout the whole thing, Thunderlane kept looking at her with a love-struck expression, which made Cloudchaser and Flitter roll their eyes.

“Looks like we would all have lunch during fourth period,” Sky said when the period ended, “but since it’s a half-day, I guess that means we’re free for twenty minutes. What do you want to do?”

“How about we give you a tour of the school?” Flitter suggested. “That way you won’t get lost on the way to your next class.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! I could use someone showing me around. You lead the way, I guess.”

Thunderlane, Cloudchaser and Flitter led Sky to the CHS library. Located at the center of the school, it was the largest room in the building. The main entrance was on the first floor, but Sky and his friends entered onto the mezzanine level. The library must have contained thousands of books, as every square inch of the walls seemed to be lined with bookshelves. The first floor had a round computer desk in the center, and the roof was a giant glass dome. Several other students were also in the library, either looking at books or talking with their friends.

“Wow, this place is so cool!” Sky remarked. “I like how you can stand against the railing here and look down on everyone else.”

“Yeah, I love doing that too,” Cloudchaser chuckled.

“Funny story, I threw a burger off here last year,” Thunderlane recounted. “Got a detention for that, but it was totally worth it!”

“Really?” Sky laughed. “Were you throwing it at someone?”

“Of course I was! Some senior who was being a dick to me and my buddies. It landed on his head ketchup-side down! He turned around, but I’d already ran away!” Thunderlane burst out laughing, and Cloudchaser and Flitter laughed too.

“I probably wouldn’t have done that myself, but I agree that it was worth it!” said Sky.

After exiting through the other mezzanine door, Sky’s friends showed him around the other second-floor corridors. They soon arrived at a poorly lit hallway that led to a dead end. “Oh, we have to show him One Trick’s little hidey-hole!” Cloudchaser laughed.

“What are you talking about?” Sky asked.

“Follow us!” Cloudchaser replied. At the end of the hall was an open door with a mailbox next to it. The letter stickers on the mailbox spelled out “ONE TRICK”.

“One Trick is the CHS groundskeeper,” Flitter explained. “Just like his name, he only has one trick, the old quarter-behind-the-ear joke.”

“He loves pulling that one on freshmen,” Cloudchaser added. “And anyone who happens to be near him, really.”

“But the freshmen are the only ones who fall for it,” Thunderlane laughed.

“He’s completely incompetent at everything else,” Flitter continued. “Carrying stuff, mowing grass, throwing a football, you name it. He’s a funny dude.”

“If he sucks at mowing grass, then why do the fields outside look so good?” Sky asked.

“Probably because it’s the first day of the school year,” Flitter laughed. “He hasn’t had time to mess them up yet.”

“Even though he lives in this room,” said Thunderlane.

“How could he live in the school?” Sky asked. He had many questions about this One Trick guy.

“Well, for starters, that mailbox literally has his name on it,” said Cloudchaser. “And since the door’s open, we should probably show you what else he’s got.”

Cloudchaser stepped into the room, and Sky followed. To his surprise, the small room had a window, and contained everything a studio apartment would normally have. There was an unmade bed with stained sheets, a small TV set, a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a desk with a lamp. Now Sky was thoroughly perplexed. “Seriously, there’s a bed in here?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, he probably lives here,” Cloudchaser replied, trying not to laugh. “Why else would he have all this stuff?”

“This guy is… quite the enigma,” Sky said thoughtfully. “Where is he right now?”

Cloudchaser shrugged. “Probably somewhere outside.” She then giggled. “While I’m here, I think I’ll help myself to some of his quarters. It’s his fault for leaving the door open.” She snagged a roll of quarters off the desk, put it in her backpack, and then left the room. Sky chuckled and followed her back out.

From there, Sky’s friends led him downstairs and showed him around the first floor. As they passed through different parts of the school, they entertained him with more stories about the previous year at CHS. After about ten more minutes, the period ended and they all had to go to their next classes. “Well, it was really great seeing you all again,” Sky said with a smile. “Thanks for giving me a tour, and for just remembering me.”

“No problem, Sky!” Flitter replied. “It’s great to have you with us again. This is going to be an awesome year!”

The last three periods flew by very quickly. For fifth period, Sky had Latin, one of his elective classes. The teacher’s name was Iron Spear. Sky’s previous Latin teacher had been one of the only good teachers at Valesbridge High, and Mr. Spear seemed like a really cool guy too. Sky noticed that Emerald Leaf, one of the guys he sat next to in English, was also in this class.

After Latin, Sky had another free period. He spent those twenty minutes sitting in the library, looking at pictures he’d saved on his phone. These pictures were from the Montreal trip that he and his parents had taken at the start of the summer. They’d visited a big railway museum, walked through the underground city, and gone on a tour of a famous old hotel. It had been an awesome vacation, and it was interesting to think that Air would quit his job just two weeks after.

For the last period of the day, Sky had Drawing & Painting, another elective class. He was glad that Canterlot High offered art electives, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that Thunderlane was also in the class. The teacher, whose name was Harlequin Brushstroke, decided to let his students just hang out until the bell rang, since there wasn’t much time to really do anything. When the bell rang at 11:20, Sky headed downstairs and out the front door of the school. His first day at CHS had gone a lot better than he thought it would.

When Sky arrived back at his house and opened the door, he was greeted by a very happy and excited Sunny. “I missed you too, Sunny!” Sky laughed as Sunny wagged his tail and rubbed himself against Sky’s legs. After petting Sunny for a while, Sky headed into the dining room and set his backpack down on a chair. “Hi, Mom. I’m back!”

“Hello, Sky!” said Evening. “How was the first day of school?”

“It actually went really well. I have classes with three of my old friends this year.”

Evening smiled. “Really? That’s great! Which ones?”

“Thunderlane, Cloudchaser and Flitter. I was surprised they still remembered me after all this time.”

“I’m glad you were able to reconnect with them. I always worry about you not having any friends at school.”

“Well, I was lonely in Valesbridge, but I don’t feel so lonely anymore. I’m really glad we moved back to Canterlot.” He turned and went to the bathroom to wash his hands, as he always did whenever he came home from anywhere. As he walked back to the living room, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He unlocked it and saw that Sugarcoat had sent him a text. “How was your first day at CHS?” she asked.

Sky quickly typed his reply. “Pretty great, my old friends still remember me!”

“What did I tell you? 😉” was Sugarcoat’s response. Sky could only agree.

Author's Note

Emerald Leaf, Afterglow Eventide and One Trick are all OCs belonging to friends from MLP Forums.

This was a fun chapter to write!

Ch. 3: Meeting Her

Two afternoons later, Sky and Thunderlane were sitting together in their Drawing & Painting class, looking forward to a relaxing weekend. The first art project of the year was a simple one, a shaded picture of their hand holding an object. Sky had taken a picture of his left hand holding a ruler, and was using that as a reference image. He was making good progress on his drawing, but Thunderlane was having some difficulties.

“Man, drawing my own hand is a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” Thunderlane remarked.

Sky shrugged. “It’s not that hard for me. You just have to make sure you get all the creases.”

“It’s not that, dude. I keep drawing the knuckles all wrong. Man, if this is supposed to be the easiest project, this is gonna be a hard class.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. We have two weeks to work on this. And Brush is, like, the most chill teacher I’ve ever had.” Harlequin Brushstroke was very laid-back, to the point where he allowed all of his students to just call him “Brush”.

“True. By the way, here’s what happened to my brother yesterday.” Thunderlane held up his phone and showed Sky a video of his younger brother’s latest skateboarding fail. The previous afternoon, Rumble had attempted to jump a set of concrete stairs in Meadowbrook Park, and it had not ended well.

Sky winced as he watched Rumble’s painful landing. “Ow, that’s got to hurt! I guess you could say Rumble took a tumble.”

“Good one!” Thunderlane laughed. “Yeah, he sprained his ankle pretty badly, and scraped up his shin too. He stayed home today because he says it’s too painful to walk.”

“Not a great start to his freshman year, that’s for sure."

“The first thing he asked me this morning was whether or not the twins would come over and check on him. Here I was, thinking he’d grown out of his crushes on them.”

Sky chuckled and rolled his eyes. Back when they were all in elementary school, Rumble was constantly trying to impress Cloudchaser and Flitter, who found his efforts cute and funny. Sky also remembered Rumble getting mad at him when he gave Cloudchaser a bag of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, even though none of them had even hit puberty yet.

“Well, to be fair to him, they do seem like they’d be good caretakers. And besides, you’re the one with a crush on Miss Blossom!”

“That is not true! Just because I think she looks good doesn’t mean I have a crush!”

“Then why do you keep staring at her during class?” Sky teased. “You say you don’t have a crush, but your eyes tell a different story.”

“Fine. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Does it really matter anyway? If she dated me, she’d get fired. Though once she gets to know me, she might decide that she likes me more than her job…” Without thinking, Thunderlane smiled and winked at Sky.

Sky laughed. “Well then, I think that answers the question!”

Sky returned to drawing for a few more minutes, then looked around the room. It wasn’t long before his gaze became fixed in one place. On the other side of the room sat a group of three girls. They each had very different colors and hairstyles, and there was one in particular who caught Sky’s eye. She had minty green skin, soft turquoise and white hair, and a beautiful pair of golden eyes. She also wore a cute pink headband with a flower, and her light magenta dress showed off her shoulders very well. She looked adorable as she chatted and giggled with her friends. Sky couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed her before. Canterlot High had a fair number of pretty girls, but this girl was definitely the prettiest one he’d seen. Sky soon found himself gazing across the room at her instead of working on his drawing.

“What the hell are you looking at, dude?” Thunderlane eventually asked.

Sky jumped and turned back to his friend. “Oh… nothing. Just… zoned out a little bit there. You know, it’s the last period on Friday, I’m just kinda tired.”

Thunderlane chuckled. “Ah, don’t worry, man. I totally get that. I’m just messing with you, that’s all.”

A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. “All right, everyone, time to clean up!” Brush called. “Your only homework is to do something fun and relaxing this weekend. Have a good one!”

As Sky left the art room, he smiled as he noticed the minty girl and her two friends departing the other way. He found her appearance very attractive, although he didn’t know her name or anything else about her. He made his way to the school’s main entrance, and then headed home to start his weekend.

The following afternoon, Sky was sitting on the couch in his basement, with Sunny curled up on the floor near his feet. Sky was watching Agent 75, one of his all-time favorite comedy movies, on the TV. The titular character was a well-meaning but clumsy spy who constantly screwed up at everything he did. The movie’s slapstick gags never failed to crack Sky up.

“He knocked his own partner out the window!” Sky cackled as he watched Agent 75 accidentally bump another spy out of a high-rise window. Fortunately, the other agent managed to cling onto the ledge. Sky’s laughter was interrupted by the sound of his father, Air Raider, coming down the stairs. Air had light blue skin and short gray hair, although his hair had been navy blue when he was younger. “Hey buddy, I’m going to the mall,” he said to Sky. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure! I haven’t been to the Canterlot Mall in years.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be waiting on the back porch.” Air turned and walked back up the stairs.

“All right, I’ll be there in a sec.” Sky picked up the remote and turned off the TV just as the channel went to a commercial break. He bent down to squish Sunny’s cheeks before getting off the couch and heading upstairs. He brushed Sunny’s fur off his socks before putting on his sneakers and going outside.

“So what are you going to the mall for?” Sky asked as he got into the passenger seat of Air’s navy blue hatchback.

“I’m buying some desk speakers for my office. Since I’m planning to get three, you’ll have to carry at least one.”

“Sure thing, but only if you buy me a donut afterward!”

Air chuckled. “All right, it’s a deal!”

The fastest route to the Canterlot Mall was via Route 17. Air drove west along Aquamarine Avenue, and they soon arrived at the interchange for the highway. As Air got on the southbound entrance ramp, he shifted into the highest gear and accelerated. Both of Sky’s parents were unusual in that they preferred cars with manual transmissions.

Since it was Saturday, the traffic was light. Air and Sky only had to travel five miles on Route 17, and the exit for the road leading to the mall soon came into view. As they passed under the sign for exit 34, Air switched into the rightmost lane and got off the highway. This was the exit for the Jade Parkway, a wide open road lined with lush green trees on either side, as well as a landscaped median. It made for a very scenic drive into the city. On the way to the mall, Air reminisced about the times before they left Canterlot, when Sky was younger.

“The last time we went to the mall together, you must have been ten,” Air remarked. “It was before we moved to Valesbridge.”

“Yeah, it was six years ago. A lot of stuff has changed since then.”

After driving east along the Jade Parkway for a few miles, Air and Sky arrived at the Canterlot Mall. It was a large building with stucco walls and a shiny glass roof. It didn’t look too different from how Sky remembered it, though two of the department stores had been replaced by different ones.

“This place is more crowded than I thought it would be,” Air remarked as he drove into the mall parking lot. “Let’s see if we can find a spot close to one of the doors.”

Every light pole in the parking lot had a big blue sign with a number on it, which was convenient for remembering where you parked. It must have been Air’s lucky day, because he found a space right next to number 23, which was near the north entrance. He and Sky got out of the car and walked into the mall.

“Looks like they remodeled since the last time we were here,” Sky commented. More glass panels had been added to the roof, which allowed more light to shine in from outside. In addition, the colors of the walls had been changed to a wider range of pastel colors, rather than the plain alabaster they were previously. Up ahead, Sky could see the mall’s famous golden fountain, located in the center of the building. There were many people walking around in all different directions.

Sky and Air soon found the electronics store, which was located just east of the fountain. It was one of the larger stores in the mall, with several aisles carrying many different electronic devices and parts. Air picked up a catalog when they walked in. “Speakers, aisle 7,” Air said, reading off the store directory. He walked down to the seventh aisle, and Sky followed. But when they scanned the shelves, they couldn’t find the desk speakers that Air wanted. “I guess they’re not in this aisle,” said Sky.

Air nodded. “Let’s check the next one.” They headed over to aisle 8, which carried headphones, but the speakers weren’t there either. “Well, that’s a pisser,” Air remarked. He then noticed a store employee stocking a shelf with earbuds. “Excuse me, sir, do you currently have these speakers in stock?” Air opened the catalog and pointed to the one he was looking for.

The employee shook his head. “No, sorry. That catalog is outdated – we stopped carrying those a couple weeks ago. The music store on the second floor should have them, though. That store’s owned by the same company as this one, and most of our music-related goods are being transferred over there.”

“Thank you. Come on, Sky, we have to go to the music store instead.” Air and Sky left the electronics store and got on the up escalator. At the top was a sign with a mall directory, which was convenient because Air didn’t know where the music store was.

Air squinted as he read the store listings. “Let’s see… Synthia’s Music Shack, right here.” He pointed to a spot in the mall’s west wing, near the food court. “I think there’s a donut place in the food court. We can go there right afterward!”

“Oh, perfect!”

“Now that you’re almost seventeen, you should be buying your own donut, but a deal’s a deal,” Air chuckled as he and Sky walked along the mezzanine. It had storefronts on one side and a glass railing on the other. There were fewer people up here, which Sky was happy about. When it wasn’t too crowded, the mall was a nice place to just walk around.

After walking for a while, Sky and Air reached the music store. The name “SYNTHIA’S” was spelled out above the door in large yellow letters, along with the symbol of a guitar and three music notes. Sky and Air entered the store and found that it carried all kinds of music paraphernalia, from musical instruments to CDs and headphones. “Look, they have bagpipes!” Air remarked, pointing to Sky’s favorite instrument hung on the wall.

“Oh yeah!” Sky laughed. “Cool!” He was about to follow his dad, but then he glanced over at the cash register. Sitting behind the register was the same minty girl that Sky had been admiring in his Drawing & Painting class the day before. Around her neck, she wore a gold pendant shaped like a small harp. Her eyes were closed and she was wearing a set of earbuds, presumably listening to some music on her phone. In her presence, Sky wasn’t sure what to do with himself, so he simply remained where he was, alternating between looking at CDs on the shelves and looking at the floor.

Eventually, the girl took her earbuds out and opened her golden eyes. “Can I help you?” she asked.

Sky felt his heart skip a beat, and looked back at her in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting her to call out to him. He was so enamored by her that he didn’t know what to say. “Um… I’m… fine, I guess. Just, um… looking around… that’s all.” He cleared his throat.

“Um… all right,” the girl replied. “If you need anything, I’m right here! I know a lot about music.” She returned to looking at her phone.

Sky blushed upon hearing her voice, which sounded really pretty and sweet. He didn’t know what else to say to her, but he didn’t want to just stand there. He glanced toward the other end of the store and saw that his dad was still scanning the shelves. “So… you work here?” He knew it was a silly, obvious question to ask, and a part of him cringed at having asked it.

The girl looked up. “Yep, I do. I work here three afternoons a week. My name’s Lyra, by the way. Lyra Heartstrings.”

“Lyra… that’s a really pretty name." Sky blushed again as soon as he said that. “My name’s Sky Scraper.”

Lyra giggled. “Nice to meet you, Sky – and thanks. Say, are you new to Canterlot? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Yeah, I am. I just moved here from –”

Before Sky could finish his sentence, Air called out to him. “Hey, Sky, I found the speakers! Could you please carry one of them for me?”

“Sure,” Sky responded. He turned back to Lyra. “Sorry, I have to help my dad carry something. I’ll be right back.” He jogged over and picked up the third speaker, while Air carried the first two. When they came back, Lyra scanned the speakers and Air paid with his credit card. “What I was going to say was… I just moved here from Valesbridge a couple weeks ago,” said Sky.

“Well then, welcome to Canterlot!” Lyra said with a cheerful smile. “Have a great day!”

“Thanks… same to you!” Sky replied. As he and Air left the store, carrying each speaker in a separate bag, Sky thought over his short conversation with Lyra. At this point, there was no doubt that he had a crush on her, although his first conversation with her had been rather awkward.

“So were you talking to that girl at the register?” Air asked as he and Sky walked to the food court to get donuts.

“Yeah, I was. I was going to help you look for the speakers, but then I ended up talking with her instead.”

“I guess there’s always time for a pretty girl,” Air teased.

Sky blushed. “Why are you saying that? I just talked to her for maybe a minute. It’s not like I have a crush or anything.” But he did, and he hoped he would get a chance to talk to Lyra again soon.

Author's Note

And thus, Lyra has entered. :raritywink:

Ch. 4: Breaking the Ice

A few days after Sky’s trip to the mall, he was talking with Emerald Leaf and Afterglow Eventide as they walked out of their English class together. Like Sky, Afterglow had also moved to Canterlot over the summer, while Emerald had moved from the Netherlands the year before.

“I’d say my first year here is off to a good start,” Sky said as he finished telling his new friends about where he came from. “This school is so much better than my old one ever was.”

Afterglow laughed. “I know how you feel. Trust me, if you think your old school was bad, mine was even worse. It was this regional school way out west, full of druggies, dumb jocks, shitty teachers… all kinds of idiots, really. I’m so glad I don’t have to go there anymore.”

“That does indeed sound really shitty,” said Emerald. “At least my school back in the Netherlands wasn’t like that. Last year was a weird time to be a new student, but now I’ve settled into Canterlot really well. This city has everything!”

Sky nodded. “It really does! I spent the end of the summer exploring different parts of the city, seeing what’s changed since I left six years ago. A lot of neighborhoods have been built up, but some places are exactly as I remember them. I especially like going to the mall and the park.”

“Oh, I love the park too!” Emerald agreed. “There are so many nice trees and flowers that grow there. I also found some millipedes in the dirt and took them home with me. I already had three giant millipedes that I bought in the Netherlands, and now I have some smaller ones too! I keep them all in this big terrarium in my room.”

“You have pet millipedes? That’s so cool!” Sky exclaimed. “I’ve always liked millipedes. I used to find them in my backyard when I was little, but my parents wouldn’t let me bring them inside.”

“Neither would my parents,” Emerald chuckled. “But now that I’m older, I’m allowed to have my own pets, as long as they stay in the terrarium.”

“Millipedes are awesome, but I probably couldn’t have them in my house,” said Sky. “The only place I could put a terrarium is my basement, and I’d have to make sure my dog doesn’t try to eat them!”

Emerald laughed. “I’ve never had a dog myself, but I can definitely imagine that.”

Just then, a girl with light green skin and scarlet dreadlocks exited the library. She wore a light pink top and a long yellow dress lined with white flowers. Emerald grinned when he saw her. “Tree Hugger!” he called out.

“Hey, Emerald…” Tree Hugger replied in a slow, relaxed voice. She put her arm around Emerald and ran her hand through his long green hair. “Righteous to see you again, handsome.”

“This is my girlfriend, Tree Hugger,” Emerald explained to Sky and Afterglow. “We started dating this past spring.”

“We like taking long walks through the forest,” Tree Hugger added.

“Nice… I like doing that too,” said Afterglow. “The big forests and fields are really the only thing I miss about my old town. My name’s Afterglow Eventide, by the way.”

“And I’m Sky Scraper,” said Sky. “We’re both friends of Emerald.”

Tree Hugger smiled. “Radical to meet you both.”

“Sorry I can’t talk to you guys more – Tree Hugger and I have to go to Biology now,” said Emerald. “See you later!” He and Tree Hugger held hands as they walked up the stairs.

“I’m kind of jealous that he has a girlfriend, not gonna lie,” Afterglow remarked as he watched them depart.

Sky shrugged. “Well, who knows, maybe you’ll find one this year.”

“That would be nice, but I’m not sure what kind of girl would like me. Most people go out and do stuff a lot, but I never really have.”

“Well, if you lived way out west, there probably wasn’t much to do in your old town anyway. There wasn’t much to do in Valesbridge either. But now that you’re here, I’d say it’s a good time to start.”

“You’re probably right there. Say, do you mind if I tell you about my crush?”

“Of course not. Go ahead.”

“There’s this girl in my History class that I’ve been in love with since the first day of school,” Afterglow explained. “You probably don’t know her, but her name is Octavia Melody. Something about her English accent and dark hair is just so attractive to me. Even when I’m not in that class with her, I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Seems like the usual thing that happens when you have a crush. I think I have one too, but I’m not sure if I feel comfortable talking about it yet.”

“That’s fine. Good luck with whoever it is.”

Sky smiled. “Thanks! And the same to you. You have the whole school year ahead of you, just remember that.”

Later that day, Sky was heading to his Drawing & Painting class. The art room was located just down the hall from One Trick’s little “apartment”, and as Sky passed by, he saw the groundskeeper pacing back and forth at the end of the corridor.

“Where the hell did those quarters go?” One Trick muttered, furiously scratching his black hair. “I swear they were on my desk last week!”

Sky snickered to himself. Knowing Cloudchaser, she’d probably spent at least half of the quarters already. One Trick was never getting any of those back, and he’d probably never find out where they went.

“Hey, what’s up, Sky?” Thunderlane asked as Sky entered the art room and sat down across from him.

“Not much. You?”

Thunderlane sighed. “Mr. Cranky assigned this freaking huge math packet today, and it’s due tomorrow. I swear, why does this guy have to be such a hardo? He’s old, he should be retired already.”

“Dang, that sucks. I’m glad I don’t have him for Pre-Calc. You’re taking Algebra 2, right? I took that last year.”

“Yeah. Regular Algebra 2 because I’m stupid at math, and Mr. Cranky makes it hell. Who assigns something like that one week into the school year?”

“Mr. Cranky, I guess. Just give it your best effort.”

“Seriously though, screw that old fart. Literally no one likes him.”

Sky chuckled. “My friend Afterglow has him too, and he’s said the exact same thing.”

“Just so you know, your hand drawings should be finished by the end of next week!” Brush announced. “After that, we’ll do a gallery walk, and then we’re moving onto the next project.”

“Shoot, we’d better get our drawings." Sky got up to grab his drawing from the shelves at the back of the room, and Thunderlane followed. Sky also picked up two colored pencils and an eraser.

Sky’s drawing was coming along very nicely, and he was almost done shading the hand. Thunderlane, meanwhile, had finally drawn a hand shape that he was satisfied with. “Finally I can start coloring this thing,” he remarked.

Sky had just finished shading the fingers when he saw Lyra get up to sharpen her pencil. He quietly admired her as she walked to the sharpener, and Thunderlane took notice. “Ooh, eyeballing Lyra!” Thunderlane laughed. “I see you!”

Sky angrily shushed his friend. “What the hell, man?!” he hissed. Fortunately, Lyra didn’t seem to have heard them.

Thunderlane smirked. “Dude, you were totally checking out Lyra there. You got a crush on her or something?”

Sky sighed. “Fine… maybe I do. But you’re not allowed to make fun of me. At least my crush is someone my own age.”

“All right, you got me there. If you like Lyra, I can’t blame you – she’s not bad looking, that’s for sure. I don’t know her, though. I don’t really hang out with any of the band people.”

“She’s in the band? Well, I guess that’s not surprising, since she works at a music store."

“Whoa, how do you know that? Are you eyeballing her outside of school too?”

“No, I saw her at the mall on Saturday. My dad and I went to Synthia’s to buy some speakers. She was the cashier there, and I ended up talking to her for a little bit.”

“Ah, chatting up the cute cashier. Classic! You know, if you’ve already talked to her once, why not go over there and talk to her again?”

“I don’t want to just randomly approach her. That’d be kind of weird. And what would I say to her, anyway?”

Thunderlane shrugged. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. Tell you what, if you’re too scared, I’ll go over there for you.”

“No way! That would be even more weird. Just leave it to me.”

“All right, all right.” Thunderlane pat Sky on the back. “I don’t know what you’re so nervous about, though.”

A week later, Sky and Thunderlane entered the art room and found that the table they normally sat at was missing. “Where the hell did our table go?!” Thunderlane exclaimed.

“One Trick ran into it with his vacuum cleaner yesterday and broke one of the legs,” Brush explained. “You’ll have to find somewhere else to sit for now.”

Thunderlane laughed and shook his head. “One Trick… man, what is with that guy?” He then had an idea. He smiled and pointed to Lyra’s table, which had two empty seats.

“Ooh, yeah! Good idea!” Sky agreed.

Thunderlane walked over to Lyra’s table. “Yo, our table’s gone now, so do you mind if we sit here?” he asked.

“Sure, no problem!” Lyra replied.

“Great! Thanks.” Thunderlane and Sky each took one of the empty seats. Sky blushed as he sat down next to Lyra, who almost immediately recognized him. “Hey, I remember you! Sky Scraper, right?”

Sky Scraper felt his brow starting to sweat, and gave a nervous laugh. “Yep… that’s me! What a… nice surprise to see you again, Lyra!”

Lyra smiled. “Same to you! I didn’t know you were in this class!”

One of Lyra’s friends was confused. She had light yellow skin, curly dark blue and pink hair, and wore a white dress with light blue and yellow lining. “Do you know this guy?”

“Well, not really, but he talked to me at the music store on Saturday." Lyra turned back to Sky. “This is my friend Bon Bon. We’ve been besties since kindergarten!” She and Bon Bon put their arms around each other’s shoulders and smiled.

“I moved here all the way from England in seventh grade myself,” said the third girl at the table. This girl had light gray skin, dark gray hair, and wore a white top with a purple bow tie, vest and skirt. She spoke with a sophisticated English accent. “My name is Octavia Melody. Lyra and I are in the band together. I play the cello.”

Sky recognized her as Afterglow’s crush. He remained silent for a bit, trying to think of what to say next. “I, um… really like your necklace, Lyra,” he finally said, wiping sweat off his forehead.

Lyra grinned. “Aw, thank you! It represents my instrument. I’ve been playing the harp for as long as I can remember. My dad’s an accomplished harpist, and he started teaching me as soon as my fingers were long enough.”

“Wow… that’s really cool! The harp has always been one of my favorite instruments. I’ve never been able to play any instrument myself, though.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It takes a lot of practice, but you’re never too old to learn. What kind of hobbies do you have?”

“Oh… not a whole lot, really. Mostly just drawing or creative writing… when I have the time and the motivation.”

Thunderlane put his hand on Sky’s shoulder. “Come on, dude, don’t make yourself sound boring like that!” He turned to the girls. “Sky may not be as athletic as me, but he’s one of the smartest guys I know. He’s a more reliable navigator than a GPS!”

Sky chuckled. “You’re not wrong there. I’ve always liked looking at maps, especially road atlases. It’s just cool seeing towns and cities drawn out on paper.”

“Indeed, maps are always fascinating,” Octavia agreed. “I have a map of Britain on my bedroom wall.”

“So you know the map of Canterlot like the back of your hand?” Lyra giggled.

Sky thought for a moment. “Mostly, yeah. At least all the highways, main roads, and everything around my neighborhood. It’s a big city, though.”

Octavia nodded in agreement. “I always did wonder how Canterlot got by with only two high schools.”

“Well, speaking of the other high school in Canterlot, Lyra and I both competed in the Friendship Games last year!” said Bon Bon.

“We even got medals!” added Lyra. She and Bon Bon each pulled a gold medal out of their backpack. “We didn’t make it to the second round, but we still got these for participating.”

“Ooh, nice!” said Sky. “My cousin competed in the Friendship Games too. She goes to Crystal Prep.”

“Really?” Lyra asked. “Who is she?”

“Her name’s Sugarcoat. She and I have always been really close. Do you know her?”

“Oh, I remember her,” said Bon Bon. “We never got along well with her, to be honest. She was always so blunt about everything. Like, she had no tact at all.”

Sky grimaced. “Well, that’s not the Sugarcoat I know. She does pride herself on telling it like it is, but she’s always been kind and supportive to me no matter what. She might seem grumpy on the outside, but she’s really nice once you get to know her.”

“Oh, of course,” said Lyra. “We got to know all of the Shadowbolts after the Games. It’s nice not being rivals with them anymore.”

“Yeah, we’re all on much better terms with Crystal Prep now,” Bon Bon agreed. “Sorry I was rude about your cousin.”

“Ah, that’s all right. I’m also glad CHS and CPA aren’t rivals anymore – otherwise things could get awkward with me and Sugar!”

Just then, Brush walked over. “Are you guys going to do anything today?” he asked. “The hand drawing’s due at the end of the week!”

“Oh shoot, I forgot!” Lyra laughed. She went to Brush’s desk to pick up her drawing, which was nearly complete. Her tablemates followed and did the same.

“You’ve barely done any shading!” Brush commented when he saw Thunderlane’s drawing. “You’d better hurry up!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Thunderlane retorted. “But when the pressure’s on, I can work fast!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Brush laughed. In contrast, he was very impressed by Sky’s artistic skills. “Wow, Sky, that looks great!” he remarked.

“Thank you!” Sky exclaimed. He wasn’t expecting to hear that.

The remainder of the period was quieter, as everyone wanted to finish their projects. Nonetheless, it felt like a dream for Sky to be sitting next to a girl as pretty and sweet as Lyra. When the bell rang, Lyra and Octavia headed to the auditorium for band practice, and Bon Bon went to the library, leaving Sky and Thunderlane to walk downstairs together.

“Dude, it's so obvious that you like her!” Thunderlane laughed. “You were blushing the whole time!”

Sky’s cheeks immediately went red. “No, I wasn’t! Besides, I already told you you’re not allowed to tease me about this.”

“I’m not teasing you. I’m just stating facts, that’s all.”

Sky gave Thunderlane a shove. “Ah, shut up!”

Ch. 5: Sunday Afternoon Stroll

A cool breeze ruffled Sky’s hair as he led Sunny down the driveway. Summer was beginning to transition into autumn, and a few leaves on the trees had turned yellow. One of the nice things about Canterlot High was that most teachers didn’t assign homework on weekends unless it was part of a long-term project. Therefore, Sky was able to enjoy a relaxing weekend free of obligations. It was now 16:30 on Sunday, and he was taking Sunny on a nice afternoon walk.

To change things up, Sky decided to walk Sunny on a different route. Instead of turning right at the end of his driveway, Sky turned left and headed two blocks west on Aquamarine Avenue before taking another left onto Lilac Road, a quiet street with lots of nice houses. While Sunny trotted happily along, sniffing tree trunks and chewing on blades of grass, Sky admired the elegant architectural features that many of the houses on Lilac Road had. He was particularly impressed by the covered porch and Roman-style columns of number 87, a sprawling three-story lavender house with a huge yard and patio. Sky had always liked looking at nice houses – going on tours of historical mansions was one of his favorite things to do during the summer. There were only a couple of other people on the opposite side of street, and Sky enjoyed the solace of being mostly alone with just his dog for company.

Sunny was full of energy this afternoon, and Sky soon found himself being dragged along. He yanked on the leash to prevent Sunny from going too fast. Sunny stopped, lifted his leg to pee on a telephone pole, and then continued on his way at a more leisurely pace. On the opposite side of the street, Sky noticed that the front half of number 36 was burnt black, with nearly all the windows boarded up, and yellow construction tape across the door. “Wow, must have been a big fire there!” he remarked to no one in particular.

When Sky reached the end of Lilac Road, he turned left again onto Moonstone Avenue, a wide and busy street with lots of small businesses. It was considered one of Canterlot’s downtown areas, but Sky hadn’t been here very often. As he walked Sunny along the fairly busy sidewalk, he looked around at the various shops on the street. One of them was a store that sold merchandise from Canterlot’s public transportation system, such as old maps and bus timetables. Sky made a mental note of the address, since it looked like a really interesting little shop. A few doors down the road was a small bakery, and Sky could smell the aroma of freshly baked pastries through the open window. Just as he was passing by, the door opened and a certain girl walked out, holding a small white box.

“Sky!” Lyra exclaimed with a smile. “Wasn’t expecting to run into you here! What are you doing?”

Sky had been sitting at Lyra’s art table for the last few days, but he was still a bit shy around her. “Hey, Lyra! I’m just taking my dog for a walk, that’s all.” He motioned to Sunny, who was already eyeballing the box Lyra was holding.

“Hi there, buddy!” Lyra extended her hand for Sunny to sniff, but he seemed more interested in the box she was holding. “No, no, this isn’t for you! Sorry!” Lyra giggled as she lifted the box out of Sunny’s reach.

“Yes, Sunny is very food-motivated. What’s in that box, anyway?”

“I just picked up some eclairs. This bakery is really good! Bon Bon and I come here all the time.”

“Oh, nice! I love eclairs! I don’t think I’ve ever been to this bakery, though, which is weird since I don’t live that far away.”

Lyra smiled. “Well then… do you want one?” She opened the box and presented it to Sky. Inside were half a dozen small eclairs.

“Ooh, yes! Thank you!” Sky picked up an eclair and took a bite. The combination of vanilla custard, chocolate icing and freshly baked dough was delicious. “This is amazing!” he said after swallowing. “One of the best pastries I’ve ever had!”

“Told you this place was good! It may be small, but it has the sweetest and freshest pastries around! Want to walk together for a while?”

Sky was surprised. “Sure! Are you… going anywhere?”

“Nope, I’m just heading home. We can walk together until we get there!”

“Sounds good to me!” Sky finished the eclair, and then he and Lyra continued walking along Moonstone Avenue. As they passed by the last few shops, Sky stayed quiet as he wasn’t sure what to say next. Lyra, noticing the awkward silence, decided to ask him a question. “So, when did you get Sunny?”

“About five years ago. I got him as a puppy. He’s still just as cute and silly now as he was back then. Do… you have any pets?”

Lyra shook her head. “No, not anymore. I used to have a beagle named Wilfred, but he died three years ago. Sometimes I watch Bon Bon’s dog when she’s out of town, but that’s it.”

Sky nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“That’s okay. He was fifteen, so he lived a good long life.”

They were now walking out of the downtown area and back into the residential neighborhood. Sky was enjoying the leisurely stroll, but then he suddenly stumbled on an uneven piece of sidewalk. “Ah, shit!” he muttered as he regained his balance. He then blushed profusely, embarrassed to have almost tripped in front of Lyra.

“Are you okay?” Lyra asked.

“Yep, I’m fine.”

Lyra smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that bit trips a lot of people up. My sister fell off her bike there once, and I had to carry her home.”

“You have a sister? How old is she?”

“She’s a freshman this year, so she’s two years younger than me. Her name’s Minty Bubblegum. Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope! I’m an only child. And to be honest, that’s the way I like it. I mean, Sugarcoat and I get along great as cousins, but if she was my sister… oh boy!”

Lyra laughed. “That’s totally understandable. I have plenty of stories about my sister being annoying!”

Sky then spotted something sitting near the edge of the curb. At first glance, it looked like a piece of cardboard. But when Sunny saw it, he immediately darted over, picked it up with his mouth, and began wolfing it down. Within ten seconds, it was gone, and only then did Sky realize what it was. “Looks like Sunny found a slice of pizza!” he laughed.

“He did?” Lyra looked down at Sunny. “Well, he ate it so fast I didn’t even notice! Guess he won’t be needing dinner tonight!”

Sky reached down and pet Sunny on the head. “Oh, you speedy boy!” He then shook his head and laughed again. “Goofy dog.”

“Did you do anything fun this summer?” Lyra asked as they continued walking.

“Yes, I did!” Sky replied. “During the last week of June, I took a trip to Montreal and I got to see a lot of cool stuff.”

“Ooh, what kind of stuff?”

“Lots of stuff! Montreal is an awesome city, probably the best one I’ve been to. For one thing, certain parts of the city are connected by a network of underground tunnels. They have lots of nice shops, connections to subway stations, and elevators and escalators to the buildings above. I loved exploring the different tunnels and walking around from one underground mall to the next. If you ever go to Montreal, you should definitely go on an underground walk at some point!”

“I didn’t know about that! That does sound really cool! I bet you saw a lot of cool buildings there too.”

“Oh, definitely! There’s one tall building that has an observation deck at the top, and I got to go all the way up. The view was amazing – I could see the whole city from up there!”

Lyra giggled. “You’re starting to make me jealous! I didn’t go on any big trips this summer, I just relaxed at home.”

“Well, that sounds like a nice summer too!”

Just then, Lyra’s phone vibrated. “Ugh!” she growled as she unlocked it and read the screen.

“What’s wrong?” Sky asked.

Lyra sighed. “My ex-boyfriend just messaged me on MyStable. We broke up in the spring, but he won’t stop begging me to get back together. I’ve told him a hundred times, we’re done! I’ve blocked him on pretty much every other site – guess I forgot about MyStable.”

Sky felt a twinge of jealousy upon hearing that Lyra had a boyfriend before. “He sounds like a jerk! Who is he?”

“His name’s Noteworthy. Same grade as me. He actually looks sort of like you.” Lyra then backtracked. “No offense, of course. His personality is nothing like yours.”

Sky shrugged. “None taken. I don’t know him.”

“Well then, you’re not missing much. He’s a selfish creep. Sorry if I’m being negative, it’s just that he won’t take no for an answer and it’s really annoying!”

“It’s all right. I understand.”

Sky and Lyra came to a Y-intersection with Amber Road, which branched off to the southeast. “Looks like we’re at my street,” said Lyra. “Are you going this way too?”

“No, I live north of here. I actually took a longer walk than I planned.”

Lyra smiled. “Well, before I go home… do you want my number? I mean, we’re basically friends now, aren’t we?”

Sky blushed in surprise. “Oh… yes! Yes, I’d love that!”

Lyra giggled and handed her phone to Sky, who blushed again as he handed his to Lyra. After they exchanged numbers, Lyra got ready to cross the street. “See you tomorrow, Sky!” She bent down to pet Sunny one more time, before looking both ways and crossing onto the opposite sidewalk. Sky smiled as he watched her depart. Right now, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

Sunny, being a good boy, had been sitting patiently next to Sky. Sky gently tugged on the leash. “Come on, Sunny, time to go home!” Sunny quickly stood up, and Sky led him down one more block before turning onto a side street that led back to Aquamarine Avenue.

When Sky arrived back at his house, it was just after 17:00. He led Sunny up to the back porch, then told Sunny to sit as he unlocked the door. After he opened it, he detached Sunny’s leash and collar, and Sunny trotted into the house, making a beeline for his water bowl. Sky followed and saw that Evening was already cutting bell peppers on the kitchen counter, preparing for dinner. “How was your walk?” Evening asked.

“It was great! I actually ran into a friend of mine over on Moonstone Avenue.”

“Oh, nice! Who was it?”

“It was Lyra! You know, the girl I met at the mall a couple weeks ago? She’s in my art class too.”

Evening smiled. “Sweet! I bet that must have been a nice surprise for you.”

Sky chuckled nervously. He hoped his mom wasn’t aware of his crush. “Yeah, it was. It’s always nice when you run into a friend unexpectedly. By the way, what’s for dinner?”

“I’m going to be making ketchup rice with chicken and peppers. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great!” Rice covered in ketchup had always been one of Sky’s ultimate comfort foods. It probably sounded weird to anyone else, but to him it was delicious, and Evening was an excellent cook. “When will it be ready?”

Evening looked at the clock. “I probably won’t start cooking the rice until about a quarter past, so dinner will be ready around six o’clock.”

“All right. I’ll probably be hungry by then.” Sky left the kitchen and went to the living room. Air was working on something in his office, and Sunny had gone in there with him, so Sky sat on the couch by himself. He unlocked his phone, scrolled through his contacts list, and smiled again when he saw Lyra’s name and number. Although he planned to wait a day or two before texting her, simply having her number felt wonderful.

Author's Note

Sky is one lucky dude, isn't he? :raritywink:

Part of this chapter was inspired by my trip to Montreal in June 2019. :coolphoto:

Ch. 6: No Sugarcoating

Soon after Sky and Lyra exchanged numbers, they began texting each other daily. On Monday of the following week, Sky was sitting in English class when Emerald walked into the room with a confident smile on his face. On most Mondays, Emerald would arrive three minutes late and half-asleep, but today he looked ready for anything. “What are you so cheerful about today?” Sky asked.

“Well, I’ll show you!” Emerald replied as he sat down. He pulled out his phone and brought up an image of a white tuxedo with dark green lining. “I got this tux yesterday for only a hundred dollars! I thought I’d waited too long to buy one, but the men’s clothing store downtown was having a sale, and I got a pretty sweet deal!”

“Oh, nice! What’s the occasion?”

“The Fall Formal, it’s this Friday. Haven’t you heard about it?”

Sky shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I never really pay attention to school announcements.”

“Neither do I, really, but all the posters and emails about it are pretty hard to miss. I guess you don’t plan on going?”

“No. I’ve never had much interest in school dances, or any large gathering like that.”

“That’s understandable. The only reason I’m going is because of Tree Hugger. You kinda have to go to these things when you have a girlfriend.” Emerald turned to Afterglow. “What about you, Afterglow? Are you going to the dance?”

“Nope,” Afterglow replied. “Honestly, if a hundred bucks is considered a good deal for a tux, then I ain’t buying one. Besides, I don’t have a date – I haven’t even talked to Octavia yet, let alone asked her to dance.”

“Well, lots of people just go together with their friends,” Emerald suggested. “But I can see why relaxing at home and enjoying the early release might be the better option for you!”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll be doing too,” Sky chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting to get another half-day this month, but it’s nice.”

Later that morning, Sky was walking outside with Cloudchaser. Their Biology class was starting a lab experiment that involved building an aquarium, so Miss Blossom had sent two members of each group to collect water from the Mistmane River, which was located about a mile north of CHS. Sky, Cloudchaser and the others were carrying large plastic buckets with ropes attached.

“Are you going to the Fall Formal?” Cloudchaser asked as they walked along the road.

Sky shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

Cloudchaser gave him a nudge. “Aw, come on, Sky! The dances here are really fun! Why don’t you want to go?”

Sky shrugged. “I guess I just don’t feel ready yet. I’m still new here, after all.”

Cloudchaser nodded. “That’s fine. But if you change your mind, you can come with me and my friends. We can make room for you!”

“Thanks for the offer, but it’s probably too late now.”

“True. At this point, you’d have to rush out and buy whatever tux is left on clearance!”

Sky laughed. “Yeah, I’d rather not do that!”

Sky and Cloudchaser soon arrived at the banks of the Mistmane River. On the other side, Sky could see cars speeding along Route 12, a highway that ran through northern Canterlot. He could also see the sign for exit 53, as well as the network arch bridge that crossed over the river. Standing on the rocky and steep riverbank, Sky and Cloudchaser held onto the ropes and lowered their buckets into the river. When the buckets were full, they pulled them up and began heading back to school.

“Did I tell you Flitter and I are playing Crystal Prep tonight?” Cloudchaser asked. She and Flitter both played field hockey.

“No, you didn’t. But good luck! Crystal Prep will probably be tough to beat.”

“Thanks! They were last year, but not anymore. Most of their best players were seniors, so they’re all gone now. And from what I’ve heard, the incoming freshmen aren’t very good!”

“Well, if you’re playing a bunch of freshmen, then I’d say you have a good chance.”

“Yeah, it’d be embarrassing if we lost!”

Sky and Cloudchaser returned to CHS and carefully carried the water buckets through the main corridor. Near the bathrooms, Cloudchaser stopped. “I have to go to the bathroom. Can you wait here and hold my water?”

“Sure!”

“Thanks so much!” Cloudchaser handed Sky her bucket, and then went into the girls’ bathroom. While Sky waited in the hall with heavy buckets in both hands, Lyra came around the corner and smiled when she saw him. “Hey, Sky! What are you up to?”

“Hi, Lyra! My Bio teacher sent half the class to get water from the Mistmane River. It’s part of a lab experiment.”

“Sounds fun! Why do you have two buckets?”

“Oh, I’m waiting for my friend Cloudchaser to come out of the bathroom. This one is hers.” Sky held up the bucket in his left hand. “Anyway, what are you doing right now?”

“I’m just going to the library to print out a paper for English. I’d better get moving – my teacher is pretty strict.”

“Okay, see you this afternoon!” Sky smiled as Lyra continued on her way.

A minute later, Cloudchaser came out of the bathroom. “Thanks for waiting for me!” she said with a smile. Sky handed her bucket back, and they headed upstairs.

Due to Cloudchaser’s bathroom break, she and Sky were the last to return to class. “What took you guys so long?” Thunderlane asked when they came back.

“I had to pee!” Cloudchaser replied. “We’re not that late coming back, are we?”

“Nah, you’re fine!” said Flitter. “Just pour the water in here.” She pointed to a large aquarium tank that was divided into two equal sections.

Cloudchaser lifted her bucket and carefully poured the water into one half of the tank. Sky began to empty his bucket into the other half, but his hand suddenly slipped. “Oh, shit!” Sky cried as two gallons of river water splashed across the table and all over Flitter.

Flitter screamed and jumped back, almost falling out of her chair. “What the hell, dude?!” She was completely soaked from the chest down.

“I am so sorry!” Sky exclaimed, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser could barely contain their laughter, but Flitter didn’t seem nearly as amused.

Having seen and heard the splash, Miss Blossom came running over with a big roll of paper towels. “What happened here?” she asked.

“Sky accidentally spilled water all over Flitter,” Cloudchaser explained, suppressing a giggle. “Big mess!”

Miss Blossom turned to Flitter. “Are you all right? No water got in your eyes, did it?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Flitter replied. “And no, it’s just on the front of my shirt.”

“That’s a relief. Do you have a set of clean clothes that you can change into?”

“I have my field hockey uniform in my locker, but that’s it.”

“Then that’ll have to do. You can’t walk around like this all day!”

While a very wet Flitter left the room to get changed, Sky grabbed a stack of paper towels and began placing them on the floor to soak up the spilled water. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser helped too, giggling all the while.

“Well, you sure made a big splash there, Sky!” Thunderlane snickered.

“But next time, maybe don’t point the bucket right at my sister!” Cloudchaser teased.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea!” Sky chuckled. He was now laughing at his own mistake. “Speaking of which, we probably need to go back to the river and get more water. Do you want me to do it again?”

“Hell no!” Cloudchaser laughed. “This is your mess, you’re cleaning it up!”

“I’ll go do it,” said Thunderlane. He took one of the buckets and headed out to refill it.

While Thunderlane was gone, Flitter returned wearing her field hockey uniform. “I’m back!” she announced.

“Hey… I’m sorry I spilled water on you,” said Sky.

Flitter smiled and laughed. “That’s fine, I’m not mad at you! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

That afternoon, Sky was sitting in the library during his free period when Lyra walked in. “Hi, Sky!” Lyra exclaimed. “Can I sit with you?”

Sky smiled. “Of course you can! Are you free right now?”

Lyra sat down across from Sky. “Yep! My Pre-Calc teacher’s out. There was going to be a test today, but that’s been pushed to tomorrow. I should probably use this time to study for it.”

“Good idea. I usually do my homework during my free period.” Sky then started chuckling. “Something funny happened in my Bio class today… caused by me.”

Lyra smirked. “Tell me more…”

Sky recounted how he had accidentally splashed water from the Mistmane River all over Flitter.

“Oh no!” Lyra laughed when Sky finished telling the story. “I hope it didn’t make too much of a mess!”

“Thankfully no, it was just water. As long as it didn’t leak into the room below, I think I’m good!”

At that moment, another guy walked down the stairs from the mezzanine. He had a similar appearance to Sky, but he was taller and his hair was a darker shade of blue. “Oh, shit…” Lyra muttered. “It’s him again.”

Sky was confused. “What are you talking about?”

The other guy came over and leaned his elbow on the table. “Hey, Lyra…” he said in a downcast tone. “Look, I know you’re mad at me, but…”

“For the last time, Noteworthy, we broke up!” Lyra snapped. “You had your chance with me and you blew it. Can’t you take a hint?”

Noteworthy sighed. “All right, I admit it – I screwed up. I was an idiot. But I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I just want to make you happy again.”

“Well, if you want to make me happy, then just go away and stop bothering me,” Lyra retorted. “We’re not getting back together, period.”

“Maybe not right now. But you’re still my first love, and that’s never going to change.” Noteworthy turned and walked out of the library, his shoulders slumped.

Sky was left stunned by the whole ordeal. He’d never seen Lyra get so angry. “So that’s Noteworthy…” he remarked.

“Yep, that’s him. Self-centered prick.”

“I remember you telling me about him, but… what actually happened between you two?” Sky asked.

Lyra sighed. “We dated for a few months last year. Everything was amazing at first, but then he started getting angry whenever I spent time with my other friends, and he decided to retaliate by creeping on other girls, including my sister.”

“Seriously? What a douchebag!”

“I know, right! I dumped him as soon as I found out. Ever since then, he’s been giving me the same fake apology week after week. He keeps saying he’s changed, but I don’t believe anything he says anymore.”

“Yeah, he definitely seems really toxic. You should avoid him as much as you can.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Anyway, I’d better start studying now. Can’t let my stupid ex ruin my day.” Lyra let out a dry laugh.

“Good idea.” Sky and Lyra spent the remainder of their free period doing homework and studying together. After that, they went to their Drawing & Painting class, which was fun and relaxing as usual. It had certainly been an eventful Monday.

October 4th, the day of the Fall Formal, soon arrived. It was an early release day so that the afternoon could be spent preparing for the dance. Sky walked home by himself at 11:20, and Evening cooked him a chicken burger for lunch. After that, Sky played fetch with Sunny in the backyard, although Sunny preferred to play keep-away.

At around 15:00, Sky was upstairs in his room, sitting at his desk and surfing the internet on his laptop. He was watching an interesting video about a large cable-stayed bridge that had recently been built in Europe. Just as the video ended, Sky heard his phone vibrate. He picked it up and unlocked it to see who had messaged him. It was Sugarcoat, greeting him with a simple “Hello!”

“Hi! What’s up?” Sky typed in response.

“Not much, just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

Sky thought for a while about what to say. His first month at CHS had been a lot more exciting than he’d expected. “I’ve been great!” he finally replied. “Still hanging with my old friends (Thunderlane, Cloudchaser & Flitter) and I’ve met some new ones too.”

“Oh, tell me about them!”

“There’s a couple of guys I sit next to in English, and then there are some girls that Thunderlane and I sit with in Art.”

“Glad to hear you’ve opened up 🙂”

Sky pondered what to say next. “Anyway, today’s the CHS Fall Formal. I’m not going, though.”

“That’s fine. School dances aren’t nearly as big a deal as people say they are. I only go to hang out with my friends, I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

“Well, speaking of that, there is one girl at CHS that I like, but I’m not ready to ask her out.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“Lyra Heartstrings. Do you know her?”

“Yes, she was in the Friendship Games last year. Never talked to her much but she seemed nice. How did you meet her?”

“At the mall a few weeks ago. My dad and I went to the music store to buy some speakers, and she was the cashier there. She’s in my art class too. I started sitting with her a couple weeks ago, and I got her number a few days after that.”

“Sounds like a good start to a friendship. I assume you’re looking for some form of advice?”

“Yeah. I’m friends with her and I feel comfortable talking to her, but I’m not really sure what to do next. I don’t want to ruin the friendship by asking her out too soon, but I don’t want to get friend zoned either.”

Sugarcoat waited a while before starting to type. Sky wondered what she was going to say. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it 😜” read the first part of her response. Sky chuckled at the pun, and replied with a laughing emoji.

“But you’re overthinking this,” read the second part. “The whole friend zone concept is pure bullshit. Girls either like you or they don’t. When you talk, who usually initiates the conversation?”

Sky thought for a moment. “Probably about 50-50.”

“No need to worry about that then. How often do you text each other?”

“Almost every day since I got her number. The conversations aren’t super long, but they’re nice.”

“Then she clearly likes you to some degree. There are few if any people that I text on a daily basis. I say just go for it when you’re ready. It sounds like you have nothing to lose. She doesn’t have a date to the Fall Formal, does she?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“Good. You’d probably know if she did. When you feel ready, make sure you have a specific activity in mind, and just tell her you want to hang out. The first date doesn’t need to be super formal or anything.”

“OK, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks so much for helping me again!”

“You’re more than welcome! By the way, I got you an amazing gift for your birthday next weekend 😉”

“Ooh, I look forward to seeing it! 😃” Sky placed his phone in his lap, then leaned back in his bungee chair and smiled. He was ever grateful for Sugarcoat’s friendship, and he was looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks would bring.