//------------------------------// // The Hopeless // Story: The Unstable Mind of Sour Sweet // by Luna T Nox //------------------------------// Junior year was starting and the Shadow Five, now Shadow Four after Sugarcoat’s transfer to CHS a short time after Twilight’s last year; were all hanging in their little place in CPA awaiting the first class bell. Things hadn’t really changed, even with Cinch being fired and Cadence becoming the new Principle. The stigma left by Cinch was still ever present in the minds of the CPA students. Principle Cadence attempted opening the year with a speech to break Cinch’s Stigma during Opening Ceremonies the previous week. No one but the Shadow Four had seemed to have taken the speech to heart. So the motley crew of girls sat in the empty classroom they alway stayed in before classes started. Sour Sweet sat at a desk with her forehead on her crossed arms staring at the desk. The other three were chatting about news from CHS about their old classmates and friends, Twilight Sparkle and Sugarcoat. Sour listened to the others conversation while also conversing with herself in her head. So what if Twilight now has powers. It doesn’t help us. We’re still here with classmates who would throw you down a staircase before helping another student, if it meant having a higher grade. Sour paused her inner monologue to listen to more of her friends conversation. “Wait Rainbow is still claiming to have beat me during our little Friendship Games re-match” Indigo nearly shouted in exclamation “If Applejack hadn’t closed up the distance after her leg in the race, they would have never won” The girls laughed at the memories of the little re-match they had near the end of summer. The little event had sealed the two groups friendship. Sour went back to grumbling in her head about how CPA will never change and how school is still hell. Sour was interrupted by Sunny “Sour you’ve been awfully quiet this morning?” Sour rolled her eyes and sat up. “Well that might be because we’re all acting like everything is sunshine&rainbows. But nothing has actually gotten better around here” the anger was very evident in her voice. Indigo made a motion to retort Sour’s claims. But was stopped by Sunny Flare. “But Sour dear things have changed. Dean Cadence is now our Principle, Sugarcoat and Twilight are now a thing, we’re no longer being pushed into being competitive, and the Rainbooms are now our friends. How have things not changed for the better?” Sunny noted out. Sour just rolled her eyes and crossed arms tighter. “Really Sunny? Because other than us, everyone still looks like they’re ready to throw one another to the dirt to get ahead. And Cadence hasn’t really shown much authority in helping the student body shake the acidic competition it has with each other.” Sour was about seething now. Sunny made an attempt to stop Sour’s rant. But was quickly shutdown as Sour continued. “Plus why does it matter if our old friends are happy? Their lives affect us very little now. We’re still here in a school of ice!” The seething in Sour’s breath died a little as she finished. Sunny took this opportunity to try and clear Sour’s seeming paranoia. “Sour dear that’s your paranoia talking. Everything is not like that.” Sour just slammed her head back into the position she had it in all morning. “The other students seem to be cheerier and more friendly with each other” At this point Sour had had enough and jumped from the desk and out the door. “Sour stop!…” is all sour heard before leaving earshot. (\(ToT)/) Sour in her retreat had secluded herself in one of the fourth story clubrooms. This clubroom happened to be the Film Studies room. Sour had decided to go back to feigning sleep at a desk. The bell had rung at some point in Sour’s escape. Sour could hear the distant commotion of students heading to class. The fourth story rooms were all reserved for the academy’s clubs. Sour mildly jumped when she heard the clubroom door open. She decided to try and stay still in hopes whoever it was would go away. She basically gave up when the lights came on. “WHAT?!” Sour screeched turning around to face the intruder. “AHHHHHHHHH?!” The intruder fell to the floor in her surprise. Sour immediately froze up noticing it wasn’t a teacher or her friends. “Sorry! I…I thought you were…a teacher. Yeah a teacher.” Sour stumbled coming up with an excuse for scaring the girl. “Is that how you treat the teachers? How are not on a suspension?” Accused the girl as she got up, brushed herself off and fixed her glasses. Sour taken back by the girl’s tone replied meekly with “Sorry, I’m usually not so…so ‘explosive’!” she took a breath before she continued in a more calm voice “So yeah Sorry about screaming. I’m just not in a good mood today. I thought no one was going to come up here. So I came here to be alone” The girl had taken a seat at the desk next to Sour, as Sour was explaining herself. The girl took a moment to think on how to respond “It’s okay. Just didn’t expect anyone to be in here” the girl paused before introducing herself “I’m Juniper Montage by the way” “Sour Sweet” was Sour’s quick response “Yeah I know, hard to not know the names of the top academic students in our school” Juniper retorted. She was right though. There may be a competitive stigma, but it was fueled by the school honoring it’s top students. “Right, most students know who I am” Sour couldn’t help showing how much she dreaded that fact right now. Juniper was good at reading body langauge and Sour was giving off an aura of panic “Look you seem to have a lot on your mind and I have a free period right now. If you feel okay, I can be an open ear and help you through what’s on your mind” Sour was hesitant to respond to Juniper’s offer. Okay I just met this girl. And I met her by screaming at her no less. Now she wants to help me? Do I even deserve this? Well she doesn’t know my past. I guess I can open a little to her “Alright, I’ll accept your offer” Juniper sat up and smiled and asked “So what’s up girl?” Sour took a few moments to sort her thoughts “Okay, did you hear about the events of last year’s Friendship Games?” “I know it ended in a draw and Cinch was fired shortly after it” Was all Juniper could remember having not attended the event. “Yeah, well a lot happened, and it lead my friends and I to befriend our competition and CPA’s top student, Twilight Sparkle, to switch schools. After Twilight transferred to CHS, one of my friends revealed that she had feelings for the nerd. She took up getting a transfer of schools to pursue her feelings. Well all that happened and now her and Twilight are now dating. The rest of my friends are now acting like everything is better. But all I see is people fighting and still kissing ass to be on top. I just don’t see how anything is better” Sour finished with crashing her head on to her crossed arms. “Wow, so a lot happened at the Games. And now you feel abandoned by an old friend. And your current friends seem to be oblivious to what still hasn’t changed around school” “Yeah” “Well sounds to me you’ve let yourself fool yourself into feeling constantly alone” “WHAT?! I’m not lonely! I just don’t see what everyone is so cheery about” Sour screeched “Well the period is almost over. I'll leave you with this: Try talking with other students, you might not be seeing the whole picture” Juniper explained as she got up to leave for her first class. At this moment Sunny Flare burst through the door “Sour! There you are! I’ve been looking for you all period.” Sunny now noticing the other girl standing at the desk next Sour Sweet. “Uh…Hi, I hope she didn’t bother you to much” Sunny apologized. “Not at all. Just gave her some advice. Now excuse me I have class” Sunny stepped aside and as Juniper left. “Look Sunny I don’t want to talk right now. So please leave me alone. Just go to class” Sour let out in a harsh tone. Then briskly made her exit from the room. (\(ToT)/) Sour left the school after the second Period bell rang. She walked down the sidewalk towards one of Canterlot’s many Metroparks. She was sure the truancy officers wouldn’t check the parks. She made her way into the park and took the path that looped the whole park. She stopped when she came to one of the park’s picnic clearings and saw a pink girl entertaining a group of preschoolers. She sat at a table nearby and watched.