It's two days before the Fall Formal, and I have some observations to make regarding the trends at CHS. First off, it's my belief that---if one of our family friends was right---the dress code has gotten remarkably lax.
See, here's the thing. When said family friend was attending CHS in the late 1990s, there was this little test that the principal at the time would have kids do: he would have them level their shoulders and let their arms and hands hang down, and if their skirts or shorts (depending on gender) ended above their fingertips, they would be sent home to change. And before you ask, they couldn't cheat by raising their shoulders either.
I'm pretty sure that at least 10% of the students that I saw wandering the halls would've failed that test, Sunset Shimmer among them. Either that or people's arms are getting shorter, I'm not sure which. I mean, it's like when they get mad and place their hands on their hips when talking to someone, bending their elbows, then they straighten their arms and they're inexplicably the same length either way. That has to be one serious optical illusion they're pulling off there.
...Hold on a second, I forgot what I was talking about. ...Oh, right. Trends. Sorry.
Secondly, I have to wonder: since when did knee-high boots become the latest fashion? They're everywhere. I realize that a lot of people don't agree with me on this, but I just don't see the appeal. Give me a good set of sneakers any day.
Third and last, we have Flash Sentry. As you already know, he's an item with Sunset (a discounted item, mind you, but still an item). He's easily one of the most popular guys in the school, if not the most popular, but I found out at the same time there's a lot of kids who wish that his parents found work out of the state and moved away, solely because they believe he's responsible for standing in the way of their own romantic opinions.
I don't understand the fuss any more than I can understand algebra. Flash's never interacted with me, but that also means he's never made fun of me. I don't know him or what his personality is really like, and that means that I'm not qualified to judge him; the problem with speculations is that they tend to be wrong more often than not, and if there's anything I hate more than insults, it's needing to admit that I've made a mistake.
What's any of this got to do with trends? Well, it's always been a trend to jump to conclusions without getting all the facts first, right?
There is something that I don't need speculations to confirm, however: the fact that Flash's dating a jerk. How do I know that Sunset's a jerk?
I heard her insulting Fluttershy numerous times. High, loud, and repeatedly.
Just the thought of it was making me sick to my stomach. One of the few people in my classes that actually seemed honest-to-goodness nice, and cared about cats (among other animals, of course) more than I did, getting yelled at because someone her age felt she ought to know her place? Why wasn't the school staff doing anything about this? Wasn't this part of their job description?
If I ever cared that Sunset was the queen bee, that was well and truly gone. I needed to find some way to get back at her without my parents or the school's administration finding out. Or for that matter, any of those directly involved.
And that meant doing some off-campus brainstorming.
...
Seriously, Sunset. "Fluttershee"? Sounds like something a computer would say.
While my parents were busy playing Scrabble that evening, I got into contact with Oak via a chat service to see if he'd gleaned anything from the short time they'd been in CHS. Once I asked him what I needed, he responded with what I thought was a fairly amusing question.
...
CidHW7: Puma, are you drunk?
CritterCat: Oak, work with me here. Have you heard anything about how well Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry get along since classes started?
There was a pause at this point. I wasn't sure whether it was because Oak was trying to sift through his memories, or if he was wondering if my mind had wandered and just hadn't returned.
CidHW7: No, I haven't. Why?
CritterCat: Do you know of a girl at school named "Fluttershy"?
CidHW7: She's in one of my classes. Don't know her, though, but she seems nice.
CritterCat: I think Sunset's been traumatizing her.
CidHW7: ...Puma, do you even know what that word means?
I was irritated at this. Just because I wasn't as bright as everyone else didn't mean I was a tried-and-true moron. My dad made sure I knew how to read before I ever started elementary school; learning the alphabet in kindergarten was just a formality. I may not have understood larger words at first, but the ability to get the gist of what they meant over time via context allowed me to read stuff above my grade level.
So, yeah: I knew full well what the word meant. Though for the sake of not derailing the conversation, I didn't mention any of this to Oak.
CritterCat: More of a gut feeling than anything else.
CidHW7: Figures.
CritterCat: Oak, I've been mocked and teased most of my life.
CritterCat: I know what it's like to have a bad time, and she's been having it worse than me.
It was at this point that Oak tried to talk me out of doing something stupid. I was operating on pure heart instead of brainpower, though, and I refused to have any of it.
CidHW7: Maybe so, but is it any of your business what Sunset does?
CritterCat: Nope.
CidHW7: You realize this could get you in serious trouble.
CritterCat: 'Will', not 'could'.
CidHW7: And given what we know about her, she's never going to give you a moment's peace again.
CritterCat: Doubtlessly.
CidHW7: ...Curse your morality, Puma.
CritterCat: >^_^<
CidHW7: Alright, fine. I'll see what I can find out without alerting her.
And it was with those words that my year-long downward spiral began.
It wouldn't be until lunch the day of the Fall Formal that Oak was able to get back to me with his findings. In the meantime, life at the school continued on as normal.
While on my way into the school that morning, I overheard several loud voices---and then two of my classmates ran into the atrium at full speed. Dallas Austin was carrying a bag of something in his hand, laughing and keeping them out of reach of his pursuer: the odd-eyed blonde of many names, most commonly known as Derpy Hooves. The latter was trying her best to get the bag back, sure, but her best efforts kept falling a foot short.
Several students I wasn't familiar with yet saw their arrival and made to chase after Dallas, forcing him to change course... directly towards me. He saw me at the last moment and tried to go evasive, but I was able to reach out and rip the bag from his hands before he could get away.
"Hey, give that back!" Dallas protested, turning towards me. "That's mi---OOF!"
That was all he was able to say before the students who'd decided to chase him managed to dogpile him. I was never inclined to believe him, considering that Derpy was positively ecstatic when I handed the bag over to her (that, and there was a variety pack of muffins from Sugarcube Corner inside). I liked to think that I trusted someone who'd yet to bother me over a nuisance who'd been bullying me since the 6th grade.
Vice-Principal Luna turned up shortly thereafter to straighten out the situation. Dallas tried again to protest and say that we had taken his snacks, but a look directed at me and Derpy was all she needed to know that Dallas was lying through his teeth. Once things were resolved she commended the other students for helping catch him (and subsequently telling them not to disturb the rest of the school in the same breath), gave her thanks to me for my own small role, then carted Dallas off to her office.
Sheesh. Where was she when Fluttershy was being antagonized? She didn't mess around with Dallas at all.
...
"Excuse me, Puma Claw?"
...Huh. Must have zoned out there. "Yeah, Derpy?"
"Thanks for helping get my snacks back."
I shrugged uncomfortably. "You're welcome."
She smiled and held one out to me. "Muffin?"
"Cool. Thank you."
...
I never gave that event a lot of thought after that. For that matter, I didn't think there was anything wrong with Derpy, either. I wasn't about to complain any regarding her eyesight, as my dad had similar vision problems. She seemed to do all right, occasional fits of klutziness notwithstanding. She got a few odd looks from some who didn't know her, but on the whole I couldn't see anyone having any serious problems interacting with her.
And the one person who did have a problem got hip-checked halfway across the room. And no, that was not an exaggeration. I doubt Derpy was even aware of what she did. Why hasn't she tried out for the girls' varsity basketball team?
That turned out to be the only positive thing that happened to me that day. When Oak and I next met up during 4th-hour English, he talked to me in low tones in order to relay what he was able to find:
"Nothing."
I frowned, disheartened. "Really?"
"Sorry, Puma, but afraid so. There's no way for me to find out about their relationship in detail except to ask one of them directly. I tried asking that skinny flunky of hers about what things were like, but he just said it was none of his business. Or mine. So I just dropped the subject."
I glared at my desk, visibly disappointed. Oak continued speaking. "You ever thought about going to the Principal with any of this?"
"And have Sunset find out about what I was trying to do? No, thanks," I told him. "I'll just have to figure something else out."
"Like what?"
I shrugged. "I dunno."
Oak smiled. "Well, whatever. Can't say we didn't try, right?"
"I suppose..."
I stopped at the restroom on my way to lunch to take care of business and wash my hands. I was irritated as all get out, not just at Oak's failure but also at my inability to give Fluttershy a much-needed break. "I try to do something nice for people, I really do," I grumbled to no one except the figments of my imagination, finishing up at one of the sinks. "Fluttershy's a cool person. No one who likes cats could be anything else. Why does that pyro-haired jerk and a half have to be a ginormous queen bee about it all?"
There was no reply. That was okay, since I didn't really expect there to be one. Good thing, since when I put emphasis on 'bee' I was referring to something that my parents had told me to never say in polite company, and I didn't want anyone to chew me out over it. "Calm down, Puma Claw. Calm down," I hissed to my reflection in the mirror. "Don't lose your temper. Come on. You're better than this. It's just another day in the life."
I hurried out of the restroom and hustled off to lunch. The bologna-and-cheese sandwich in my bag wasn't going to wait any longer, and it was my experience that eating was a perfectly good solution to anger anyway.
...Look, I already know I'm overweight. Telling me that I get angry too much isn't helping things.
Flash Sentry was waiting for Sunset when she got out of her Visual Basic class. "Hey, Sunset," he greeted her. "Got a minute?"
Sunset looked at Flash, unsure as to what was happening. "Ye-e-eah," she said hesitantly, drawing out her speech a little at how mad he seemed to be. Those friendly words of his don't go well with that expression. "What do you need?"
"Nothing much," Flash replied, his words jovial even't if his face and tone weren't. "Just that I heard a little cat say something interesting today."
Sunset chuckled. "A 'little cat', huh? Seriously? ...Okay, Flash, I'll bite. What did it tell you?"
"He didn't tell me anything," Flash said. "I don't think he even knew I was there. As for what he said, he suggested you've been regressing."
...I don't like the direction this is heading. "Regressing, how?"
"I think you already know." The last bit of friendliness left Flash's demeanor, and his next two words hit Sunset as bluntly as a dodgeball. "We're finished."
...WHAT?! "Flash, what are you talking about?" Sunset protested. "I haven't even done anything! Would you let me expla---"
"What that little cat said," Flash interrupted her sharply, "was that you were harassing that Fluttershy girl. I don't know the circumstances surrounding you, and I admit I haven't been very observant, but I'm not dumb. I gave you the benefit of a doubt in spite of all the rumors because I believed you had some good qualities, but now that I've had those rumors confirmed, I've figured out that it's just been me blinding myself. So as of now, this band has broken up."
Open fury warred with the small part of Sunset that still believed Flash was worth being around. She tried to salvage this situation and reassure him that she was still on the level, but before she could get a working sentence out of her mouth she was overridden again. "If you're wanting me to forgive you for this, forget it. I gave you a second chance when we first started hanging out. Now I find out that you're bullying your classmates behind my back again? No. Absolutely not. We are done, Sunset Shimmer. Do you hear me? Done!"
With that Flash turned and left, leaving a small group of students staring in surprise and Sunset herself in slack-jawed disbelief. The source of her complaints was long gone towards the gym for his free period, completely unaware of what his frustrated exclamations earlier that day had led to.
What... just happened? Did that just...?
During her final class for the day, Sunset was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her stepladder towards school-wide influence had been taken away from her. Most of her time had been spent staring sternly at nothing, trying to convince herself that what she'd just experienced was some sort of bad dream. The one time the teacher called on her, she'd only answered due to being completely on autopilot.
Her eyes narrowed as she reached a series of conclusions. I don't need Flash Sentry's help anymore. As far as my influence among my peers is concerned, I'm already at the top of the heap... though now it's become a matter of staying there. My position is tenuous, so I'll have to work hard and make sure that I can't be dislodged before it comes time to make my move.
Of all the times for him to stop being so nice...
Anyway, I ought to start by making sure that 'little cat' gets a piece of my mind. Thanks to the data I've collected since the school year began, I know that there's only two people in this school whose names are related to cats in any way. One of them's a senior on the cheerleading squad, but Flash distinctly said that the 'little cat' was male. And last I checked, the cheerleaders didn't have any guys among them. (And that was a mental image I really didn't need. Thanks, me.)
Which leaves only one person.
The final bell rang, dismissing the school at large. As everyone left, talking excitedly about the evening's upcoming event, Sunset's eyes lit upon one of her classmates. The subject of her attention was still in her seat, happily chewing a blueberry muffin until a passing classmate nudged her to attention. Smiling sheepishly, she grabbed her things and got up to leave, almost knocking over her chair in the process.
Sunset shook her head and forced herself to ignore her. It was an unwritten rule among her classmates that under no circumstances was anyone to antagonize Derpy Hooves in any way, shape or form, and Sunset had nearly found this out the hard way. At some point after she'd asserted herself as CHS's "queen", a series of mishaps in the cafeteria had ended with Derpy falling inside a trash recepticle. Since Sunset was nearest to her at the time---even though she had nothing to do with it---she was immediately besieged by an onslaught of angry glares by those at the tables nearest to her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that everyone was willing to put their reputations on the line if it meant the clumsy girl was left alone.
She didn't understand why at first, but over time it became clearer: even for someone as fixated on her agenda as Sunset was, Derpy was just plain likeable without really trying to be. How she managed that without having her own circle of friends (or at least, none that Sunset was aware of), the exiled Equestrian never knew.
The school's resident disc jockey, Vinyl Scratch (or DJ-P0N3 when on the clock), was also given a wide berth. She spoke very little and very rarely, even when questioned in class by the teachers, so not much was known about her as a person. What was known was that Vinyl was the person you talked to if you needed quality tunes for any reason, and since she was almost always available to run the sound booth at school-sponsored events, she had joined Derpy on a very short "Do Not Bother" list.
...It wasn't because Vinyl had loaded Sunset's first phone with some awesome ringtones, and those who assumed so very quickly had the rug pulled out from under them. Violently, if need be.
Unlike either of them, though, Puma Claw was under no such protection. With just a few half-witted sentences, he'd managed to drive a wedge between Sunset and Flash Sentry. Sure, she had only been using Flash as a means of increasing her control over the school, but she never did like falling out of any situation she had a vested interest in. It was time for her to run damage control.
An ex-unicorn who had been taught by Princess Celestia herself, estranged though they were, versus a fat fool of a human with no sense of the world around him?
No contest.
...
Hold that thought. Fall Formal first, then no contest. Of the day's annoyances, these...