//------------------------------//
// "Uppity" 
// Story: Perception 
// by Gusto Starstorm 
//------------------------------//

Uppity.

Self-Important.

Princess.

Those were the oh-so creative insults put forth by Sunny Flare’s peers toward her. And they were not the easiest things to dispute sometimes.

She knew she had it well off. Not only was her mother Principal Cinch of Crystal Prep Academy, but she came from a wealthy family in general, and had been getting the best for her education since she was a little girl.

Sunny Flare knew this. But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

It was about lunchtime at Crystal Prep. The school offered a decent spread for lunch, but students were also permitted to leave campus for food, provided they were back before 5th Period started. As far as she knew, Sunny Flare herself was one of the only ones that ever did, and even then, only sparingly.

It was just nice to get away sometimes.

Particularly after her 4th period—and especially being partnered with Suri Polomare—Sunny was eager to get away.

Everyone thought she and Suri would have been thick as thieves. In fact, she still got baffling comments whenever she mentioned not liking her in passing. Was it really so crazy to others for Sunny Flare to not get along with someone so pompous?

‘Suppose it makes sense, given my “reputation”...’

Over the past few years, she had grown to despise that word.

At first, it had been no big deal, but once Sunny had finally become a Crystal Prep student, it was suddenly a different story. Her mother, Principal Cinch, had hammered it into the young girl’s head how important it was to be on top, to have a strong reputation. So, like any daughter intent on pleasing her mother, Sunny put everything she had into being the best student she could.

The problem?

It wasn’t enough.

Sunny Flare, as of right now, was ranked 4th academically out of the entire school. Quite the achievement, if she did say so herself. Her father had expressed great pride in her for this, but mother’s interpretation had been a bit different.

“Only 4th? Seems as though you have been slacking, Sunny.”

The brief memory frustrated the poor girl immensely. Slacking? Her? As if she could get away with such a thing under Principal Cinch’s roof. But apparently, somehow she had managed it in the eyes of her mother. That had to be the only explanation…

Except it wasn’t. Sunny Flare was 4th because there were three students who were quite simply better than Sunny’s own best. Maybe it was possible that Sugarcoat could be surpassed. But as for Indigo Zap and Twilight Sparkle? Absolutely out of the question. She had seen firsthand how smart Zap was, the bluenette breezing through a good chunk of her homework before the bus ride home had even reached their neighborhood. And Indigo was still solidly behind Twilight; that girl was on another level.

Truth be told, Sunny was content with 4th. Her mother might have wanted better from her, but right now, she couldn’t have cared less.

All she wanted at the moment was to leave this campus and get some food.

Thankfully, she had practiced the route enough to not be seen.

‘Gods above, I really act as though I’m about to go commit a crime,’ she mused. ‘Seems I need this more than I thought I did.’

It was a 10-minute walk, eating up one-sixth of Sunny’s time. Thankfully though, she had recently found out that cutting through the nearby park shaved off a minute, so that was a small victory. The path had been optimized by taking it once a week since their Junior year had started, and now, her destination was easy to reach.

Within her usual timeframe, she stood outside of a small, but very well-kept diner. It was like something out of the 1950s, and from experience, she knew the food to be incredible.

Thinking about food caused Sunny’s stomach to growl. Listening to the beast, she stepped in to find it surprisingly empty. Usually, the place was moderately full due to the lunch rush, but it was a ghost town today.

Even so, behind the grill, like most days, was the Diner’s owner, Humble Roots.

“Ey, Sunny,” he greeted casually, scratching his stubble away from the griddle. “Good ta see ya, kid.”

“Likewise, Humble,” Sunny answered, taking a seat at the counter. “How are you today?”

“Well, I shut down the shop for the day to do some deep cleanin’, ya see. Only reason I’m at the grill is ‘cuz I got a special order in.”

“Think you would be willing to do another?”

Humble smiled. “Sure thing, kiddo. Ya want your usual?”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “I have a ‘usual’?”

“‘Course. Double Cheeseburger, hold the mayo, extra pickles.”

It took a second for that to register. She’d been here enough that Humble was privy to her dining habits. Of course, she knew that despite his grizzled appearance and the grease stains perpetually on his shirt, Humble took great care of his customers; it was part of why Sunny looked forward to this weekly ritual of theirs.

But still, that was certainly something to think about. Maybe she should mix it up one of these times, just for the sake of variety.

“Perhaps, though I’m still thinking about it. Anyhow, you said something about a ‘special order’?”

Humble nodded. “My kid’s got a hankerin’, so I’m making him two animal styles.”

That got Sunny’s attention. “‘Animal Style’? I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that.”

“Patties grilled in mustard, grilled onions, and some special spread on the buns. I know he only said two, but I always make extra ‘cuz they’re so dang good.”

“... Would you be willing to make one for me?” A low growl came from Sunny’s stomach, and she chuckled in embarrassment. “Um… actually, could you make it two?”

To that, Humble laughed. “Sure thing. Hungry today, I take it?”

“Very much. Mother’s on a new fad diet, so dinner last night wasn’t exactly… appetizing.”

A knowing look graced Humble’s rugged features, the older man not needing to say anything else. Instead, he readied four more patties, as well as throwing some fries into the nearby oil.

Sunny always enjoyed watching Humble work. Even in the most extreme of rushes, he was right there in the fray, getting things done in a way that only experience could give. He loved his job, even if it wasn’t the most luxurious of positions.

One day, she hoped to have a job like that as well. One where she could wake up in the morning and honestly say she was excited to work.

“Do not allow yourself to get complacent, Sunny. We’ll be preparing your Hoofvard application soon.”

But part of Sunny figured that was unlikely. And she wanted to ignore such thoughts, either way. She was here to have a good meal, not ruminate on depressing realities.

“So, what exactly does this ‘fat diet’ involve?” Humble asked offhandedly.

“Fad diet, Humble,” Sunny answered. “Essentially it just means she is eating strange foods because it is trendy.”

“And she’s forcing you to do it, too?”

“Well, not directly, but she is the one who tells our cook what to make… and what to pack for my lunch.”

“Tch… high-falutin' types, I tell ya.”

“Hm. Indeed.”

A small silence settled, as it took Humble about five seconds to realize his mistake.

“Oh uh, no offense to you, Sunny. You’re one o’ the good ones.”

Sunny looked down at her hands, a sad smile plastered on her face. “Oh, none taken, Humble. I’m quite used to it.”

“Someone talkin’ bad about’cha behind your back?”

The girl did not answer initially, head hung low at the counter. Part of her did not want to unload her problems onto Humble; he was just a humble man—(no pun intended)—trying to make a living. But on the other hand… it would be nice to have someone—anyone—to talk to about it.

Eventually, the need for Sunny to speak up won out.

“Humble, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Do you think that I act… prissy?”

A hearty belly laugh was the only answer she got initially. But as soon as Humble got his composure back together, he looked at Sunny with an almost amused grin.

“Kid, I got a son who goes to Crystal Prep,” the frycook said. “Nova Knight. Ya know him?”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “I… do actually. But I wasn’t aware he was your son.”

“Ex-wife got custody of him in the divorce,” Humble explained. “Still, he comes and visits me every day. But that’s beside the point.”

“What is the point?” asked Sunny, genuinely curious.

“The point is, I’ve heard that boy complain about a lotta those snobs. But I ain’t never heard one bad word about no Sunny Flare. In fact, from what I have heard, he seems ta think you’re pretty alright.”

That got Sunny’s attention. Searching through her memories for her interactions with Nova, only two instances really came to mind.

The first was the time they bumped into one another on his first day. She was admittedly frustrated at that, but upon him mentioning he was lost, she offered to show him to the class. It was nearby her own, so that had not been inconvenient for her. At the time, Sunny had thought nothing of it.

The second time, however, stuck out a bit clearer.

Sunny had seen Nova coming out of Mother’s office, visibly downtrodden. Her first instinct when Sunny saw that was to go and ask what happened. Apparently, he had gotten detention because another student by the name of Jet Set framed him for cheating on a test.

And upon hearing that, the rest of her instincts kicked right back in, and Sunny tried to cheer him up to the best of her abilities. It didn’t do much, since she wasn’t sure how to make the best out of his still having detention. But at the very least, he wasn’t frowning by the end of it.

Neither of them were much, as far as interactions went. But perhaps they had somehow been enough.

“And for what it’s worth, kiddo,” Humble continued, placing her plate as well as a glass of soda in front of her. “I think you’re pretty alright, too.”

A small smile slipped over Sunny’s lips as she accepted the beverage. Warmth and contentment followed, as the bubbles tickled her throat on the way down. It was a delightful change after a week of water and tea, and left her yearning for more.

Thankfully, with the sight on the plate before her, that yearning was about to be satiated.

This was the first time Sunny had ever seen an ‘Animal Style’ burger before, but she was far from disappointed. Two delicious looking sandwiches, fries, and even a couple of fried pickles on the side; Humble really did know what she liked. Of course, it may have looked appetizing, but the real test was how it tasted.

And as soon as that first bite was taken, Sunny was delighted to find that it passed the test with flying colors. Perfectly cooked meat with some extra kick, lots of melty cheese complimented by the lettuce, grilled onions, and extra pickles, just as she preferred. Heck, even the spread was heaven-sent, a mix of different flavors—including mayonnaise, if her tongue was correct, but for once, she didn’t mind it—that helped to bring the whole thing together.

The girl had to stop herself from scarfing it down too fast. This was something to savor.

“Mmh… amazing as always, Humble!” Sunny said, once she’d finished the first burger. “Makes me wish I could cook so incredibly myself.”

“Well, why don’t you?”

To that, she scoffed. “As if I could get away with it. Mother would have a heart attack if she saw me cooking burgers!”

“Well I say let her,” Humble answered. “Lemme ask ya something, Sunny: when’s the last time ya did something for yourself, without worrying ‘bout what your momma thought?”

Sunny stopped idly munching on a fried pickle for a second. That was a good question, and she honestly had to think about it. When was the last time she had an acquaintance over for something other than a school project? Or asked to buy a shirt without being shut down because mother didn’t approve of the band on it? Or even just went out to have some fun at the park instead of studying?

When was the last time she made a friend without her first thought being ‘will Mother approve of them’?

“Listen kiddo, take it from a man who’s let people walk all over him before,” Humble said, turning off the grill and placing two burgers in a bag. “Y’only got one life. Ain’t no one else gonna live it for ya.”

“I’ll… consider it. Thank you, Humble.”

With a smile and a nod, the frycook left Sunny to her food.

She started on the second burger, and thankfully, it took her thoughts away from depressing reality just as well as the first had. Right now, it didn’t matter whether or not her classmates thought she was some stuck-up princess, or whether or not her mother would scrutinize her for things beyond their control. Right now, she was just Sunny Flare, a simple girl enjoying some good food.

But maybe Humble was right. Maybe she needed to be allowed to be that simple girl more often. Perhaps it would do her good to learn something that would make her happy, or to do something mother wouldn’t approve of.

Maybe then, at least she could get away from being ‘uppity’ Sunny?

…At least for a little while?

But at the same time, could she really do it? She had never been good with confronting her mother, and deeply feared earning her ire. Few knew of the older woman’s ferocious temper, mostly because she was very good at keeping it in check. The last thing Sunny wanted to do was be on the receiving end of that.

That was why she was so careful about coming here, after all. Yet at the same time, that just seemed to be proving the point Humble had made.

It was a fascinating prospect, the idea of learning to cook from Humble Roots. But she would save that conversation with herself for another day.

Or at least, that’s what she told herself…