Despite the day being slap-bang in the middle of autumn, it was, strangely, rather warm, at least in the Canterlot area. Nothing major was going on today, so most people simply resorted to spending their spare time trying to unwind after whatever work or studies they’d occupied themselves with in the preceding days. Nowhere was this more clear than in the large park region of the town. There, boys and girls from all over the place gathered to spend the day, be it playing games of sports against one another, or simply sitting together on one of the many park benches that littered the place, talking to each other. For Rarity, noted fashionista of Canterlot High, she found herself taking to simply enjoying a nice long walk through the park. But, she was not alone here today, as there, walking beside her, was her beloved cat, Opalescence. The animal wore a leash around her neck, so Rarity could keep her close, and as they walked, Rarity looked down to her.

“Oh, Opal! Isn’t this such a glorious day today?”

The grumbling the cat let out after hearing that seemed to suggest that she disagreed, but, for the time being, Rarity did not really notice, instead maintaining a wide smile upon her face. As she walked, she and her cat strayed from the usual walking path that so many other people in the park used, and instead began to stray off into a secluded woodland on the side of the place. Here, the high branches of the trees did much to shade her from the heat of the sun, leading to an even more contented look upon her face. However, she had a reason for being here today, and soon enough, she found it. A small section of woodland where the trees gave way to a small pond, tranquil and serene, and most of all, completely cut off from the rest of the park. Smiling at this, Rarity let out a sigh as she approached the still waters.

“Ah! Much better! So much calmer than the rest of this place.”

But, before she could do anything else, she was distracted by the sudden appearance of a second voice.

“Maybe not as calm as you think.”

Although taken aback by this, Rarity composed herself enough to start looking around for the source of that voice. She didn’t have long to look, as she caught sight of a familiar girl beside the edge of the pond. Sour Sweet, of Crystal Prep. This one-time rival of Rarity’s was currently sitting beside the pool, hanging her legs over the edge so her feet were now soaking in the waters. Her shoes were carefully placed beside where she sat, and as she looked to Rarity, a smile crossed her face, leading to her giving a brief wave.

“Care to join me?”

Although there was a brief moment when Rarity was a little disappointed, perhaps from knowing she would not have this place to herself, but, in time, she moved on, breaking out into a smile of her own before nodding in response. So, taking her cat with her, the young fashionista walked over to where Sour was sitting, wherein she noticed that there was a small tree stump nearby. Smirking a little at this, Rarity took her cat’s leash and wrapped it around the old wood, making sure she couldn’t get away, much to Opal’s chagrin. Now with no pet to worry about, Rarity took a place besides Sour, taking off her own boots before dipping her own feet into the cool water. Naturally, this led to a long sigh from the girl.

“Ah! Now this is the kind of relaxation I needed today!”

Chuckling at this, Sour nodded.

“Yeah. I come here whenever I can. Always helps to relax me when I can go to a place like this.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rarity turned to her companion.

“Not to sound rude, my dear, but, am I to take it from that remark that you are still struggling with your…um…?”

But she didn’t get the chance to finish, as Sour turned to her with a small smirk.

“My anger issues, you mean?”

Immediately, Rarity looked away, seeming more than a little guilty at having brought the issue up. But, thankfully, this did not seem to bother Sour in the slightest, and she soon let out a hearty laugh, leading to Rarity turning back towards her. When Sour’s laughter died down, she looked right at Rarity before starting to explain herself.

“Don’t worry about it. Things have been pretty good for me lately. And I have you girls to thank for that.”

Rarity, brushing aside some of her purple hair, blushed a little after hearing that.

“Oh pish-posh, darling! We were happy to help.”

But Sour shook her head.

“No, I mean it. Before I met you guys…well…I was kind of a mess. Do you remember all that so-called sweetness I used to force out every other sentence?”

Rarity considered that for a while before giving a begrudging nod, acknowledging her point.

“Fair enough. I will admit that it did get somewhat…grating.”

Sour chuckled again for a moment.

“Yeah…back then, I used to be so worried about people looking down on me for being angry or upset at stuff.”

A soft expression crossed Sour’s face as she thought back to those days, culminating in her kicking the water before her, sending many droplets out across the surface.

“And now? Now…I feel like I’m finally able to breathe, like, for the first time in my life!”

Smiling to this, Rarity reached over and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

“Well, we’re happy we could help.”

Sour smiled back at this, and she opened her mouth to give some kind of reply. However, sadly, the tranquillity of the moment was rather rudely interrupted as, all of a sudden, the quiet of this scene was replaced by some kind of loud and very irritating-sounding music. Placing their hands to their ears, both girls looked around for a moment before finally managing to see the source. A boy, maybe a year or two older than them, entering the pond area, and apparently having not noticed them. He was carrying, right on his shoulder, a large radio, which was currently belting out note after note of that grating noise he called music. Needless to say, both girls were somewhat annoyed by his presence, especially given how much they’d preferred the earlier quiet. Frowning slightly, Rarity leaned over to Sour, speaking loudly enough so she could hear her over the still-blaring music.

“Well…it was a nice moment while it lasted.”

Turning, Sour looked upon the now-disappointed expression on her friend’s face, and in time, she too developed a frown of her own, looking over to the boy with intent. Pulling her legs out of the water, she got to her feet and began marching over, not even bothering to pick up her shoes beforehand. Rarity watched, now somewhat concerned, as Sour moved with utter purpose towards the boy, who had taken to sitting on a fallen tree some distance away. Sour walked onwards, her eyes narrowing as she approached the guy, and only when she came within a few feet of him did he finally notice her. He watched as she stopped walking, placing her hands upon her hips as she glared in a disapproving manner towards him.

“Hey there, girly. Pretty sweet tunes, right?”

Frowning again at that, Sour maintained her pose as she finally spoke up, her voice tinted with slight anger.

“If you don’t mind, buddy, my friend and I were enjoying a nice moment here. Would you mind taking your…music, and going elsewhere?”

Raising an eyebrow at that, the guy looked over to Rarity, who was trying to avoid his gaze, before looking back to Sour with incredulity.

“Look, Missy, I don’t really care if ya don’t like my music. If you like all that quiet and stuff, maybe you should leave.”

He then turned away, leaving Sour to silently fume at this rude behaviour on display here. As she stood there, watching as the boy continued to ignore her, something strange happened. A sly smile crept onto her face, and she brushed herself down a little, after which she began to move towards him in what could only be described as a slightly sultry manner. Sitting down on the fallen tree, right beside him, she caught his attention once again, especially when she placed a hand upon the front of his shirt.

“Hey…you know what I think?”

Although somewhat taken aback by this change in behaviour, the boy’s expression soon morphed into a slightly amorous one.

“No. So…what do you think?”

Leaning in closer, Sour maintained a smile, right until the final moment, after which she grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, and broke out into an expression of pure rage. Now eye-to-eye with her, the boy looked at the fury blazing in her, staying as silent as the grave as she spoke in a voice that seethed with venom.

“I think you should go and stop bothering us!”

Now completely dumbfounded, the boy found himself feeling nothing short of terror at this angry girl before him, and so, an instant after she’d finished speaking, he nodded frantically, using one free hand to switch off his radio. When Sour finally let him go, he was off, grabbing hold of the device and running far away. Sour kept her eyes on the guy until he was too far to see anymore, after which she let out a few calming breaths. Getting up off the log, she walked back to Rarity, who sat there with a look of shock upon her face. But, Sour said nothing for the moment, instead taking a seat beside her once more. After sitting in silence for some time, she finally spoke up.

“So…where were we?”

After blinking a few times, Rarity shook herself out of her trance-like state, after which she gained a smirk of her own.

“Well…I do believe we were talking about how nice it is to have a place as calm and quiet as this one.”

Nodding, Sour let out a brief laugh.

“Yeah…and I‘m fairly certain it’s gonna stay that way. At least…as long as I have something to say about it.”

Looking away, a thoughtful look crossed her face.

“And these days…at least I know I can have something to say about it.”