Lemon Zest stopped in front of the door. On the door was a sign with a name.

"Radiant Hope, huh?" Lemon thought aloud. "Well, here goes nothing..." she said, then knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said a kindly voice.

Lemon Zest opened the door to a modest office, where each side of the light yellow walls had shelves with books on them. On each side of the books were potted flowers. Behind Radiant Hope was a window, the sunlight shining on her.

Well, she definitely lives up to her name. thought Lemon.

Radiant Hope looked to be in her thirties. Her skin was a slightly light shade of purple, her icy blue eyes looked at Lemon from across the room. Her hair was a lighter shade of blue than her eyes. She was wearing a light brown jacket which had a gold caduceus pin on the left side of her lapel.

"Are you having a rough day?" she asked Lemon.

Lemon Zest blushed. "Word travels fast, huh?"

"Actually, I heard about it from Dean Cadence. She says you have a lot on your mind." Hope said.

"Is that all she told you?" asked Lemon.

Hope nodded.

Lemon took a deep breath and sighed. "This isn't going to turn into one of those touchy-feely things, is it?"

Hope looked at Lemon with a straight face. "Only if you want it to."

Might as well trust her. I mean, it's part of her job. Lemon thought to herself. "Okay." she said. "I think the best place to start is something that's been bothering me for the longest time."

Hope's expression remained unchanged, but Lemon could tell she was listening.

"You see," said Lemon. "For as long as I can remember, I've had this strange feeling in my gut. Like something deep inside of me is trying desperately to come out." She held up a finger. "Now before you say another word, I want to be clear that it's not about my sexuality. I know I'm bi. I have been since Sophomore year."

Hope nodded.

"But the thing that bothers me about it is that I have no clue what it is or what to do about or with it." said Lemon. "It's not a medical condition. At least, not physically. My parents had me checked for that."

"Has this gut feeling ever changed?" asked Hope.

Lemon thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of. It mostly stays the same."

"Mostly?" asked Hope.

"I dunno, there are some times when it feels like it's dying." said Lemon.

"Dying?" asked Hope.

"Okay, maybe not in the literal sense. It just kind of feels like it's...leaving, I guess. Not permanently, though. It always comes back eventually."

"Have you found out what causes that feeling to leave?" asked Hope.

"I wish." said Lemon. "If I at least knew that then I'd have something to go on."

"Have you ever felt it get stronger?" asked Hope.

"Same thing applies. All I know is that there's this feeling I have. I wish I could explain it better, but that's all I know."

"So what about the incident in the hallway from earlier today?" asked Hope.

Lemon Zest told Hope what had happened, and how she reacted to it.

"I see." said Hope.

"Oh, please don't ask me how that makes me feel..." groaned Lemon.

Hope laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

Lemon sighed. "The truth of the matter is...well...I used to have a crush on Sour Sweet."

If she was surprised, Radiant Hope gave no indication. She simply looked at Lemon intently.

"That was when I discovered I was bi. Before that I was only all about guys. The fact that I had a crush on a female was...shocking to me." said Lemon.

Hope nodded.

"It took a lot of courage for me to walk up to her and tell her how I felt. I was so afraid of rejection. I mean, I get it. That's a normal thing. Fear of rejection."

Hope nodded.

"So I told her how I felt. She turned me down, which I would have understood and accepted, given time." Lemon said as the memory of that day creeped upon her. She could feel the tears coming. "Now, being rejected is bad enough..." she said, voice cracking. "But what she said nearly shattered me to pieces..." she sniffled. "She said 'Aww, that's sweet of you! But you're not my type!'" she broke down, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Radiant Hope handed her a box of tissues.

After Lemon Zest finally calmed down, she continued. "I still haven't forgiven her for those words." she said, wiping away a tear. "Now I could easily blame the animosity of this school, but quite frankly I'm tired of passing the buck." She blew her nose and sighed. "That's another thing that makes me crazy about this place. I could spend hours upon hours ranting about how toxic things are here at Crystal Prep."

Hope nodded. "Before we continue, I'd like to know: how often do you speak with Sour Sweet?"

"As little as I possibly can. I don't think she has any intention of apologizing to me, and sometimes just being in her presence alone is enough to piss me off." said Lemon. "I'm worried that one day she'll push me over the edge and I'd end up doing something I regret. I may despise her now, but I don't want to hurt her."

Radiant Hope looked at her clock. "I think we're running short on time here. Would you like to make an appointment for next time?"

"You know what?" said Lemon. "I would. I didn't know how badly I needed this talk." she smiled and ran over to Hope. "Thank you." she said as she hugged the guidance counselor.

Radiant Hope returned the hug. "You're welcome, Lemon Zest." she smiled, then broke the hug.

Lemon Zest left Radiant Hope's office, then went over to the Appointments desk and made an appointment. She couldn't remember the last time she was this genuinely happy.

Author's Notes:

For those who don't know who Radiant Hope is in the MLP continuity, click here!