//------------------------------//
// The New Colt 
// Story: Diamonds Sparkle While Silver Tarnishes 
// by sharkray24 
//------------------------------//

	One day, Silver Spoon's routine took a trip out of the rut, when in came a young orange unicorn pony colt with an orange mane and tail. His Cutie Mark was a white shield with a red sword pointed downward in the center. He had an accent that sounded like it was from Trottingham, but not exactly.
After Cheerily opened class with the Equestrian Pledge she called him up to the front of the room, "Now class, this is Lad Lantern, he's a special guest from a far off place, farther than Equestria. This little colt comes from, The Triple Crown. Do you care to explain?"
"Thank you Ma'am. The Tripple Crown is a Nation across the Eastern Sea. It consists of three smaller countries known as the English Crown, French Crown, and Spanish Crown. If you've ever wondered who sets the Sun and Moon for you, it is the Spanish King who raises the Sun for us, sets it for you, and the French Queen who does the same with the Moon. The English Crown, my nationality, is in charge of protection of the Nation, though I do admit those French ponies are very elite fighters, the hoof soldier being more powerful than a battalion of Griffonia's finest. We've recently formed an alliance with Equestria and I being a Knight in training have come as a representative of peace." the whole time he gave his speech, he was very proper with good posture and great communication skills. "Any questions?"
"I have a question." a pink hoof shot up into the air two seats to the left of Silver Spoon.
"Yes Ma'am, your name would be?" replied Lantern.
"I'm Diamond Tiara." she said with a coy smile, her eyelids half closed as she stared intently at this new arrival.
"A pleasure to be at your service m'lady." he then bowed his head to her.
"Such a gentlecolt...anyways, my question is, aren't you a little young to be training as a knight?" Diamond Tiara said with a smile that involved biting her lower lip.
"I was called to serve once my Cutie Mark appeared." he explained, "You see, in the Triple Crown, a Cutie Mark is earned by one who has discovered their field, such as theater or music, but once they discover their specialty within the field, the second half of their cutie mark appears. Now if somepony is a jack-of-all-trades so to speak, the second part of their cutie mark is a pocket knife, to show the multi-usefulness of their talent. Now very rarely, a cutie mark will appear as just a pocket knife, meaning that the pony is an over all jack-of-all-trades. I recently have met a Pony of such position, her name was Maria, but that's beside the point. Now are there any other questions?"
"Ooh ooh. Pick me, pick me!" Applebloom was all but standing on her desk trying her hardest to be picked.
"Yes Ma'am?"
"Hi, I'm Apllebloom, I don't have mah cutie mark yet, but ah was wonderin' if you had any advice?"
Diamond Tiara let out a snicker. "Well m'lady, all I can say is that life brings you to your fate at whatever rate it so wishes, so don't try to push it, or it might push back the event." he gave a sincere smile to the small yellow earth pony and continued, "any other questions?"
Nopony put up their hooves to ask a question so he sat down in his seat behind Silver Spoon. Throughout the day Silver Spoon didn't think anything of this new colt or anything about him. When they went to lunch break, Silver Spoon sat in her regular spot under a tree in the corner of the playground. All the other school ponies gathered around Lantern asking him lots of questions as he answered them between bites of his French Baguette slathered in peanut butter. She didn't really pay attention, but he seemed to look in her direction quite often.
Diamond Tiara continued flirting with him, but he seemed completely unaroused by her incessant pursuits.
After school let out, Silver Spoon was walking with her head down as she normally did, but bumped into a wall of pink. Diamond Tiara stood in her way like guard at Celestia's castle. "Where do you think you're going Spooner?" Diamond Tiara sneered the new nickname with a hint of annoyance.
Silver Spoon said nothing.
"You are really pathetic, you know that? Thinking that Lantern would be interested in the likes of you, don't deny it, I saw the way you kept looking at him during lunch, with your googly eyes. You are pathetic, useless, scum of Equestria. Why don't you just go home and hang yourself or something loser?" Diamond Tiara would've continued if it hadn't been for a loud shout from up the road.
"Oi! Who do you think you are, talking to her like that?" up trotted Lantern cool, calm, collected, and very angry. "I took you for a lady Mademoiselle, but I was obviously mistaken."
"Well, aren't you a prince in shining armor then, and I thought you were cute. Hmph!" she turned around with her muzzle pointed to the sky and walked away.
"Are you alright m'lady?" asked Lantern and helped Silver Spoon pick up some books she had dropped when she first bumped into Diamond Tiara.
"Yeah...I'm fine."
"Here let me." Lantern took the books from Silver Spoon and carried them for her.
"No you don't have to do that." Silver Spoon muttered.
"But 'tis my duty, m'lady." he responded, "How far away is your lodging?"
"About a mile and a half..."
"But the town is hardly a square mile, unless of course you prefer to take the long way."
"I do...actually." she said blushing.
"Well then let's shake things up a bit and go through town, shall we?" he reached out his hoof for her to take. She slowly wrapped her hoof around his and they were off.