//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Toe to Toe 
// Story: The Secrets of Bitmore Theater 
// by Kegisak 
//------------------------------//


Toe to Toe


        It is a common misconception that the rich eat richly. If the average pony were asked to imagine the diet of the very wealthy, they might imagine things like caviar, or white asparagus. The rich could feast upon any number of rare things so far as common pony knew—as well as afford the medical bills that result. In reality, however, the diets of the rich vary as much as the rich themselves. When two of the rich had belonged to the Equestrian Navy for several years, for example, their diet could vary quite a bit indeed.
        Silver Spoon had tried Hardtack once. Foolishly, she had not believed that it could be nearly as bad as Kelson had described. What she had discovered was that food was capable of tasting like absolutely nothing at all. She had also learned it could take hours to eat and stay with a pony hours later. Once had been enough for her, but if Kelson was to be believed he and Silver's father had had little else to eat for years. As a result they, and Silver, had developed extremely easy to please tastes.
        Normally, then, Silver would have been ecstatic to be having pizza for dinner. It was a rare treat, and two days earlier Silver would have called it the only good thing to come out of this weekend. This was precisely the problem. Although she smiled happily at Sweetie Belle across the table, she inwardly she cursed the filly for being so immensely likeable.
        Silver took a mental stock of the situation as she started on another slice of pizza. Sweetie would want to plan another attack on The Phantom, of course. From the courage she had shown earlier that day Silver knew there was no way Sweetie wouldn't take their last chance to stop him. If she learned from her mistakes, there was a very real chance that Sweetie would be able to catch Diamond even with Silver trying to sabotage her.
        That was item number two. Silver couldn't help but scowl faintly as she thought of Diamond. She could only hope Diamond had gotten it through her head that Sweetie could easily catch them at this. She could only hope that Diamond would adjust her approach tomorrow. Stay out of reach—maybe even out of sight. With any luck Diamond had taken her advice and wouldn't even show up, terrified by the idea of having Sweetie Belle actually catch her and 'win' whatever game Diamond inevitably thought they were playing.
        Silver breathed out heavily. She certainly didn't feel lucky. If she was lucky Sweetie Belle would have been every inch the dumb coward Diamond had expected her to be. Instead she was clever, resourceful, brave, selfless, gentle... Silver stopped the list before it could continue, chastising herself. One way or another, there was no sense in brooding over it. All she could do at this point was play it by ear and do her best to respond to Sweetie. She hoped she could keep up. She stuffed the crust of her pizza into her mouth, scowling at nothing in particular.
        “Summat the matter, Wee Miss?” Kelson asked. Silver blinked and looked up. Kelson had a tray of desserts balanced on each wing, and a look of concern on his face.
        “O-oh!” Silver said hurriedly, pushing up her glasses. “No, I'm fine,” she assured him. “Just, uh, tough crust.”
        Kelson laughed. “Is it?” he asked. “I didn't notice, meself... 'course, I suppose I wouldn't now, would I?” He shared a sardonic smile with Silver Light and gestured to Silver's plate. “I hope it's not upset your stomach too much for some Ice Cream?”
        Silver grinned, troubles slipping away at the promise of the treat. “Never,” she said.
        “Grand!” Kelson replied, setting a small bowl in front of her. As Silver tucked into the treat Kelson continued around the table, offering and handing a bowl to everypony present. The grown-ups chattered amicably over their desert, while Silver savoured it in silence. Sweetie Belle, however, bolted hers down as fast as she was able. Though she made no sound—save for the occasional gasp of breath in-between mouthfuls—Silver could see her fight back groans from ice cream headaches on more than one occasion. Silver couldn't help but smile. She ate a bit faster herself, knowing full well what was coming.
        It wasn't long before Sweetie set her bowl down with a clatter. “I'm done!” she declared, squeaking with energy.
        “Sweetie!” Rarity admonished, “That's very rude! And terribly unladylike.”
        “Oh,” Sweetie said, looking down at the bowl. She looked to Starling and smiled meekly. “Um, sorry,” she said.
        Starling gave an understanding smile, and chuckled. “It's quite alright, dear,” she said. “I'm sure you're just excited to run off and play with Silver?”
        Sweetie nodded. “Uh-huh,” she said. She looked over to Silver, who was finishing the last few spoonfuls of ice cream even as they spoke.
        “I'm almost finished,” Silver said, trying her best to resist rubbing an ice cream headache of her own. She finished her bowl and slipped down from the table. Sweetie Belle joined her quickly. “May we be excused?” Silver asked.
        “Of course,” Starling said with a nod. “Our deal from yesterday is still on. As long as you two play together, you're free to do anything you'd like this evening.”
        “Great!” Sweetie said, hooking a hoof around Silver's. “Thanks for dinner tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Silver! And you too, Kelson!”
        “Aye,” Kelson said with a laugh, “I dial a mean phone. You wee misses go have fun, now.”
        Sweetie beamed up at them for a moment longer before pulling Silver away, near-dragging her in a surprising show of strength. Silver gasped, but managed to keep to her hooves as she staggered away. Silver's parents chuckled. Nova rose from beneath the table, trailing after the fillies in a lazy trot.
        They had made it through two hallways before Sweetie finally released Silver and gave her a chance to rest. Physically at least; she immediately launched into an excited, hushed whisper. “I've been thinking!” she said.
        Wisely, Silver chose to forgo her instinctive burst of sarcasm. Instead she asked, “About the Phantom, right?”
        “That's right,” Sweetie Belle said. “I don't think he's a real Phantom after all!”
        Silver hummed and adjusted her glasses. She contemplated, not for the first time, just how much easier it would be to judge and work around Sweetie if it were in any way obvious just when Sweetie was being clever. For that matter, it would be easier without the lingering ice cream headache. “Why not?” She asked. “He's still flying around and disappearing.”
        “In the dark,” Sweetie Belle said. “He could have anything up there that we wouldn't be able to see, and whenever he gets too deep into the shadows his cloak makes him impossible to see! But the salt didn't work on him at all.”
        “I guess so,” Silver said. “But... that doesn't mean for sure he wasn't a ghost. I mean, Kelson didn't guarantee that salt would work, he just said he thought it might.”
        “Well... maybe,” Sweetie admitted. She waved her hooves and continued, “But that doesn't matter! Because we found out one thing that did work! We were able to catch The Phantom using one of the nets!”
        “That's... true,” Silver said. Her head ached too much for her to be able to deflect that, but she struggled to find a way to cut off Sweetie. It was clear where this was going, and it was too good an idea for Silver's comfort. “He still managed to escape, though. The net might have landed on him, but it didn't slow him down too much... and I don't think that he'll fall for the same trick twice.” At least, she hoped Diamond wouldn't.
        “That's why we won't use the same trick!” Sweetie said, breaking into an impish grin.
        Silver raised an eyebrow. She had seen that expression on Sweetie rarely in the past, and seen the results more rarely still, but when she had they weren’t pretty. “You've... lost me,” she said. She rubbed her head. The headache had faded to a dull tingling in her teeth and jaw, but it was still distracting.
        Sweetie Belle sidled in closer to Silver, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “We'll still need nets,” she whispered, “but we'll need three of them instead of just one. We'll each have one, and I'll be ba—aaaaay—aiiiie!” Sweetie Belle's whisper turned rapidly into a shriek as a cold, wet nose shoved its way in between them. Silver leapt back, in part from the sudden coldness and in part from the shock of Sweetie screaming inches away from her ear.
        “Ow,” Silver grunted, wiggling a hoof in her ear to stop the ringing. It was soon joined by that probing nose. Nova had finally caught up to them, and he was far too large and happy to give a care to such things as conspiracy or personal space. Silver giggled as he snuffled in, licking her face. “Nova!” she said, “Stop it!”
        “Jeeze!” Sweetie said, patting her chest from the other side of the hall. “Is that Nova? How does such a big dog sneak up on somepony?”
        Silver laughed and wrapped her hooves around Nova's neck. Nova panted happily, letting his tongue loll to the side. “He's good at that,” she said. “I'm sorry, I guess he followed us from the kitchen. He must have smelled my headache. He always knows when something is wrong.” Sure enough, Nova gave a heavy lick at the center of Silver's throbbing. It didn't help, but it was nice that he tried, at least.
        Sweetie blinked for a moment, then ducked her head. “Oh!” she said. “It, uh... wasn't an ice cream headache, was it...?” the blinked back and forth at one another for a moment, the answer too obvious to say out loud. Sweetie ducked her head lower. “I'm sorry!” she said. “I shouldn't have rushed you. I was just excited to tell you my plan. I didn't know you had gotten a headache...”
        Silver smirked. “That's not your fault,” she said. “Heck, if anything I should have been asking how you were doing. You looked like you had a pretty bad one.” She paused, looking up for a moment, and added, “Er, are you alright?”
        Sweetie Belle giggled. “Yeah, I'm fine,” she said. “I'm kinda used to getting them; it went away fast.”
        Silver's smirk turned into a low smile. “Well, alright,” she said. “So what was this master plan you're so proud of anyways?”
        “Oh, right!” Sweetie said, perking up. “Umm, let's see... where was I?”
        “Three nets,” Silver offered, leaning against Nova's shoulder. “And you were gonna be ba-ay-aaie.” She shot Sweetie a small, sardonic smile.
        Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out at Silver, but giggled. “Right,” she said. “Except I won't be that—I'll be bait!”
        “Bait,” Silver Spoon echoed. “Like, for The Phantom?”
        “That's right!” Sweetie said. “Whenever we go there he's always focused on us. At this point he has to hate us. If he thinks one of us is there alone he'll definitely be after us.”
        “Okay,” Silver said, “and what's gonna make him think that one of us is there alone? I might not... like going back there, but I'm not gonna just sit out while you put yourself on the line.” Which was true, if only because she didn't want to risk Sweetie actually getting close to catching Diamond without Silver there to intervene.
        Sweetie brushed the concerns aside with a wave of her hoof. “No no,” she said. “You'll be there, just out of sight from The Phantom. See, I'll fool The Phantom thinking I'm there alone, and he'll attack me. Then, while he's distracted with me, you'll jump out of hiding and throw the net over him!” She threw up her hooves, grinning wide.
        Silver hoped harder than ever that Diamond wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. “So what's your net for, then?” she asked.
        “Backup,” Sweetie explained. “If he dodges your net, or you miss, then I'll be right there with another net he won't expect! And if you do hit him, then it'll be just another layer of net to get on him and weigh him down! If we're ready for him this time, then I'm sure we can catch the net and hold him down! We'll hang the third net up over the doorway too, in case we need to escape, or use it.”
        Silver frowned. “That's...” she played out the scene in her head. Then again, and then a third time. She tried to think of any way that it could go wrong, anything about it that could come apart. It was a surprisingly tight plan, for how simple it was. There were no gambles, just skill, and Silver knew that if they were trying they would absolutely be able to beat Diamond. If.
        “It's perfect,” Silver said with a broad smirk.
        “Great!” Sweetie squeaked, grinning even wider. “We'll need to get twine and bolts, again... I hope there's enough left over for three nets.”
        Silver chuckled. “Well, we barely made a dent in it last night,” she said. “So I think we'll probably be fine.
        Sure enough, as they returned to the garage they found the box of bolts and twine still where they had left them the previous night—right on the bottom step of the stairs. It was lucky there was not much traffic through the garage. Regardless, and quick glance assured that there would likely be enough materials for the construction of three more nets. From how Sweetie Belle grinned and bobbed as she walked, Silver half-expected the filly to suggest they stay up all night making net after net, just in case. A year ago she would have expected Sweetie to declare her intent to earn a cutie mark in ghost-net weaving. Silver smiled to herself as she hefted up the box. It was fortunate that Nova was with them this time; he was more than happy to shoulder the burden. In fact, he barely seemed to notice it at all.
        Silver closed the door to the garage behind them as Sweetie spoke up. “So what do you want to do while we make these nets?” she asked.
        “Huh?” Silver said. She adjusted the box on Nova's back. “Well, I guess we have more movies if you want to watch some more. I think there are other Marks Brothers' movies.”
        Sweetie giggled. “No, no,” she said. “That's something that I would want to do, and we did that last night. We should do something you want to do tonight.”
        “Uh,” said Silver. She leaned against Nova's back, blinking. “Well, I mean, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to watch another movie or something.”
        “Isn't there anything that you'd want to do that we can do while we make the nets?” Sweetie pressed. “It isn't fair for us to just do what I want to do all the time.”
        “W-well, I dunno,” Silver said. She hunched her shoulders up as if to shield herself. For some reason she couldn't quite put a hoof on this line of questioning was beginning to feel awkward. A hot churning washed through her stomach, not unlike shame. “I mean, I'm fine to do anything. If I'm doing something I want to do, I'm usually alone, so...”
        “You don't ever do them with Diamond?” Sweetie asked, tilting her head.
        “Well, no,” Silver said, looking away. “She... I mean, Diamond isn't interested, and she always has her own ideas of what we should do.”
        “But don't you ever want to do the stuff you like to do?” Sweetie pressed. “You always just go along with what she wants to do?”
        “Yeah, so?” Silver snapped. She turned back to Sweetie and demanded, “Is that a problem? She's my friend, so what if I like doing what makes her happy?”
        Sweetie Belle drew back. “Uh, no,” she said. She was clearly trying to hide it, but her tone was wounded. “I just thought it didn't seem fair, is all...”
        Silver sighed and rubbed her eyes. Seeing Sweetie's expression drained away any vitriol she had, and left behind more of that same hot churning in her stomach. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I didn't mean to sound so upset. It's just that... well... nevermind.” She sighed and draped her forelegs over Nova's back. “I'm sorry I snapped at you.”
        Sweetie still frowned for a moment, but smiled soon enough. “Everypony gets upset sometimes,” she said. “And I guess maybe I was rude. But I still want to do something that you want to do. What do you usually do when you're alone?”
        Silver gave a sigh of relief, happy for the easy change of subject. “Mmm... I guess I read,” She said. “Or play games... oh! I listen to music a lot.” She grinned, adjusting her glasses. “Though I don't know if you'd be interested in music. I mean, since you like show tunes and all.”
        Sweetie giggled. “That sounds fun,” she said. “... But I probably won't know anything that you listen to.”
        Silver laughed. “That's fine,” she said. “I'll show you some of my records. I think I know something you'll like. Let's head back to my bedroom.”
        Silver's bedroom, like the rest of the manor, was near-ancient. Set deep within the bowels of the house there had been little need for more modern renovations, and so it retained much of its original charm. The ceiling high above their heads was a pristine white, supported by wide arches along each wall. A chandelier dangled from the center, glittering with an abundance of lights and jewels. The arches along each wall were an identical shade to the ceiling. The walls behind them, however, were wallpapered in a soft rose, an intricate pattern drawn upon it in thin lines of cream and gold. The lacquered hardwood floor, itself a deep chestnut, was almost entirely covered by a rug in the same soft pink as the wallpaper.
        A series of shelves in a style as old as the manor stretched along the inside wall, each one filled with neatly arranged books and records. They were tightly packed together, making room for a large, aged record player. On the far wall was a vast fireplace of white marble. Its mouth was guarded by a golden grill, and its mantle adorned with the dolls and storybooks of a filly much younger, and perhaps more genuine, than Silver. Between the walls, perfectly centered along the back wall, was an enormous canopy bed, its frame the same chestnut as the floor and its bedding a gentle cream. It was an island in the enormous expanse of the room.
        Silver trotted inside without a second thought, but paused. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sweetie gawking at it all. Silver managed to fight down a roll of her eyes, reminding herself it was unlikely that Sweetie had seen anything like this before.
        “Wooooooow,” Sweetie murmured. “This is your bedroom? Are you like, a princess or something?”
        Silver could help but snort and smirk. “No way,” she said. “This is just... an old house. Anyways, Daddy's cousin is the real rich one in the family. He and his sister are like, super important in the arts and sciences in Canterlot, I think? And their family owns a million other businesses. But they're not even real nobles. So if I'm anything it's more like a viscountess or something, I guess.” She shrugged and crossed the relatively long walk to her bed. She flopped onto it, but quickly sat up again to stop Nova from doing the same and spilling the box.
        Sweetie giggled and followed after them. “That's still really cool, you know,” she said. “It must have been amazing to be raised in a place like this!” She hoisted herself up onto the bed beside Silver, gazing around the room.
        “I wouldn't really know,” Silver said with a shrug.
        “Yeah, I guess not,” Sweetie said. “If you grow up somewhere like this, I guess you just don't notice it after a while, huh?”
        This time, Silver could not catch herself in time to keep from rolling her eyes. “Yeah,” she said. “It's—” She stopped and looked away. The comment screamed itself in her head—taking the school carriage three hours from Manehattan to Ponyville every day was much worse—and she was struggling to keep it in. She wasn't sure she could tone down the sarcasm. Perhaps, though, Sweetie might appreciate it? Silver turned back to Sweetie, and immediately wrote off the idea. Sweetie wore an expression so sweet and innocent it was almost offensive. Silver had been mean enough to Sweetie for a lifetime. She couldn't bear to break that smile now. She breathed deep and the desire to make fun ebbed away. “It's part of it,” she said. “Anyways, what kind of music do you want to listen to?”
        “No, no,” Sweetie said. “That's not how it works! We have to listen to something you like. Besides, if you don't like theater then I'm pretty sure you won't have something I'd be interested in anyways... but I'm sure I'll like whatever you put on!” She appended the assurance with a broad, toothy grin. “You said you had an idea?”
        Silver gave a smirk of her own as she slipped down from the bed. It made her feel better to know that Sweetie was also trying hard to be nice. It gave them an air of collaborative awkwardness. The tension of it was warm and exciting in a way that Silver couldn't quite describe.
        Silver knew what she wanted before she reached the shelf of records. She wanted something light. Something mellow. Something that would ease the tension in the air and play with the laughter in her heart. Ideally, something that would not drive her wry.
        “Fully Clothed Mares!” She declared, pulling a fresh-looking record from the shelf.
        “What?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, blushing a vivid crimson. She tucked into a tiny, self-covering ball for the moment before straightening out. Her flush only deepened as she tried to play it off.
        Silver chuckled. “Not you,” she said. “It's a band—Fully Clothed Mares. You've never heard of them?”
        Sweetie Bell managed to relax. A look of puzzlement swept across her face. “That actually sounds...” she murmured, “oh! I've heard of them! My dad listens to them.”
        “...Huh,” Silver said. She looked down at the record and blinked. The sleeve was fresh, almost brand new, and the picture was a crisp photograph. It certainly didn't look old enough for a dad to listen to. She shrugged and slipped it out of its sleeve. “So you know them?” she asked.
        “Kinda,” Sweetie Belle said, kicking her legs idly over the edge of the bed. “I heard a bit, but never really listened? They always sounded kinda sad. Which is fine sometimes, but not always?”
        “Yeah, they get like that,” Silver said, slipping the record into the player. “I don't know, they're from Caneighda. I'd get depressed too, if it was cold and wet all the time. They're not always so bad, though,” she added. The tone-arm of the record player swung down with a muffled hiss, and the music sprang to life with a sharp strike of the drums. The tune was steady and energetic, almost jazzy. Silver felt the heavy beats in her legs and shoulders, lending their rhythm to her pace as she sauntered back to the bed. By the time she reached it she was bobbing and swaying to the tune, almost dancing. She hopped up and almost threw herself into Nova, who had curled up behind Sweetie. The big dog made an excellent pillow, with little more than a mellow “Wurf”. Silver grinned and wiggled deeper into his side. She began to bob a hoof in time with the music as it flowed through her.
        Through a half-lidded eye Silver saw Sweetie lean back on her hooves, a slow smile spreading across her face. Sweetie's eyes drifted closed, and her head began to dip and sway in time with the beat. Soon she was following it just as deftly as Silver, if not more so. Seeing her enjoying the music so obviously only made Silver's smile wider.
        “Good, huh?” Silver asked. “Not too sad?” Her smile faded as she thought better of the remark. “I mean,” she stammered, “It's not, like—”
        “Not too sad,” Sweetie said. A smile like the opposite of a clown's spread across her face: what was likely meant to appear devilish and cunning was instead silly. “Only sad I didn't listen to more of them. This is really good!”
        Silver's grin returned, in equal parts from happiness Sweetie wasn't hurt by the sarcasm, and in part from the sheer badness of Sweetie's meager attempt at a joke. It was so awful Silver wouldn't have been able to make fun of it if she had tried. “Well, I'm glad,” she said with a laugh. “Also makes us one-for-one in getting each other to try something.”
        Sweetie's smile took on a quality Silver didn't quite understand—Silver wondered if it was her own exasperated smirk she was seeing sent back at her—and Sweetie poked out her tongue. “It's not a competition,” she said.
        “No,” Silver agreed. “It's an exchange! You showed me good theater, so I figured it was only fair.”
        “That's even worse,” Sweetie giggled. “Friends don't do things because they're fair, they do things because they want to be nice to each other!”
        Sweetie Belle had clearly had different friendships than Silver. “You said we should do something I wanted to do tonight because it was fair,” Silver pointed out.
        “I—“ Sweetie Belle said, and stopped. She took on a look of puzzlement and intense concentration for a moment. “I wanted it to be fair because I thought that would be nice for you!”
        “So why isn't it me being nice if I want to be fair?” asked Silver with a smirk. She was almost hoping to puzzle Sweetie Belle again. It was a surprisingly compelling expression.
        To her luck Sweetie's expression became befuddled once again. This time, however, it was tempered more with a vague concern than concentration. “Well, I...” she said. “Uh... we should get started on those nets!” she rolled over, reaching for the box of nuts and twine.
        Silver sat up, staring sidelong at Sweetie Belle. She had dodged more than enough conversations and changed subjects enough times to recognize when it was happening. She frowned internally, but reached for the box regardless “Okay,” she said. “I can run the twine and string the nuts if you can tie the knots.”
        The pair fell into a silence as they worked. Part of it was concentration, Silver reminded herself. The lion's share, no doubt. Still, she couldn't deny that the sense of lingering awkwardness didn't help. Had she said something that had hurt Sweetie's feelings? It was far from impossible. At the same time, as Silver parsed back through their conversation she could not find any one thing that could have done it. Any comment that had slipped out Sweetie Belle hadn't seemed concerned by. Was it, perhaps, that Silver had stumbled across a nerve when she commented on Sweetie's fairness? Whatever the cause, the filly was undeniably dour.
        Silver frowned more deeply. Whether or not it was her fault, she didn't want Sweetie to spend the evening unhappy, not when Silver was already complicit in torturing Sweetie's days. “... You know,” she said after a moment of thought, voice unsure, “I never heard how you got your cutie mark.”
        Sweetie didn't respond for a moment, engrossed in her work. After a while she blinked, and looked up. “Huh?” she asked.
        “Your cutie mark,” Silver repeated awkwardly. “It's, uh... I never heard how you got it. You just showed up at school one day with it. I was just kinda curious, since we don't have much to do but talk?”
        Sweetie stared at her, hesitant and cautious. Then she looked down, her expression turning sheepish, and she began to smile. “It's... not a good story,” she laughed. “Kinda silly, actually, how long it took. Um, me and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were having Twilight Time, and Apple Bloom was making a new potion...”
        Silver smiled as she settled back into Nova. Sweetie Belle launched into the story, her smile returning as she spoke. Whatever had been bothering her, there was no trace of it now—she was so excited to regale Silver that she hardly gave her a moment to respond or ask questions.
        The rhythm of the music set the pace of their conversation and their work. After their practice yesterday they were working swiftly, so much so that their first two nets were completed even before the record restarted. They were amateurish and ugly, which made them a marked improvement on the previous night's net. In spite of Silver's halfhearted attempts at sabotage, the third was looking good.
        “—And Twilight had a musical adaption of 'The Good Pony of Szechuan’, and they made me sing it all afternoon!” Sweetie declared, rocking back and laughing.
        Silver laughed as well. In the back of her mind was a distant echo of a joke at Twilight's expense that she found surprisingly easy to ignore. “Well, if you got your cutie mark out of it, it couldn't have been that rough. Bolts, please.” She pinched her last in place for Sweetie to tie. A green-glowing length wrapped itself around the knot.
        “Tell that to my throat the next morning,” Sweetie giggled. She leaned over to the box, fishing a hoof around in it for a few moment. “I think we're out,” she said. She frowned at the box, upending it and giving it a shake. A few scraps of paper and cardboard fell out, following by a shower of dust and grit, but no bolts.
        Silver grimaced at the mess on her bed, sweeping it away and taking a look in the box herself just for the sake of it. “Dang,” she said. The net was a little over three-quarters finished. “I guess... we'll have a bolt-less corner?” she said.
        Sweetie considered this for a moment. Her horn lit up and the net began to glow. It lifted into the air, twisting around and around. Eventually it twisted itself into a diamond with the bolt-less corner pointed down. “Filly door!” Sweetie exclaimed with a gleeful squeak. She grinned, trotting back and forth through the cords as a demonstration. Silver simply started and adjusted her glasses.
        “We'll use this on the door,” Sweetie explained. “That was we can just run through the part without bolts, and not get hurt! And The Phantom won't follow.” She paused, and added, “Well, he probably won't follow... he seems to like flying.”
        Silver snorted. She certainly hoped Diamond liked flying. “He'll be staying as far away from us as possible, if he knows what's good for him,” she said.
        Sweetie giggled. She clambered back up onto the bed, bouncing to a seat beside Silver. “That's right!” she said, jabbing at the air. “We'll show that Phantom who's boss, tomorrow!”
        “Right...” Silver said. She gave a wry smile and leaned back into Nova.
        “But,” Sweetie Belle said, kicking her hind legs, “That's tomorrow. We still have all night tonight! What do you want to do?”
        Silver smile faded to a smirk, although one no less wry. “We're already doing what I want to do,” Silver said. “If you want to do something else, we can go ahead. Listening to music can't be very fun.”
        Sweetie Belle stuck out her tongue. “Don't say it like that!” she said. “I still want to do what you want to do tonight, and not just because it's fair. You have good ideas, Silver!”
        Silver felt a hint of blush creep into her cheeks. “Yeah, right,” she said as she turned away from Sweetie. “We're sitting on my bed, with a dog, listening to Dad music. Yup. I have great ideas.”
        “You do,” Sweetie insisted. “You should be more confident in yourself. You're the reason we found out about The Phantom, and the nets were your idea, and you knew how to put everything together... we wouldn't have gotten anywhere this weekend if it weren't for you!”
        “Gee,” Silver said flatly, “Thanks. That makes me feel better.”
        Sweetie Belle frowned, but it quickly faded. “Well, it should,” she said, folding her forelegs. “I say, you have great ideas and you should stand up for yourself. I'll bet you don't just listen to music. What else do you do that we could do together?”
        Silver sighed. Sweetie Belle was doing her best to encourage her, she knew that. Sarcasm aside, Silver appreciated it as well. She shrugged and rubbed her neck. “I dunno,” she said. “I guess we could read to each other, or find some board games, or... dance, or something?”
        “You dance?” Sweetie asked, sitting up. “I've never seen you dance!”
        “Well yeah, 'cause I do it when I'm home alone,” Silver said. She chuckled. “But yes, I dance. I started at the same time as my acting classes. I figured I'd need it, and... well, even after I dropped out of acting dancing didn't bug me, so I kept on with the lessons.”
        Sweetie grinned wider, and blushed. “I'm not good at dancing,” she said, “but I really like doing it!”
        Silver smirked. “What do you mean, you're not good at it?” she asked. She sat up as well. “Dancing is just something you do, you don't have to be great it to be good.”
        “I dunno about that,” Sweetie said, tucking her head down and blushing brighter. “You haven't seen me dance.”
        “You can't be that bad,” Silver said, leaning back on her forehooves. “It's easy!”
        Sweetie Belle stuck out her tongue. “Okay, so prove it then!” She said with a squeaking giggle. “Dance right now!”
        “Alright, I will,” Silver said as she hopped down from the bed. “But only,” she added, rounding on Sweetie, “if you dance afterwards.”
        “Deal!” Sweetie said. She grinned like a madmare, wiggling on the bed with delight.
        Silver smirked wider at her, and trotted over to the record player. The filly's enthusiasm was infectious, Silver couldn't deny that. Truth be told, Silver was looking forward to dancing as well. It had been a while since she had outside of classes, and the music and good cheer left a rhythm in her bones. A faint blush lingered in her cheeks as well; too faint to see, but warm enough for her to feel. The thought of Sweetie watching her dance was surprisingly exciting. She took out the record and slipped in one more appropriate for dancing.
        As the record span to life Silver reached back, toying her mane loose from its braid. She gave her head a few good shakes and her long, sheer mane came free. It draped over her shoulders and back, framing her face. She always wore her mane down when she danced; her teachers said the way it moved gave her something extra.
        She felt the music in her shoulders first. From there it flowed down her legs into her hooves, and into her chest, and into her neck. She bobbed her head and swayed her shoulders as she walked into the center of the room. The tempo was steadily increasing, and so did her pace. Her weight shifted to her hind legs, bobbing gently to the tune. Her forelegs kicked out, swinging in wide arcs and flicking her wrists to the beat.
        The tempo kicked up suddenly, and just as suddenly Silver slid to the right, pulling herself up into a sharp hop. She closed her eyes, letting the music flow through her. Jumping, shaking and spinning to the rhythm and the flow. It was as natural as breathing, as easy as sleeping, and as joyful as... well, as dancing. She could feel her muscles burn as she twirled, and she loved it. The thought that Sweetie Belle was watching her, while slightly embarrassing, only made it better. She even found herself showing off a bit, adding in hops and spins to the usual kick-and-shake.
        By the time the song finished she could feel the burning ache in her shoulders, and she was beginning to be short on breath. In spite of it all she was laughing with glee. It felt good to dance. It felt even better to dance with somepony else there. She opened her eyes, and was immediately struck with a blush. Sweetie Belle was staring at her, rapt with glee. She grinned from ear to ear, and a faint hint of blush tinged her cheeks. Silver looked away, rubbing her face. “S-see?” she said. “It's not so hard.”
        “That was amazing!” Sweetie squeaked. She leaned forward so fast she almost toppled over and applauded Silver's dance, while Silver's blush only deepened. “I could never dance that well!”
        “Yeah, well,” Silver said, adjusting her glasses. “I still think you can't be too bad. But I guess we'll find out, right? You did promise to dance next, after all.”
        Sweetie Belle giggled. “Okay, I guess I did,” she said. “But it's definitely not gonna be good.”
        “I'll be the judge of that,” Silver said. She hopped up onto the bed as Sweetie slipped down. Silver shuffled back into Nova's side, who yawned and turned his head, as though he was interested in watching as well. Silver couldn't blame him.
        Just as Silver had done, Sweetie Belle closed her eyes as the song picked up its pace. Just as Silver had done, Sweetie Belle began to sway in time with the beat. That was where the similarities ended. Sweetie Belle launched into her dance well before the beat kicked in, resulting in a few moments of erratic flailing before anything resembling rhythm emerged. Even when it did Sweetie's motions were still wide and wild.
        It was obvious that she was trying to Lindy Hop, as Silver had done. Well... she was trying, and that was what was important. She hopped and bounced and flailed and twirled with abandon. It was all just behind the beat, and just wild enough to make it seem like she could topple over at any moment. For a few moments she span so much and so rapidly Silver thought she might lift off.
        Silver clapped her hooves over her mouth to stifle a laugh. It very nearly slipped out in spite of her efforts. Sweetie' enthusiasm was undeniable, but if Silver had seen this before she had heard Sweetie sing, she would have been convinced the filly couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Or a shopping cart.
        When the song ended Sweetie landed gracefully, legs outstretched in a pose she probably thought was quite impressive. It was impressive for one reason, to be fair: it was the only movement that had seemed sure for the entire song. The laugh Silver had been stifling had turned into a cackle, but she still fought it down nobly. From Sweetie's expression, however, it was clear it didn't work.
        Sweetie laughed, rubbing her mane. “I told you I was awful,” she giggled.
        “You weren't... awful,” Silver managed to force out. “You enjoyed yourself.”
        Sweetie gave her a look of disbelief. “You don't have to lie to me, Silver,” she said.
        Silver chuckled for a moment, but the humour rapidly drained out of her like air from a balloon. Deflated by Sweetie's comment Silver adjusted her glasses. “It was pretty bad,” she admitted. “But not totally awful. I've seen worse.”
        “Yeah, right,” Sweetie said with a sharp flick of her tail.
        “Seriously,” Silver said. She held up her hooves to show she had nothing to hide. “I've seen way worse ponies all the time! Half the ponies who are just starting make you look like a ballerina. I bet if you practiced a little bit then you'd be really good!”
        Sweetie smiled and squeaked quietly. “You think so?” she asked.
        “I'm sure of it,” Silver said. “In fact, I'll bet...” she adjusted her glasses. “I'll bet I could teach you a little?”
        Sweetie Belle's face lit up, and Silver's followed suit. “Really?” Sweetie Belle asked.
        “Well, sure,” Silver said. She shrugged. “I mean, you had a good beat, even if it wasn't with the song's beat. You just don't know the moves yet. So, you know... if you'd like, I could show you...”
        “That sounds great!” Sweetie exclaimed. She bound up to the bed, almost dragging Silver off of it. “Where should we start? Spins? Jumps? Those neat kicks you were doing? Ooh, I know—“
        “Whoa, easy!” Silver said. She placed a firm hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “Let's... start a little bit slower, okay? You're probably lucky you didn't smash your head on something while you were spinning around there. I'll show you some basic steps, and...” She hesitated for a moment as she watched Sweetie begin to pout. Silver groaned. If that look could be bottled... “And maybe we'll try some spins later, okay?”
        Sweetie pout turned into a grin with alarming speed. “Okay!” she said.
        “Great,” Silver replied, almost immediately regretting it. Still, in spite of everything—in spite of knowing how this could go wrong, in spite of her lingering guilt over playing friendly to disguise a cruel prank, in spite of the ever rising tide of dread at the thought of Sweetie finding out—Silver felt strangely lighthearted. She stepped away from Sweetie and sauntered to the record player. “We'll try something slower for this,” she said. She slipped in a new record and returned to Sweetie.
        “Okay,” she said. “If it's the two of us, I may as well show you how to do partner dancing. It's how it's supposed to be done anyways.” Silver rolled her shoulders and fixed her glasses. “And there's no real difference between partnered and single anyways. Ready?”
        “Ready,” Sweetie Belle said. Her grin had taken on an almost sheepish air.
        Silver breathed deep, and stepped close to Sweetie so that their forelegs interlaced. She stood so close that her chest brushed lightly against Sweetie's, and her head reached over Sweetie Belle's shoulder. She didn't think she'd ever been this close to the filly before. A faint scent of cake lingered about Sweetie.
        “Silver?” Sweetie Belle asked.
        “Huh?” Silver asked with a blink. “R-right, sorry, just... uh, thinking. So, uh, we want our hooves together like this,” she brushed her left hoof against Sweetie's right, subtly tucking it around. It was subtle enough that both hooves were flat against the ground, but present enough to feel every twitch. “Now, we're gonna start with a triple-step, so follow my lead. One, two, one, two-three.”
        She counted in time to the record, leading Sweetie in a slow, shuffle-stepped sway back and forth across the bedroom. “Okay,” Silver said after a few passes, “That's good! Now let's try to mix in a rock step.”
        “What's that?” Sweetie asked. Her voice was faint. Silver looked over, and saw that the filly was staring intently at her hooves. Silver smiled.
        “It's easy,” Silver assured her. “I'll show you.” She walked Sweetie through the move, demonstrating it and leading Sweetie with a gentle hoof. Sweetie moved awkwardly at first, almost tripping over her own hooves and bumping against Silver's chest.
        “Sorry,” Sweetie said hurriedly, stepping back and rubbing at her blush.
        “It's alright,” Silver assured her, blushing a bit herself. “I did it a lot when I first started too. Let's try again.” She took Sweetie's hoof once again, leading her back into the dance.
        It took a few more passes for Sweetie Belle to get it right, but it wasn't long before they were shuffling happily back and forth across the room, stretching in and out of each other's' grasp. It was slow, and simple, but a broad smile sat on each girls' face.
        “You're doing great,” Silver said. “Why don't we try something a bit more difficult?”
        “Spinning?” Sweetie asked with a gasp. She grinned so wide that Silver was almost afraid to dash her hopes.
        “Not quite,” Silver explained with a laugh. “More like... waltzing. Except it'll be fun. What we'll do is, instead of stepping sideways I'll step so I wind up beside you. I'll do it a few times, and then I'll lead you into it. How does that sound?”
        Sweetie looked worried for a moment, but quickly replaced it with a trusting smile. “Okay!” she said.
        “Alright!” Silver said. This time even she looked at her hooves. She held Sweetie's hoof tighter and stepped in closer. Anticipation and excitement washed over her as they took a few shuffling steps to wind up. She stepped lively, circling around to Sweetie's side while still holding Sweetie's hoof. Their rumps bopped together. Silver's heart leaped, and she and Sweetie giggled as Silver returned to her position at Sweetie's chest.
        Again and again they turned into it. Surprisingly, Sweetie proved little obstacle to the turning. After only two passes they had it down to an art. It felt easy, even natural. Silver wished that she had had Sweetie as a dancing partner when she first started. It would have saved a lot of stepped-on toes. They brushed against one another in perfect rhythm, toe to toe, chest to chest, grin to grin and heart to heart. “Your turn,” Silver murmured, and gave the gentlest of pushes to beckon Sweetie into a turn. Sweetie must have felt the connection as well, because she moved with perfect grace in Silver's hooves.
        It felt like they danced for hours, though it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes. Silver was more than happy to let time drag on. She wished she could stay there, in that moment, forever. Anything was better than letting tomorrow come. Another bout of fear and lies, another fight with the Phantom. Silver frowned, chasing the thoughts away. Tomorrow was tomorrow, but tonight was tonight. Tonight she was dancing, and well at that. Sweetie moved so easily at Silver's suggestions it felt like they had danced together for years. Then again, Silver supposed, in a way they had. By and large Sweetie had never quite allowed herself to be bullied. She had always pushed back just a little, always dodged just a touch.
        She pushed back even now, both in mood and dance. Sweetie Belle moved with ever more confidence, so Silver picked up their pace. They turned more, stepped faster, hopped higher. Silver felt the ache of exercise setting in again. She was sure Sweetie felt it too, probably more so. They danced anyways. They let the music flow through them, around them, and between them like water. It would have to end soon, but for now they both wanted to savour the moment together.
The thought echoed in Silver’s mind. It would have to end soon. She tried to chase it away again, but it stuck in her mind like tar. It reminded her just how far gone she was. It was too late to come clean now.
        The record ended as Silver wrestled with the worries. The sharp click and soft hiss pierced her already burdened mind and for just a moment, just long enough, she forgot where her legs were. Sweetie Belle's hoof caught Silver's, and both staggered backwards. They fought for balance, but it was already too late.
        With the slow agony of a felled tree the pair toppled backwards. Silver squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the crash onto the hard floor. It was much to her surprise, then, when she instead sank into a downy mattress. After taking a moment to pound her heart back to life, she opened her eyes.
        Without realizing it, Silver and Sweetie had danced their way in front of the bed, and so their tremendous topple had resulted in nothing worse than a surprise nap. They had landed face to face, not even hard enough to stir Nova from his laze.
        Sweetie blinked at Silver. Silver blinked at Sweetie. Sweetie giggled softly, and began to laugh. She pulled her hind legs up onto the bed, curling into a little ball of laughter. Silver snickered, and couldn't help but join in.
        “I'm sorry,” Sweetie Belle said when her laughter finally subsided. “You tripped on me!”
        “It's not your fault,” Silver said. She lifted up her glasses to wipe away a tear. “I missed a step. You were right where you should have been, I'm the one who messed up.”
        Sweetie giggled, and for a moment Silver thought she would burst into laughter again. “I guess it happens to the best of you, huh?” she asked.
        Silver snorted. “I dunno who the 'best of us' is here, but it sure isn't me,” she said. “I'm just okay. You were pretty great, though, for a beginner. I would never have gotten that far with Diamond.”
        Sweetie stifled a laugh. “That's mean,” she said.
        “That's honest,” Silver told her. “Diamond is my best friend, but she isn't patient.”
        Sweetie grinned, snuggling deeper into the covers. “How come you're friends with her?” she asked.
        Silver blinked. She laughed again, less because of humour and more because she had been utterly stunned by the question. “What?” she asked.
        “It's just,” Sweetie said, tucking her head down, “you seem so... different, from her. When you're not being sarcastic, you're really nice.” She stared at her hooves, tracing circles on the bed. “You wanted us to be nice, even if it was for kind of a selfish reason. When I fell into those boxes, you checked on me to make sure I was alright without even thinking about it—and we still weren't even friends then! And you didn't make fun of me for being scared of the Phantom.”
        “I'd have been pretty lousy to, considering how scared of him I am,” Silver pointed out. She adjusted her glasses and rubbed away a blush. She had never thought of herself as being caring before. She liked making ponies feel good, of course, but being caring was something else entirely.
        “But you still could have,” Sweetie said. She shuffled closer to Silver. “To make up for how scared you felt. And you listened when I got upset, even though I was yelling and you could have easily just ignored me, or thought I was being a jerk again. Even today! You're trying really, really hard not to be mean.”
        Silver's blush deepened, more from shame than embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?” she asked.
        “It's obvious that you don't want to be mean anymore,” Sweetie said, placing a hoof on Silver's shoulder. Her touch was warm and gentle, and it calmed Silver's nerves.
        Silver smiled ruefully and sighed. “I wish I was better at it,” she said.
        “But you are better!” Sweetie said. “You've barely been sarcastic at all tonight, and when you did you apologized right away even if I didn't get upset.”
        “I haven't?” Silver asked. She frowned, thinking back over the evening. She must have, surely. “I think I just... forgot about it, because I was happy with you.”
        Sweetie Belle simply giggled. “That just means being nice is coming more naturally,” she said. “That's why I'm so surprised... that's why I got upset earlier. I remembered thinking about you and Diamond, and how you always seemed mean and bored. I just didn't understand why.” She wrapped her hooves around Silver's foreleg and shuffled closer.
        Silver looked down and adjusted her glasses. “I guess... Diamond is kind of the reason I'm sarcastic, yeah,” she admitted. “But it wasn't that I was upset or bored with her, not really. I mean, it's just...” A faint flush of shame crept into her cheeks. “Well, when I said that Diamond always has better ideas and isn't interested in what I want to do, that wasn't really true. The truth is, she doesn't really ask. Not anymore, I mean. She used to, but I never had any ideas, so I just got used to doing what she wants. I guess now, sometimes I get tired of that, and sarcasm is... it's easier to just snark at her than to actually try and get her to stop and listen.”
        Sweetie Belle frowned. “Then, that's definitely not fair!” she insisted. “You've had great ideas all weekend! If you're friends, she should still try listening to you.” she frowned deeper and mumbled, “Might make her less of a jerk sometimes.”
        Silver smirked faintly and rubbed her cheek. “You know, Diamond isn't as bad as everypony thinks,” she said.
        Sweetie looked up, and moved closer again. She just stared, silent but inquisitive.
        “Everypony thinks she's a jerk,” Silver continued. “But everypony thinks I'm a jerk too. I don't blame them. I'm sarcastic a lot. Maybe I've been doing alright tonight, but it's hard to stop it slipping out sometimes. Diamond is... willful.” It sounded better than 'pigheaded', certainly. “She knows what she wants, and she tries to get it. I guess that's kind of why I'm friends with her?” She sighed and looked up at Nova as if she expected his help. While he had shifted around to face the fillies, he was content to watch impassively. “I'm telling you a lot of stories this weekend, huh?” she asked. She gave a dry smile and laughed. “I think Diamond is the only other friend I have who knows this much about me... I didn't always live in Ponyville. You can probably guess, I was born here in Manehattan.
        “They never told me exactly why—I think Daddy just got tired of the city—but after my big sister left for university, the rest of us moved to Ponyville. I was 6. I was a little filly, I was used to the city, I didn't know anypony, and it was just a little while after the whole Phantom thing... basically, I was miserable. I saw it as this dumb little... backwater town without anypony interesting.” She folded her forelegs in front of her like a shield and frowned. “And it's not like anypony wanted to prove me wrong. Being the new foal in town is like being put on display, and I really didn't want anypony to pay attention to me back then. Being rich just made it worse. Pretty dresses, bows in my mane... it just made it more obvious. Everypony was crowding around me, asking me a bunch of the same questions, over and over. It was so...” She realized that she had started to get angry just thinking about it, even lifting her hooves as if to strangle the memory. To say Sweetie looked concerned would be a remarkable understatement. Silver adjusted her glasses, and carried on.
        “Everypony except Diamond,” she said. “I think, looking back on it now, she was just jealous that somepony richer than her had moved to town? Whatever it was, she didn't bother me. And nopony bothered her. So I started sitting next to her in class, and hanging around her at recess, just so nopony would hang around me. That went on for like, weeks before we ever actually talked to one another. And you know what the first thing she said to me was?”
        It took Sweetie a moment to realize it was an actual question, enraptured as she was by the story. She jolted slightly, and blushed. “W-what did she say?” she asked.
        “'You should try braiding your mane',” Silver recounted with a fond laugh. “'Nopony pays attention to ponies with braids'. She understood. We hadn't said as much as three words to each other, and she understood me. After that, we started talking more and more until we became real friends.” Silver smiled at the memories, and rubbed her face. “I guess what I'm saying is, I'm friends with Diamond Tiara because we understand each other. Saying that being Rich is hard is like, the Richest thing in the word to do, but it's got its own problems, and it's hard for ponies to get that sometimes. So sometimes it's nice to have a pony who does understand that.
        “Diamond is... pushy, sometimes,” Silver admitted. “And yeah, she can be kind of mean. But she's a lot more understanding than she seems, at first glance. You just have to be willing to get to know her. She just takes time.” Silver shrugged, and smiled. “I guess it's up to you if that sounds worth it.”
        Sweetie thought about this for a moment, and began to grin. “Well,” she said, “I think I'll take your word for it. For now.”
        Silver smirked. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. “For now?”
        Sweetie nodded. “For now,” she said. “If she's your friend, then I guess I believe she has to be nice sometimes. And I guess I'll get the chance to meet her, and get to know her better.” She grinned wider and yawned.
        Silver's smirk melted into a warm smile. “Really takes a lot out of you, huh?” she asked, chuckling at Sweetie's sleepy blush.
        “Yeah,” Sweetie said. “I'm exhausted.” She rubbed at her eyes. “I'm glad we got those nets done before we started... that mean 'ole Phantom won't know what hit him!” She pantomimed boxing some unseen enemy, and Silver forced out an awkward laugh.

        Sweetie laughed as well. “Well... Diamond is right about one thing,” she said.
        “Hmm?” Silver asked, adjusting her glasses. She pulled them off, checking them for any spots or scratches.
        “Yeah,” Sweetie said. “She was pretty clever to say that putting mane hair in a braid would make ponies forget about you. You look really pretty with your mane down.”
        Silver blushed crimson, nearly dropping her glasses. “Wh—“ she stammered. She hid her face under the pretense of tucking her glasses back on. “Geeze, heh... do you want me to take my glasses off too, so you can say I was beautiful all along, like some movie?”
        Sweetie grinned wider. “You're still pretty with your mane braided,” she said. “You're just prettier with it down. And keep your glasses. I like them.”
        Silver blushed redder, rubbing desperately at her cheeks. “Stop it,” she laughed. “It's embarrassing.”
        “Rarity says that a mare should never be shy about her beauty,” Sweetie told her. She yawned wide, snuggling deeper into the downy quilt beneath them and letting her eyelids droop. “Wouldn't it be great if all five of us could be friends, instead of fighting all the time?” she asked. “After this weekend, once we've got the Phantom beat...”
        Silver's good mood faded. “Hah... Y-yeah,” she said, looking down. Strangely, though, her good mood didn't leave completely. The thought of all five of them together—no fighting, no bickering, just friendship, and Silver together with Sweetie—brought a wistful smile to her face. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “I think that would be nice.”
        When she looked back up Sweetie's eyes had already begun to drift shut. Silver watched her as her eyelids closed more and more. Sweetie's face took on a serene quality—or perhaps it only became more obvious without her infectious cheer in the way? Silver found herself studying the contours of Sweetie's face, her cheeks and eyelashes.
        Sweetie was really something else, Silver remarked to herself. Silver's olive branch was rotten, offered in the name of a cruel joke. Even trying to be good paled in comparison to actually being good. Sweetie Belle was good, plain and simple. Silver wondered what it was like. Sweetie seemed happy.
        Silver rose from the bed and took off her glasses, setting them on the bedside table. She slowly pulled the covers out from under Sweetie, easing the filly into a safer position on the bed and tucking her in. She slipped into bed, watching Sweetie sleep for a few more minutes before her own tiredness caught up with her.
        In her final moments of wakefulness, Silver Spoon sighed. Why was somepony like her allowed to love somepony like Sweetie Belle?