Chapter 7: One-Legged Filly
The sun hung over Sweet Apple Acres, just below its zenith. It beat down over the trees below like a hammer. The heat made the air shimmer, giving the orchard an unreal, dreamlike quality. Somewhere in the unseen distance an insect droned ceaselessly.
Silver Spoon walked the path through the orchard. Diamond Tiara trailed behind, dragging her hooves through the dirt. The heat was unrelenting.
The path curved sharply beneath a small cluster of trees. The shade over the path was a welcome refuge, and both fillies agreed to rest beneath it without ever sharing a word. Silver sat down against a tree. Diamond Tiara removed her namesake accessory and mopped her brow.
Save for the insect's droning, the orchard was silent. Silver felt too sick to speak. Her guts were twisted into knots, her shoulders were tense and aching, and her eyes were sore and puffy. She had slept horribly the previous night, and what sleep she had managed had been wracked with anxiety. Would her plan work? Would she even have the chance to try it?
Silver sighed and took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes. She tried her best to shake her doubts. The temptation to simply sit back, to let Diamond Tiara take control again, was overwhelming, but she knew she couldn't. She could guess what Diamond's opinion of all of this was. She put her glasses back on and looked at Diamond. The pink filly was scowling as she fluffed her limp mane.
“So,” Diamond said, still struggling to hoof-comb her mane into some semblance of a style, “I know I said that I'd try to be a nicer pony to the Cutie Mark Clo—Crusaders, but I didn't expect you'd want to go see them the very next day.” She sagged and wiped more sweat off her brow. “Couldn't we have at least waited until a school day, instead of walking through an orchard in the middle of summer? I can't believe anypony chooses to do this for a living.”
Silver rubbed her neck. “You heard Kelson,” she said. “I want... I need to do this as soon as possible.”
“Kelson said talk to Sweetie, not them,” Diamond said. “Why aren't we going to Sweetie's house? Or Carousel Boutique?”
“I need their help,” Silver said with a shrug.
Diamond was silent for a moment, focused on wearing the most profound look of confusion she could manage. “Why?” she asked. “You can't ask anypony else?”
“Can you get Sweetie to trust you long enough to come out and let me do this?” Silver pointed out.
Diamond shrugged and rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. “What about her sister?” she asked.
It was Silver's turn to roll her eyes. She adjusted her glasses and fixed Diamond Tiara with a level stare. “Yes. I'm going to walk up to one of the heroes of Equestria, who has fought dragons, changelings, Discord, and who knows what else, tell her that I broke her little sister's heart, and ask for her help.”
Diamond blanched and looked away. “Okay,” she said, “maybe not.” Her frown persisted. “Were you always this sarcastic?” she asked.
“Yes,” Silver replied. She watched Diamond's expression droop, and sighed. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm nervous about this too.”
“I'm not... nervous,” Diamond Tiara said. She flipped her mane once, then scowled at its limpness and flipped it again. “I'm just...” She struggled to produce a word.
“It'll be weird,” Silver said. “We've been mean for them for so long... trying to be nice to Sweetie wasn't easy, and it didn't come all at once. And they're not gonna be happy to see us...” She rubbed her chest. “All of this depends on Apple Bloom and Scootaloo being willing to listen to us.”
Diamond was quiet for a moment. “If being nice involves caring how other ponies feel about me, I don't think I like it,” she said.
On that point, at least, they agreed. Silver sighed and rubbed her shoulders. They felt cold in spite of the heat. “Well,” she said, getting to her hooves, “we should probably get it over with, then.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders' Clubhouse was just around the bend, shaded under a small copse. It had been expanded in recent years to accommodate the crusaders' guests and friends. The porch had been extended, acquiring an awning and a small shed on the far side of it, and a second floor had been added up the tree.
“So we just go up there and knock?” Diamond asked.
“You do,” Silver replied. “I'm going to hide nearby for a while.”
Diamond gawked at her. “This was your idea!” she said. “And you're just going to hide while I do all the talking?”
“What if Sweetie is in there with them?” Silver asked. “If she knows I'm planning something, then it'll fail right away. I just need you to get Apple Boom and Scootaloo out here without her so I can talk to them. Okay?”
Diamond Tiara looked her up and down, regarding her with suspicion—or perhaps just exasperation. “Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes.
As Diamond trotted up the ramp to the clubhouse, Silver found a broad apple tree nearby and slipped behind it. Once she was sure she couldn't be seen, she poked her head around the tree and watched.
Diamond Tiara knocked on the door. Silver was close enough to hear a muffled shuffling from within, and a murmur that sounded like, “Be right there!” After a moment the door opened, and Scootaloo's head poked through. A moment later the door swung shut. It stopped what Silver guessed, judging by how Diamond's head reeled back, was a hoof's width from closing. The door opened and closed a few more times before Diamond shouted, “Would you cut that out!?”
“Why?” Scootaloo demanded. “You probably just came to make fun of us again.”
“No, I'm not!” Diamond said. “I have better things to do with my weekend than make fun of a bunch of...” Silver glowered at Diamond from behind her tree. Whether Diamond felt Silver's glare or thought better of it, she managed to stop herself.
“So why are y'here, then?” Apple Bloom asked from behind the doorway. “Need help with your cutie mark again?”
“No,” Diamond seethed. “I got that figured out the first time, thank you...” she seemed to struggle for a moment, and added, “Thank you. For that. I don't think I ever did.”
Scootaloo paused, looking behind the doorway. “What do you want, Diamond?” she asked. Her tone was harsh, but she let the door swing open further.
“To talk,” Diamond said. “To you and Apple Bloom... is Sweetie Belle here?”
“No,” Scootaloo said. “She didn't want to come out today.” she folded her hooves. “I wonder why.”
Relief and regret mingled in Silver Spoon's gut. She stepped out from behind the tree. “That's good,” she said. She adjusted her glasses and mounted the ramp to the clubhouse.
“You're here too?” Scootaloo groaned. “Of course. Diamond wouldn't go anywhere without her minion.”
Silver slowed her pace. “Well,” she said, happy that Scootaloo's furious gaze was not on her and stirring her guilt for long, “I'm, um, actually—”
“She's not my minion, Scootaloo,” Diamond said. “She's my friend.” She sighed frustratedly and added, “even if it didn't seem that way.”
Silver Spoon lingered on the steps as Scootaloo prepared another retort, but Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. “Alright, so yer' both here. Ah can guess why.” She looked back and forth between Silver and Diamond. “Bit of a turnaround since yesterday though, ain't it?”
“It's Silver's idea,” Diamond said, waving her hoof flippantly.
“I know what yesterday looked like,” Silver said, “but I really was worried about Sweetie. I'm sorry about what I did to her. I know we went too far...” She rubbed her cheek and adjusted her glasses. “We went to far a long time ago. I want to make it better.”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged a long, pregnant glance. “We wanted to give you a chance yesterday, Silver,” Apple Bloom said. “You blew it pretty bad. How do we know we can trust you?”
“Because...” Silver said. The word lingered in the air, unconnected, unanswered, as Silver searched for a reason. “You can't,” she admitted finally.
“Then why should we?” Scootaloo demanded.
“I don't know,” Silver said. “You probably shouldn't. I wouldn't. But... I'm asking you to, just this once.” She looked at her hooves, and then back up. She held herself proud and tall, and stepped forward. “but if there's anything, anything at all I can do to prove to you that I'm telling the truth, I'll do it.”
There was another pause, and Scootaloo asked, “...Anything?”
“Anything,” Silver said. A smile crossed Scootaloo's face that made Silver sure she was about to regret it.
“Stand on one leg,” Scootaloo said.
Silver Spoon reared up, tottering unsteadily on her back leg. She reeled back and forth for a moment before finally finding her balance, and stared Scootaloo in the eye.
“Wow,” Scootaloo said, looking up at Silver. “Jump up and down!”
Silver Spoon began to hop in place, leaning precariously with each jump. She could feel her balance slide to and fro beneath her, and with each successive hop she lost it a little bit more. She held her forelegs out, flailing for support.
“Pat your head!” Scootaloo demanded. “and rub your bell—”
“Arright Scoots, that's enough,” Apple Bloom cut in. She took hold of Scootaloo's shoulder once more and pulled her back from the doorway. “You've had your fun. You can stop now, Silver.”
Silver Spoon breathed a sigh of relief and got down on four hooves. “Thank you,” she said.
Apple Bloom regarded Silver with no small amount of caution. “That didn't prove anything,” she said. “You proved how far yer' willin' to go for a joke last weekend. So there's just one thing I'm gonna ask you: why now? Ain't like nopony was nice to you before.”
“Because...” Silver Spoon rubbed her foreleg and looked at Diamond. “Because I wasn't brave enough to stand up for myself. I think I always wanted to be better than I was, but I was always afraid to step away from Diamond. So I convinced myself that I was being good. Or at least, as good as anypony else.”
She bit her lip and fidgeted with her glasses. “The more time I spent with Sweetie Belle, the worse I felt, because... she made me remember what a jerk I was. But, she thought I could be brave enough. So I want to be, for her…” Silver swallowed hard, and said, “Because I love her.”
“Sounds to me like she only thought that way 'cause you lied to her,” Apple Bloom replied.
Silver winced. The ache in her chest turned to a throbbing. “M...maybe,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “But I want the lie to be real.”
“So that she'll like you again?” Scootaloo asked. “So what happens if she still says no? Are you gonna go back to picking on us again?”
Silver shook her head. “No,” she said. “I just...” she pawed nervously at the floor, “don't want to be mean anymore.”
Apple Bloom stared at Silver for a long moment. Silver stared back, neck hung low and humble. Next Apple Bloom turned to Diamond and looked inquisitively at her.
“I'm working on it,” Diamond Tiara said coldly. “If Silver wants it, then that's good enough for me.”
Apple Bloom shifted her jaw back and forth. “Arright,” she said. She stood aside, holding open the door. “Come on in.”
The interior of the clubhouse had been expanded as well—the shed outside was in fact a new wing—making room for a variety of furniture. A large table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by a variety of chairs in various levels of comfort, and covered in hastily-strewn papers. The new wing held a makeshift lounge area, with a sofa, two easy chairs, and a plush rug to complete the image.
It was far from professional, or even particularly well put-together, but as Silver looked around she found herself smiling faintly. There was a homely sort of charm to it, an eclectic mix of the three fillies' tastes. The more she looked, the more Silver imagined she could spot which were Sweetie's. Her smile faded.
“How is she?” Silver asked quietly.
Apple Bloom took a seat at the table, gesturing for Silver to sit across from her. “Can't say,” she said. “ain't good though. She didn't wanna see us yesterday. Said she wanted to be left alone. We figured, prob'bly best to give 'er some time.” She shrugged.
“We caught a glimpse of her,” Scootaloo added, sitting beside Apple Bloom. “Through Rarity's living room. She looked pretty awful.”
Silver nodded and sighed. In truth, she hadn't expected much better. “I guess it's probably for the best you didn't let me come with you, then,” she said. “I doubt seeing me would have made her feel much better.”
“Maybe,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe not. Truth is, Ah wouldn't have let you in if it weren't so obvious Sweetie Belle's still got somethin' for ya. She'd'a been hurt, sure, but if Sweetie Belle was upset enough to want to forget about you, it wouldn't be hittin'er this hard. Ah figure she wants you to apologize much as you want to apologize.”
Silver laughed, though she couldn't bring herself to smile just yet. “You should talk to Kelson,” she said. “He said exactly the same thing.”
“I dunno,” Scootaloo said, folding her forelegs. “If it was me, I wouldn't be too ready to forgive and forget.”
“Well, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, “that's because yer... hmm. What's the opposite of romantic?”
“Smart?” Scootaloo offered.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and turned back to Silver. “Point is,” she said, “Sweetie wants you to apologize. You want to apologize. So I'm kinda curious what you're doin' here, instead of over there.”
“Because I want to apologize right,” Silver said. “Sweetie deserves more than just walking up to her door and saying I'm sorry. I want...” She waved her hooves vaguely. “I want to show her how much she meant to me. And that not everything I said to her was a lie. And... well, you said it yourself. She's not really happy right now.” She adjusted her glasses. “I need to do something big for her.”
A faint smile was spreading across Apple Bloom's lips. “Arright,” she said. “I'm thinkin' you've already got an idea?”
Silver nodded and adjusted her glasses again. “On the first night we spent together, I told her a story. It was a story that I've only ever told once or twice before.” She couldn’t help but smile and blush faintly at the memory. “It's... embarrassing. But she sort of cornered me into saying it.”
Diamond Tiara cocked an eyebrow. “I find it hard to imagine Sweetie Belle cornering anypony into anything,” she said. She withered under a glare shot by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and added, “It just doesn't seem like something she'd want to do.”
“She didn't mean to,” Silver said. “I just had to tell it to keep her from... getting suspicious. But it was true. I told her about how I was afraid of... ehn... I have a phobia of...” she waggled her hooves. “Look, details don't matter here.”
“If it affects yer plan, Ah think they do,” Apple Bloom pointed out. Her smile had widened a bit, and Silver couldn't help but think she was enjoying this. Still, she was right. Sweetie's plan hinged around it. Even if she didn't tell them now, they would be able to piece it together on their own.
“Okay,” Silver said. “I'm afraid of... The Phantom of the Opera!” She bolted out the words, covering her eyes and groaning. “It's dumb, I know. But she's one of the only ponies I've ever told. And she knows just how afraid of it I am, because she saw the way I acted around Diamond, when she was The Phantom.” She peered at Diamond out of the corner of her eye and rubbed her shoulders. “I knew it was Diamond, and I was still terrified of her. Sweetie Belle had to pull me off the ground so that we could get out of there. There's no way I'd humiliate myself that much for a prank.
Diamond blinked and leaned back from Silver, fixing her with a concerned, and more than a bit confused, expression. “You were afraid of me?” She asked. “Why didn't you say anything when we were coming up with the prank?”
Silver shrugged. “I was more afraid that you'd make fun of me if you knew,” she said.
Diamond's brow furrowed, and she looked down at the table. “Jeeze,” she said.
Scootaloo coughed awkwardly, and Apple Bloom tapped on the table. Even Diamond was silent, digesting the statement.
Silver adjusted her glasses. “Sweetie's more important to me than what I'm afraid of,” She said. She paused for a moment and then added, “I care enough about her that I want to change, so I can be happy with her, even though it'll be hard.” She reached out and put a hoof on Diamond's shoulder. “So I want to show her that, for her, I'd even face my fear of The Phantom.”
“You're not gonna try and be a hero or something, are you?” Scootaloo asked, squinting at Silver. “Set up a little play fight and rescue Sweetie?”
“No,” Silver said. “That's what got me into this in the first place. I was too afraid to just tell her, but I thought that if I was her hero, maybe she’d forgive me.” she shook her head. “I'm going to be honest with her. She's going to know that it's me, and that it's a show. Because I'm going to sing for her.”
Silver explained her plan. She went over every detail with them, although their own part would be relatively small in the grand scheme of things. All she needed them to do was to convince Sweetie to come to where Silver would be waiting for her. The irony of the situation was not lost on her: They would be doing as she had that past weekend. she could only hope that the results would be better.
The more she explained, the more a kind of anxiety swirled inside of her gut. It was tempered with excitement, however. The more she explained, the wider the smile on Apple Bloom's face became. By the end of it, Apple Bloom's smile very nearly split her face in half.
“Wow,” Apple Bloom said. “Gotta hand it to ya Silver, that's one heck of a plan. Are ya gonna be able to pull it off?”
“It's... been a while,” Silver admitted. “But hopefully the feeling will make it not matter so much if I'm not that good at it...”
“Well ah think it's a great idea anyways,” Apple Bloom said. She cradled her face in her hooves and sighed dreamily. “Tell you what, if a colt did that for me? Heck, if a filly did that for me I'd be willing to give it a shot.”
Silver couldn't help but smile, ducking her head down. “You think so?” she asked.
“Well, maybe not a filly,” Apple Bloom admitted, rolling her head back. She grinned. “But it's still awful romantic. Especially for Sweetie.”
Silver smiled wider. “Thanks,” she said. Apple Bloom's validation eased her anxiety, and bolstered her confidence in the plan. Although there was a lingering anxiety in her belly, she wrote it off as simple nerves.”
Scootaloo snorted. She had leaned back in her chair, setting her back hooves on the table and folding her forelegs across her chest. “Yeah, well,” she said. “I'd just go and apologize to her, personally.”
“It's not like she's not gonna apologize,” Diamond said haughtily. “She's just trying to make it special for Sweetie.”
“You two are like, our worst enemies,” Scootaloo said. “Or at least, you were. Trying to apologize at all is pretty big.”
“Big isn't the same as special,” Diamond retorted.
Silver coughed gently and nudged Diamond. “It's okay, Diamond,” she said.
“I don't think Sweetie is gonna quibble over the difference,” Scootaloo said, bringing her hooves down in front of her.”
Diamond smirked and snorted. “Quibble?” she asked. “That's a pretty 'special' word for you, isn't it?”
“Diamond!” Silver snapped.
Diamond jolted, looking between Silver and Scootaloo. Her expression was a roulette of indignation, confusion, shame and frustration. She settled on indignation for a moment, flavoured with a sprinkle of pride, but Silver glared harder at her. Shame and frustration won out and she said, “...Sorry.” She coughed.
Apple Bloom coughed as well. Her smile had faded, but it wasn't completely gone. She retained a knowing, approving sort of smile when she looked at Silver. “Well, far as that goes,” she said, “Maybe it's best you two head out. You needin' anything else from us, Silver?”
Silver shook her head. “No,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “I, uh... think as long as you understand, and you think you can do it, then that's all I wanted to ask you for.” She adjusted her glasses and added, “Um, you do think you can do it, right?”
“Don't worry,” Scootaloo said, waving a hoof flippantly. “She'll be there. Just make the most of it.”
The four fillies got to their hooves as their makeshift meeting came to a close. Silver adjusted her glasses again, and Diamond flipped her mane, but Apple Bloom crossed around the table and set herself in front of Silver Spoon. Silver blinked, then looked over her shoulder and back at Apple Bloom. “Do, uh... you need anything?” she asked.
Apple Bloom looked her up and down, and smiled. “Naw,” she said. “Truth is, after everythin' that happened couple years ago, I always sort'a hoped you an' Diamond could be friends with us. I'm glad yer’ givin’ it your best.” She clapped a hoof on Silver's shoulder. “Y'might not be who Ah'da picked for Sweetie,” she said, “but Ah think that filly's got good sense. Yer’ a better pony than Ah figured, an' Ah'm sorry for misjudgin' you.”
“Me too,” Scootaloo admitted. “Well. You mostly deserved it, but still.”
Silver laughed. “Gracious of you,” she said. Amazingly, Scootaloo grinned back at her. Silver turned back to Apple Bloom and said, “Thank you. Really. It... means a lot to me that you're willing to do this.”
Apple Bloom simply smiled and shrugged. The four ponies said their goodbyes, and Silver and Diamond departed. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would have some planning of their own to do, it seemed, which suited Silver Spoon just fine. There was one more step left before she could bring the plan to fruition. She rubbed her stomach and rolled her shoulders to relieve the dull, anxious ache within them. As she trotted down the ramp beside Diamond, she found herself wondering if it was lingering guilt, fear over what was to come next, or something else entirely. A strange thought that wouldn't quite crystalize lingered at the back of her mind. She shook her head, chasing the thought away, and adjusted her glasses.
Diamond Tiara glowered up at the sky. “Ugh,” she said. “I forgot the sun existed. Do you have anything else you need to do for this, or can we find somewhere with air conditioning?”
“I do,” Silver said. “But you can go without me.”
Diamond peered sidelong at her. “I'm not just gonna leave my best friend to do all this on her own,” she said. “You asked for my help, so you're getting it. I can... try to stop complaining for you.”
Silver smiled and chuckled. “No,” she said. “It's not that. It's just that you probably should head off. It'll be harder to talk to the next pony if it's the two of us... and honestly, I feel like... I should face this alone, anyways.” she could not quite explain why, but that felt significant. Important. Diamond and Silver had both needed to apologize to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but this was a pony who Silver had hurt in a more personal, direct way.
Diamond's expression was suspicious. “...Why?” she asked. “Who do you need to see?”
Silver breathed deep and stood up straight, hoping that a prideful pose would reduce, or at least hide, her fear. “I'm going to walk up to one of the heroes of Equestria, who has fought dragons, changelings, Discord, and who knows what else, tell her that I broke her little sister's heart, and ask for her help.”
***
Silhouetted in the mid-afternoon sun, Carousel Boutique resembled a fortified tower whose warlord had a taste for pastel. Its owner’s sense of decor made it no less intimidating, however. Darkness turned the blue cold as ice and cast the pinks in the colour of dried blood. Pillars and arches stood strong, like armed guards before the fortress. Pairs of windows on each floor gazed down on Silver like pairs of eyes, expressionless yet judgmental. Somewhere behind them, she knew, was the pony she had come to see. She could already feel her real eyes, blazing blue steel that could bore straight into a pony's soul. Somewhere else, Silver imagined, Sweetie might be hiding. Could she see Silver too?
The building cast as long a shadow over Silver's heart as over her body.
Silver Spoon shivered and adjusted her glasses. She rubbed her shoulders and, just for good measure, tugged and brushed at her braid. It would not do to see a hero of Equestria with an untidy mane, of course. Surely one of Equestria's foremost fashion designers would appreciate a tidy cut. A member of the entourage of a princess shouldn't be insulted by stray hairs that might get on her dresses. A mare who could fight toe-to-toe with a swarm of Changelings could turn Silver inside-out if she wanted.
Silver Spoon swallowed and adjusted her glasses again. She told herself that she would go inside as soon as her knees stopped shaking. As that was not likely to happen for some time, she should be safe, right?
She groaned and ducked her head, ruffling at her mane. She couldn't just stand out here all day. She needed to go in, and face Rarity. She could feel Rarity's judgmental glare on her already, the spite of a pony whose dear sister Silver had hurt so badly.
Or, perhaps it was Sweetie Belle. Perhaps the filly was gazing down at her from a high window, watching, waiting to see what she would do. Silver's chest clenched at the thought, which brought with it a feeling like warm wind. She couldn't hurt Sweetie by turning away now. She thought of Diamond: How did she act when she was doing something she knew was a bad idea?
Silver Spoon breathed deep, puffed out her chest, straightened her legs, arched her tail and marched into Carousel Boutique.
The bell above the door sounded like a death knell. Silver tried her best to ignore it, but more than a little confidence ebbed from her stance. Still, she was in the shop. She took a few steps deeper inside, peering around the store.
It was sparse, a sign of Rarity's prosperity. Though her second boutique in Canterlot grew more popular by the day, many ponies preferred to come to the more rustic shop where 'the legend began', with some traveling many miles just to have the chance to see it. Any new dresses that Rarity produced were sure to be snatched up before too long. Especially after the success of this past weekend's fashion show.
Near the rear of the room a pair of assistants were fussing over the best way to arrange a hat, but Rarity was nowhere to be seen. A soft clatter of hooves from a back room, however, announced her approach.
“I apologize, dear, I was just working on some dresses,” Rarity said as she came out to the showroom. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and—oh.” Rarity gazed down on Silver, her previously cheerful expression falling to one of barely-withheld disdain in an instant. “It's you.”
Rarity cleared her throat and smiled a smile that was not even trying to be convincing. “What,” she asked, forcing the words into some semblance of politeness, “may I do for you? Looking for a new dress, or an accessory? Perhaps a nice chapeau for that... unique, manestyle of yours?”
“Huh?” Silver asked, looking up. She balked at her mane, which she had unwittingly rustled into a mad, wild mess. She made a sound not unlike the fearful squeaking of a mouse caught by a cat, and desperately ran her hooves through it to straighten it out. “N-no, Rarity,” she said. “Miss Rarity. Um... L-lady Rarity.”
A faint smile played across Rarity's lips, but she concealed it with a flip of her mane. When she had settled it had disappeared once more, and her steely gaze had returned. “Then what brings you into my little shop, darling? We offer little else.”
Silver swallowed. “W-well,” she said. Her voice caught in her throat and she coughed, swallowed, and tried again. “Well, Miss, um, Lady R-rarity, I ah...” Rarity's glare seemed to grow harder by the moment. Silver felt as though her very soul were under attack by those cold blue eyes. “I-if you're not busy, I, um, was h-hoping to... talk? T-to you?”
Rarity stared cooly at Silver. If she was surprised by this request, she did not show it. The longer she went without speaking, the more Silver began to wonder if that was deliberate. Certainly, Silver only grew more uncomfortable as time passed. She shuffled her hooves, fidgeting with her glasses and trying her best to hold Rarity's gaze. She withered under that icy blue, but she managed to maintain eye contact.
“What,” Rarity finally said, “would you want to speak to me about?”
Silver blinked and stammered. It was clear from her expression that Rarity knew the answer already—or was Silver just imagining that Rarity could feel her guilt? Silver swallowed hard, adjusting her glasses once, then twice. “W-we-um,” she said, “It's... about Sweetie, um... y-your sister.”
“Yes,” Rarity said. “I am aware that Sweetie is my sister, in fact.”
“R-right,” Silver said, ducking her head. Now she was sure that Rarity was toying with her, playing with her as a cat plays with a mouse. She groaned internally. She might as well get it over with, so Rarity would have no choice but to set her free, or kill her. Metaphorically speaking of course, Silver reminded herself.
“It's, I w-wanted to, um...” She struggled with the words under Rarity's ever hardening glare. Words came to her throat and died in waves, cut down by the pure, unabated spite. “I need your help!” she finally managed, “For her!” She very nearly shouted the words. Rarity's assistants turned to look at her. Silver blushed crimson, thanking whoever was listening that there was nopony else in the store.
The fierceness of Rarity's stare abated, and the mare leaned back on her heels—Silver realized that she had been leaning in, subtly but very literally looming over Silver. “Why don't you come with me,” she asked. She turned to her assistants and called out, “Watch the shop for me please, dears. I'll be unavailable for a little bit.” She gestured for Silver to follow her and strode through a door in the back of the room.
Silver cantered to keep up with her. Rarity swung the door open and closed it with barely any time for Silver to slip through. To her surprise, they were not in an office, or a work room, or any part of the shop, as Silver had expected. Instead they were in a hallway, a soft baby-blue in contrast to the purple of the shop and decorated with an eggshell rug. Various picture frames were hung along the walls, and there was a room immediately to Silver's left that appeared to be a pantry.
“It's rude to snoop, dear,” Rarity chided as she locked the door behind them.
“S-sorry,” Silver said. “Is this... your house?”
“More of an apartment-cum-workshop,” Rarity said with an idle wave of her hoof. “But yes.”
“It's, um, really nice,” Silver said. She adjusted her glasses and added, “I, um, g-guess such a good fashion designer would be good at interior design too...”
Rarity smiled faintly. “There's no need to flatter me, darling,” she said. “But thank you. One does what one can.”
Silver nodded and blushed gently. It would be a lie to say she had not meant to placate Rarity. It would also, however, be a lie to say she did not consider it true. “But,” Silver added as Rarity led her down the hall, “I always thought you would live outside of Ponyville, with all the other rich ponies?”
Rarity shrugged. “I'm only one pony,” she said. “I can only take up so much space. Your father understood that, at least with your home here. Besides, living close to work is convenient, and it's better than having some rowdy pony living adjacent to all my dresses. No, it was much easier to simply buy up the lease for myself.” she waved a hoof again and turned through a broad archway into a simple, pleasant little kitchen. “But we didn't come here to discuss my living conditions, did we? Have a seat, darling.”
“Um, o-okay,” Silver said. She clambered into one of the chairs by the table and watched Rarity as the mare trotted in front of the cupboards. They all opened at once, no less than two dozen various boxes, utensils, cups, and cartons flew out. “Do you drink tea, Silver?” she asked.
“Oh!” Silver said. “Um, sometimes.” She fidgeted with her glasses.
Rarity nodded and filled a kettle with water—tap, kettle and flow of water all directed by a deft and skillful magic, and all without setting down a single item. It was an impressive sight to any normal pony. Although Rarity had an air of casualness about it, as though she had spent too much time around princesses to consider her own magic special, there was something about the way she held her head that told Silver she was well aware.
“This tea,” Rarity said idly, “is from the Evergreen Province of Mitaan. I'm afraid I have no idea what it's called—the Mitaani have a different alphabet than Equestria—but it's quite delicious. And quite rare. Mitaan refuses to trade with Equestria, so if it comes from anywhere it's from Aloa, who are somewhat overzealous in their tariffs. This box in particular, however, I picked up while visiting Mitaan.” She sighed happily at the memory. “They have the most wonderful silks there,” she said. “Beautiful dresses. When the light comes down through the canopy it looks as though the colours are dancing. Do you take sugar? Ah, silly me, of course you do. Just a little filly. Two lumps? Three?”
“Whu—um, one,” Silver said.”
Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “Cream?” she asked.
“Just a little,” Silver answered. “If that's alright. Um... Kelson always made tea for me... he made it strong.”
Rarity nodded. She turned back to the counter, leaving Silver to stew in her fear while Rarity fixed the tea in silence. After several minutes she turned back around, two mugs floating in front of her, and walked to the table. The ingredients floated back into their respective places behind her.
Rarity took a seat at the table and set a mug in front of Silver. She took her own in hoof, swirling it gently. She was silent. Silver stared at her.
“Aren't going to drink?” Rarity asked. “It'll go cold.”
Silver jolted and grabbed the cup, slurping it down. She winced as it scalded her tongue, but she could not help but notice that Rarity was right. The tea was delicious.
Rarity chuckled and rested her chin on the backs of her hooves. “Now,” she said, setting an even, cold eye on Silver. “I understand, of course, that it's considered unlady-like to do things like reminding your guests that you have karate-kicked a god in the chin,”
Silver blanched.
“So I shall try not to do us both that disservice,” she continued. “But you're clearly a very sharp filly, so I won't insult our intelligences. Unlike Applejack, whose charming dedication to domestic perfection inspires her to turn a blind eye to some unpleasantness, I have no illusions on how you and Diamond Tiara have treated Sweetie Belle and her friends over the years. Likewise, I am very, very aware of what you did to her this weekend.” Her gaze become cold once more. Silver could have sworn she felt a scratching sensation on her brain. “And yet, you're asking for my help. If you're planning a follow up, I suggest you finish your tea and leave. Quickly. You know where the door is.” Her gaze softened, and she added, “However, I somehow doubt that to be the case.”
“I-I... really?” Silver asked. In the space of a moment Rarity's expression had turned from steel to silk, and the sudden softness caught Silver off guard. Indeed, she felt no less unsteady then when Scootaloo had put her on one leg. “I mean,” she added, waving her hooves, “I a-am being honest! But...”
Rarity lifted a hoof to stop her. “It's alright dear, I understand,” she said. “If you were less nervous, I would be less willing to believe you. You don't have the demeanor of somepony who is afraid of being caught. You have the demeanor of somepony who knows she's been caught, and is afraid to not have the chance of apologizing... though I suppose if I were to be cynical it might be that you're afraid of not having the chance to weasel your way out of it.”
“That's not it!” Silver insisted, but Rarity raised her hoof once more.
“I know,” Rarity said. “But I am curious, why the sudden change of heart. What you did is not the sort of thing that a pony can do on the spur of the moment. I imagine you were planning it from the moment you learned Sweetie Belle and I would be attending.”
“We... were,” Silver said. She had spent two entire nights with Diamond smoothing out the details. True, it had mostly been Diamond making the plan, and Silver had merely pointed out flaws in it, but she had helped nevertheless. She folded her forelegs and stared down. “I wanted to stop it,” she said, pushing her glasses up her nose. “But I was too afraid to. Afraid of how Sweetie would react, afraid of how Diamond would react... that's why I need your help. I want to apologize to Sweetie by showing her I won't let being afraid stop me anymore.”
She opened up to Rarity, explaining her plan to the older mare. Not only that; she told Rarity everything, from beginning to end. Rarity made a surprisingly willing listener and therapist. The more she spoke the more her fears of Rarity ebbed away, and the more open she felt. Silver told Rarity about the moment she first realized how she felt about Sweetie Belle, about her mounting anxiety as the weekend went on, and about her final, too-late resolution to come clean. She told Rarity about her fear of the Phantom, and how she hid behind Diamond Tiara, and how Sweetie Belle gave her the confidence to step out of her friend’s shadow. She told Rarity how much Sweetie Belle meant to her. How much she loved Sweetie.
Rarity considered all of this silently. When Silver was finished, she took a long, slow sip of her tea. “It is a noble endeavor,” she said. “Sweetie Belle always wants everypony to be happy with one another. Though in truth, I think she wants you to be happy with her a fair bit more than most.” She set her teacup down and rubbed her chin. “I cannot help, however, but think it all sounds... big.”
“Well... shouldn't it be?” Silver asked. “I... I really hurt Sweetie. Even if I hadn't, what I did... I need to do something big to make it up to her.”
Rarity hummed, drawing her hoof around the rim of her teacup. “Well, you're in luck,” she said. “I happen to have just what you need. They're not my best work—I made them when I wasn't much older than you, for the play of a friend. She went on to be a costume designer herself, funnily enough.” She stood up from the table. “They're a bit old, of course, but I can never bring myself to get rid of anything nostalgic.”
Silver slipped down from the table and followed after Rarity. The mare strode ahead with full confidence, not bothering to look back. She seemed to be lost in her own little world, tittering on as if to herself.
“I am a bit of a romantic, I'll admit. I always have been. When I was younger, I always dreamed of some dashing, handsome stallion who would arrive, and be absolutely perfect in every way, and he would sweep me up into a grand romance. The sort they write about in the stars.” She smiled mockingly and draped a hoof over her forehead. “He would be a prince, or an esteemed designer, or a rich but lonely magnate... and he would see me, and be smitten instantly and demand my hoof in marriage. He would treat me like a princess, and I would adore him in kind.” She laughed. Her stride slowed, and she came to a stop. Silver Spoon stuttered to a stop beside her, unbalanced by the sudden change in pace and tone.
Rarity had stopped in front of a small picture frame on the wall. It was a simple photo, depicting Rarity in the arms of another mare, burly and orange. It was Applejack, Apple Bloom's older sister, and another of Princess Twilight's entourage.
Rarity was staring lovingly into it, stroking the frame. “Do you know what I love about Applejack, Silver?” She asked.
Silver looked between Rarity and the frame. “...What?” she asked.
“She isn't any of those things,” Rarity said. “She isn't a prince, or a wealthy business-pony, or a respected artist. To be frank, she's not even particularly romantic. I could paint a face on a brick and it would probably be more romantic than she is. She's a farmer, plain and simple. And while it took me a long time to realize it... that's a good thing.
“Now don't misunderstand me, flowers and chocolates are nice,” Rarity carried on, “but there's a difference between the occasional surprise gift and a sweeping, impractical gesture. A trail of rose petals leading to mare covered in—” she stopped suddenly and coughed. Silver blinked once, then blushed crimson. “W-well anyways,” Rarity said sharply, “nothing spoils a sweet moment like having to vacuum the carpet and launder the bedsheets.” She gave the photo one last smile and turned away, leading Silver back towards the shop. They entered into a large room, filled with rack upon rack of old or unsold dresses and costumes.
Rarity continued to talk as she walked between the rows, checking on a dress here, a costume there. “I think, looking back on it now, I was always sort of lying to myself. Not about Stallions of course, that never mattered. At any rate I hardly find myself short of compatriots, in my industry. But, in my industry, there are certain... expectations of us. Fashion! Ostentation, glamor, perhaps a touch of hedonism on top... yes, ponies in the fashion industry are expected to want the best in life.” She smirked as she flipped through a rack of dusty black suits. “A manor in the trendy parts of Manehattan, not an apartment behind my shop in Ponyville. A grand romance, not a friendship with a pony I've known since I was a filly evolving into something much more. How many times did I look at Applejack before I fell in love with her, I wonder? It certainly wasn't first sight.”
Silver hummed noncommittally and adjusted her glasses. As soon as she was sure Rarity was looking away from her, she peered hard at the mare. She could not put her hoof on why, but there was a lump of anxiety in her chest that only grew as Rarity spoke. Perhaps it was the casualness of it, as though she were trying to lull Silver into a false sense of security. Silver discarded the idea; if Rarity was upset with her Silver doubted she would go this far to disguise it now. “B-but,” she said, rubbing her neck, “Don't you want something romantic? I mean, I always thought... romantic was good. And I know in all those plays and stuff Sweetie likes...”
“Oh, on occasion, certainly,” Rarity replied, waving her hoof offhandedly. “As I said, I do enjoy receiving flowers, and chocolates... and the odd piece of jewelry. And yes, I would not object if, on occasion, Applejack decided to surprise me with something special. But at the same time, big gestures aren't her. They aren't anypony, really.” Rarity hummed for a moment and stopped in front of an old, small rack. The clothes on it were so dusty that they were almost all gray. She picked one of the costumes off the rack and brushed it for a moment. “Ah-ha,” she said. She inspected closer, but it was clear she had found what she was looking for. “These will need some re-stitching, but they'll be fine, and it will be simple enough. I should be able to do it tonight.” She tucked the costume away once again. She tutted, and pulled something out of the rack. It was a mask, made to cover the area around the eyes, and down one side of the face. Rarity brushed the dust and grime off of it and held it out for Silver.
Silver took the mask and stared at it. The Phantom's mask. Even looking at it alone made her gut squirm and wriggle. At least, she thought it was the mask.
“Applejack is too honest for romance,” Rarity said. “She tells me she loves me every time she leaves. When I'm mad at her, she apologizes. When she's mad at me, she tells me. It really is funny, in a way. I spent so long being told that I needed something big and bombastic, something showy, that I managed to convince myself it was true. I didn't have the courage to be, and pursue, what I really wanted, and I spent so much time pining over a ghost because of it. I'm just glad that Applejack did have the courage, and that she chose to pull me along for the ride.” She rolled her jaw and gently wiped her hoof off on a cleaner suit nearby. “I'll get to work on your costumes, dear,” she said. “It's a very romantic idea.”
Silver Spoon stared down at the mask in her hooves. Her stomach churned and twisted itself into knots. She was afraid, and she no longer knew of what.