CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER AND VERSE
The old school was ancient; some said it had been built a thousand years ago by the goddess herself, but nopony really believed that. After all, how could a predominantly wooden building have survived for such a long time? It certainly looked old, and even smelled old too, Silver thought to herself as she wrinkled her nose. She hated this place; it was where parents of the upper classes sent their foals, fillies and colts to ‘acquire an education commensurate with one’s position within society’, as she’d been told by her grandpapa. She was supposedly thankful to him for using his membership of the ‘old colt network’ as he called it, for securing her a place within its ‘hallowed halls’ – whatever they were. Grandpapa had apparently enjoyed his time here, particularly since he routinely revelled in telling her his stories of ‘Old Stinky’, ‘Flusher’ and ‘Big Nose’, the professors whom he and his cohorts were in a near constant state of unofficial conflict with. Silver however hated the oppressive old dump. The floor, the walls, the doors, the ceilings – everything was made of wood that was as pungent as it was depressing. Like her home, the dark wood had the remarkable effect of sucking the very light from the air around it even on the sunniest of days. Silver shook her head in dismay; it was no wonder she had to wear spectacles all the time, it was probably due to years of eye strain from living in a state of perpetual gloom.
Grandpapa had laughed off the notion of the building’s magical effect, stating that the wood was simply ‘as old as Equestria itself’ and ‘steeped in the traditions and knowledge of a thousand years’ or some such tripe. Grandpapa’s love of regaling everypony with his encyclopaedic knowledge of quotes and sayings was something that her family knew all too well. Thank Celestia he didn’t come to visit as much as he had now that his ‘legs had gone’. Silver wondered about that: how could his legs have actually gone? They’d certainly appeared to be firmly attached to his body the last time she’d seen him, and although he clearly enjoyed playing up his ‘old stallion’ routine, his muscles looked just as strong as they ever had. The Spoon family were earth ponies, they’d always been earth ponies, and although they had no qualms about employing unicorns and even pegasi on occasion, the Spoons kept to their kind. Silver had talked to her father about it once, and he had told her, in no uncertain terms, that it was a tradition that stretched back generations. She sighed; everything was a tradition in her family, wasn’t it? Tea time, Luncheon, Dinner, Supper, the high teas with the ladies, the cricket matches, prayers to the goddesses every Sunday, and on, and on, and on…
Apparently living in a dark house with barely any lighting was a ‘tradition’ as well. So too – she thought resignedly – was going to a school that had an underlying scent of mothballs. Silver shuddered; the smell permeated everything: her school books, her uniform, even her packed lunch! Celestia’s furry ears, how could her sandwiches smell of mothballs?!
Her hooves clopped along on the heavy floor of the very same corridor she trod day after day until she reached the familiar door with its heavy polished brass latch and the raucous sound of students on the other side. Goddesses, she hated this place… Silver placed her hoof on the door and slid it open just enough slip through, hopefully unnoticed. Inside the sound abruptly dropped to a bare murmur then rose again sharply when the students realised the small silver coated filly wasn’t the dreaded Professor Long Quill coming to chastise them for being so noisy. As she did every day, Silver clambered into her seat and lifted the scarred lid on her archaic desk. She sighed and took out her books – even the desk smelled old! Laying them out her foreleg dragged on something and she looked down to see a long pink strand of something sticky hanging from her fur.
Chewing gum.
She closed her eyes and felt her heart sink; it was typical and…what was this? A note? Resignedly she opened it and read the words:
To Musty,
Thought you might be hungry!
Enjoy!
Silver used the note to wipe off the worst of the gum, but the vile stuff was well and truly embedded in her fur now and was starting to hurt as it pulled at her hairs. With a sharp yank, she got the paper free and winced; she’d have to see the school nurse and see if they had some sticky remover – standard equipment in this place. Despite gum being prohibited there was always one rebel who tried to push the rules and some day, she hoped at least, the school would push back. In fact it was her only hope as one particular young colt targeted her on an almost daily basis. This, the gum, the note…it hurt…
“Silv?” A pastel pink face appeared beside her, “You okay?”
Silver closed her deep purple eyes a moment and took a breath, trying to find the calm inside. She nodded slowly, “I’m fine, Di.”
Diamond Tiara clucked her tongue, taking in the gooey mass in the corner of her desk and the scrunched up note. Her face darkened, “Wait till I-”
Silver’s hoof appeared over hers, “Don’t Di, please. It…it only makes things worse.”
“Humph! We’ll see about that!” the pink filly huffed.
Silver sighed and hung her head resignedly, “It’s not for much longer, anyway. Papa’s talking about taking me out of school for private tuition again.”
“What?!” Di said raising a hoof in surprise, “I thought your mother had talked him out of that!”
Shaking her head Silver closed her desk lid and smiled grimly, “She did. Papa likes to…‘change his mind’.”
“Like the wind!” Di announced, “How many times is that now? Honestly, I don’t- OW! HEY!”
A lump of paper, wet and chewed into a thick heavy ball, bounced off the back of Silver Spoon’s ear and clipped her friend’s muzzle. The vile wet mass landed on the floor with a damp ‘plop’ and the general hubbub stopped as every eye turned to stare at the smirking orange colt,
“Like your present, Musty? Eaten it already?” The brightly coloured pony strode forward, a look of infuriating arrogance on his face which Di locked onto immediately,
“Shut up Glaze! I’ll tell Professor Quill what you’ve done!”
“Go ahead” the haughty colt smirked, “What do you think he’s going to do?” The male’s chestnut eyes bore into hers as he flicked his grass green and white striped mane. Di had always thought his colouring was wonderful – now if it only matched his personality...
“You’ll get the cane” Di huffed, “And you’ll deserve it too. Bullies like you need taking down a peg or two.”
“Hah! Says you!” Bright Glaze laughed, “Your family are the biggest bullies in Equestria. Everypony knows that!” There was a murmur of agreement behind them.
Diamond Tiara’s eyes narrowed as her ire rose, “Our family knows how to make money, that’s all. What’s the matter? You jealous?”
Glaze leaned forward menacingly, making Silver cringe back defensively. The orange colt sneered, “Listen to me you little whore, my father bankrolls this cess pool and the staff. Who the buck do you think pays old Pong’s wages eh? You? Musty?” He snorted, “Yeah, that’s what I thought!”
Di raised an eyebrow, “Funny thing I heard about that.” Her mouth curled up in a smirk, “Something to do with ‘supporting the wrong team’ wasn’t it? I know it goes waaaaayyyy back, but-”
Glaze’s hoof shot out and slammed into the desk next to Di making Silver squeak in alarm, “-You watch your damned mouth you little tart!” the orange foal hissed, “You say another word about that and I'll make you, and your stinky friend sorry…really sorry.”
Diamond Tiara bared her teeth as she stood her ground and made sure her voice carried around the room, “My mother always says that it only takes one drop of bitterness to sour even the purest cream” she said, “It corrupts everything it touches…”
“I’m warning you!” Glaze snarled.
“What are you going to do, huh? Hit me?” Diamond Tiara chuckled, “Go ahead. We’ll see how the princess feels about the ‘darker’ elements within her kingdom then, won’t we?”
The colt nearly exploded in indignation, “You little bitch! I’ll-”
“BE QUIET!” The stallion’s voice boomed out around the room as he slammed the door shut behind him with a deft flick of his hind leg. The lemon coated Professor Quill walked over to his desk and dumped his old leather bag down in from of him, quickly taking out a pewter flask from its depths, “Sit down and get your text books out. Page fifty: ‘The Bulls of Matadoria’.” The Professor took a swig from his flask and adjusted his wire rimmed spectacles before focussing on the two young students who, inexplicably, were standing only inches away from each other. He gave himself a shake, reaching back to scratch his short blue mane, “Is there a problem Miss Tiara, Mister Glaze?”
The two students looked round and shook their heads, answering simultaneously, “No Professor Quill.”
“Then sit down!” the older stallion barked, “Page Fifty!” He put the hip flask away and banged his hoof on the desk, “And as you seem so keen, Mister Glaze, you can start us off by reading the first chapter. Miss Tiara, you can read the second. The rest of you can make notes as we’ll be having a test on Friday to see how much you’ve remembered.”
Silver felt like crawling into her desk and hiding away. She hadn’t missed the cruel look Glaze has shot her as he walked past, nor the whispered words,
“You’ll get yours, Musty…”
She glanced up at the clock on the wall as its heavy bronze hands clunked round to show that one more minute had passed. Unfortunately there were a lot more left until that glorious bell sounded to give her a chance to escape the nightmare, if only for a few precious minutes.
For the next two hours the ponies read in near silence save for the occasional cough or the sound of paper as the pages were turned. If there was one thing that could be said about Professor Long Quill it was that he maintained discipline in his class. Disruptive students quickly found themselves on detention or, even worse, sent to the headmaster’s office for ‘correction’, and they all knew what that meant. Silver read on; it was actually quite interesting, in a fact heavy manner of course, but interesting nonetheless. She’d never heard of Matadoria before, nor the people who lived there. She’d heard of Yaks, Llamas, Griffins and Hippogriffs of course, as well as the Equestrian peoples of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, not to mention alicorns, but then they were hardly a ‘race’ were they? She thought for a moment; were they? There were only two after all: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the embodiment of all three pony races, but then they were more Gods than ponies she supposed. Anyway, when you considered-
“Having a nice little nap are we?” the friendly voice asked beside her.
Silver nodded, “Mmm, I was just-”
“STOP DAYDREAMING!”
Silver squeaked as the long wooden ruler slashed down and slammed into her desk with an ear splitting ‘crack’ that made her jump in fright. Quickly composing herself, she nodded silently and focussed on the book once more, trying to ignore the fierce burning sensation in her ears and the barely concealed snigger from the corner of the room. His point made, Professor Quill clucked his tongue and continued his rounds up and down the lines of desks like a military officer, occasionally clipping a student around the ear or standing over them to make sure they knew he was the one in charge. Meanwhile the old school clock’s minute hand clunked noisily to signify another sliver of time had been sliced away, taking them one step nearer to the freedom of-
The school bell rang.
Silver’s heart jumped; thanks be to the goddesses! Any moment now, just a few seconds more and she’d be free!
“Put your books down and leave in an orderly manner.”
Silver got down from her chair and caught up to Diamond Tiara who was heading for the door.
“Miss Spoon? Where are you going?” Professor Quill asked without looking up from his register.
Silver froze, “I…It’s break sir” she replied.
“Not for you, Miss Spoon, you can skip break today. You’re on detention.”
“Wh…why? I haven’t done anything!” Silver sputtered.
“Don’t answer back, girl!” the old stallion barked, “Now get back to your desk!”
Reluctantly, Silver turned and obediently walked back to her desk, hanging her head in humiliation. She could feel her cheeks burning and even her ears. This was so unfair! She always tried her best in class, she always did her homework on time and…and it was…it was just mean! There was a snigger behind her as a familiar orange earth colt brushed past her,
“Serves you right…blank flank…”
Silver cringed at the insult and instinctively covered her flank with her tail, much to Glaze’s sneering amusement. It just kept getting worse didn’t it? Her heart sank, the heavy weariness that always seemed to be on the very fringe of her being feeling that little bit nearer, weighing her down that little bit more.
“I don’t know where you’re going either, Mister Glaze.”
Bright Glaze froze in his tracks and turned a wide eyed stare at the Professor’s words, “Wha…?”
The stallion looked up and fixed him with his inscrutable gaze, “Sit up here next to Miss Spoon, if you please.”
Silver closed her eyes and wished she could just turn into mist and disappear out of the window into the sunlit day beyond the thickly leaded panes. She hated it here; she wanted to run, to get out and escape, to be free from this dusty, dark place and its funny smelling old stallions and vicious tongued colts. Why couldn’t she go to a school nearer home? Maybe papa was right; he hadn’t wanted her to come here, it was grandpapa who had-
“Are you listening to me, Miss Spoon?”
“Yes, Professor Quill” Silver replied quickly. It didn’t do to cross the Professor; the school was rife with stories of severe canings, unending detentions, extra homework and more besides. Most of it she didn’t put much stock in of course, but it helped to be informed even if you didn’t necessarily believe what was being said. Papa always said she should keep her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open. Before her the professor’s hooves clopped loudly in the silent room. Devoid of its lively students the emptiness felt all the more oppressive, particularly as the older stallion sat down behind his desk and leaned his chin on his forehooves,
“Would one of you care to begin?” he asked.
The pair of students sat in silence staring at their desks, unsure what to say.
“Hmm. Perhaps that was an unfair question.” Quill leaned back in his chair making it creak ominously, “Let me put it this way: I don’t care for bullying in this school, and I don’t know, nor do I care, what your problem is with each other, but I want it to stop. It will stop. Do you understand me?”
The two answered together, “Yes, Professor Quill.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do.” The stallion sighed, “Miss Spoon, Mister Glaze, I know both of your fathers and grandfathers. It has been my pleasure to tutor them, watching them become the stallions they are today. I had hoped, in vain it seems, that their more ‘unpalatable tendencies’ would have been tempered by life outside of education and they could pass on this understanding to their children. It is painfully apparent however that despite my hopes their offspring have inherited some of their more ‘disruptive’ traits.” He stood up and banged his hooves on the desk, “I will not have the name of this school ruined because of the sort of disgraceful behaviour I saw earlier, and I’m talking about YOU, Mister Glaze.”
“Wh…I haven’t done anything!” the orange colt exclaimed.
Silver cringed at the onslaught she knew was coming.
“Don’t play ignorant with me, boy!” Quill roared. “Do you think I’m blind and deaf as well? I may be getting old and grey but I know my school and I make it a point of pride to be aware of what is going on in my own classroom! Do I need to spell it out? Do I need to send the chewing gum and the note you wrote to your father and tell him that his son is a bully? Is that what you want?”
“N…No…” Glaze muttered.
“No, what?”
“No Professor Quill.”
Quill’s eyes narrowed, “Let me assure you, Mister Glaze, that if I hear of one more incident like this, just one more, I will be recommending your expulsion from this school.” He banged his hoof on the desk noisily, making his glass of water jump, “AM I MAKING MYSELF CLEAR?”
Quill visibly paled, “Yes, Professor Quill.”
Silver stared down at her desk. It was her turn now…
“And that brings us to you, Miss Spoon” Quill began, “The descendant of the great Golden Spoon, Commander of the Royal Guard…” There was a horrible pause, “LIFT YOUR BLOODY HEAD GIRL!” Silver sat bolt upright and looked her tutor in the face. “Listen to me, Miss Spoon, Golden Spoon didn’t defeat the army of Nightmare Moon by hanging her head and letting herself be a doormat for bullies. She was a warrior, a leader, and a mother. Don’t you want to be like her? Don’t you want to honour her memory?”
Silver swallowed, “Yes, Professor Quill.”
“Then act like it, girl!” the stallion barked, “Grow a backbone and stand up to ponies who try to push you around, or you’ll spend the rest of your life as a punchbag for bullies like Mister Glaze here. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
“Yes, Professor Quill.” Silver’s chest was burning. She’d never been spoken to like this outside of the family! It was…it was embarrassing! She’d done everything she could to go unnoticed, to do her best in her studies and simply be left alone. But ponies couldn’t could they? They couldn’t and wouldn’t leave her alone. She had her friend, Di, and that was all she needed. She just wanted this to be over as quickly as possible, to finish her education and get on with her life. And it was all because of colts like Glaze that she felt so…so hopeless…and angry.
“Get out of here, both of you.” Quill shook his head and reached down for his old leather bag and the comforting bottle of whiskey that awaited within. Unseen, the door closed plunging the room into blessed silence. How long until retirement now? Quill groaned and gave his neck and muzzle a rub before swallowing the mouthful of fiery spirit. Dear Goddess, it was his one comfort these days. His muscles ached, and his old bones were creaking almost as much as his chair. Even now after working here all these long years, he had to put up with bullies…bullies! He shook his head and closed his eyes, remember the time he’d spent trying to educate the parents of both those children…they’d been exactly the same. He chuckled to himself as he put the cap back on the flask; they’d learn. It may take a while, but someday, they would learn.
Silver walked in silence down the corridor. Running was prohibited and she certainly didn’t want to get in any more trouble today despite how much she wanted to get away from the horrible colt walking just ahead of her. Why was he like this? Was it something to do with her family? She was sure papa had said something about Bright Glaze’s family over dinner one evening, but she couldn’t remember what it was – he’d been addressing mama at the time. Besides, it was unlikely to complimentary, he didn’t think anypony who had come into money recently, and by that he meant the last hundred years at least, was worthy of being allowed a seat at the royal court. Papa was very proud of their family traditions and expected her to be too, regardless of how dry or boring the whole subject was. Silver was still lost in thought as she turned the corner and an orange a white patched leg shot out and grabbed her by the collar,
“Y…You little…bitch!”
Silver eyes went wide in fright. Bright Glaze filled her vision, his tear stained and bloodshot eyes burning with unbridled fury,
“That was all your fault! It was all yours!”
Silver swallowed and tried to back away, but the colt had her held fast.
“If I get expelled it’ll be your fault and my father will make your family pay!” He shoved her viscously, swinging her round effortlessly until she was teetering on the very edge of the top of the stairs, “You’ll pay…”
And then a strange thing happened: Calm. A sudden sense of peaceful serenity washed over the silver coated filly as silently as the stars appeared in the night sky and as deep as the ocean, “Take your hooves off me.”
Glaze blinked in surprise. What was this? What…?
“I said, take your hooves off me…now.” Silver’s purple eyes sparkled in the filtered sunlight of the corridor and she felt the colt’s grip lessen, a look of uncertainty flickering across his features.
“Y…You…” he sputtered.
“SILVER!” Diamond Tiara’s voice bellowed up the stairwell, “What are you doing to her, you monster? PROFESSOR QUILL! PROFESSOR QUILL!”
Glaze gasped as if suddenly submerged in ice cold water and shoved Silver Spoon away before dashing off down the stairs like the hounds of Tartarus were snapping at his heels. Silver staggered into the banister and into the steadying forelegs of her friend.
“Silv! Oh Goddesses, I thought he was going to push you down the stairs!” Diamond Tiara announced in wide eyed shock, “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did he?”
“N…No…” Silver took a shaky breath and readjusted her uniform, “No, I’m fine Di. Thanks…” She checked herself over and found her blouse was rucked up and her skirt a little dusty, but other than that, she was remarkable…fine. The revelation felt strangely liberating.
Professor Quill’s voice boomed down the corridor, “WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE? WHATS ALL THIS NOISE?”
“Quick! Let’s get out of here!” Silver said quickly and caught her friends hoof.
“Silv? What? We need to tell the Professor that…”
“No!” Silver snapped, “Di, come on, please!”
Diamond Tiara gave herself a shake and headed down the stairs after her friend. This wasn’t like her! Silver was a quiet, reserved and timid creature, not…not whatever this was! Almost automatically she followed her friend down the stairs and along the tiled ground floor before reaching the girls bathroom. Silver flew through the door and flung the cubicle door open before grabbing the toilet bowl and vomiting into it noisily. Di trotted up behind and carefully held her friend’s plaited mane out of the way as Silver emptied her stomach into the bowl. “Shhh…” the pastel pink filly soothed, “It’s alright now, Silv, it’s alright, it’s over…”
Silver coughed and spat the bile from her mouth. She hated being sick! Her stomach hurt, her head span and she broke out in a sweat as her temperature soared. Oh, and the taste in her mouth…! “Oh, Di…” she gasped in a trembling voice, “I…I was so scared! I thought I was going to wet myself!”
“You didn’t, did you?!” Di asked, looking back to check her friend’s skirt.
Silver knocked her hoof away, “No I didn’t!” she snapped and suddenly found herself smiling as the two friends began to giggle.
Di leaned back on the cubicle wall, “Are you okay, though?”
Silv nodded, “I am Di…thanks.” The initial rush over, the fear, the strange feeling of…strength? Was that the word? Drained away like rain through a grate after a cloud burst. She felt a little giddy, but other than that she just felt…tired, very, very tired…
“Silver? Are you sure you’re alright?” Di asked.
Silver got up and walked towards the sink. A good splash with water and…and…
“SILVER!”
The world span away into darkness.
********************
Silver awoke with a loud gasp, her eyes blinking in the darkness of the bedroom wide with fright. Memories, dreams…they would come back to her from time to time, reminding her of the good times, but also, like tonight – the bad. She’d hated that school, and despite having transferred to Ponyville, even now the memories of it still came back to haunt her dreams. She took a breath trying to calm her racing heart; she was soaked in sweat and the bed sheets, normally so deliciously cooling, stuck to her body making her feel horribly uncomfortable. Fortunately the lamp was near to hoof and with only a quick twist of the knob, the flickering yellow light filled the room with its comforting glow. Silver pulled herself out of the cloying sheets; she knew only too well from experience that it was pointless trying to get back to sleep now, she’d only end up tossing and turning for hours making herself feel dreadful. No, the best course of action was just to get up, have a wash, a drink and perhaps something to read? Silver slid off the bed and stretched. The books on her shelves were the usual offerings of light novels, school books, sketch pads and art books half hidden behind an array colourful shells she’d found on the beach when she’d been on holiday. Several interesting stones sat there too; their varying striations had drawn her eye and added a little something ‘personal’ to her sanctuary from the world beyond. Silver groaned and gave her toy alicorn a cuddle, pressing her muzzle into the plush, “Ohhh! Why can’t I have just one night’s sleep...”
She kissed alicorn on the nose and tucked him into the bed. At least somepony could have some rest! Wearily the little filly climbed up onto the wooden stool by her washstand and poured out some water from the jug into the large ceramic wash bowl before dipping her flannel into it. In the still room the splashing water sounded unnaturally loud, but thankfully the walls in ancient home were so thick there was little concern about waking up anypony else. Mama and Papa used to have the large bedroom at the end of the corridor but on her father’s insistence had recently moved nearer to hers. Silver had felt a little uncomfortable about that – it was nice to have a space for herself, a little privacy, but being the only child she could understand them feeling protective of her. Still, at times all their attention made her feel like she was being smothered and she had the urge to run outside to escape it all and breathe, simply…breathe. A quick wash later, she climbed down and walked over to the window and pushed it open. The archaic sash window creaked in protest, but slid up just enough to allow in a deliciously cooling breeze that tingled her damp fur. Papa would go wild if he knew she was doing this, but she didn’t care – she was so hot!
Next, a good curry combing and a brush – that always felt better. Usually she enjoyed plaiting her mane but tonight, or rather ‘this morning’ as it probably was, she was too tired to be bothered and took off her cloth night cap to let the long hair spill down her neck. The breeze caught it playfully and she sighed, enjoying the sensation. Silver shrugged to herself; she supposed she’d better brush it out or the tangles would be murder to get out later. Taking out her set of silver embossed combs she went to work, running the bristles through the long hairs. It always relaxed her doing this, and yet sometimes the repetitiveness of it and the ‘necessity’ of having to do something over and over again felt like a chore sapping her enthusiasm. At one time, fed up with the constant maintenance of a long mane, she’d suggested having it cut short like one of the fillies at school had, but mama had told her bluntly that that was simply not going to happen! Silver huffed; one of these days she’d make her own decisions! And best of all? She’d move into a house that didn’t smell…musty…
A little reenergised she trotted back over to her book case, shaking her head in dismay at the bland choice; surely there had to be something she hadn’t read time and time again? School books, novels she’d read umpteen times – she’d really have to ask mama for something other than her old castoffs. It wasn’t as if they were that short of money was it? After all, mama seemed to have more than enough spending money for her obsession with those interminable needlework books by that stallion with the stupid name! What was it again? Masset? Tasset? BAH! In a huff, Silver tossed her mane and stretched her legs before opening the bedroom door. She smacked her lips; a nice chilled glass of that juice Rinse had discovered would hit the spot just nicely. Oh! And some cheese too…she liked cheese. Unfortunately she wasn’t supposed to have any according to mama, but every so often she would sneak some – just a little, just a tiny amount of that divine food of the Goddesses. Silver had found a packet of crackers once, along with a pat of butter in a wooden box in the larder. Slathering the butter on the cracker with a thin slice of the tangy blue cheese she’d discovered earlier hidden in a muslin bag behind the jars of dried fruit had been simply…heavenly… Oh, Celestia, she could taste it now! Picking up her pace she kept to the carpet, avoiding any sound from her hooves clopping on the wooden floor. She’d left her spectacles behind but that didn’t matter, she knew this house like the back of her hoof and could find the larder with eyes closed. It was just as well too as the house was in near total darkness.
The kitchen was silent with only the sound of the trees whispering in the wind outside and the wan moonlight through the windows as witnesses to the stealthy fillies movements. Somewhere a fox cried making her shiver. She liked foxes, but the plaintive sound of their calls made her blood run cold. It was so...lonely somehow… She gave herself a shake and reached for the door handle. A quick tug and it was open. From within, the tantalisingly exotic aromas of spices, herbs, and other fascinating scents, tingled and played with her nose. Silver sneezed suddenly; Gah! Garlic! Oooh, how she hated the stuff! And a string of it was hiding right behind the door too. She slipped by, checking behind her – good, all was clear still. Now for the cracker barrel…
A selection of the square, crisp treats were inside along with a small bag of salt to remove any moisture. On their own they were very dry, but with a smear of butter and a little ‘extra’ they’d transform into the perfect evening repast. Well…morning really, she reminded herself. Silver collected the butter and then, from the bottom shelf in its earthenware pot, the prize of ages: ‘Candlemere Blue’, the cheese of the province that had the lushest grass and the purest, creamiest milk in Equestria. She took off the lid and inhaled…
Oh…Oh Celestia! It was so pungent, so tangy and so exotically forbidden! Quickly, Silver found a sharp knife and carefully sliced off a piece, turning the remainder round to hide her crime before putting it back. With a wicked chuckle she put everything back where she’d found it and, collecting her ill gotten gains, hopped up onto one of the stools beside the heavy oak kitchen table.
First, the cracker…a thick, slightly salted smear of butter, and then…the prize.
Silver lifted her head and moaned as the flavour and texture rolled through her, making her mane and tail shiver in ecstasy. This was…this was amazing! Goddesses, how could anything like this be bad for you? It was delicious! She took another bite, savouring the crunch of the cracker, the tingle of the cheese on her tongue – it was so good, so, so good… Sadly, just a few scant minutes later, and it was all over. The treat was gone, nestling in her tummy, and now she had to clear away the evidence of her-
“Silver?”
“EEEP!”
Rinse’s lavender eyes loomed unnaturally large in the moonlight, “What are doing down here at this hour?”
“Um, I…” Silver coughed, “I was thirsty and came down for a juice.” She tried a weak smile at which Rinse just sighed and shook her head,
“Can’t sleep, eh?”
Silver sighed, hanging her head, “No…”
“Bad dreams?” Rinse asked knowingly.
The filly nodded sadly.
“Want to talk about them?”
Silver shook her head; she didn’t. Sometimes she just wanted to forget everything about that horrible school, except…except it hadn’t all been bad, had it? After all, she’d met Diamond Tiara there and they were still friends despite everything that had happened. She been convinced that when her father pulled her out she’d never see Di again, but incredibly the plucky pink filly had been allowed her own way and she’d transferred to Ponyville school as well and even to the same class! Papa hadn’t been impressed of course, but mama had been supportive. She sighed; she’d never understand adults…
A glass of juice clonked down onto the table beside her. “Here you go” Rinse said with a wink, “Now, are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”
Silver hung her head shyly, “No…”
The maid nodded, “Okay, but make sure you try and get some sleep before morning. Your father’s going away early to Canterlot and you know he likes to see you off before he leaves.” Silver groaned. “Now come on, that’s not fair, Miss” Rinse tapped a hoof on the table next to the subdued filly, “I know he doesn’t show it all the time, but Lord Runcy loves you very much and that’s something you should always remember, even when he’s angry.”
Silver Spoon took a sip of the juice and leaned against the table, staring out at the stars and the moon high above in the night sky, “I know, but he shouts at me a lot and it…it hurts.”
Rinse lay a comforting hoof on Silver’s neck, gently brushing her mane to one side. “I know Miss, but some adults find it easy to show their feelings while others just…don’t. Your father is a stallion who doesn’t like to show what’s in his heart, but I’ve seen what he’s like when you’re…poorly.” She took a deep breath, “Now, would you like me to carry your juice up for you?”
Silver shook her head, “No thanks Rinse, I’m going to find a book to help me get off to sleep from Papa’s study.”
“Hah! They’ll do that alright!” Rinse’s eyes gleamed with mirth and she helped the silver filly down from her stool, “Come on now, we’d better get you on your way.”
Silver picked up her juice and place it on a tray on her back. She was very proud of her balancing abilities, apart from the other day of course, but…she paused,
“Rinse?”
“Yes, Miss?”
Silver sighed, “I fainted again didn’t I? Yesterday I mean.”
Rinse nodded slowly, “Aye, Miss.”
Silver’s heart sank; so, that was why Di had disappeared and how she’d ‘lost time’ again. She’d hoped, prayed, that it wouldn’t happen again, but it did…it kept happening. It always would…
A hoof gently lifted Silver’s muzzle, “Come on now, let’s not dwell on bad things, okay?” Rinse smiled kindly, her gentle eyes helping soothe Silver’s heavy heart.
“Thanks Rinse.”
“You’re welcome, Miss.” Rinse mussed the little filly’s mane as she headed for the door, “Oh, and Miss Silver?”
“Huh?”
Rinse picked up the plate from the table in her magic and raised an eyebrow, “You’ve got crumbs all over your muzzle.”
“I…Oh!” Silver lifted her foreleg and brushed the evidence of her crime away before giving the maid a sheepish grin.
Rinse just shook her head as the young lady of the house disappeared through the door. She was such a gentle little thing, so kind hearted and pure of spirit - not like that little monster she’d become friends with. Oh, of course Silver had protested and done her best to try and convince everypony that the vile miniscule creature was all sweetness and light but she knew a bully when she saw one, and Diamond Tiara was the sort who was steeped in the kind of bitterness and cruelty that she’d hoped never to see inflicted on another pony, especially one so young. Rinse poured some of the still warm water onto the plate and gave it a wipe over; hopefully it was a just a phase Silver was going through and she’d come to realise, one day, that there were ponies out there that were just…bad. She smiled, putting the plate back into the rack and walked over to the door, slipping back the bolts. Yes…there were a lot of bad ponies out there, but also good ones too. She took down the heavy cloak from the peg on the coat rack and took a deep breath; it was time to go to work.
********************
The heavy oak door closed with a positive clunk from its equally heavy brass latch. Papa’s study was quiet except for the steady rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner and the occasional crackle and whisper of the still warm coals in the fireplace. Unlike some ponies she knew, Silver didn’t mind the dark; when you were waking up at all hours of the night it ceased to matter. Not even Mister Pyjamas seemed to help much any more, and having even a few hours of uninterrupted slumber was now clearly little more than an ambitious dream. Silver huffed; she knew all too well how often dreams came true – not the princess of the dream world nor even Princess Celestia herself had been able to do anything for her. Oh, mama and papa had tried to disguise why the princesses of Equestria had ‘suddenly’ appeared at the manor and wanted to see the ‘new heir’, but she knew, she wasn’t stupid – far from it in fact. If there was one thing that Silver had in abundance, it was time to read, and she’d put that to good use by visiting papa’s study whenever she could. Unfortunately the books on offer were quite often mirrors of the house they lived in – stuffy, stuffy and…’musty’. Luna’s bum, how she hated that word! ‘Luna’s bum’…! Silver chuckled to herself and trotted over to the table to put down her juice. She took a deep breath taking in the rich scent of wood, the lingering aroma of father’s cheery tobacco and the hint of whiskey and port which he enjoyed in the evenings. Sometimes when he had friends over the smell of tobacco quickly became overpoweringly strong and not nice at all for sensitive noses, but then she wasn’t allowed in there when papa was entertaining anyway so she supposed it didn’t really matter. Still, Silver loved the small smoking cap that papa wore; the navy blue material with silver embroidery was stylish and beautifully made, even the long golden tassel had a certain flair about it that made papa look…’noble’. She nodded; yes, ‘noble’ was definitely the right word. She loved her father, and her mother too, even if they did shout at her sometimes. Rinse was right, wasn’t she? As grumpy as they seemed at times, Silver knew deep down that her parents only had her best interests at heart and even if it did hurt when papa called her a ‘follower not a leader’, he was only thinking of her future. Still, she would make him proud of her some day…perhaps…
The little filly looked up at the large painting on the wall. Large deep blue eyes stared back at her with an aloof indifference which she’d always thought bore a haunting sense of sadness somehow, although that was probably just her imagination. Golden Spoon, Colonel and Commander of the Equestrian Royal Guard, had died a thousand years ago. Golden must have been a sight to see too: from her pure snow white coat to her beautiful blue mane, tail, and matching eyes, she was magnificent. Silver felt a twinge of jealously; even if the artist had ‘embellished’ certain elements of their subject, Golden’s colouring had been so much more ‘interesting’ than the drab variations of grey that made up Silver’s own colouring. The young filly sighed; her ancestor had built this very house, this manor: Spoon Manor, the ancestral home of a family that were now down to just…the three of them. For some reason, whatever it may be, Silver was the only heir and the last of their line. She pushed the unsettling thoughts aside, took a sip of her juice and looked along the bookshelves; now this was more interesting than stuffy old rubbish like successions and stuff. Why was she thinking of this sort of thing anyway? Was it because papa kept going on about it? Yeah…probably. She mentally checked off the books she’d read or simply didn’t want to read. Most of them were on etiquette, politics, elocution and other similarly dry subjects that papa was interested in. Some she’d had a dabble in herself and had even learned a few tips on speech craft, but for the most part they had been intensely boring; in fact, incredibly boring! She moved her hoof along the rows, quietly reading out the titles; thankfully the lamp light in here was refreshingly bright compared to most of the house and she could read quite clearly without straining her eyes. Unfortunately, the more ‘interesting’ books were on the top shelves and that would mean using the ladder, and she hated the creaky old thing. Papa had banned her from using it in case she fell, but it wasn’t that bad really. In actual fact he’d installed guide rails on it shortly after he’d found her trying to use it which, she suspected, was because he’d known full well the occasional book ‘disappearance’ was down to the little silver filly’s insomnia. But tonight alas it seemed as though the well had finally run dry of her more preferred reading material. The old maps and writings on ancients peoples and foreign lands had been read, re-read, and then read some more. She loved the colourful pictures, even the old black and white ones, and dreamt of the times when sky galleons sailed above the clouds. They were her favourites: the stories of the giant airships of the Yaks and their bigger trading ships that had battled the forces of Equestria and the Llamalian Empire – how romantic! She sat back and let out a groan; what sights they must have been. Of course there still were balloons in Equestria: dirigibles and all manner of flying machines, but nothing so…elegant as those great old ships of the sky. A shiver ran through her at the thought of it all - the excitement and adventure was so tantalising! But much of this was little more than fantasy, wasn’t it? To her disappointment, Papa had told her that many of the recorded ‘histories’ were no more than fantasy stories told to ‘stimulate the imagination of impressionable youths’. Hah! He probably meant her, didn’t he! Still, it didn’t matter really did it? She loved it all, be it fantasy or reality - it was something that made her heart feel warm and fuzzy…
Unfortunately however it seemed as though tonight was going to drag on and on until dawn, with nothing new to read despite her search. Giving up on the bookshelves, Silver walked over to her father’s display cabinets, taking a final sip of her juice as she did so. The eclectic mix of items on display here had always fascinated her: armour, shields, swords, spears, even horns and teeth that had allegedly belonged to a dragon of all things. Fancy that! A dragon! She chuckled; how in Equestria could a pony fight a dragon? The things were huge! The armour was impressive of course, and probably wearable after a fashion, but if you came up against a dragon the best course of action was to run and hide. Now everypony knew that! Silver examined the armour; it smelled...horrible, like metal polish, dust, oil…and sweat. She hated that smell the most, and armour seemed to harbour it forever. It was probably down to the padding that absorbed it all and even after all these years the stains were still visible. Father had said the armour belonged to Golden Spoon herself when she’d been a cadet, and maybe it had, but it still smelled like old socks! Silver’s mind began to wander; she liked her socks, and gave her legs a surreptitious rub, regretting not putting them on before exploring downstairs in the dead of night.
The long teeth in the next cabinet made her shudder just to look at them, let alone when she thought about the mouth that had housed such lethal things. Some of the books she’d read had told how dragons had actually eaten ponies during the war with Nightmare Moon, but nopony seriously believed that now. After all, how could they with the princess to protect them? They wouldn’t dare! Now, Luna was back, and the prosperity and security of their beautiful home of Equestria was assured. Peace had reigned here for a thousand years with only the occasional trade dispute to contend with or a random wild beast rampaging around that was usually swiftly defeated by the bearers of the elements of harmony, watch, army or royal guard. In fact, everything was intensely dull compared to what it had been like in the past. Perhaps that was a good thing though. She wasn’t sure, only that it was a time in history that she’d dreamed of, a time when ponies wouldn’t have tolerated the sort of mean bullying behaviour she’d had to face at that horrible school. Her mane shivered and she gave herself a shake; it didn’t look like there was anything new here to interest her tonight. She’d just go back upstairs and cuddle Mister Pyjamas and hope she’d eventually fall…oh…wait…what was that?
A long wooden box caught her eye. Now that was new! She hadn’t seen this before and she usually prided herself on knowing everything that was happening in the house, especially with papa’s collection. She walked over to it and brought the lamp with her. It was a long straight box on four elegantly carved barley twist legs. Other than the legs however, it looked really quite plain, with a lock in the middle for which the key had been carelessly left in. Curious, she reached out and turned it, listening to the tumblers click as the box’s contents silently beckoned the inquisitive filly. Excitement building, Silver pulled over a stool to help her reach up and she climbed up to peer inside. Her hooves were trembling, but then...her heart sank; what a disappointment! There was only a set of small red bound books, and quite tattered ones at that but…the words on the front of them, the name, could it be? She brought the lamp closer…
GOLDEN SPOON
It was! Great Celestia, these were the diaries of her ancestor, the ones papa had been collecting! Of all the books in the study, these were the ones she’d never read, although she knew Papa had always held a keen interest in finding them. Whatever happened to them once he actually had found one, she’d never known, nor enquired. Now, apparently, the collection had been given its very own home in this velvet lined box. She raised an eyebrow and wondered: should she read one? If papa had them in a locked box he probably meant her not to, especially as he’d obviously hidden them from her previously. But then, he’d left the key in the lock and was usually so fastidious about such things. Perhaps the key was in the lock because they were simply there to be read? After all, what could be so fascinating about the diaries of a long dead mare, even one as famous as Golden Spoon? Well, famous to her family she supposed, and that was what? Three ponies? Who else cared about history other than dull professors in their equally dull schools that nopony gave a monkeys about. Huh! That was the problem with school though wasn’t it? It was all about memory, not what you ‘knew’ or ‘understood’, it was only about what you could remember. She huffed to herself; most of her fellow students would more than likely forget everything they’d learned as soon as they left to go off into the wider world and take over the reins from their parents anyway. Silver sighed; as indeed would she one day. She looked over at the painting on the wall; it was expected, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter what she wanted, it was all about what was ‘expected’ of you, as though your life was pre-ordained, as though it were mapped out ready for when you drew your first breath upon this land. Giving herself a shake, Silver leafed through the diaries and took the last one out. It was the one father had had delivered earlier, the one mama had thought was her much longed for embroidery book. She smiled to herself and trotted back to the large cushioned settee and snuggled into the soft embroidered throw mother had made to protect it from papa’s pipe embers.
The cover of the diary was red: leather of some description if she were any judge. Ponies didn’t like the stuff of course, or at least the way it was made, but Griffins sold plenty and there was always a supply of ‘discreet’ Equestrians willing to buy. This one was embossed with gold letters too, with Golden Spoon’s name on the front. Carefully, Silver opened the cover and turned to the first page...
For my dearest Feather Down,
May you sleep forever in the gentle wings of the Goddess,
Celestia bless you,
Mummy
Silver furrowed her brow; Feather Down? Who was that? She knew a lot of her ancestors, the names had been all but drummed into her by her father, but this was a new one. Maybe she’d just forgotten? After all, the records were probably incomplete – not that she’d dare even suggest that to papa!
She turned the page.
First day of the Winter Cycle.
The enemy hit us hard today. We lost at least forty killed and nearly double that number wounded. Some of them won’t last the night, and maybe it’s just as well, we’ll be pulling out in the morning and the goddesses help the injured bouncing along in those rickety old carts. I still can’t understand how they managed to slip such a large force through our picket line completely undetected, despite all our contingencies. Some of us are beginning to think it’s a curse, as though we’ve been damned by the goddesses for our failure to protect Equestria from Nightmare Moon and her abominations. Others believe, probably more sensibly, that it’s the so called ‘Children of the Night’.
I can’t say I put much stock in such views as I know quite a few Lunarians, including Dimple Pudding from Velvet Street who makes those wonderful cakes back in the capital. Ah, happier days! Still, I can’t afford to dismiss the possibility that I may be wrong and that there could be at least some kernel of truth in this. If the Legion do have agents within our ranks then they must be weeded out and dealt with or else we may find ourselves overrun before we know it. I’ll be speaking to the Provost tomorrow to see if we can put enough pieces of the puzzle together to find out what the hell happened out there today. As for this place…the Legion can have it. We’ve bled enough for this accursed hole for one day.
Eighth day of the Winter Cycle.
I haven’t written in several days, and even now I’m not sure I really want to, but who or what else can I speak to? I’m frightened I’m losing my mind. I can’t say anything, I can’t let on how I feel, and now, when I need him most…he’s gone. Sometimes I want to run away, to just run until I drop, or scream out at the horrors of this world and the cruelty of it all, but nopony can see me as anything other than the Commander of the Royal Guard. Nopony wants, nor needs to see me as I am now, as I lie here on my bed with only my memories to hold me. I still can’t believe it; I keep thinking, hoping, praying, that the information was wrong, that he will simply walk in the door at any moment and allay my fears and broken heart. But I’m being a fool – I know.
You can’t bring back the dead.
Today, on the list of missing, was a name I’d hoped against hope I would never see. I can’t even bare to write his name in case...just in case i’m...right. Please Celestia let me be wrong, PLEASE!
I don’t know what to do anymore.
I just want to go home.
Silver felt a tear welling up in the corner of her eye and quickly closed the diary. She couldn’t read any more of that! Quickly, she got down off the chair and trotted over to the chest, replacing the diary and breathed a heavy sigh of relief as if the thing had been a burning coal in her hoof. What a nightmare! Whoever that stallion was he had clearly been somepony special to Golden Spoon and had apparently been killed, or at least she thought he had been. Perhaps ‘Missing’ just meant they hadn’t found his body? It had been such a long time ago, the written memories and musings of a pony she’d never known, but in her minds eye Silver had seen her crying, alone in the darkness of a tent surrounded by warriors who saw her as nothing more than the Commander of the Royal Guard, an emotionless...‘thing’, and there was nothing she could do! Silver swallowed and took a deep breath to try and clear her mind; it wouldn’t have been so bad other than for what were quite obviously tear stains on the pages – still clear despite the centuries since Golden Spoon had originally put quill to paper. It was nightmare fuel, and far from something that would actually help her sleep. Alicorn feathers! She’d never sleep now! Silver leafed through the diaries and worked her way back. Hopefully there’d be something she could read that didn’t contain references to misery and death…
“Hello…” Silver muttered as a colourfully bound diary came to light. It stood out from the rest like a shining light amongst the gloom of what were probably more of her ‘war diaries’. Further investigation revealed that the collected memoirs of Golden Spoon actually turned out to be in chronological order, with some bearing little more than repeated references to bad weather, supply problems and so on, but this one…now this looked interesting! Unlike the others, the cover on this one appeared to be made from a type of wallpaper that had been glued over card - hoof made too by looks of it, and intensely feminine. The flowers were small, subtly coloured and looked so real Silver wondered for a moment if she leaned forward and sniffed them they may even hold a scent. She stopped herself and chuckled; what a silly notion! Closing the lid of the chest she trotted over to the table and hopped up onto the settee, pulled the throw around herself, and opened the first page…
Name : GOLDEN SPOON
Address : Spoon Manor, Allstone Cross, Equestria
Age : 6
A bit about me : I have a white coat, blue mane, blue tail and blue eyes. I like to run really fast and really like cakes and kittens.
Silver giggled; ‘cakes and kittens’! She smiled at the clumsy writing style and marvelled at how Golden had been able to write at all at that age. Now that she thought about it, when had she learned to read and write? A slight twinge of jealousy briefly flared in the little filly before she turned the page:
I had chocolate cake today and some milk. I like cake! Milk is nice too, but it isn’t as good as nana’s cake. Mummy said I can’t eat too much or I’ll get fat like Mrs. Finch who has a big bottom. I don’t like Mrs Finch, she smells like wee.
I got my mane plaited today! Minstrel String showed me how to do it and it’s very hard to do, but looks really good! I’ve got a plait on both side and Viola says I look like a real lady. I have to be careful though, as I shook my head and one of my plaits knocked mummy’s tea cup onto Mrs Caramac’s cat.
I hope Jeremy Snugglesworth is okay.
“Jeremy Snugglesworth?” Silver wondered aloud, “What a name for a cat!” Laughing into the cushion she read on, leafing through several more pages of mundane references to different cakes, a few probably inedible recipes that Golden had attempted to write down that involved mayonnaise of all things, and seemingly endless references to her love of cats. Eventually Silver found herself reaching something that caught her eye. It was a smudged page, the first she’d seen so far, odd considering the inexpert hoofwriting, but this one was different from the rest. On this one the writing was neater, clearer, but there was something else here that reminded her of the tear stained page in the first diary she’d found. Silver found her hoof trembling slightly as she read on…
First Day of the Summer Cycle
I hate this place. I HATE IT! Grandfather and Father made me go to the girls educational academy in Manechester and it’s horrible. It’s dark, cold, and it smells funny too. I don’t know anypony here and the other girls are all boorish snobs who keep trying to get one over on everypony else by boasting about how much money their family has or how much land they own or how many farms they’ve got. I don’t care! I miss my home, I miss mummy and I WANT TO GO HOME!!!
Fifth Day of the Summer Cycle
There was a fight in the dormitory today. One of the new girls said something about one of the older ones and she got bucked really hard! Miss Board took both of them away and they came back in tears. I asked Meringue what happened and she said that Miss Board had caned them! I didn’t know what that meant but Strand said that they hit you with a stick on the bottom really hard. She wasn’t joking! Tile’s bottom was so red it glowing. I don’t want to get caned!
Twelth Day of Summer Cycle
Something happened today, something bad. Polish was caught by two of the academy bullies and they stuck her head down the toilet and nearly drowned her. Thank Celestia that Key Note found her and called Miss, or she could have died! Polish won’t say who the bullies are, but we all know who they are. I can’t understand why fillies would be mean to each other. My friends were nice back home, but here it’s as if we’re all in a competition with one another. Mister Hardening said that we had to ‘be the best we can be’ or we’ll ‘fall by the wayside to be trampled by others’. That sounds awful! Is that what being a grown up means? To trample others who have fallen? I don’t think the princess would like that! Mummy always said we should stop and lend a hoof to those who need help and that the goddesses will love us all the more for acts of charity. I try to be a good pony, but sometimes the girls here can be so mean it makes me want to run away. I want to go home.
Silver closed her eyes and yawned. So, Spoon Manor hadn’t been built by Golden after all, it had built even earlier – or perhaps she’d had it rebuilt? It seemed that their family history wasn’t quite as father had explained it to her, but that wasn’t surprising considering the length of time that had passed since Golden Spoon had passed to the herd. Silver scratched her chin in thought; was this why papa had been collecting the diaries, to find out the real history of the family? And if Golden had lived in the manor, why hadn’t they all been kept here in the first place? Whatever the reasons, it was strangely compelling and seemed to be drawing her in. Unfortunately, the more she read, the more she began to feel the utter hopelessness of Golden Spoon’s position. Her ancestor had hated school, or this ‘girls educational academy’ as she called it, and she’d even been made to live there too! Silver shivered; she didn’t want to live away from home, no way! As if having to deal with bullies wasn’t bad enough, could you imagine being forced to actually live with them? It was…it was a nightmare! No wonder Golden kept writing ‘I want to go home’ over and over again, even years later. Silver felt a shudder run through her and she pulled the throw in around herself as she yawned; it was still dark outside and a few hours yet until dawn. Maybe if she read just a little more, she may…she may feel…Silver yawned again and rubbed her eyes, the words on the pages starting to flow and blend, like a river, a river taking her away on a gentle tide…out to a world, far, far away…
********************
It was hot, far too hot to be stood outside on a day like today with little to no breeze to speak of. The outside of the armour must have been hot enough to fry an egg on; so much so that the heat from inside would occasionally leak out and infiltrate the mare’s nose with the stench of its previous owners. Goddesses above, how she hated that smell! She didn’t move though, neither did she flinch. Sergeant Hard Case, the pony with the permanent scowl and overflowing sense of bitterness towards any and all life forms, stalked up and down the line of recruits slowly baking in the sunshine, checking for any slight imperfection. Inevitably, one after another he found something and called them out for it. Every day it was the same, every single day, but what was worse was that no matter how hard you tried to please the miserable old goat it was never good enough. And the goddesses knew, she’d tried so hard! The mare took a breath, trying to ignore the foul odorous vapours emanating with every move of her chest.
Steel shod hooves approached, and stopped.
“And how are you this morning, Private Spoon?”
Golden answered swiftly, “Very well, Sergeant.”
“Really? You sure? You seem to be in pain.”
“No, Sergeant.”
“Well you should be, I’M STANDING ON YOUR BUCKING MANE!” The sergeant’s voice rose to a pitch that sounded like nails dragged down a chalk board, “GET A BLOODY HAIRCUT!”
“Yes, Sergeant!” Golden said, straightening herself even more.
The scarlet eyed non-commissioned officers snorted in her face, “I’m watching you…Spoon.”
Golden didn’t reply, she was already used to the glares and snide remarks she would occasionally receive from the other cadets about her ‘privileged’ status and, as if it made any bloody difference at all: her colouring of all things! She was all too used to jealousy as well; her white coat, deep blue eyes and equally blue mane and tail made her a regular target, and not only from the other young mares, but it also attracted unwanted attention from the stallions. Little more than colts really, the males’ acts of bravado only served to spotlight her even more. She closed her eyes and let herself relax a little. At lease ‘Nut’ Case had moved off to badger somepony else. Celestia’s arse, she could hear him from here, even with a helmet on!
“What’s your name again, Private?”
“Private Polish, Sir!”
“Polish, eh? A pity you don’t live up to your namesake, isn’t it, eh, polish?” The large stallion paused, “TRY USING SOME ON YOUR BLOODY ARMOUR! Give me a lap of the parade ground! DOUBLE TIME!”
“Yes, Sergeant!”
In a flurry of hooves and a clatter of steel, the hapless mare broke into a fast trot and set off around the perimeter of the wide gravel parade field. Poor old Polish, she’d known her since the girls academy, but they’d been far from what you’d call close friends. Even so, Golden didn’t watch, she just stared straight ahead as no doubt the rest were doing too. It didn’t do to draw attention to yourself, especially from the ever vigilant eyes of the belligerent Sergeant. As it turned out however she needn’t have worried, he was busy berating yet another hapless cadet and would no doubt continue doing so right along the line until he’d had his fill of adding just that little extra misery to everyponies day. This morning, like every morning, it was the same routine: wake up, roll call, breakfast, drill, lectures, lunch, lectures, drill, falling out parade. A cadet’s day was an unending monotony of military conditioning to turn them into army officers, the best of the best - the soldiers of the land of Equestria. In Equestrian society, military service was expected of the social elite to ostensibly ‘provide an example’ to the commoners. As father had said himself, it was impossible for anypony in the royal court to take you seriously if you’d ‘never served’. As the next in line for the Spoon family name, Golden was all too aware of this societal requirement and she’d taken to it with a will – at least at first. The promise of glory, the stories of battles from the days of the wars of the three tribes and the honour that had brought to the Spoon family had been hammered into her as a effectively as a blacksmith adds carbon to steel. She’d believed it all, accepting the teachings and traditions without question, without complaint – but nopony had told her about the sort of vicious backbiting and one-up-ponyship that went on here. Had father known about this? Or was this just some personal issue ponies had with her? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t make any difference now anyway. Whether she liked it or not she was here and she’d be damned if she let some childish bickering or a jumped up fart like Sergeant Nut Case make her fail in her duty. She gritted her teeth; there was more to her than this, much more, and one day she’d show them her quality. Oh, yes…one day.
“DISMISS!”
Three paces forward, stamp your hooves, fall out to the barracks and a much needed shower. Golden gave herself a shake, succeeding in little more than a clatter of metal and the release of yet more of that vile hot sweaty smell. She had the distinctly unpleasant thought that she’d be going to bed tonight stinking of the bloody stuff regardless of how much she scrubbed. Surely somepony could come up with a product that could deal with it, right? Celestia’s arse, if you could market it you’d make a fortune from desperate mares like her!
The recruits trooped wearily through the large open doors of the armoury, each in their own world of bone weary relief just to be out of the sun. The inside of the stone building was well lit with magical lanterns rather than windows. It was probably a good idea considering the value of the items here – most of them anyway. As with any other budding officer cadet, Golden had been expected to buy her own armour for her term of service. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, was it? She’d been penniless herself and her father had ended up buying a set of ‘quality used’ armour for her, and although it had arrived like everypony else’s with the heavy plates free of scratches and dents, it still stank like hell. Goddesses above, being ‘dent free’ hadn’t lasted long though, had it?! Two days in and she’d tripped on a rabbit hole while they’d been out hiking through the hills and she’d nearly succeeded in breaking a leg. That certainly would have been the death knell of her shining military career! Thankfully though, all it had done was pitch her forward into a tree and put a lovely great dent in her neck and shoulder plates. Still, at least it proved the blasted stuff worked and wasn’t just for show – still hurt like hell though. Unfortunately a week of bruising was nothing compared to the jibes of the other students and the bellows of the drill sergeant. What really boiled her blood was that they’d started calling her ‘Trips’, and as well intentioned as some may have thought it, it made her back itch irritably whenever somepony called her it. It just went to show that sometimes she really could just happily throttle the bloody life out of somepony, and by Celestia’s furry arse, she’d probably enjoy every delicious moment of it too. The delightful Sergeant ‘Nut’ Case would be the first of them; she could see it now, just…squeezing…
“Hey, Golden? Anypony in? Helloooo!”
“What?” Golden blinked in surprise as the green eyes of her friend Fair Lace loomed in front of her, “Oh, sorry Lacy, are you alright?”
The amber coated mare raised her eyebrows and shook her head slowly, “Yes darling, but perhaps, you know…” She nodded towards the others, “you may want to take off the armour before brekkers, eh?”
“Bugger!” Golden huffed and began pulling at the fiddly buckles.
“Hey, come on girls give us a hoof here, what?” Fair Lace waved a hoof, “Shake a tail there.”
Others quickly appeared, surrounding Golden and in mere seconds had removed the plates, folded the straps and hung the heavy armour on her individual stand. The difference in weight was indescribable…
“Thanks, girls.”
“You’re most welcome, darling.” Lacy grinned, “Come on gang, let’s grab some grub before those bloody greedy stallions scoff the lot, eh?”
Feeling as light a feather, Golden felt as though she could simply fly away – even without wings. Speaking of which, she hadn’t seen many pegasi since she’d arrived at the academy. Scarlet Bead said it was because they had their own academy up in the clouds which, if she was honest, sounded like a right load of old bollocks. There were definitely some here, she’d seem them, just…not many. Some segregation happened, sure, you only had to look at the unicorns for that. They had their own buildings for learning combat magic and spells, but they still mixed for more general military officer training, so why would pegasi be any different? Snobbery of course probably played its part, as it did in much of their lives with the continual bickering that was now as commonplace as some bugger snoring in the barrack room and keeping her up all night. Mind you, the worst of that had stopped after Fire Bricks had been…’encouraged’ to pay a visit to the medical officer. She still chuckled about that even now.
“Oh, bugger…” Golden slammed to a halt as a line of stallions filed out of the mess hall and the now expected catcalls and whistling began,
“Hey, look! It’s the girls!”
“Woohoo! Hey ladies, looking for some company later?”
“Look at the flank on that!”
“Making me hungry again just looking at ‘em!”
“Hah! You just ate fatty!”
“Fatty? Nah, he’s still in the bathroom.”
There was a general round of chuckles which quickly died away as Lacy barked out a laugh, “Try again when you’ve put some meat on your bones, boys, we’re too much for you to handle.”
“Oh, yeah?” one of the stallions shouted back, “You’d melt like chocolate in a smiths forge if I got my hooves on you.”
“It’ll take more than a warm gust to temper my steel, darling.” Lacy grinned at the copper coated stallion with the silver mane, “Do you think you have what it takes?” She raised an eyebrow, nodding knowingly.
There was a roar of encouragement and the young stallion tossed his mane, his golden metallic eyes sparkling, “Oh, yes, I have what it takes.” He reared on his hind legs and folded his forelegs nonchalantly, “You want to see for yourself?”
“Maybe after brekkers, darling” Lacy said, moving closer to him, “But later on…”
The stallion suddenly neighed in surprise as the mare nipped him hard on the ear, “You’ll keep.”
The other stallions went suddenly quiet, pushing and shoving each other while keeping an unexpectedly wary distance from the mares. Of course, none of this affected Lacy, it never did, she just trotted into the mess hall as if she owned the place and considering her mother was the procurator of the academy, she probably did too. Golden shook her head and followed her friend in,
“You know, Lacy, you shouldn’t tease him like that.”
Lacy picked up her food tray and cast a glance at her friend, “Oh, belt up Trips, you want to be a prude all your life then go ahead, be my guest.”
Golden frowned, “That’s not what I meant, Lacy, you know as well as I do that fraternisation between males and females is forbidden. They could expel you if they caught you.”
“Caught me? Doing what?” Lacy asked innocently, “I’m just getting my breakfast darling, what’s wrong with that?”
“You know damned well what I’m talking about, Lacy!” Golden hissed, “You’ve been sneaking out in the night to spend time with him, haven’t you?”
Lacy nodded to the cook’s helper who dumped another ladle of mashed turnip and swede onto her plate, “And what if I have? What’s it got to do with anypony?”
Goddesses above, she could be so bloody stubborn at times! Golden took a breath, trying to fight down what she really wanted to say. The white overcoated cook slammed a helping of…something…onto her plate and she lifted it onto her back before following her friend to their usual table, “Please, Lacy, I’m not wanting to sound like an old washer mare, but I don’t want to see you get into any trouble. You’re my friend, and I care about you.”
“Awww! Isn’t that sweet! I didn’t think you cared.” Lacy took her seat and took out her cutlery. For a moment, she paused and then looked up at her friend, her eyes taking on a softer cast, “Look, Golden, I know you mean well, but Smelt and I…” She sighed, “It’s just a bit of fun, that’s all.”
“You’re sleeping with him aren’t you” Golden said levelly.
Lacy’s eyes flashed angrily, “And so what if I am?! Who the bloody hell cares? What I do with my body is my concern, Golden and nopony elses! Understand?”
“What about pregnancy, Lacy? Have you thought about that?” Golden’s eyes locked onto her friend’s, “If you end up in foal that’ll be it, and even your mother won’t be able to bail you out of that fix.”
“Celestia’s pigging tits, who are you, my conscience? Goddesses in their bloody heaven, Trips, will you give it a rest, eh?” Lacy whinnied and fixed the white mare opposite her with an accusatory glare, “Well?”
Golden hung her head, “I’m sorry, just…please, take care, Lacy. I don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”
The Amber mare rolled her eyes, “I know, sweetie, but…please, when it comes to this, I want to keep it separate from our friendship, yes?”
Relenting, Golden sighed and nodded.
“That a girl!” Fair Lace laughed, “Now, come on First Lieutenant, let’s see that smile, eh?”
Golden had to relent; her friend just had that certain way about her that made all her fears seem so foolish and unfounded, no matter how convinced she’d been to the contrary. Maybe it was her special talent? Fair Lace’s cutie mark wasn’t giving anything anyway in that regard: a rather intricate depiction of what looked like a snowflake whereas her own was, equally unsurprising, a golden spoon with a ruby set in the handle. What it meant, what her ‘special talent’ was, had never been considered by her family, it simply…’was’. ‘Cutie marks are a pictorial representation of your direction in life, nothing more, nothing less’, mother had said, ‘Only the riff-raff put some sort of deeper mystical meaning into something which is, on the whole, rather dull.’ Golden had been so thrilled when she’d got hers, but her family simply hadn’t seemed interested at all, as though it just didn’t matter to them, as though she didn’t matter. Of course she knew she did, the Spoon family needed to continue, and a healthy mare would produce healthy foals, as indeed she would one day. Even so it would have meant something if they’d at least acknowledged her cutie mark as being…special. She sighed and rubbed her muzzle; she didn’t normally think about things like this - she was probably just exhausted. Goddesses, who wasn’t! In all fairness she knew perfectly well, as did most of the cadets, that ‘liaisons’ between the stallions and mares happened, but officially? No, that was a one way ticket through the gate with a dishonourable discharge and a lifetime of regret – that was, if your family didn’t just outright disown you. Oh yes, they’d all heard the story of Spin Wave, the pony who’d become pregnant and…
A spoon bopped her on the nose, “OW!”
“You know your problem?” Lacy said fidgeting with her mane, “You think too much. Look, see? You’re always frowning. You keep doing that and one day you’ll stick like that young lady.”
“You sound like my mother” Golden huffed. She wiped the gravy off her muzzle and sighed, “Just ‘do your duty’, right?”
“Mmhmm” Lacy closed her eyes and nodded sagely, “That’s about the size of it, darling.”
It was. ‘Duty, Honour, Commitment, Loyalty’, the motto of the military academy was everywhere: above the entry gate, the canteen, the classrooms and even the bloody toilet block. Who in Celestia’s name thought to put it there?! Were they seriously expecting a pony to go and take a crap while thinking , ‘Mmm….duty, honour, commitment, loyalty’. Hah! Maybe it was the commitment to wiping up properly after the honour of having a dutiful dump. Not sure about the loyalty part though…she’d have to work on that.
The bell rang, signifying the end of mess period.
“Right, come on then Trips, get your mob in order.” Lacy gave her friend a wink, “Give ‘em a bit of the old Golden charm, eh?”
The white mare chuckled and shook her head, feeling the way her mane brushed her neck. As much as she hated to admit it, Nut Case was probably right, she really could do with a haircut. Not that she’d ever admit that to the miserable sod. She got up from the table and stretched, “Hey, Lacy, you ever wondered why we have a stallion leading our troop?”
Her friend snorted, “Dunno. The boys have a mare leading them. Maybe it’s to get them used to following orders from girls.” She leaned forward, “Not that they need much encouragement, if you know what I mean.”
Golden rolled her eyes, “Unfortunately, I think I do. Honestly, Lacy, do you think of anything other than…you know…”
“Of course! Just not that much” Lacy stuck her tongue out cheekily, “Seriously though, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“I’ll take your word for it” Golden muttered.
“You don’t have to” Lacy smirked, “There’s a certain friend of my boy’s who’s expressed an interest in this white mare I know. All she has to do is say the word and yours truly can work her magic. Think about it, that’s all.”
“I already have.” Golden huffed and reared on her hind legs, “EPSILON TROOP, ON YOUR HOOVES PEOPLE.”
The amber coated mare rolled her eyes as the rest of the cadets obediently put their dirty dishes in the racks, “Ah, you always did have a way with words, darling” she said with a smile, and headed out to their next no doubt thrilling instructional session.
“Miss? Miss Silver? Are you alright Miss?”
“Huh? What?” Silver sat up suddenly, upsetting the diary which dropped on the floor with a thump. Blearily she looked up into the worried face of… “Rinse? What…oh, I must have nodded off.”
The maid shook her head, “Aye, that you did Miss Silver.” She clucked her tongue and took the throw off the little filly and nimbly began folding it up, “I should have made sure you got to bed last night, it’s not good for you sleeping down here like this.”
Silver groaned. Her neck was stiff from sleeping at an odd angle all night, and her mouth felt like it was full of sand. It must have been that awful food from the canteen that…she paused and shook her head; what a dream! It had been so real, but then, the words of Golden Spoon had been so heartfelt, so…natural, that it wasn’t much of a surprise. Mama always commented on her ‘active imagination’, yet in some respects the way she referred to it made her sound as if she were suffering from some sort of dreadful disease: ‘Be careful of young Silver, dear, she has ‘active imagination’, could be contagious’… Fluff and nonsense! She had a perfectly normal imagination, thank you very much, and in any case it didn’t do be some mono-dimensional ‘thing’ when you had to come up with creative ways to make money for the family. Now that would be something papa would appreciate and understand!
Around her Rinse fussed about the room, opening the curtains, clearing away the empty juice glass and began the never ending task of dusting. Forgotten in the flurry of activity, Silver picked up Golden’s diary and slipped it back into the wooden chest before heading for the door.
“Breakfast will be ready about eight, Miss” Rinse remarked.
Silver nodded and yawned; she’d better get herself upstairs and brush her teeth. She could probably forgo a wash this morning since she’d had a quick one last night, but the last thing she wanted was having the evidence of her covert snack lingering on her breath for her father to pick up on. Her hooves clopped on the tiled floor of lobby as she wearily began to ascend the stairs. The usual morning sounds of the manor were already echoing through the old building, comforting in their familiarity, and promising another of Mrs Cream’s excellent breakfasts. Silver sniffed the air and nodded to herself; haybacon, and…onion? Delicious! She picked up her pace and was turning into her room when her mother’s voice called out,
“Silver? Are you up?”
“Yes, mama” Silver Spoon called back, “I’m just going to do my teeth.”
Lark Wing poked her head around the door to her room, “Don’t be long, dear, your father’s leaving soon for the Palace.”
“Yes, mama.”
Silver trotted into her bedroom and gave her little alicorn a cuddle, “Good morning, Mister Pyjamas, sleep well?”
Mister Pyjamas said nothing, but then he was probably still sleepy. Silver kissed him on the muzzle and put him on the shelf to keep an eye on the room while she was getting ready. The bed had already been made, the jug of water replenished and a fresh towel and soap sat ready on the cupboard beside her toothbrush and mint toothpaste. No doubt Rinse had been in here working her magic while she was still fast asleep in papa’s study. Knowing her she’d been well aware Silver was down there and used the opportunity to have a tidy up, and she’d done a good job too, even managing to sneak in her favourite brand of toothpaste. The colourful tube, white with cheerful gold and blue stripes, always struck her as a striking contrast to the austere manor. Silver squeezed some of the mint flavoured paste onto her brush and looked in the mirror as she worked; it was as if her home were lost time somehow and, maybe, her along with it. Di didn’t comment on it much, but the others did, and those three idiots, the ‘cutie mark crusaders’ as they infuriatingly referred to themselves, had been the worst of the bunch. Oh, they’d said they hadn’t meant what they’d said, hadn’t they? But had they actually thought about what they were saying before their mouths were in gear? No, of course not, they just casually threw out senseless comments and proclaimed to be completely unaware of how much they hurt somepony! Still, it didn’t feel right to retaliate in kind like Di did, but-
“Silver? Are you ready yet? Your father’s leaving soon, dear.”
Silver spat the last of the toothpaste into the bowl, “Coming, mama” A quick rinse later, a pat of the face cloth, and normality had been restored. The little filly stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled sadly; her silver-grey coat and pale bi-coloured mane and tail fit right in here, didn’t they – dull and old looking. Celestia’s furry ears, she was going to be an old maid before she’d even left school…
“Silver? Come on, your breakfast is going cold!”
“Coming!”
With a thunder of hooves, the young lady of the manor dashed down the stairs and into the lobby where her father was busy talking with a tall stallion in a long black frock coat. She hurried past him and into the dining room. Mrs Cream, the friendly and bubbly family cook, was ladling out what turned out to be onion soup along with some type of hot flatbread with haybacon. The smell was…divine. She jumped up onto the seat and pulled herself up to await her father’s arrival – a torturous wait when the aroma of the hot soup and haybacon was so deliciously alluring and mere inches from her nose.
“Oh Silver, you could have plaited your mane before coming down this morning! Honestly, I’ve never known a girl so disorganised!” Lady Spoon clucked her tongue in disappointment, “You knew your father was going away early today and you come down looking like the wild mare of the woods!” She turned to Rinse, “Help her sort that mess out will you, Rinse, she looks a fright.”
Silver took a breath and relented; it didn’t do to argue with mama, and in all fairness, she was probably right. She’d been sleeping on it all night and she hadn’t had time to brush it properly this morning either. Fortunately the friendly maid was on hoof and was already coming to the rescue armed with a brush and comb. Unfortunately they were from the harsh set that mother kept in the dining room cupboard for ‘emergencies’ and the horrible things had a tendency to snag and pull painfully. Rinse was already giving her an ‘I’m sorry’ look when her father walked in. He had a serious look about him that made Silver’s ears perk up.
“The carriage is here already, Lark. Trestle and I are going to have to get going, so I’ll have to skip breakfast I’m afraid.”
Lark Wing looked up in alarm, “What?! You’re going already? You’re not supposed to be leaving for-”
“-I know! I…” Lord Runcy gave his eyes a rub, “Look, Lark, I don’t have time to argue, you know what Court matters are like. I’ll just have to grab something on the way or when I get there.”
“Oh no, darling, you know I hate to see you run off like this!” Lark trotted over to her husband and lifted a hoof to him plaintively, “You shouldn’t let them push you around you know.”
The big silver stallion laughed, “They’re not! Trestle ordered an earlier carriage so we’d avoid all the traffic, you know what the docks are like in the morning.”
“I suppose…”
“Now, come on, no theatrics, Lark.” Runcy leaned down and kissed his wife on the muzzle, “Come now, I won’t be away for more than a few days.”
Lady Spoon hung her head, “I know, but…”
“Shhh…” Runcy whispered something in his wife’s ear that made her blush and giggle suddenly, “Yes?”
The mare nodded, “I’ll be waiting.”
Silver was next. The large stallion held out his hooves and scooped her up in a surprisingly tight hug, “Be good, Silver, and look after your mother while I’m away, yes?”
“Yes, Papa” Silver gasped.
Runcy took a deep breath and whispered in her ear, “I love you, daughter. Never forget that. Promise me.”
Silver blinked in surprise at her father’s uncharacteristic show of affection, “Papa? I…yes, of course Papa.” She reached up to hug him back, but he had her in such a tight grip she couldn’t move. All she could manage was, “I love you too.”
“I couldn’t ask for more” her father whispered, and kissed her on the top of her head before putting her down. He looked…sad somehow, and distant. Silver looked up at him curiously. Papa didn’t normally act like this – it must be the fact he was going away for a few days that was making him… A sudden jolt of cold ran down her spine, making her shiver; he was coming back, wasn’t he? She looked up at him, at those big eyes and his stiff white collar and top hat. He looked huge to her, a mountain of a stallion…and she smiled. Papa was a mountain, an immovable force of strength in the family that she knew would always be there…always.
The other stallion’s voice called out, “I don’t want to rush you, Runcy old boy, we have to get going if we’re to catch the steamer.”
Lord Runcy glanced over his shoulder and nodded before turning back to his family,
“Be safe, both of you.” He nodded to Rinse, “Take care of them Rinse.”
“Yes, milord” the maid said with a bow.
And with a smile, the lord of Spoon Manor turned to leave. Sebastian was already outside fussing with the straps on the carriage regardless of the irate glances of the driver, while high above them the sun slowly climbed through the powder blue sky. Despite the early morning coolness, the gentle rays of the princess’s sun were already warming the marble steps of the portico. Silver followed her mother out, listening to her father’s hoofsteps crunching on the gravel of the expansive driveway. She’d always liked this time of morning, the freshness and crispness of it all made her fur tingle and feel like she wanted nothing more than to go for a gallop across the grounds. Not that father would approve of course, but if he was going away, then what he didn’t know…
The carriage creaked as the stallions boarded.
“Lord Runcy!” Mrs Cream dashed out of the front door, her white pinny flapping as she galloped up to him, “Here!” She breathlessly passed him a flask and a paper bag, “There’s soup in the flask and haybacon sandwiches and an apple for you too. I’ve popped in a couple of biscuits for later in case you get peckish.”
Runcy grinned and gave the cook a smile before turning to his family, “See you in a few days, girls” he called. And with a neigh, the driving stallions set off, Lord Runcy waving a final goodbye to his family as the carriage passed the fountain and headed off up the driveway between the long rows of tall poplars. Lady Spoon stood on her hind legs, waving her hankie and sniffed loudly,
“Oh Silver, I hate to see him go off like this.”
“I know, mama.” Silver said quietly, “But papa will be back soon though, won’t he?”
“Of course, dear!” her mother said animatedly. For a moment though she seemed to falter, unsure at her own words, but almost imperceptibly gave herself a shake and nodded as though affirming something to herself, “Of course.” Lady Spoon took a breath and trotted into the lobby, “Now, time to get that mane done young lady, and then it’s off to school.”
“School?” Silver nearly squeaked in surprise, “Aren’t I being home schooled now, mama?”
Lark shook her head, “Your father and I have come to an understanding dear, and that means you’ll be going back to Ponyville school this morning, and I’ve even managed to get you a seat in Miss Cheerilee’s class.”
Silver didn’t know what to say, just, “Th…thank you!”
Lark laughed and clopped her forehooves, “Come on now – hair!”
Whooping happily, Silver dashed into the kitchen where Rinse quickly readied her mane and tail whilst Mrs Cream produced a packed lunch which was quickly packed into her panniers along with several books and stationary. She couldn’t believe it! After Papa’s angry berating of her friendship with Diamond Tiara, his insistence on her being home tutored, and then all of sudden…this! How? She just…she just couldn’t…
“Told you so…”
Silver glanced up into the knowing smile of Rinse who shrugged innocently. Was she a wizard? How did she know all this?! Maybe when she had grown up she’d know everything too and the answers to all the questions would simply be there at the tips of her hooves. She couldn’t wait! Excitedly, Silver couldn’t stop fidgeting with her hooves while the two mares laughed at her antics and carried on with their kitchen chores as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Perhaps to them it was, but right then she felt like the happiest filly in Equestria – she was going back to school! She supposed some ponies might find that attitude a little strange of course, but being stuck inside day after long dreary day in the manor felt as though the old place was sucking your soul out and replacing it with the leaden weight of lethargy. Luna’s fetlocks, she could understand how the Princess felt after finally being free of her imprisonment in the moon!
The next half hour dragged by interminably slowly, probably not helped by the fact that Silver was staring at the archaic kitchen clock and counting the seconds as they inexorable ticked away one by one. Suddenly her ears pricked up at the sound of something outside. Lifting her head she concentrated – wheels! Yes, definitely wheels crunching on the gravel! Her mother opened the front door and peered out,
“Who’s this now? Your cab isn’t due for…oh!”
There was a flurry of hooves on marble, the excited neighs of a young voice and then, bursting into the kitchen,
“SILVER!”
“DI!” Silver jumped down from her chair and the two friends embraced, their eyes wide with excitement, “I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?!”
“I came to pick you up of course, you are going back to school today aren’t you?” the pastel pink filly said raising an eyebrow.
“I…Yes…YES!” Silver giggled and span around in a circle, “Mama said I don’t have to be home schooled after all!” She paused a moment as a thought came to her, “How did you know?”
“Because I told her darling,” Lady Spoon called from the doorway, “I sent a telegram to Diamond Tiara’s mother about the next needlepoint meeting and mentioned it in passing.” She shrugged, “I have to say, I wasn’t expecting your little friend to collect you though.”
“Now that’s what I call service!” Di smirked and stood on her hind legs, nodding emphatically and crossed her forelegs in a comedic imitation of her own mother. Silver looked up and giggled at her friend’s antics; she’d never get away with that at home, but here, with her friend, they could take on the world. Taking a breath Silver nodded,
“All set for another day, Di?”
The pink filly cocked her head to one side, “If you are, but there’s something we’ve forgotten, isn’t there?”
“Is there?” Silver asked curiously.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, “Celestia’s bum, it hasn’t been that long!”
Silver’s eyes went wide in understanding and she laughed out loud as the two fillies clopped their hooves and performed the routine they’d had ever since they’d first met:
“BUMP, BUMP, SUGARLUMP RUMP!”
Lady Spoon rolled her eyes, “Silver!”
The girls laughed and dashed to the front door where the elegant yellow mare of the manor leaned down and gave her daughter a hug before kissing her on the muzzle,
“Have a nice time, Silver darling, and be good…both of you!”
Outside, Diamond Tiara’s ancient butler opened the side door of the carriage for the two fillies before bowing to Lady Spoon,
“Ma’am”
Lark Wing bobbed her head in reply, marvelling at the way the old lilac coated stallion with the patchy white mane and knobbly knees was still physically capable of pulling the Rich family’s carriage. Poor old chap, she wondered, he should have been put out to pasture years ago, but then, that was how the Rich’s had made their money wasn’t it – milking every last possible bit. She sighed and produced the lace hankie she habitually carried in the breast pocket of her dress,
“Take care, girls! See you tonight!”
“Bye mama!” Silver called back, only to disappear back inside following a rapid tickling attack by her excitable friend.
Lark Wing didn’t mind Diamond Tiara so much, although the incorrigible child could be a royal pain in the hind quarters at times. But Silver Spoon needed a friend, and in their circles they didn’t exactly grow on trees did they? She knew that herself, all too well. She watched Randolph pull the carriage past the fountain and turn to head up the long driveway. Forgotten by her daughter in her enthusiastic counter attack on Diamond Tiara’s ribs, Lady Spoon could only watch and shake her head sadly. She’d only been able to bear one foal, no matter how hard they’d tried. All those doctors, sorcerers, and even Princess Celestia herself…none of them had been able to help her. Runcy had been surprisingly supportive at first, but as time went by and her chances of conceiving slowly began to recede, she knew…it was already too late. He didn’t say anything of course, but then, he didn’t have to. You didn’t spend twenty years married to the same stallion without coming to understand them, and Lark understood Runcy probably better than he knew himself. She smiled, turning towards the drawing room and paused; maybe…maybe they didn’t need any more foals. An ‘heir and a spare’ wasn’t it? That was what they’d always believed in the circles of high society, but then, they did have an heir didn’t they: Silver Spoon – their beautiful, quiet, and intelligent daughter who would one day have a chance to have foals of her own. She sighed; if only it hadn’t been for that strange fainting illness. If only…if only she… She gave herself a shake, “Sebastian?”
The dour butler appeared as if out of thin air, his black uniform making him almost invisible in the gloomy lobby, “Milady.”
Lady Spoon closed her eyes and lifted her muzzle, taking in the morning air, “Have Rinse ready my hacking wear.” She smiled, “I feel like a gallop this morning.”