Prickle tried to pay attention for the rest of the day even as her thoughts kept looping back around to how the new injury she had, and the pony that had caused it. Just as pressing, and perhaps more confusing, was her friend. Silver was not acting like her usual self. She defended Prickle, to start, and was nice to her.
Prickle tried to set the pieces down in her mind to examine rationally. If Silver was acting that way, there had to be a reason.
She knew.
She had to know. If she didn't know, there was no good reason for her to not suddenly do a 180. But then, what about Diamond? If Silver knew, surely Diamond had to, right?
"Prickle Berry." Cheerilee was looking at her with some concern. "Please focus on what I'm saying." She had admonished foals much more sternly than she was at that moment. Her tone was more caring than angry.
Prickle sat up a little, nodding. "Sorry!"
School passed without much more dramatics involved, and Prickle slid from her seat thankfully.
"Hey Prickle," came Apple Bloom's cheerful voice. "Ah heard ya done got picked on. Sorry we weren't there ta stop it."
Scootaloo nodded with a frown. "If I was there, I woulda--"
"Done mostly nothing," finished Sweetie Belle, nudging Scootaloo. "But maybe we could have calmed her down. Sorry."
Prickle sat on her haunches and spread her hooves wide. "I'm not angry at you three." And she wasn't. They were her friends, and had done nothing wrong.
They came in for her and she wrapped them up in a hug, squeezing them carefully. It was nice to have friends, especially ones that understood who she was. "I'm going to head home and do my own homework that I took with my own lips for a chance."
Sweetie Belle was giggling as she slipped free of the embrace. "You give great hugs."
Apple Bloom snorted at that. "She ain't wrong, but that there's a funny compliment ta be givin' a pony."
The three trotted off to their various duties and calls. School was over, so there was no reason to stay there.
Prickle walked sedately towards her own home, thinking about the day.
"Hey." Silver Spoon was beside her. When had she even gotten there? "We really need to talk, please... Nopony else is around."
Prickle's eyes darted as she made sure that statement was true. They were on a quiet road and there wasn't anypony else in view, just Silver Spoon... who almost certainly knew all about her. "H-hello, Silver Spoon."
She gave a half smile. "We've all... done things we're not proud of, at one point or another." She pointed a hoof at Prickle. "What will it take to convince you I'm sorry?"
Prickle felt a wave of heat flow through her. A small, angry, part of her insisted that being sorry wasn't good enough. But then she remembered herself and looked at Silver with a more neutral expression. "You're happy that I saved you."
"Yes?" Silver tilted her head a little. "Thank you--"
"I didn't know who you were," spat out Prickle with a bit more venom than she realized.
Silver Spoon took half a step back, her careful demeanor fracturing. "Would... you have left me?"
Prickle felt an icy chill grip her heart. "No! No no no!" She shook her head violent. "Celestia, no..."
Silver Spoon brushed a small rock aside. "Maybe I would have deserved it... I'm really sorry. We... Look, that... There isn't a good way to say this." She sat down on her haunches. "What do I have to do? Do you... want to hit me?"
Prickle's insides clenched all the harder. If she struck Silver Spoon, she couldn't even be sure she wouldn't send the filly right back to the hospital... or worse. "Your friend did enough hitting."
Silver cringed at that. "She was trying to protect... me... She's a good friend, most of the time. She... saw how... Look, this is between us." She waved a hoof between herself and Prickle. "I'll do anything, please... I'm not the pony who made fun of you."
Prickle felt her jaw clench before she let out a thunderous snort. "I... don't know." She didn't, and admitted it as her head hung a little. "I really don't know..."
"Do you hate me?"
Prickle went quiet a moment. "I don't know..." She sat down on her haunches, regarding her former tormentor. "Do you hate me?"
"No!" Silver had little doubt. "You're a hero! By, like, every definition I can think of. You're my hero." She tapped her own chest. "You're Ponyville's hero."
Prickle looked away at the mention of the town. "They like Tiny Titan. Prickle the mutant is still creepy and scary."
While Prickle was looking crestfallen and had her eyes away, Silver approached and slid a leg over her, making Prickle jump in surprise. She drew Prickle against herself. "You are not creepy..."
"You're... just saying that because I helped you."
Silver frowned softly. "Look... I... There's som--"
"Get away from her!" Diamond Tiara was rushing towards them. "You leave Silver Spoon alone!" She easily knocked Silver Spoon back and put herself between the two fillies. "Didn't I warn you before? Miss Cheerilee's not here to protect you this time!"
"Stop it!" shouted Silver as she picked herself off the ground. "Leave her alone."
"When she leaves you alone." Diamond thrust a hoof at Silver. "I read about this. You have stockenhome sickness. I'm here to protect you, Silver, just stay back."
Prickles hopped up to all fours, glaring at Diamond. Was she in on it? Who wasn't? It felt like everypony knew... Her attempt to hide was going poorly, as an understatement. "Silver Spoon wanted to talk to me."
"I bet she did." Diamond turned her full attention on Prickle. "Did you threaten her?" Prickle shook her head quickly. "Then why would she want to talk to a freak like you?"
Silver's leg slid in front of Diamond as she came around to face her friend. "I did, Diamond. Please... Can we just talk?"
Diamond flashed her teeth in a seething growl, but settled slowly to her haunches. "Fine, we're talking. Here we are." She glared at Prickle. "Freaks and all."
Silver sat down to the side between Diamond and Prickle. "I know we've had a very... problematic... past."
Prickle blinked at that. "That's saying it mildly."
Diamond rolled her eyes. "Get to the point, Silver."
Silver pointed at Prickle, then at Diamond. "You are both my friends."
Diamond recoiled like she was burned. "F-friends, with her?! What does she have on you? You know I have your back, Silver. Just tell me and I'll take care of it."
Silver looked directly at Prickle. "I actually have something on her, but I don't plan to ever, like, take advantage of that."
Diamond's furious mask seemed to break, ebbing into a calculating one. "Ohhhh... Now I see." She smiled at Prickle, tail swishing left and right. "You better watch out. Silver Spoon may look like a creampuff, but when she has a pony, she has a grip that's even stronger than yours." A laugh escaped her. "Oh, now I feel silly. You're the one pulling the strings, Silver." She went over and hugged her friend eagerly.
Prickle looked between the two, her confusion mounting. Still, Diamond Tiara had calmed down. That was good, right? "I'll be careful." She rose to her hooves. "I should get going home, alright?"
Silver nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, kay?"
Diamond nodded in support. "You better do what Silver asks, or you'll answer to me instead."
Prickle had no idea what was really going on anymore. "Tomorrow." She almost super jumped away, but caught herself at the last second and instead trotted away from the dynamic duo.
She felt some of the tension flow out of her once both were out of sight. She still wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Still... "She doesn't know..." She couldn't know. If Diamond Tiara knew she saved Silver, half the things she said wouldn't make any sense. Silver Spoon had kept that secret, for some reason.
Prickle opened the door to her house and was greeted with a warm hug and questions about her day. She was home, and she was with her mother. Everything was alr--
"What happened?" Junebug gently gave Prickle's bruise a light nudge, feeling over it. "Did you get into a fight?"
Prickle flinched back, both in pain and otherwise. "I didn't fight anypony."
Junebug took a slow breath. "I suppose... that's probably true." She wasn't daft enough to think she could fight any of the other foals and it not be over very quickly. "But did somepony fight you? What happened?" She leaned in close. "It's like you have a hoofprint right on your pretty little face, poor dear."
"I just... fell..."
Junebug cocked a brow. "Right onto a horseshoe?"
"Y-yeah!"
"You know I don't believe that... My little porcupine, I love you very much, but I don't appreciate lies. Whatever happened, tell me honestly. I've forgiven you for worse things than a black eye." Junebug reached out and Prickle didn't resist as her mother pulled her right in for a firm hug. "You're safe here."
Prickle nuzzled into the warm comfort of her mother a quiet moment. She just wanted to be safe and secure, and she was getting just that. Her mother didn't pry further as the moments ticked by with one another cuddling in the silence.
She looked up and backed away an inch. "A filly thought I hurt her friend."
Junebug tilted her head at Prickle. "Did you?"
"Sorta..." Prickle squirmed in place. "I said maybe not nice things. I was confused and... I... I really didn't mean to... But..."
"Shh." Junebug ran a hoof through Prickle's mane gently. "Did you apologize, to the filly you hurt, not that one that hurt you?"
Had she? Prickle ran back through her memories of the day. "Sort of... we talked a little... She wants to talk again tomorrow... I guess she's not too hurt." A little smile came to her snout.
Junebug echoed the smile and nuzzled her filly. "And the filly that hurt you?"
"She, uh, didn't apologize... but I think she's alright." Visions of Diamond Tiara apologizing ran through her head. They were so obviously fantasy that she tossed them aside. "She knows I'm not hurting her friend."
"This is good then. Prickle, I'm proud you didn't hurt her. I know you could have. It takes a big pony to stand your ground and not just hit things that bother you." She rose and trotted away. "Now go ahead and start your homework. Dinner will be ready at the usual time. If you need any help, you call me."