"Ug, you would not believe how, like, awful today has been without you!" I rolled my eyes. "So boring."
Silver Spoon giggled and we began walking further into the schoolyard. "Sorry, DT. My mom scheduled a dentist appointment and I wasn't done until just now. Did I miss anything good?"
I scoffed and rolled my eyes again. "No. It's just boring old school with the same boring old ponies, just like usual."
"Too lame," Silver Spoon agreed. "I can't wait until we can get to trade school where we won't be around so many losers."
"Totally!"
Silver Spoon and I high-hooved each other to start off our trademark hoofshake. "Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!" We giggled with each other and Silver Spoon started going into what the dentist was like. She said that she had a cavity that she needed to have filled, so her mother scheduled another appointment for her the next week.
So there we were, just talking with each other. It was going good. I mean, we were just hanging out with each other and not talking to anypony else. I guess that fate, or whatever you wanted to call it, didn't want that day to go any better for me. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a sharp pain course through my body, and I fell to the ground with a cry of agony. It took me a moment to regain my senses after the pain faded away, but when it did, I opened my eyes and saw Berry Pinch lying on the ground next to me, a discarded hoofball a few hooves away from her.
She had run into me.
I thought that the stupid blank flank had done it on purpose, like she meant to hurt me. I wasn't going to stand for that. I shot to my hooves and gave her my best glare. "Watch where you're going, twerp!"
Berry Pinch flinched back and covered her head with her forelegs. "I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to! I was just trying to catch the hoofball."
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well you should have watched where you were going!"
"I saw her, DT, I saw her running straight at you," Silver Spoon cackled. "She was stumbling around like that drunk mommy of hers. You a drunk too, Berry?"
"My mommy isn't a drunk!" Berry Pinch whimpered, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Sh-she's just sick a-and that's her medicine!"
Silver Spoon began cackling loudly and before I knew it, I was joining right along with her. That stupid blank flank poor foal of a drunk had run into me and hurt me! She had actually caused me pain and she needed to pay!
"Is...?" My smile slowly faded as Miss Cheerilee's words registered with my again. In my mind's eye I saw the heartbroken expression on her face.
I'm just teasing. It's not like I'm actually hurting them. They're just words.
Diamond Tiara... There are times when I wish that I could break student confidentiality to let you know just what your words are doing to your classmates. One of your classmates said that she wished that you were hitting her because it would hurt less than what you're actually doing to them.
I blinked. This wasn't right. I slowly put a hoof on Silver Spoon's chest, which caused her friend to stop laughing. Silver Spoon gave me a confused look, but I just grimaced and shook my head. I turned back to Berry and extended a hoof.
"Hey, I'm... sorry, Berry. I shouldn't have done that."
Berry sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked up. She gave my hoof a suspicious look. "What do you mean? What are you doing?"
"I was mean to you, and I shouldn't have been. Not just now, but..." I sighed. "I haven't been a really nice pony to you, Berry. I shouldn't make fun of your mom. I'm sure that she's a nice pony who works hard to take care of you."
Silver Spoon's jaw dropped, and Berry flinched back as though worried that I would take it back and hurt her more. After a few moments, Berry reached out and took my hoof, allowing me to help her up."
"Do you mean it?" Berry whispered. "You're not just being mean?"
I shook her head. "No, I'm not just being mean. I haven't been nice to any of you. You ran into me, but I know it was an accident."
"Oh. Yeah." Berry bit her lip and lit her horn, encasing the hoofball in her magic and lifting it off the ground. She began slowly backing away in the direction of the foals she had been playing with. "Thanks, I guess."
I watched Berry until she resumed playing her game, then turned back to Silver Spoon, who was still staring at me in wide-eyes shock.
"Wh-what was that for, Diamond? Her mom is a drunk! It's pathetic!"
I shrugged. "Maybe, but... we don't have to be mean about it, right? Besides..." I allowed myself a small smile. "It was... kind of nice not being mean."
Silver Spoon frowned, but didn't comment further. "Uh, yeah. Sure. You wanna go play teatherball?"
"Sounds good."
As the two of us walked in the direction of the teatherball pole, we passed the front of the schoolhouse where Cheerilee was standing at the doorway, watching over the class. As we passed, she gave me a small smile and said just one word.
"Really?"
I smiled back at her and nodded. "Really."