It was a clear and sunny day in Ponyville and a perfect chance to think of a way to earn a cutie mark. Stepping out the door of Rarity's boutique was a white unicorn filly.
"Bye Rarity, I'll be hanging out with my friends." She called out to her big sister.
"Okay Sweetie Belle, just be careful this time. I don't want to see you covered from horn to hoof in tree sap again." Rarity stepped away from her sewing machine and glared at her sister. "Or tracking any mud. Do you know how hard it is to get mud out of carpet?"
"Don't worry, I won't this time" Sweetie said with a smile and trotted outside.
Sweetie Belle strolled down the road, seeing other ponies minding their business. The Cakes taking their foals, Pumpkin and Pound Cake. The former is a unicorn while the latter being a pegasus. Sweetie was a bit envious of the unicorn foal. She just was born a couple of months ago and is already using magic. Pumpkin is cute, when she's not squeaking a rubber chicken in her mouth every now and then. She wasn't as jealous of Pound Cake, but she bet her friend Scootaloo was.
On the other side to the road was Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon. She didn't really understand the obsession Lyra had for humans or why she thinks humans are real. On top of that, why Bonbon is okay with all the abnormal things she does, like walking on her hind legs. Sweetie shook off those thoughts and continued for the CMC clubhouse which was in Sweet Apple Acres.
Down the road trudged gray earth pony filly with a silver spoon cutie mark with eyes full of tears. Silver Spoon kept her eyes at the ground as she walked up the cobble road, so no one could see her wet face. She squinted and blinked from time to time, making small droplets roll down her cheeks and fall to the ground.
"Stupid Tiara, trying to make me do something so unco-"
Silver Spoon's grumbling was interrupted by another pony bumping into her. She and the other pony staggered away.
"Hey, watch where you're go-" Her sentence came to a halt as she saw who she ran into.
Sweetie Belle was rubbing her head and gave it a light shake before facing the other pony. Her eyes went wide in surprise as she saw Silver Spoon. Her first instinct was to endure the same "Blank Flank" comment, but after looking at the gray filly again, she noticed her eyes were red and that her cheeks were wet. This was something Sweetie hasn't seen before from one of the two bullies/popular fillies in the school. She wanted to know what had happened to her, but at the same time, she didn't want to deal with the same dull insult.
Silver Spoon just stood there as the white filly stared back at her. Seeing one of the fillies, her and Diamond Tiara are always getting teased about not having a cutie mark. Sweetie didn't know rather to run away or to try and ignore her when she’s with Diamond around. The two were stuck in an internal struggle, making the air around feel thick with tension.
Sweetie Belle soon made the first move by lifting her hoof up and lightly waving it.
"Uh, hi Silver Spoon." She said cautiously, hoping to break their awkward staring contest.
The gray filly shook her head and rubbed her eyes and looked at Sweetie. "H-hey." She said in an almost cracked voice. "Y-you better watch where you're walking next time." She tried to sound like nothing's wrong.
Sweetie could tell in her voice she's hiding something. She looked at her incredulously and soon she saw a small tear forming in Sliver's left eye, but she blinked it away. Silver then turns to her and sees Sweetie looking at her.
"What are you looking at blank flank?" She jeered at Sweetie, who just shook her head and walked passed the gray filly.
Silver watched her leave and sighed, lowering her head and continued on through town. Sweetie walked into Sweet Apple Acres and headed for the clubhouse. She was still thinking about Silver Spoon and why was she crying. She climbed up the steps to the clubhouse door and walked inside. Applebloom and Scootaloo were sitting and were already thinking of ways and ideas to get their cutiemarks. Scootaloo looked up at the door and smiled.
"Hey Sweetie Belle, 'bout time you made it."
"Hey girls. So, any luck thinking of any ideas?" Sweetie Belle asked looking at her two friends.
"Nothin' yet, but ah might have somethin'." Applebloom said, getting up. "Ah got the idea from Granny Smith after we went swimming at that Ponyville Talent Show."
"So, what's the idea?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, ah was thinkin' about a swimmin' cutie mark."
The other two looked at one another then back at her. "Uh, hate to break it to you Applebloom, but didn't we try that idea already?" Scootaloo asked.
Applebloom shook her head. "That was deep sea diving. Ah mean like actual swimmin'. Like water sports."
Sweetie wrinkled her muzzle at the word. "Eww what?! I am not doing that again!" She shivered a bit from the thoughts of the activity.
"Not that kind of water sports." Applebloom remarked.
"Though, it was kinda fun yet disgusting at the same time." Scootaloo said as she looked at the other crusaders. "What?"
Applebloom rolled her eyes and continued. "Anyway, I meant like things we can do in a lake or pool, like Marco Polo, or water skiing."
"Even water aerobics?" The orange filly asked as she was given odd looks from her friends. Both not knowing how she knows that.
"Uh, yeah, that too. So, what do you two think?" Applebloom asked.
"Yeah, sounds like fun." Scootaloo replied.
"So, what are we gonna call ourselves?" Sweetie stepping forward.
Applebloom rubbed her chin for a moment then came up with something. "How bout The Cutie Mark Crusaders Water Ponies?"
"Nah, how's the Cutie Mark Crusaders Aqua Athletes?" Scootaloo suggested.
"What're your thoughts Sweetie?" Applebloom asked.
Sweetie Belle was thinking hard about a name, but her mind wandered back to Silver Spoon. Why was she crying? Did something happen to her? Her brain was processing questions more than she can comprehend. She looked out the window for some kind of clue for this puzzle in her mind.
"Uh, Sweetie?" Scootaloo called, looking at the unicorn filly. She looked over to Applebloom who just shrugged. The two of them looked back at their unicorn friend who was in very deep thought.
"Ah never seen her think this hard about a name before." Applebloom stated.
"Her mind must have wandered off again like last time she was thinking of something." Scootaloo said flatly.
"Yeah. You ever wonder what she thinks about?" Applebloom questioned.
"What do I look like, a mind reader." Then an idea popped into Scootaloo's head. "Hey, that would be a cool talent, mind reading."
Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Yeah, if you were a unicorn it might."
"Hey, Pinkie Pie can predict anything and she's an earth pony." Scootaloo commented.
"Scoots, it's Pinkie Pie, her logic makes no sense."Applebloom countered.
The orange pegasus was about to say something, but couldn't think of anything. She sighed in defeat and looked over to Sweetie Belle, who was still lost in her thoughts. Sweetie Belle was conducting several situations that might have caused Silver to cry. Tried as she did, she couldn't really think of anything.
"Hey Sweetie Belle!" Shouted the pegasus filly next to her. The shout made Sweetie jump and fall over on her side. "See, told ya that would work." Scootaloo said.
Sweetie sat up and shook her head. "Why were you shouting in my ear?"
"To snap you out of your little world." Said the orange filly.
"Yeah, you had that deep thought look and stared out the window for a good while." Applebloom added.
Sweetie blinked then blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, I guess I did it again, didn't I?" The two nodded simultaneously. "Sorry, it's just, I bumped into Silver Spoon on my way here and-"
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on." Scootaloo interject. "You bumped into one of the bullies from school?"
Sweetie hesitated to answer, knowing full well that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tease them constantly about not having a cutie mark and call the group Blank Flanks on an almost daily basis. She was about to answer when a southern accent called out.
"Applebloom? Applebloom! Hope yer not plannin' goin on your lil crusade. Y'all gots chores ya didn't do yesterday, like I ask you to do."
"Horse apples." The earth pony filly swore under her breath as she walked up to the window and saw the orange farmer earth pony mare. "Thought she wouldn't notice."
"You better come on out now and get to work or I'll comin and get you mahself." Applejack said as she made her way towards the clubhouse.
Applebloom looked to her fellow crusaders with a sad smile. "Sorry girls, guess our crusading day will have to wait."
"Aw man," Scootaloo said, kicking at the floor. "Oh well, I had other plans with Rainbow Dash anyway."
"She's giving you lessons?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"Yeah, well, sorta. I'm not entirely sure." Scootaloo replied. "What about you?"
Sweetie was about to speak, but another shout from Applejack, this one a bit louder. "Applebloom, come out right this instant!"
"Ah'm comin sis!" She shouted back. "Sorry, ah better get goin." She said as she trotted out the door.
Scootaloo sighed and started to make her way towards the door too. "Come on Sweetie, we better get going as well." The white filly nodded and followed behind. They soon made their way out of Sweet Apple Acres and walked down the path towards town. "Well, this looks like we part ways from here." Scootaloo spoke up as they were at the edge of town.
"Really? Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" Sweetie asked.
"You know it. Hopefully Applebloom will have all of her chores done this time."
They both shared a laugh as they parted ways. Sweetie was walking back to Rarity's house, where off the corner of her eye, sitting on a bench and eyes wet with tears was Silver Spoon. She looked just as miserable as she did when Sweetie bumped into her earlier in the day. She stood there, watching as no pony paid no attention to the sniveling gray filly, her glasses close by her making sure they don't fall off and get stepped on. Sweetie also noticed something new about Silver Spoon. She didn't have her pearl necklace on. Was that the reason why she's crying, did she lose it or did somepony steal her necklace? She really needed to know. So she looked around for no apparent reason as she casually strolled over to the bench. She hummed an unknown tune as she got closer. Once there, she hopped up onto the bench, but kept her distance from Silver. She turned her head just enough to see the distressed filly, who gave a sniffle or two before wiping her eyes. Sweetie Belle dared herself to scoot closer, and closer and a bit more. She suddenly halted when she heard. "What do you want blank flank?"
Sweetie turned her head to come face-to-face with one of the bullies. Silver's eyes were a bit reddish and had dried tears under them. She stared at Sweetie hoping she would go away.
"Uhm," Was Sweetie's reply. "I didn't know you were sitting here too." She hoped her little fib would work.
Silver narrowed her eyes at the white unicorn filly, knowing she was terrible at lying. She just shook her head and looked away. "Whatever."
Sweetie mentally sighed to herself, having the opportunity to try and talk to Silver, if she can get her to. "Uhm, Silver Spoon," Sweetie began. "I uh, noticed you're not wearing your necklace."
Silver looked sharply at Sweetie, making her flinch back some. She looked away again and replied. "I lost it, okay?"
"So, was that why you were crying?" Sweetie questioned.
"It's none of your business blank flank." Silver replied in annoyance. "It's....part of the reason." She quietly added.
Sweetie's ears perked up at the last words. "'Part of the reason?'' She echoed. "So, what's the main reason?"
Silver felt like she was being interrogated with the questions the white unicorn filly was asking, but at the same time, she felt a little glad somepony wanted to hear her out. She unfolded the arms of her glasses and put them on. "Okay, if I tell you, you have to keep it to yourself, got it?"
Sweetie Belle nods intensely.
"Okay, it all started at a meeting in Diamond Tiara's mansion. She and I were talking to some of her dad's business partner's kids. When I was gone to the bathroom, Diamond was talking to this one colt, when I came back she asked me to come over to them. We then went into her bedroom and she wanted me to take my necklace off and....." Silver then stopped, shivering in disgust.
"What....what did you do?" Sweetie quietly asked.
Silver drew in a slow breath. "She....wanted me to do....something naughty...to him." Silver choked up a bit but stayed calm. "I refused to do it. We then started arguing and shouting. Soon, Diamonds and the colt's father came in. I took the opportunity to run out before they stopped me." A few tears fell from her eyes after telling somepony what had happened. "It was the most uncool thing she wanted me to do."
Sweetie Belle would have never imagined Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara would ever fight amongst each other. Sweetie inches her way closer to put a hoof around Silver's shoulder. The touch made Silver jump a bit and look up at Sweetie, who gave her a sympathetic smile. Silver felt her heart pounding in her chest as she looked into Sweeties soft eyes. Her face scrunched up and bawled on her shoulder, in return, Sweetie patted her back, comforting her.
After the moment had passed, Silver collected herself and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She glanced up to see Sweetie Belle smiling, causing the gray filly to blush lightly. "If you tell anypony about this."
Sweetie raised her hooves defensively. "Oh, no. I promise I won't tell." Silver Spoon narrowed her eyes, incredulously. "Cross my heart," Sweetie drew an X on her chest with her hoof. "And hope to fly," She flapped her hooves in the air. "Stick a cupcake in my eye." She closed one eye and placed her hoof over it." Silver relaxes her gaze as she sees Sweetie perform the Pinkie Promise. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "Thanks, by the way."
Sweetie looked at her a bit confused. "Uh, for what?"
"For....," Silvers cheeks redden a bit. "For listening. You're the only one who did that. So, thanks."
Sweetie gave a warm smile to Silver. "It's no problem Silver Spoon. Whenever you need somepony to talk to, I'll be happy to."
Silver Spoon turned to her, a bit of surprise on her face. "R-really? After all the stuff I did to you and your friends and calling you blank flanks? You would do that, for me?"
Sweetie simply nodded and smiled even more. Seeing her smiling so much made Silver smile a bit back.