//------------------------------// // Day One - Arriving and Arguing // Story: Cutie Mark Crusader Camping Trip // by Yukito //------------------------------// The following morning, the three crusaders had awoken early to gather at their school, along with the rest of their classmates, eager to begin their three day long camping trip. Cheerilee started announcing the groups to everypony, and each pony would respond once their name was called out, to ensure that everypony was present. The crusaders all met up and stuck together through the roll call. All three were excited about the trip, and were so caught up with talking to each other that they almost missed their names being called out. “Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee repeated after hearing no response. “Oh! Here!” Apple Bloom replied, after a nudge from Applejack turned her attention back to the teacher. “You’re in group five!” she announced. “Scootaloo?” “Here!” “Sweetie Belle?” “Here!” Cheerilee hesitated for a moment, worried about the response when she called out the name of the next pony in the group. She looked at her students and their parents/guardians, and steeled herself. “… Diamond Tiara?” There was a sudden hush among all of the students, which caused some concern among the older ponies, who didn’t know quite what was going on. The silence didn’t last long, as two loud voices soon burst out from the crowd. “WHAT?!” Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo shrieked in unison, before turning to look at each other with horrified looks on their faces. ‘Well, that confirms that she’s here, I guess…’ Cheerilee thought, already feeling uneasy about this. “No way!” Scootaloo shouted, turning back to her teacher. “You know we don’t get along! Why did you put her in the same group as us?!” “For once, the blank flank is right!” Diamond Tiara shouted, earning a glare not just from Scootaloo, but from her father, too. She ignored them, however, choosing instead to glare intensely at Cheerilee. “This must be some mistake! I specifically requested not to be grouped up with them!” Cheerilee sighed, and marked off Diamond Tiara’s name as ‘present’. “I’m sorry, Diamond Tiara, but it couldn’t be helped,” she lied. Already her idea that maybe three days working and playing together might help the five fillies grow more friendly towards each other was starting to seem like a lost cause to the teacher, but there was no escaping it now. “At least tell me the final group member is Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara shouted, almost pleadingly. “… Silver Spoon?” Cheerilee asked, reading off of her register. Diamond Tiara let out a relieved sigh, and Silver Spoon confirmed her presence. Elsewhere, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were sulking about how things were starting to look bad for their much-anticipated camping trip. Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, felt a pang of relief upon hearing Silver Spoon’s name in their group. She wondered why she felt relieved, but quickly dismissed the thought. Maybe she was just happy that Diamond Tiara didn’t have to be alone. Even if she was a bully, she didn’t deserve to be all alone, right? ‘Right,’ Sweetie Belle told herself, before taking a moment to glance over at Silver Spoon… And found that the grey filly was looking her way. No, not her way. She would have liked to think that she was, but she wasn’t. She was looking right at Sweetie Belle, and the momentary eye contact, however brief, quickly caused the Unicorn to blush, and turn back just as suddenly as she looked over at her. She couldn’t tell for sure, since she only looked at Silver Spoon for a second, but Sweetie Belle was sure that the other filly was blushing, too. “Alright, everypony!” Cheerilee cheered, snapping Sweetie Belle out of her daze. “Gather into your groups, and follow close behind me and Ms. Hooves!” The grey Pegasus mare standing behind Cheerilee waved into the crowd, a big smile on her face. She blew on her whistle and motioned for all of the students to follow the two of them. “Have fun, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said as she gave her sister one final goodbye hug. Applejack rustled Apple Bloom’s mane playfully. “Make sure ya eat properly, y’hear? An’ no stayin’ up too late ta tell scary stories.” Scootaloo’s mother tried to give her daughter a goodbye hug, but Scootaloo squirmed and struggled against the loving embrace. “Mom! Please, I’m not a little filly anymore!” “You’ll always be my little filly, Scootaloo!” Behind her, Scootaloo could hear the sounds of snickering, and didn’t even have to turn around to tell who it was. Once she was released, the orange Pegasus turned to face Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were still snickering, not over Scootaloo’s mother giving her a hug, but over her reaction to it. Scootaloo was about to tell the buzz off, but remembered that they were in the same group, and thus, had to stick together. She sighed, and decided to bear with it, for now. “Come on, let’s go already,” she said sulkily. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave their sisters one last goodbye, before running to catch up with Scootaloo. Behind them, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon followed, but made sure that there was a noticeable gap between them. Silver Spoon caught Sweetie Belle frowning at them, and felt like she was being silly, and petty. She quickly dismissed such thoughts, and harrumphed as she turned her head up. Sweetie Belle realised that she was staring at Silver Spoon with a frown on her face, and turned her head away just as quickly as Silver Spoon did, brining her attention to the conversation between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “We’ll find our Cutie Marks for sure, with all the activities we’ll be doin’!” Apple Bloom said, trying to cheer Scootaloo up. It seemed to work, as Scootaloo quickly smiled and nodded quickly. “Yeah! With all that’s been planned, there’s gotta be something related to our special talents!” Sweetie Belle also nodded. “This will be the best weekend ever! Just wait until we come home, and Rarity sees I’ve found my special talent!” The three began talking about what activities they were looking forward to the most, and what they could do in their allotted spare time to try and discover their talents. Behind them, Diamond Tiara let out an annoyed groan. “Three days and nights, with those three? This will drive me mad! And worst of all, we have to share a tent with them!” Silver Spoon nodded, not really paying attention to her friend’s outburst. “The Unicorn I don’t mind so much; at least she knows proper etiquette, from her sister.” Silver Spoon nodded again, her ears twitching at the description of Sweetie Belle. “But the other two? A Pegasus brute and a pony who rolls around in the mud for fun?” Silver Spoon found herself just nodding at everything that Diamond Tiara said. Her focus was directed elsewhere, though. Before she knew it, she had found herself staring at a particular white Unicorn walking in front of them. She wasn’t thinking anything about the Unicorn in particular, but simply stared at the back of her head, her mind completely in the clouds. “Silver Spoon?” Silver Spoon nodded again, confusing Diamond Tiara. She waved a hoof in front of her friend, which snapped her out of her trance. “What’s with you? You’ve been staring at that blank flank for a while now.” Silver Spoon blushed, and quickly turned to face Diamond Tiara. “I-I was not!” she squeaked, startling her friend. “W-Why would I be staring at somepony’s flank? I’m not-” Diamond Tiara, seeing that Silver Spoon misunderstood, cut in to correct her. “No, I mean that you were staring at the Unicorn, who is a blank flank.” Silver Spoon’s blush deepened, and she lowered her gaze to the ground. “Oh…” “What’s with you? Did something happen between you and that blank flank?” Diamond Tiara gasped, and shot a glare at the back of the Unicorn’s head. “Did she hurt you?! If so, I’ll never forgive her!” Silver Spoon quickly shook her head. “No, no! Nothing happened! I was just…” Silver Spoon’s brain worked quickly to think of something to say. She calmed herself down, and regained her formal, high-class posture. “I was merely thinking about how much of a pain this whole trip is going to be, now that we’re in the same group as them.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, and turned her gaze back to her friend. “Geez, don’t scare me like that,” she said, turning her attention back in front of her. “And yeah, you’re right… This is gonna suck so much.” “Okay students!” Cheerilee shouted as she stopped, causing the foals following her to also stop in their tracks. Derpy began moving down the groups, handing everypony a ticket. “We’ll board the train one pony at a time, and in an orderly fashion! The train will leave in thirty minutes, the trip will be three hours, and there are no restrooms on board! If you need to go, now’s the time!” Derpy passed by the crusaders, and handed them their tickets. Sweetie Belle excused herself to use the restroom, and Silver Spoon found herself watching the Unicorn again. She quickly caught herself this time, though, and turned away to collect her ticket from Derpy… But not before noticing that, for a brief second, Sweetie Belle was also looking at her. Sweetie Belle boarded the train and found her way to her fellow crusaders, who were sitting in their allocated cabin… With Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The two sides glared at each other, and a deadly silence filled the air. The tension could be cut with a butter knife. All it would take is one wrong comment to set off this powder keg. So of course Sweetie Belle’s first question would be: “Uh, hey! Everypony doing okay?” Diamond Tiara didn’t miss a beat, and responded with: “Of course not! Don’t speak to us, blank flank!” This was Scootaloo’s cue to jump to her friend’s defence. “Don’t call her that!” she shouted, flaring her wings as she took a threatening step forward towards the pink filly. Silver Spoon moved herself in-between the two fillies. “At least try to be civil during this trip! It’s bad enough that we have to be in the same group together, the last thing we need is-” “You tryin’ ta say we’re uncivil?!” Apple Bloom shouted. “You’re the ones who always start everythin’!” The tension was now even worse than before, and Sweetie Belle groaned, and just wished that she had kept her mouth shut. She walked over to one of the unallocated beds, and dropped down on it, burying her face into a pillow. She turned to face the four fillies, who were still arguing. She looked at her friends, and frowned at the hateful faces that they were making. She wished they would just let it go… Maybe she could try to draw them away, to another part of the train? ‘No… Every time I try to make things better, I always end up making things worse…' Cheerilee entered the room moments later, to announce that the train would soon be leaving. As she expected, the atmosphere was most unpleasant… She let out a deep sigh, tried to bring some peace to the group. “Girls, the train ride is going to last three hours… Don’t you think that, instead of fighting, you probably find some fun game to play together?” The four fillies mumbled something inaudible to the teacher, who simply sighed and left the room, to check up on the rest of her students. The deadly silence returned to the room, and lasted for a few minutes, before Silver Spoon’s gaze caught Sweetie Belle lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling with a big frown on her face. Silver Spoon sighed, and walked past Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and made her way towards the cabin’s door. “Come on, Diamond Tiara. These two aren’t worth it,” she said, turning her gaze back to her friend. Sweetie Belle’s ears twitched, and she sat up and looked over at Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara got up and walked over to the door, making sure to cast the three fillies a hateful glare as she walked past them. Silver Spoon opened the door, and followed her friend outside, leaving the crusaders alone. A few minutes after they had left, Scootaloo finally decided to break the awkward silence surrounding them. “So… What should we do first?” she asked, still frowning over the recent events. Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin in thought, and then jumped up and hit the light bulb above her head. “Ah know!” she shouted excitedly. “We could go ‘round the train an’ map it out! Like explorers!” Sweetie Belle rolled onto her side to face Apple Bloom. “We already tried that with Ponyville,” she pointed out. “Yeah, but Ponyville is somewhere we already know! Real explorers map out places they’ve never been before!” “Apple Bloom, we have been on this train before,” Scootaloo said. “Only parts of it! And we don’t know if it’s changed or not since last time!” The other two considered her arguments, and found no fault with her logic. Excitedly, the three fillies jumped to attention, and huddled up. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER EXPLORERS! YAY!” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara sat in one of the passenger cars, playing seven hoof poker with a pack of playing cards that they had brought along. The pack in question was designed by Diamond Tiara, and every card in it included a picture of either herself, or Silver Spoon, with the exception of the joker cards, which had a rather unflattering picture of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Silver Spoon had a pretty good hoof; three Kings and two threes, making a full house. And judging from the look on friends face, it would probably prove to be the superior hoof. ‘I’ve won two hooves in a row… Guess I’d better fold, she thought to herself as she lay her cards face down on the table in front of her. “I fold.” Diamond Tiara shot her a smug grin, and placed her own cards face down too. “Good choice. There’s no way you could have beaten what I had, anyway.” Yeah, sure, Silver Spoon thought as a smile crossed her face. Well, at least she’s feeling better. “Finally, you’re feeling better,” Diamond Tiara said as she began gathering the cards together. Silver Spoon was momentarily left speechless at this, but quickly regained her voice. “Huh?” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, and began shuffling the deck of cards. “Please, you were clearly down after we left our cabin.” “I wasn’t down,” Silver Spoon argued. ‘… Was I?’ “It was you that was down.” Diamond Tiara looked up and narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I was annoyed, not down. There’s a difference, and you should know my annoyed face by now, Silver.” “… Oh, right,” was all she could say, restraining the urge to facehoof herself for not realising it sooner… Which she found strange, since she was always so quick to catch onto her friend’s feelings. “Well, I wasn’t down, either,” she quickly added, but saw that her friend wasn’t buying it. “I know your different faces, Silver Spoon, and the one you used earlier was definitely your sad one. Though I don’t understand why… You’ve never let those blank flanks get you down before.” Silver Spoon thought about it, and honestly wasn’t sure whether she was feeling down or not. “It… Wasn’t that,” she said, uncertainty clear in her voice. “I guess… I’m just feeling a little nervous about being away from home for so long.” Diamond Tiara stared at her for a few seconds, before sighing and dealing out the cards. “So that’s what it was,” she said, smiling. “That’s good. I thought you were feeling sorry for them or something.” Silver Spoon scoffed, and lifted up hoof to see what she had. Two twos. “Why would you think that? That’s just ridiculous!” “Yeah, guess you’re right.” Diamond Tiara grinned at her hoof. Silver Spoon felt like this time, she wouldn’t have to fold. And indeed she didn’t; Diamond Tiara won with a three of a kind, whereas Silver Spoon only had a pair. “I’m going to go get some drinks,” Silver Spoon said, getting up from her seat. “Do you want anything?” “I’ll go with you,” Diamond Tiara, but the offer was quickly rejected by Silver Spoon. “I, um… I like these seats… I don’t want to risk losing them to anypony,” she said, turning around quickly to make sure that Diamond Tiara didn’t see through her lie. “You wait here, and I’ll be back shortly, okay?” Diamond Tiara shrugged and leaned back in her seat. “Fine, I guess it is a good view from here… In that case, get me a cup of Earl Grey tea, or whatever kind of tea they serve on this train, if it’s not available.” Silver Spoon nodded, and proceeded out of the room. Once she was gone, Diamond Tiara turned her gaze towards the window, and growled angrily at the passing landscape. ‘Silver Spoon’s never hid stuff from me before. Those stupid blank flanks are responsible for this. I just know it!’ Silver Spoon walked down the train car slowly, wanting to spend as much time on her own as possible to clear her mind. The last thing she needed now was Diamond Tiara by her side… She liked spending time with her (mostly), but sometimes, she was just too much to take, and right now, Silver Spoon wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with her. “Alright! Now to move on to the next car!” Silver Spoon stopped when she heard the familiar voice, and looked up to see Sweetie Belle walking her way, holding a notepad in her mouth and a pen in her ear. Sweetie Belle – the ever polite pony that she is – stopped in her tracks and dropped her pad down onto the floor. “Um, hey, Silver Spoon,” she said awkwardly as the other filly also stopped. “… Hello,” Silver Spoon replied, and suddenly, the two felt like they did when they met after school the previous day. She remembered the incident in their cabin not too long ago, and looked down at the floor, feeling a little guilty over what had happened. “S-Sorry about earlier,” she said, much to Sweetie Belle’s – and her own – surprise. “Huh?” Sweetie Belle, both out of confusion over what she was apologizing for, and the fact that she was actually apologizing at all. “Earlier, in the cabin… You were just trying to lighten the mood, but we used it as an excuse to make things worse.” ‘W-What am I saying?! Am I really apologizing to this… This blank flank?!’ “Oh, that,” Sweetie Belle said, a frown forming on her face once again. Silver Spoon felt the same guilt pass through her again, but the frown was soon replaced with a reassuring smile. “Well, it’s not the first time… It seems I always make things worse whenever I’m trying to make them better.” “I-Is that so?” Silver Spoon asked, pretending to not be interested. “Yeah, and it’s not like I haven’t dealt with hard-headed ponies before.” “… I guess it is a regular occurrence between us, huh?” Sweetie Belle giggled a little, causing Silver Spoon to blush… Much to the grey filly’s shock. “Well, I was actually talking about my friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are just as bad, y’know?” “Oh… Yes, I suppose you’re right.” “My sister, too. She’s always so stubborn when she thinks she’s right, or when it comes to making sure things are done just perfectly. You should see the way she argues with Applejack.” Silver Spoon found herself also giggling, and before she knew it, the awkwardness from earlier had gone. “Yeah, my sister is pretty stubborn, too. That’s why I was so glad when she moved away.” “Oh yeah? Did your sister ever stay up pulling constant all-nighters just to win a silly little bet against her friends?” “No, but she did go deep into the Everfree forest, all by herself, to get a certain herb, just to prove that she could.” “Wow, how’d that turn out?” “She got the herb, but developed a fear of the dark… Which she then stubbornly tried to beat by venturing into the forest again.” The two fillies shared a laugh together, before Silver Spoon realised what she was doing, and quickly regained her composure. “A-Anyway,” she said, after clearing her throat. “I’m in a hurry, so…” “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to keep you,” Sweetie Belle said, moving aside to let Silver Spoon pass. As she did, she stepped on the notepad that Sweetie Belle was carrying earlier, and lifted it up to the Unicorn. “What’s this?” she asked, curiosity taking over. “Oh, I’m mapping out the entire train,” Sweetie Belle said with a hint of pride in her voice. “Well, not me alone… The other crusaders are helping me. Wanna see?” Before Silver Spoon could respond, Sweetie Belle opened up her notepad and… Whatever it was that was in there, it left the grey filly felling bewildered. It seemed to just be a mess of squares of rectangles, with the occasional circles and… What appeared to be a crude drawing of an elephant in the corner. “Uh…” Silver Spoon looked up at Sweetie Belle’s face, and saw her looking back at her with a big, hopeful grin. Silver Spoon wanted to be honest, to just tell her that whatever she had, it wasn’t a map, and that she should just stop drawing and never try again. Instead, what she said was: “It, um… Looks… Good?” “Doesn’t it? I thought so too!” Sweetie Belle’s smile grew even bigger, and for some reason, this made Silver Spoon feel… Happy? Silver Spoon suddenly realised that her mind was a lot clearer than it was earlier, and that no longer felt as bad as she did minutes ago. Remembering that Diamond Tiara was still waiting for her, Silver Spoon excused herself, and moved past Sweetie Belle. As she did, the Unicorn called out to her. “It was nice talking to you! We should… Do it again?” she said, the last part coming out as a question as her confidence slightly derailed. Silver Spoon smiled for a second, but quickly replaced it with a neutral expression. “Perhaps, if I have nothing better to do…” Silver Spoon walked off further down the car, leaving Sweetie Belle by herself. When she heard the door click, Sweetie Belle turned around and began walking down the car. ‘Well, that was… Strange,’ she thought to herself, the realisation that she had just shared a civil conversation with Silver spoon sudden hitting her. She shrugged it off, and continued moving onwards. The rest of the train ride was rather peaceful for the fillies and colts of Ponyville Elementary. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon continued to play card games and chat to each other throughout the rest of the trip, and, besides a few incidents in the more crowded cars, the Cutie Mark Crusaders surprised everypony by how quietly they were doing their crusading. Diamond Tiara was happy to see that Silver Spoon was a lot more cheerful than earlier, but couldn’t help but wonder what it was that cheered her up so much, where her attempts had mostly failed. When she thought about it, she felt angry at the fact that somepony else was cheering up her, and uneasy at the fact that they were clearly better at it than she was. Once the train had stopped, everypony got off and assembled in their groups around Cheerilee and Derpy Hooves. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo scowled at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon as they approached, and the two glared back for a moment, before turning their heads away and choosing to disregard them. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle frowned, and simply focused her attention on their teacher, waiting for her instructions as soon as she had finished checking that everypony was present. “Okay class! We’re all present and accounted for! Is everypony in their groups?” Most of the class shouted “yes”, and Cheerilee turned around to lead her students to their next destination. “What are you two most looking forward to?” Sweetie Belle asked her two friends as they walked along with the class. “Ah’m lookin’ forward ta the Arts and Crafts sessions,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m looking forward to the flying events!” Scootaloo said cheerfully, flexing her wings. “But ya can’t even fly,” Apple Bloom pointed out, causing Scootaloo to sneer at her. “And that’s why I’m looking forward to it! I’m gonna learn!” Scootaloo puffed out her chest with an air of confidence. “Then I’m gonna surprise Rainbow Dash when we get back!” “Hey, maybe I can learn magic while we’re here!” Sweetie Belle said, smiling widely now that she had something new to look forward to this weekend. She turned around to address the other two in their group, who were doing their best to keep at a distance from the crusaders. “What about you two?” she asked. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at her as if she were insane, along with Scootaloo. “Why’re you asking them?” Scootaloo asked, taking a moment to send a hateful glare to the two behind her. “Well, if we’re going to be in the same group all weekend, we might as well try to get along, right?” Sweetie Belle said, as if it were common sense. “No point ruining the weekend by fighting all the time, right?” “Then why don’t you just not talk to us?” Diamond Tiara suggested. “We agree that we don’t want to ruin this weekend, so just stay away from us, and we’ll stay away from you, ok?” Sweetie Belle frowned and turned away. Scootaloo growled angrily at Diamond Tiara, who simply shot a smug grin back at Scootaloo. “I’m looking forward to the music class,” Silver Spoon said, surprising the others in her group and causing them to look at her strangely. “W-What? You asked a question, so I answered it. Do you have a problem with that?” Before anypony could answer, she quickly turned to face Diamond Tiara. “Besides, I was actually going to ask Diamond that same question, anyway.” Diamond Tiara looked at her friend suspiciously for a second. “… Well, I’m looking forward to the talent show, myself,” she said quietly, so that only Silver Spoon could hear. She then grinned and looked over at the three crusaders, who flinched when they saw that same look she always had when she was about to start something. “Maybe this year, you three will be able to win the contest you actually entered into.” “Hey! We still won!” Scootaloo protested. Diamond Tiara scoffed. “Obviously Miss Cheerilee was just being kind to you. A real judge would never give first prize to a performance like what you gave.” “You wanna bet?!” Apple Bloom shouted, drawing the attention of some of the foals around her. Sweetie Belle sighed and brought a hoof to her face. ‘So much for not starting anything…’ She was about to try and stop the situation from escalating any further, but was cut off by Scootaloo. “At least we don’t hide behind our friend’s talent, and pretend that it’s our own!” Scootaloo said, grinning at Diamond Tiara, who was now fuming. “H-How dare you?! You’re just a stupid blank flank! You don’t have any talents!” “Do too!” “No, I take that back! A Pegasus at you age who can’t fly? That has to be a talent!” Scootaloo’s eyes widened, and then narrowed again in anger. “I-I’m just a slow developer, that’s all!” “That was a low blow, Diamond, even fer you!” “Don’t call me that, hayseed! Only Silver can call me by my first name alone!” “H-Hayseed?!” Apple Bloom shouted, stopping along with Scootaloo. The other three in their group, along with all of the fillies behind them, also stopped. “Ah think it’s time somepony taught you some manners, ‘cause yer parents obviously haven’t!” “Don’t bring my parents into this!” Diamond Tiara warned, stepping forward towards the yellow filly. “At least I have par-” Diamond Tiara stopped herself quickly, wondering if she was going too far. It didn’t matter, though; Apple Bloom knew what she about to say, and was now burning red with anger. “HOW DARE YOU?!” she screamed as she charged forward and tackled Diamond Tiara to the ground. Silver Spoon wanted to step in to break up the fight, but was too stunned by the enraged filly to act quickly enough. She looked over at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo looked ready to jump in and help her friend, and Sweetie Belle was… Upset. She was looking down at the floor, with a huge frown on her face. ‘Is she… Is she crying?’ Silver Spoon was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a yelp form Apple Bloom, and looked back at the two fighting fillies beside her to see Apple Bloom sitting on the floor in front of Diamond Tiara, holding a hoof to her eye. ‘Diamond may be a coward, but she can pack one heck of a kick,’ Silver Spoon thought to herself, feeling relieved that her friend seemed to be fine… That is, until Scootaloo charged forward and tackled the pink filly. “DON’T HIT MY FRIEND!” the Pegasus shouted. “SHE STARTED IT!” “NO, YOU DID, WITH YOU THOUGHTLESS COMMENT!” “SHE CALLED ME TALENTLESS!” “YOU ARE!” “E-NOUGH!” a new voice shouted, before both fillies were pulled apart from each other. Diamond Tiara looked up to see Derpy carrying her in the air, and Scootaloo found herself being held back by Cheerilee. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, to the front with me!” Cheerilee ordered in a stern tone. “But-” “NO BUTS!” she shouted, startling all of the fillies – and even Derpy a little bit – around her. “I’ll talk to you three later, but for now, I want you two at the front, and Diamond Tiara can walk with Ms. Hooves at the back!” The three fillies grumbled to themselves, but after one more stern look from their teacher, they conceded. Cheerilee led Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to the front, and allowed Sweetie Belle to come along with her. Diamond Tiara followed Derpy to the back of the groups, and allowed Silver Spoon to come too. The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful, but the entire class was talking about the fight that had just happened. It had already become a hot topic throughout the class, but then, since this time Diamond Tiara actually fought back, instead of running away, it was almost to be expected. “It’s isn’t fair,” Diamond Tiara moaned. “They started it! Why didn’t that stupid Unicorn just keep her muzzle out of our business?” Silver Spoon narrowed her eyes at her friend. ‘Because she was trying to make our weekend easier for us,’ she thought to herself, but wouldn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, she put on a smug grin, and patted her friend’s back with a forehoof. “Yeah, seriously. Some ponies are just so rude.” Once the class made it to the campsite area, each group was tasked with setting up their tents, with Derpy Hooves available to ask for help if needed. The exception was group 5, as three of their member were taken to the camp administrator’s office by Cheerilee, to receive a stern lecture. Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon were asked to wait at the campsite for them to return. “… Sooooo…” Sweetie Belle said, trying to break the silence between herself and Silver Spoon. “Wanna try setting this up while we wait?” she asked, pointing towards the flat tent beside them. Silver Spoon thought about simply asking her to be silent, but thought that anything would be better than simply waiting in silence. “Sure,” she said, getting up and examining the tent… And having no idea what to do. She decided their best bet would be trying to copy those around them. “We’ll just follow what everypony else is doing,” Sweetie Belle said, as if reading Silver Spoon’s mind. The other filly nodded, and the two began work on setting up the tent. After a few slipups on Sweetie Belle’s end, and a good number of guesses on Silver Spoon’s end, the two finally managed to set up what may or may not be a well-constructed tent. “It… Looks fine,” Sweetie Belle said, just as their maybe tent shook a little bit. “… Wanna try going in?” Silver Spoon looked at the abomination with a look of uncertainty, and shook her head. “No thanks. I think you should go in first.” “I don’t know… It looks kinda…” “Unstable?” “Yeah! Very.” Just as she said that, their ‘tent’ collapsed in on itself, causing them both to frown at their wasted efforts. “Maybe we should ask Ms. Hooves for help?” Silver Spoon looked over her shoulder at another group that was having trouble setting up their tent, and saw Derpy hovering in the air, holding a broken metal rod in one hand, and a wrench in the other, with a worried expression on her face. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to help,” she said, turning back to their wreck of a tent. She sighed as she looked over the mess before her. “If only Diamond were here. She’s pretty good at setting these things up.” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at that. “She is?” Silver Spoon nodded. “We used to go camping all the time, and her father taught her how to set up tents. She tried to teach me, but she’s… Not the best teacher.” Sweetie Belle giggled, gaining Silver Spoon’s attention. “Yeah, I can imagine. She doesn’t seem to have much patience with other ponies!” Silver Spoon narrowed her eyes at the Unicorn’s comment. “Well, your friends are hardly better!” “I never said they were,” Sweetie Belle responded, confusing the other filly. “When it comes to proving herself, Apple Bloom won’t sit still for more than a second, and Scootaloo… Well, she just won’t sit still period. And as you know, they can be quite stubborn.” Silver Spoon nodded, and then looked down at the floor. “I guess… Both of us have quite hard-headed friends, huh?” Silver Spoon looked up when she heard Sweetie Belle laughing, and found herself joining in. “You can say that again!” The two continued to laugh for a short while. When they finished, Silver Spoon gave Sweetie Belle an apologetic look. “Um… Sorry about earlier,” she said. “About Diamond’s behaviour. You were only trying to help. She went too far.” Sweetie Belle gave Silver Spoon an innocent smile, and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I should have minded my own business… And Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouldn’t have provoked her like that.” “Whether they provoked her or not, there was no call for the things she said.” Sweetie Belle was confused by Silver Spoon’s sudden kindness, not being used to this side of her. She saw the worried look on Silver Spoon’s face, and blushed when the sudden urge to comfort the filly with some display of affection crossed her mind. She turned her attention back to the tent, and tried to change the topic. “S-So… Should we give this another go?” “I don’t know,” Silver Spoon said, before grinning at Sweetie Belle. “Do you think you can actually do your job without falling down five times?” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and turned back to Silver Spoon. “At least I took the time to read the instructions. I never knew you were so lazy.” The two broke out into laughter again, not aware, or simply not caring, of the attention from the other groups that they were getting. “Well, might as well try,” Sweetie Belle said. Silver Spoon nodded in agreement, and the two fillies began their second attempt at setting up the tent. “… You know, you’re not so bad, Silver Spoon.” “… You’re… Not too unpleasant to be around, either.” “Why do you always give us such a hard time, when you can obviously be nice when you want to be.” “Because it’s fun,” Silver Spoon said flatly. “Granted there are other ways to have fun, and I do know that, but Diamond gets the most fun teasing you three.” “You call what she does ‘teasing’?” Sweetie Belle asked, her voice cracking at the shock from Silver Spoon’s comment. “Maybe a year ago! Nowadays, it’s just outright bullying!” Silver Spoon sighed and shook her head. “Yes, maybe… But it keeps her happy.” “… You really care about her happiness that much?” Silver Spoon didn’t answer. “So much so that you’d lower yourself down to her level?” “… I-” “What is that supposed to be?” a new but familiar voice asked. Silver Spoon turned around to see Diamond Tiara standing behind her, with Cheerilee and the other two crusaders approaching. “Is that a tent? Because it sure doesn’t look like one.” Silver Spoon frowned at her friend, and stepped aside. “Well then, why don’t you show us how a proper tent should look?” “With pleasure,” Diamond Tiara said with a smirk, stepping towards the tent and starting work on it. “Hey!” Apple Bloom shouted. “We wanted to set it up! We might find our Cutie Marks in, um… Tent… Setting up?” “Yeah, ‘cause that sounds fun,” Diamond Tiara replied sarcastically, angering Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Cheerilee facehooved, and stomped a hoof to stop another fight from erupting so soon. “You’ll all set it up, together!” she said, silencing her students’ argument with her stern tone. “Or do I need to tell your families to come and collect you?” “No, ma’am…” the three fillies mumbled. Cheerilee smiled, and offered to lend a hoof to help them. Partially out of concern, given how the tent looked currently, but mostly to make sure that no fights broke out the moment she turned her back. ‘Hopefully they’ll calm down by the time we begin today’s activities…’ She walked around to the back of the tent to see if Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon needed any help… And was surprised, to say the least, to see the two fillies giggling to one another. ‘Well… Maybe there’s hope for this plan yet.’ The first activity that group 5 participated in was fencing. Scootaloo was happy to take part in any sporting events, but Diamond Tiara didn’t quite share her enthusiasm. “Alright kids, let’s see what you can already do,” the instructor said once all the fillies were suited up and prepared. “Wait, don’t ah know you from somewhere?” Apple Bloom asked. “Possibly. You may have met me back in Ponyville. The name’s Pokey Pierce.” “Ooooh! Ye’re the one that tried ta chat up mah sister last week!” The other fillies snickered, causing Pokey Pierce to turn red. He cleared his throat, and tried to move things along. “Yes, well… Let’s just get things started, shall we? Have any of you ever fenced before?” Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon both raised their hooves. “Ah did once, when ah had the Cutie Pox, and ah think some of it stuck with me.” “I’ve attended a few classes with my mother, so I know the basics.” Pokey Pierce nodded and asked them to demonstrate their abilities. Both fillies stepped forward and got into the standard fencing stance, and performed the actions instructed by their tutor. “Hmm… Not bad. Could do with a bit of practice on your hoofwork, Silver Spoon, and Apple Bloom, you should slow down a bit. You’re trying too hard.” He turned his attention the remaining fillies that were waiting to the side. “Now, let’s get your friends up to speed. Apple Bloom, you help Scootaloo with her technique, and Silver Spoon, you help Sweetie Belle.” Diamond Tiara glared at Pokey Pierce through her helmet. “Hey! What about me?” “I’ll help you out, Diamond Tiara.” “But-” “Okay! Let’s begin!” he shouted enthusiastically, ignoring Diamond Tiara’s protests. Silver Spoon looked over in her friend’s direction for a while, watching as she (reluctantly) practised the basic fencing techniques with Pokey Pierce… And stifled a giggle whenever Diamond Tiara tripped over herself. “What’s so funny?” Sweetie Belle asked. Silver Spoon turned her attention to the white Unicorn approaching her, and cleared the grin from her face. “Nothing. Shall we begin?” Sweetie Belle nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! This might be what I finally earn my Cutie Mark in!” “Well then, to start, get into the en garde position.” Seeing Sweetie Belle’s confused face, Silver Spoon demonstrated by getting into the position herself. “On your hind hooves, left forehoof in the air like this, and right forehoof extended forward, holding your foil.” “But I’m left-hoofed.” Silver Spoon facehooved. “Fine, right hoof in the air, and left hoof extended forward.” Sweetie Belle nodded, and assumed the position… And ended up falling over a couple of times, causing Silver Spoon to roll her eyes and giggle, despite herself. “Hey! It isn’t that funny!” Sweetie Belle said, pouting as she rose to her hooves after falling for the fifth time. “Oh, but it is,” Silver Spoon said with a wry grin on her face. “Is not!” “Is too.” “Is not!” “Is too!” The two fillies were now glaring at each other, silently daring the other to make the next move. Silver Spoon accepted the challenge, moving forward and walking behind Sweetie Belle. “W-What are you-” “Here, I’ll support you so that you can stand up on your hind legs properly, without falling over,” Silver Spoon said, placing her forehooves on Sweetie Belle’s hips, causing both fillies’ faces to turn a shade of red. “Now, try standing up, and I’ll help you keep your balance.” Sweetie Belle nodded, and slowly lifted up her body, standing on her two hind legs. She wobbled a little bit, but as Silver Spoon said, she was kept from falling thanks to the other filly’s support. Once she felt confident that she could stand on her own, she let Silver Spoon know, and the other filly released her – cautiously – and then went back to her position in front of Sweetie Belle. “Now, pick up your sword,” Silver Spoon said. She noticed Sweetie Belle straining to reach her sword that was nowhere near her, obviously not willing to break her stance in order to make it easier on her. “… Why don’t you just use your magic?” “I can’t,” Sweetie Belle responded, looking down at the floor with an annoyed look on her face. “Not even simple levitation?” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Huh… I thought all Unicorns could do that at our age.” “Well I can’t,” Sweetie Belle spat back with venom in her voice. Silver Spoon was visibly taken aback by this, and Sweetie Belle quickly apologized. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to say it like that…” “No, it’s fine,” Silver Spoon said, composing herself. “I shouldn’t have… How about I just go and fetch a sword for you?” Sweetie Belle nodded, and watched as Silver Spoon walked over to the foil sitting on the found nearby, and picked it up. She handed it over to the Unicorn, who accepted it with a quiet “thank you”. “Okay, now let’s try lunging,” Silver Spoon said, standing in front of Sweetie Belle, ready to parry her attacks. “Just like I showed you.” “Um… Okay…” Sweetie Belle said nervously. She took a deep breath, and lunged forwards… And tripped over herself, tumbling towards Silver Spoon. The other filly quickly dropped her foil, and reached out to grab the falling Sweetie Belle. When both fillies ended up on the floor, with Sweetie Belle on top of Silver Spoon, they let out pained groans, and slowly rose back up to their hooves. They stared at each other for a moment, before they both, almost simultaneously, broke out into laughter at what had just happened. “Sorry, Silver Spoon,” Sweetie Belle said in-between giggles. “It’s fine,” Silver Spoon assured. “Let’s just try it again, from the top.” Sweetie Belle nodded, and tried to get back into position. “Uh… I think I may need some help again,” she said, blushing as she realised she couldn’t actually assume the stance without Silver Spoon’s help. “Honestly, you’re so useless,” Silver Spoon said, rolling her eyes. “Well then it’s a good thing I have such a dependable coach, right?” Sweetie Belle teased, causing the two to start giggling again. Meanwhile, the other three fillies were looking over at the two who seemed to be getting along well with equally confused looks on their faces. In the evening, when everypony had gathered around for dinner, the crusaders made it a point to sit as far apart from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon as possible. Thankfully, this was allowed, as dinner didn’t count as a ‘group activity’. “So, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said as she poked at her salad with a fork, giving it a strange look. It didn’t look very appetising to her, but she was really hungry, so she tried anyway, albeit hesitantly. “What’s the deal with you and Silver Spoon?” Sweetie Belle almost choked on her own salad, and took a quick drink of her water to wash it down. Once she could breathe again, she faced Scootaloo. “What do you mean, ‘deal’? We were just trying to get through the activities as pleasantly as possible.” Apple Bloom didn’t buy it, especially from the redness on Sweetie Belle’s face. “Maybe, but it looked like you were more than just ‘tolerating’ each other,” she said. “It looked like you getting’ along mighty well.” “… Is there… Something wrong with me getting along with somepony?” “When that pony is Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, then yeah,” Scootaloo said, receiving a quick nudge from Apple Bloom. “What Scootaloo means is, it kinda doesn’t feel right tah be getting along with them, after everythin’ they’ve put us through.” Sweetie Belle looked down at her salad with a saddened look on her face, and slowly resumed her eating. ‘But, we had so much fun together today. Why is that so wrong?’ “You okay?” Apple Bloom asked, concerned for her friend. “I’m fine!” Sweetie Belle snapped, surprising the other two crusaders. She realised this, and tried to recover. “Um, I’m fine. I’m just… A little homesick,” she lied, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe she didn’t want to offend them, by telling them that she was upset with them outcasting Silver Spoon like that. “I-Is that so?” Apple Bloom asked, and then turned her attention to her meal. “… Yeah, ah kinda miss Applejack an’ Big Macintosh an’ Granny Smith, too.” Scootaloo, seeing her two friends looking so depressed, brought it upon herself to lighten the mood. “Ah, don’t worry about it! I’m sure you’ll forget all about it tomorrow!” The other two nodded, and smiled at their friend’s efforts to try and cheer them up. Sitting at practically the other corner of the room, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon ate their meals slowly. The two were used to more refined food than this, so it was practically an insult on their taste buds to eat what they had. But it was the only choice they had, lest they go the whole weekend without any proper dinners. “Hey, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara said. “You were getting pretty friendly with that blank flank today. What was that all about?” Silver Spoon swallowed the food in her mouth, and looked over at Sweetie Belle momentarily, before turning back to Diamond Tiara. “Just trying to make the time pass by pleasantly, that’s all.” “But still, acting all chummy with the enemy?” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes at Diamond’s Tiara’s exaggeration. “And that’s not all… You’ve been acting strangely lately.” Silver Spoon noticed the uneasiness in Diamond Tiara’s voice, and started to panic. “H-Hey, don’t worry, alright? Like I said, I just don’t want Miss Cheerilee to call our parents to take us home. It’s not like I’m actually friends with them or anything.” “… So, there’s nothing going on between you and that blank flank?” “Nothing!” Silver Spoon assured her. “C’mon, Diamond. We’re friends, right?” Diamond Tiara nodded, and resumed eating her meal in silence. ‘Yes, we are… So why can’t you be honest with me?’ After everypony was finished with eating their dinners, Cheerilee gave everypony two hours of free time. They were to stay within the fences of the camping area, which was still quite a big space, and they were prohibited from entering any of the buildings unless there was a member of staff inside, but otherwise they were all free to do as they wished. Naturally, there Cutie Mark Crusaders’ plans all involved trying something that would get them their Cutie Marks. They tried spying, by eavesdropping on Cheerilee’s conversation with Derpy, only to get caught instantly from not being able to keep quiet for more than five seconds. They tried ghost hunting, by entering the woods (or little part of the woods was included within the fenced-in area), and attempting to find something supernatural. Then Scootaloo pointed out that it was still rather light, so they gave up after ten minutes of searching. Although Sweetie Belle still had fun, putting up papers on various trees with drawings of a tall, slim pony with no face. They then tried to earn their Cutie Marks in fishing in the nearby lake, but only succeeded in angering two Sea Ponies they found trying to have a romantic date. And sadly, that didn’t earn them any Cutie Marks. Their spirits lowered, and the evening drawing to a close, the crusaders decided to head back to their classes’ campsite. When the clock struck 21:00, all groups were to get into their tents and settle down. It was an early time, even for foals their age, to settle down for the night, but the next morning, they would have to wake up at 07:00. After Cheerilee and Derpy examined each tent to make sure everypony had settled down, they retired to their own tent, which was at the centre of the campsite, and was slightly bigger, so that it could be easily found and reached if there was an emergency. Diamond Tiara groaned and stirred in her sleeping bag. Not because it was uncomfortable. In fact, it was specially made by her father’s friend, a pony who specialises in mattresses and sleeping bags, to be the most comfortable sleeping bag in Equestria. No, she was annoyed because Sweetie Belle, who was still afraid of the dark, even at her age, requested to have a nightlight on. A request which Cheerilee accepted. And it driving Diamond Tiara crazy. “I can’t believe I forgot my sleeping mask,” Diamond said to Silver Spoon, who looked just as annoyed. It didn’t help that the crusaders then started to tell ghost stories, making sleep even harder for the two rich fillies. “Hey!” Silver Spoon shouted. “Do you mind? Some of us are trying to sleep!” “Oh, come on,” Scootaloo said, “What’s a camping trip without ghost stories? Right guys?” Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically, whilst Sweetie Belle nodded more slowly, clutching onto her pillow as Scootaloo continued her story about the Headless Horse. Diamond Tiara pulled a sweet out of the bag next to her and threw it into her mouth, and then covered her head with her pillow, attempting to drown out the annoyance. “You call those ghost stories?” Silver Spoon scoffed. “Please, Diamond Tiara knows some stories that would have you wetting your beds before they’re even finished!” “That so?” Apple Bloom asked sceptically. “Well then, maybe she’d like ta tell some, then.” “Yeah!” Scootaloo said. “If she’s so much better at them than us, let her prove it!” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and tossed one of Diamond Tiara’s sweets into her mouth. “Like I said, we’re trying to get some sleep. Now stop with all the noise and turn off that stupid light already!” Sweetie shook her head furiously and covered the light with her body, as if trying to protect it. “Or else what?” Scootaloo challenged. “Or else we’ll tell Miss Cheerilee that you’re refusing to settle down!” “Go ahead,” Apple Bloom dared. “We’ll tell her you’re sneaking snacks after dinner!” Silver Spoon’s hoof stopped inside the bag of sweets in front of her, and she narrowed her eyes at Apple Bloom. “Um, maybe we should settle down,” Sweetie Belle said, sensing a fight fast approaching. Silver Spoon sighed and placed the sweets back inside of Diamond Tiara’s bag. “Look, you don’t have to turn off the light, but at least show some courtesy to the ponies around you and stop making so much noise.” “Make us!” Scootaloo shouted, jumping up to her hooves. “Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle pleaded. “Fine by me!” Silver Spoon responded, also getting up. “Silver Spoon, no!” “ENOUGH!” Diamond Tiara shouted, throwing off her pillow and glaring at the crusaders. “I’M TRYING TO GET MY BEAUTY SLEEP! I’VE HAD A VERY EXHAUSTING DAY, AND WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU-” “O-Okay, Diamond! Just calm down, okay?” Silver Spoon said, cutting off Diamond Tiara’s rampage and holding her back, just in case. “Look, you should just settle down already. You do not want to mess with her when she’s sleep-deprived.” “Oh yeah?” Scootaloo said, taking a step closer. Sweetie Belle stopped her by grabbing her hind leg, and looking up at her pleadingly. “… Oh, fine,” Scootaloo said, giving in to Sweetie Belle’s puppy dog eyes. “Hear that, Diamond? They’re going to settle down now.” Diamond Tiara huffed, and lay back down on her pillow, turning away and closing her eyes tight to resist the shine of the nightlight. The five fillies lay down in the tent in an uncomfortable silence, and none of them even dared trying to move about, not wanting to create a single sound. Finally, after about thirty minutes, the first signs of sleep showed themselves. Apple Bloom started to snore away, soon followed by Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon raised her head, and saw Sweetie Belle laying down, breathing peacefully in her sleeping bag. Assuming that all of the other fillies were asleep, Silver Spoon got up, picked up one of her bags, and left the tent. Sweetie Belle heard hoofsteps behind her, but didn’t move from her spot. She instead continued pretending to be asleep, and waited until the hoofsteps passed over her before she opened her eyes. She saw Silver Spoon leaving the tent, and waited a few moments before getting up and following her. She peeks outside of the tent, and saw Silver Spoon walking in the direction of the lake. At first, Sweetie Belle thought about going back to bed, but she couldn’t leave Silver Spoon all by herself; what if something had happened to her? ‘I’ll tell Miss Cheerilee… But, I don’t want to get her in trouble…’ Sweetie Belle ultimately decided to follow the other filly herself, to find out what she was up to, and to make sure that she was okay. She grabbed her nightlight lantern in her mouth, and braved her way through the darkness of the night, all the way to the lake. Every time she thought she heard or saw something, she just told herself that she had to make sure Silver Spoon was okay, and that was enough to keep her moving. Once she made it to the lake, she saw Silver Spoon sitting by the side, tossing rocks into it. She stopped when an angry Sea Pony popped up and told her that they were trying to sleep, and then continued to just sit in silence for a bit. Sweetie Belle approached her, though Silver Spoon didn’t seem to notice until she spoke up. “What’re you doing out here?” Sweetie Belle asked, prompting Silver Spoon to turn around to face her. “… Just trying to clear my mind,” she said. “Oh?” Sweetie Belle sat next to Silver Spoon. The other filly didn’t seem to mind. “… Rough day, huh?” “It’s nothing new. Diamond tends to get easily aggravated, and I always just spend some time by myself to clear my mind when she does so.” “If she’s such a bother, why do you put up with her?” “What, you mean those two friends of yours never get on your nerves sometimes?” Sweetie Belle looked up for a moment, and then shrugged. “I… Guess they’re a little too much sometimes, but for the most part, we have so much fun together that I barely notice it.” Silver Spoon said nothing for a while, and raised her knees up to rest her face on them. “… You asked earlier, why Diamond and I give you guys such a hard time.” Sweetie Belle nodded, remembering Silver Spoon’s answer. “Like I said, we just find it fun… But, for me, there’s another reason.” “What is it?” “I’m… Jealous.” Sweetie Belle looked utterly confused at that, which is what Silver Spoon expected. “I hate being tied down to one destiny. I’ve hated it from the moment I got this stupid thing.” Sweetie Belle titled her head, now even more confused than usual. “But, you’re always talking about how you love your dad’s work, and how you always want to take over for him when you’re older.” Silver Spoon nodded. “I do. Father’s always working so hard, and his employees are always so thankful to how well he treats them. From the first time he showed me his business, I’ve always wanted to help him out, and succeed him when he retires.” Sweetie Belle noticed the photo album at Silver Spoon’s hooves, which showed pictures of her in what she assumed to be her father’s workplace, with various graphs and charts in the background. It looked like her father was teaching her the basics of a successful business. “But it was so hard. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t do it. Math has never been a problem for me in school, but when I have to apply it to a business scenario, I’m so lost, and just don’t know where to begin. There are so many rules and techniques and things that I just can’t get a hang of. “And then, when I got this.” She pointed down to her Cutie Mark. “I just gave up. My destiny was decided for me, and it wasn’t business.” Sweetie Belle recalled a different story from Silver Spoon the previous day. “Then, what is your special talent?” Silver Spoon looked at her with a look of annoyance and anger, causing Sweetie Belle to flinch. Sighing, Silver Spoon’s face returned to a frown, and she buried her face in her knees again. “… Silversmithing,” she mumbled, though it was loud enough for Sweetie Belle to hear. “You mean… Making things from silver?” Suddenly, something clicked in Sweetie Belle’s head. “Oooh, that’s what the silver spoon means!” Silver Spoon nodded, and flipped a few pages in her photo album. There were pictures of Silver Spoon with her parents, and in the background, a banner that read: “Congratulations! You discovered your talent!”. Sweetie Belle recalled that Silver Spoon didn’t have a cute-ceañera. In fact, if she remembered right, Silver Spoon took a week off of school suddenly, and when she returned, she had her Cutie Mark. Inside the photos, Silver Spoon looked depressed, and her parents seemed to be doing all that they could to cheer her up. “One day, I went on an errand for my father. He asked me to pick up a candlestick for him from the silversmith. When I got there, I was in awe of all the wonderful works of silver around me. I was amazed that so many wonderful things could be created by just one pony, and I just had to find out how he did it. “He invited me to watch him work for a bit, and explained to me each and every step as he went along. Unlike when my father tried to explain his work to me, I actually found this easy to understand. I was a fast learner, and very passionate about it, too. I asked if I could have a go, and he said yes.” Silver Spoon reached into her bag, and pulled out a broach, in the shape of a spoon. It was made out of pure silver, with a little pink paint on the handle in the shape of a heart. “This was the first thing I made… And when I finished it, I got my Cutie Mark.” “It’s beautiful,” Sweetie Belle said, admiring the broach. Silver Spoon handed it to her, receiving a questioning look from Sweetie Belle. “If you like it so much, you can have it.” “Oh no! I couldn’t! You put a lot of work into it, so-” “Exactly. It should be with somepony who actually likes it,” she said. “Take it. It’ll look good on you, anyway.” Sweetie Belle blushed, and took the broach from Silver Spoon. “Um… Thank you,” she said. The two fillies looked away from each other, and an awkward silence followed. Sweetie Belle broke it when she felt it had gone on for too long. “Y’know, you shouldn’t… Hate the talent that you have.” Silver Spoon looked at her with an annoyed look on her face. “What do you know?! You don’t know what your special talent is yet! You can’t possibly understand what I’m going through!” “B-But, you made something so beautiful, and on your first try, too!” Sweetie Belle protested, holding up the broach to Silver Spoon. “And, you said that, inside the store, there were all kinds of wonderful things, all made from silver, right?” Silver Spoon nodded slowly. “You can make such beautiful things… They can make a lot of ponies really happy. I think it’s a great talent, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of it!” Silver Spoon looked at her in disbelief. “You… You really think so?” Sweetie Belle nodded, smiling at the grey filly. “I do.” The two stared at each other for a few moments in complete silence, simply looking into each other’s eyes, lost in each other’s gazes. The sound of an owl in the nearby trees snapped them out of it, and Silver gather her photo album into her bag, and got up. “We should probably be heading back now.” Sweetie Belle nodded, and picked up her lantern in her mouth. She heard Silver Spoon going on ahead, and almost dropped the lantern in her panic. “Ah! No, wait!” Silver Spoon turned back to look at the filly. “Hm?” “D-Don’t go on without me! Please?” “… You’re afraid of the dark that much?” Sweetie Belle nodded her head timidly, and Silver Spoon couldn’t help grinning wickedly at her. “Well then, you’d better keep up!” she said as she dashed off. “N-No way!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she ran after her. “Please! Stop!” She heard Silver Spoon laughing as she ran in front of her, and when she finally caught up, the other filly decided to slow down to a walk. “Y-You’re so mean!” Silver Spoon harrumphed and turned her head up. “A filly your age shouldn’t be so afraid of the dark.” Sweetie Belle let out an annoyed groan, and then had a good idea for revenge when she passed by a bunch of trees. She quietly picked up a nearby rock, and threw it into the trees, causing Silver Spoon to jump at the sudden sound. “W-What?! Is somepony there?!” she shouted into the trees, only to receive no answer. She heard laughter behind her, and turned around to see Sweetie Belle laughing at her. “Y-You! That wasn’t funny!” Sweetie Belle continued laughing, which only spurred on Silver Spoon’s anger even more. “Stop that at once!” “Aw, don’t worry,” Sweetie Belle said teasingly as she approached Silver Spoon, her laughter dying down. “I won’t tell anypony,” she said as she neared Silver Spoon, smiling sweetly at her. Silver Spoon’s face turned red, and soon afterwards, so did Sweetie Belle’s. “… L-Let’s just get back to our tent,” Silver Spoon suggested. “Y-Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said, and soon, the two were walking side-by-side, neither saying a word to each other, but occasionally stealing a glance of the other filly, only to look away when the other seemed to be turning their head. When they got back to the tent, they were pleased to see that none of the others in their group seemed to have woken up, and they made their way to their own sleeping bags. After she put her new broach into her bag, and positioned her nightlight nearby, Sweetie Belle lay down on her side, and rested her head onto her pillow. “Night, Silver Spoon,” she said. It took a while, but she finally received a response. “Good night, Sweetie Belle.”