//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: A Silver Summer 
// by Fanboy 
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Chapter 6

Silver Spoon spent the rest of the day wandering aimlessly through the town once again. Not because she was distracted or upset. This time, she was simply bored. Anything she could do at home seemed pointless. She didn’t know why. And she didn’t try to figure it out.
The day took its time to pass by as young couples strolled through the park, grown-ups took care of their shops or whatever business was theirs and lots of fillies and colts had more fun than she and wouldn’t let Silver Spoon join. Not that she intended to ask them. She wouldn’t stoop down to begging for company.
But the day went over into evening eventually – though Silver Spoon could have sworn it took twice as long as usual – and so she headed home at last. She did her best to ignore all the maids, butlers and whoever worked at her mansion that wanted to let her know they hoped that she had a good day and everything went fine at school.
The supper was as tasty as always but still she couldn’t enjoy herself. For the first time in a very long time something seemed to be missing. And that something was company. Normally she preferred being alone, not having to answer bothering question from her parents about school or if she had finished her homework or if she still remembered that some of her father’s important business partners was going to join them for dinner the next evening and she had to be on her best behavior then.
But this evening she felt terribly lonely. She would even have preferred the company of her over sitting there alone. However, nopony was going to keep Silver Spoon company. Sure, the kitchen staff brought the food and took away empty plates. But their company was limited to asking if ‘the young lady’ was satisfied with the food, wanted another helping, and if she preferred strawberries or cherries for dessert.
After dinner that young lady went straight to bed. All she wanted now was to sleep away this day and call it over. But Silver Spoon had to learn that days like these wouldn’t let you get rid of them that easy. She just lay in bed, tossing and turning. Her head was filled with all the things that had happened since school ended today.
Today?
It seemed like weeks had passed since then.
She tried to forget about it all, block out the memories, think of happier things. But the more she fought them the more these memories hogged her head. After a while – it felt like hours to her – she couldn’t stand it anymore. Unnerved by her own mind she threw herself out of bed.
Silver Spoon decided she needed some fresh air. Her mother always said she needed fresh air whenever something got on her nerves – which happened a lot. So the filly stepped out onto the balcony.
The sun had almost set. Only a glimpse of red could be seen far away on the horizon. Most of the sky was already deep blue and the first stars heralded the few dark hours of another short summer night.
Silver Spoon placed her front hooves on the balustrade, rested her head on them and took a deep breath. The air was still warm from the long day’s heat but it carried the pleasant scent of freshly mowed grass. 
Involuntarily, Silver Spoon had to think of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Right now, her three classmates were sitting around a flickering fire, telling each other stories and eating marshmallows. Or her candy apples. Maybe even that Fluttershy told a story to them. What kind of story would that be?
Led by this question her thoughts moved to about three years ago. Back then she had an old mare as a nursery maid who had told a story to Silver Spoon every night when she had put her to bed.
It was strange. Silver Spoon knew she had loved her and her bedtime stories very much. But she couldn’t remember a single one of them. In fact she had almost forgotten about her nanny.
For a while she stood on the balcony, silently staring into the night sky. Fragments of ponytales about princesses, knights and dragons, about witches and talking animals drifted in and out of her mind. She couldn’t remember a single complete one. But thinking about them finally gave her some distraction and she felt the tiredness she had hoped for. With an inexplicably happy feeling she went back to bed and was fast asleep within moments.
The next day however forced everything she had fought so hard to forget about back into her consciousness with brutal force. Her breakfast was as lonely as the dinner the evening before. And after that she was faced by one more day filled with nothing.
Silver Spoon settled for the same thing as yesterday. This time around she didn’t even bother to go to the park. She had already seen all that there was to see. Unfortunately for Silver Spoon, Ponyville wasn’t that big and after all the wandering she did the past few days she had to find she had already seen almost every other corner that was worth seeing as well.
After a few hours of finding nothing new or just something interesting she decided to go to the one place she would always enjoy being at. The candy store. She trotted through the streets and alleys pondering what she would buy today. But when she turned around the last corner she ran into someone unexpected.
“Thee? I told you she cometh here often,” said a lisping voice which belonged to that red maned, glasses-wearing friend of Apple Bloom who always sounded like she had a slight cold. Whatever her name was. At her side stood Apple Bloom herself, just turning around as said friend pointed in Silver Spoon’s direction.
Silver Spoon stopped dead in her tracks. Why was Apple Bloom here? Why was she looking for her? Should she run away? Or just turn around? Act like she suddenly remembered something important and had to go back? Pretending she hadn’t noticed those two?
The seconds she needed to play through her options were more than enough for Apple Bloom to shatter them all at once. Her cheery voice floated over to Silver Spoon: “Thank goodness yer here!”
<Damn, she saw me. What am I going to do?>
Silver Spoon panicked. Fluttershy had predicted this. As the pegasus had said, Apple Bloom wanted answers to why Silver Spoon had always been so mean to her. And she deserved them, Silver Spoon knew that deep down in her heart. The thing was, she had no idea how to explain it. She wasn’t even sure if there was a way to explain this without upsetting Apple Bloom even more. But that didn’t seem to bother Apple Bloom at all.
“Ah’ had no idea where ya’ live and so did nopony Ah’ know. But Twist,” she said nodding towards her glasses-wearing friend, “said Ah’ should wait here. Do ya’ really come here that often?”
“Er…” was all Silver Spoon was able to give as an answer.
“Ethpecially during vacationth!” Twist threw in, smiling as if she had just won something.
Silver Spoon looked from one filly to the other and back. All she had in mind was getting some candies, go back home and be bored. And now she was confronted with two sickeningly joyful classmates who looked like they were about to celebrate her arrival. Finally she managed to produce a whole sentence of her own:
“What do you want from me?”
She cursed herself for sounding more aggressive than she had intended to. Luckily, Apple Bloom had either missed her tone or chose to ignore it. Her smile didn’t change in the slightest when she answered: “Askin’ yer over to Fluttershy’s for a sleepover!”
Silver Spoon blinked a few times until she had completely proceeded what had just been said.
“You want to what? Why? Didn’t you say your sleepover was only until today?”
“With Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, yes,” Apple Bloom nodded. “But Ah’ asked Fluttershy if Ah’ could invite ya’ for another one. And since it’s the weekend, she had nothin’ against it.” 
“But why?” Silver Spoon exclaimed. She was caught between the confusion about what was happing right now and the uprising wave of joy about this second chance offered to her. And there was still a small part of her mind keen on protesting the idea of going camping at all she had to subdue.
“Well, for one ‘cause Ah’m sorry for Scootaloo’s reaction. She’s the best friend yer could ask for but she’s mighty stubborn at times. And to thank ya’ for the Candy Apples. But also ‘cause Ah’ want to get to know ya’ better. And like Ah’ said, camping is perfect for that.”
“I still don’t get it. Why are you so obsessed with becoming my friend all of a sudden? Why are you acting so nice after everything I said to you?”
As much as she wanted to take her up on the offer, she just had to know this before she could decide anything.
“Ah’m not actin’,” Apple Bloom grinned.
Silver Spoon blinked. “What?”
“She thayth she really ith nithe,” Apple Bloom’s friend explained.
Silver Spoon closed her eyes and rubbed her fore-head. Yet she had a hard time keeping a smile from her face. It was just too amusing how Apple Bloom was somehow able to be real nice and likeable while getting on her nerves at the same time.
“Okay, so you are nice. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
Apple Bloom sighed. “Why are ya’ makin’ this so complicated? Can’t ya’ just accept that I want to be yer friend? Do ya’ really want to keep us hatin’ each other?”
“No, I don’t,” she replied honestly. And for once, she wasn’t surprised by it. She meant it and she meant to say it. She wasn’t sure if it had been Apple Bloom’s persistency or Bon Bon’s counseling. Or maybe even both. But she had already admitted to herself she wanted to solve whatever problems lay between them. And there was no point in denying it anymore.
“Great! Then why don’t we go to yer place, pick up yer stuff and go to Fluttershy?”
Silver Spoon was about to ask again about Apple Bloom’s real reasons for her change of heart. But what she had said just seconds ago was true. Was it really that important why she offered this chance? Sure, Silver Spoon wanted to know, but why not wait until they actually were camping to bring it up again? After all, she had said herself, camping is the best way for getting to know each other. However, this brought another thing up:
“But I don’t have a sleeping bag.”
Apple Bloom just waved Silver Spoon’s words aside: “That’s no problem, Ah’ already figured that when ya’ told me ya’ never were campin’ before. Ah’ borrowed Scootaloo’s for ya’. What Ah’ meant was a toothbrush or maybe yer favorite pillow or somethin’ like that.”
“Wait, did you say Scootaloo’s?” wondered Silver Spoon. “She’s lending her sleeping bag to me?”
Apple Bloom smiled uncomfortably, yet sheepishly. “No, not exactly. Ah’ told her it was for Twist here.”
The mentioned filly just kept smiling.
“So much for never telling lies,” Silver Spoon grinned. “But thanks anyways.”
“So, can we go?” Apple Bloom’s voice was back to her usual state of over-excitement. For once it didn’t disturb Silver Spoon. However, as eager as Apple Bloom was to get going, Silver Spoon wasn’t finished.
She shook her head and said: “No.”
“Why not?”
“First I’d like to know how you know those candy apples came from me. Did Fluttershy tell you after all?”
“Well, no, not exactly. She said she wanted to surprise us, but she’s a terrible liar. And Ah saw ya’ when ya’ tried to hide behind that corner.”
“Oh…” was everything Silver Spoon could say.
“And when Twist told me today ya’ were here yesterday, Ah’ knew where those candy apples came from.”
Silver Spoon nodded. This had answered the first of the two questions she had. 
Okay, speaking of you,” she turned to Twist, “how do you know I’m here that often?”
“Becauthe I thee you here more often than any other filly.” Twist smiled happily, making Silver Spoon wonder if this unnatural kind of joy was maybe some strange disease spreading among Apple Bloom and her friends.
Brushing this thought aside she asked: “But doesn’t that mean you’re here all the time, too?”
For the first time since Silver Spoon ran into them Twist lost her smile. Now she looked skeptical.
“Yeth, I am. Or at leatht, motht of the time. Ever thinth’ I have my cutie mark. Bon Bon ith tho nithe to give me thome advithe and let’th me help her in the shop.”
Silver Spoon returned the look of confused surprise: “Really? I never noticed…”
“You even ran into me yethterday.” It was no accusation, yet Twist’s bewilderment was painfully obvious for Silver Spoon.
Her head dropped and she said more to her hooves than to Twist: “Oh, sorry about that, but I wasn’t really paying attention at that moment.”
Silver Spoon knew perfectly well that wasn’t what Twist meant.
“Have you really never notithed me? I thaw you tho may timeth.”
Twist started to sound saddened.
“Um, no… Er, sorry?”
Silver Spoon tried to smile sheepishly. She had no idea if she pulled it off. The other filly just stared blankly at her in an awkward silence.
However, Apple Bloom came to Silver Spoons rescue: “Okay, now that that is settled, let’s go and pick up your stuff.”
“We can’t.” Silver Spoon pointed towards Bon Bon’s shop. “I still don’t have what I came here for.”
“Oh, right,” Apple Bloom laughed. And with that they walked over to the front door and entered.
Bon Bon’s surprise had been obvious, but in the end, she didn’t say anything, much to Silver Spoon’s relief. She only gave her an encouraging nod when she made her purchase. A gesture which was answered with a thankful smile. After that they parted with Twist who stayed at the shop.
On the way over to Silver Spoon’s home they talked about camping. Silver Spoon wanted to know any detail she could think of. If they really had to sleep on the ground, if it would get cold, if campfire-marshmallows tasted different than the ones roasted over a stove, if they would have to deal with lots of bugs and many other things. But right when she was about to ask how they would shower themselves out in the garden, Apple Bloom fell speechless as her eyes widened in amazement. They had arrived at the mansion.
Or rather, they had arrived at the gate from where they had an excellent view over the whole estate. A road of orderly raked yellow gravel, flanked by colorful and neatly arranged flowerbeds led up to the mansion itself. It was a two story building with a sparkling white facade and a red roof. The upper floor had a total of four balconies, each between every other window. To the left side of the road and the house were more flowerbeds forming a little private park, to the right was a fresh green lawn, which looked almost ordinary compared to rest of its surrounding. Nonetheless a gardener dutifully fulfilled his job of keeping it in shape.
“This is where ya’ live?” Apple Bloom asked in awed surprise.
“Yes, why else should I have led you here?” answered Silver Spoon.
“It’s just that Ah’ had always wondered who lived here. Not just me, ma’ friends too. To us it had always been ‘that huge piece of land with the large hedge around it on the other end of Ponyville.’ Sometimes we even wondered if anypony lived here at all, because all we could see at best through the gate was a gardener.”
“Well, now you know the answer. It’s my family who lives here.”
“Only your family?” Apple Bloom’s eyes still wandered from one end of the mansion to the other as they walked up to the front gate of the mansion.
“Just mine. And our head-butler. Who else should live here?” replied Silver Spoon.
“I don’t know, it’s just so huge. I think we could hold our family reunion here, give everypony her own room and there would still be some left free. Why would any family need this much space?”
Silver Spoon felt herself blushing. For the first time in her life someone had actually managed to make her feel embarrassed about her family’s home. She tried her hardest not to let it show when she said: “Come on, it’s not that big. And your family has even more land than mine.”
“Sure, we need that as farmland. But our house could fit at least two or three-”
“Welcome home, Lady Silver Spoon.”
The butler’s dry and polite greeting interrupted their conversation when they had arrived at the front gate. Silver Spoon noticed that he spoke only to her and gave Apple Bloom nothing more than a short gesture to let her know he acknowledged her presence. Hoping Apple Bloom was still too distracted by the mansion to notice the dismissive look he gave the unexpected guest, she thanked the butler and told him his service wasn’t needed at the moment.
The house was pleasantly cool as always during the summer. According to the faint scent the marble floor in the entrance hall had been wiped not too long ago. Silver Spoon led Apple Bloom upstairs, where heavy carpets swallowed every sound their hooves could have made.
All the way to her room Silver Spoon watched Apple Bloom’s still growing awe in both amusement and wariness. This was the way she liked to impress her. After all, showing off was in her nature. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to alienate her newfound friend before she was even sure if she really could call Apple Bloom her friend. She felt nervous when she opened the door to her room. Would Apple Bloom be jealous? Or excited? Or would she-
“Oh, welcome back, Miss Silver Spoon. We didn’t expect you to come home before evening.”
A maid interrupted her thoughts. She sounded a bit startled but still managed to stay calm and composed. Obviously she was just about to make the bed, as she stood beside it and still held one of Silver Spoon’s stuffed animals in her hoof. Silver Spoon was thankful for this. Having a maid to order around to gave her new confidence. This was a routine for her, well practiced ever since she was able to talk.
“I was to, but my plans for the day have changed. Don’t let your work be interrupted. I just need a few things and then I am on my way again. And talking about the evening, I won’t be back then. In fact, I will stay out with my friend.”
“Your… friend?” the maid asked with a raised eyebrow. “I thought Miss Diamond Tiara was…”
Her voice trailed off when Silver Spoon stepped aside to let Apple Bloom into the room.
“I have more than one friend.”
In her words lay way more indignation than she had intended. And Silver Spoon wasn’t even sure if she wanted to point that out to the maid or Apple Bloom. Or herself.
“Of course, I’m sorry, Miss,” the maid responded promptly with a graceful bow. “But what do you mean; you will be staying out all night?”
Silver Spoon cleared her throat. Mostly to earn some time for getting the embarrassment out of her voice.
“We’re going camping for the night. So I need my toothbrush, a pillow, and Mr. Snuffles.”
“Mr. Snuffles?” the maid asked.
“The plush bunny you’re holding right now.”
“Mr. Snuffles?” Apple Bloom giggled.
But before Silver Spoon could react in any other way than feeling her face getting hot the maid spoke again: “Miss Silver Spoon, I’m sorry, but I am very sure your parents wouldn’t allow you to-“
“If they don’t want me to stay away from home all night, they can tell me by themselves,” Silver Spoon interrupted the maid decisively. “So unless they unexpectedly come back from their vacation right now, I’ll be off in a few minutes.”
She walked over to the maid whose face still spoke of an inner fight with herself over if she should say something about this or not. But when the stuffed bunny was taken from her hoof, it seemed like any confidence she had to talk up to her employer’s daughter was taken with it. She shot a troubled look back over her shoulder at the youngest filly of the house as she walked over to the other side of the room. There she started du dust of a wide shelf filled with a vast amount of unread books.
Silver Spoon made as much haste as possible to get her things packed while not looking nervous or panicking. The butler’s attitude and this maid’s words made her want to get out of the house as fast as possible. She wasn’t afraid that they would actually hold her back if she really wanted to go. But she didn’t want Apple Bloom to witness any more of that. In that mood she stuffed everything she might need into her saddlebags and then they made their escape.
Out of the reach of any house personnel, just behind the gates Apple Bloom wanted to know again: “Ya’ really have a plush bunny named Mr. Snuffles?”
“Yeah, what about it?” Silver Spoon asked nervously.
“Nothin’, it just seemed so odd. Ah’ can’t imagin’ ya’ cuddled up with that doll. Or any other.”
This answer didn’t really help Silver Spoon. On the contrary, it only added to her uncomfortable state. She had to ask: “Um, why not?”
Apple Bloom shrugged: “Ah’ don’t know. Ah’ guess it didn’t fit the image Ah’ had of ya’ in ma’ mind.”
Her words started to turn Silver Spoon’s nervousness into anxiety. “And what kind of image is that?”
“Ah’ don’t know if Ah’ should tell ya’…”
Despite her doubts if she wanted to hear it, Silver Spoon knew deep inside her heart she would have to face the answer to her question sooner or later. And sooner seemed the better option to her, considering what else they would probably have to talk about.
She put as much cheerfulness as was possible for her into her next words: “It’s okay, really.”
Apple Bloom gave her a quick thoughtful glance. Then, with a nod and an understanding smile, she said: “Okay, but let me say again, that’s what I used to think. As in ‘not thinking it anymore’, okay?”
She paused for a moment until Silver Spoon gave a quick nod.
“Up until now, I never imagined ya’ havin’ a nice side. Don’t get me wrong, Ah’ know ya’ do. But before, thinkin’ of ya’ meant rememberin’ ya’ bein’ mean to me. Somehow in my head I always saw ya’ with that nasty smile, planning what ya’ could do next to get on ma’ nerves. That just doesn’t fit with ya’ quietly sleepin’ while holdin’ a bunny in yer arms.”
Apple Bloom kept glancing over at Silver Spoon as they trotted along. She had fallen silent. Even though she had asked Apple Bloom to tell her this, even though she had expected everything she had said it had hit the grey little filly pretty hard.
“Hey, everythin’ okay? Did Ah’ go too far? Honestly, that’s not how I think of ya’ now.”
Apple Bloom’s concerned voice woke Silver Spoon up from her state of distraction. She looked around. Those words came from behind her. Apple Bloom had stopped and fell a few feet behind. Silver Spoon sighed:
“No, you didn’t go too far. I did. That is something I know now. In fact, I guess I knew that since I made you… well since… since what happened three days ago. But hearing this, how you really thought of me. It hurt me. But not because I’m insulted. It’s because it just made me realize that I must have been really horrible to you. That’s not how I want to be thought of by anypony. And before we start our camping night, I want you to know that I am sorry. Not just for what I said three days ago but for everything that has happened between us.”
She looked directly into Apple Bloom’s eyes. For a moment they widened in disbelief. But not in shock, it was a pleasant kind of disbelief, like when somepony gets an unexpected present. The next moment these eyes completed a smile that spread over her face.
She said happily: “Apology accepted!”