The sun was setting on Sweet Apple Acres, a farmstead that years ago was full of life. Since its founding, the farm always had a full family living there; Granny Smith would say on occasion that “The Acres never lacks a bushel of Apples.”
Two marriages later left two Apples, and now there was one. Apple Bloom was now sole resident Apple at the Acres, despite the fact that she really didn’t work the farm. No, she left that to her older brother and sister, both of whom would leave once the work for the day was finished they would return to respective homes and to their respective spouses; but not without spending time with their younger sister. They would talk about their lives and their significant others (or in Bloom’s case, the lack thereof); something the elder siblings would not give her grief over not finding a special somepony; no, she was getting enough of that from herself.
She gave herself grief when talking to her siblings and when she would talk to her best friends, who had started dating a few months ago. She knew she was still young, too young to really worry about this; indeed, she wasn’t worried about that until the day after a freak chocolate milk rain storm when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle announced to their long-time friend that they were now in a relationship. They had been holding a torch for each other for at least five years, and there was Apple Bloom, not having thought about such a thing for herself. It worried her that she didn’t think about it for so long and now she’s the single mare in their group; she didn’t even know if she preferred mares or stallions, or if she was bisexual like her sisters-in-law were. All that she was painfully aware of was that she was alone.
But at this time in her life, special somepony problems were placed on the back burner to focus on a more important issue: financial problems. The bits only came in as fast as her designs sold, and right now the speed was set to ‘full stop’. It has been a few weeks since her last design and if circumstances were different, she could live comfortably for a little bit; affording herself high-middle class status on the cusp of low-upper class. As it stood now, she could feed herself for an additional month whilst also feeding this ‘leech’.
It was while she was contemplating these issues that Applejack and Big Macintosh walked into the kitchen, where they would have a small meal and chat a bit before going their separate ways.
“Hey there, Apple Bloom, how’re things?” Applejack asked with a smile, though her eyes showed her concern.
“Same as the last time ya asked: jus’ peachy.” Apple Bloom’s depressed monotone was interrupted by the annoyed emphasis on ‘peachy’. It has been the same routine for the past few weeks; day in day out, Applejack would ask if Apple Bloom was fine, and Bloom would respond by lying, followed by-
“Are ya sure?” Applejack asked, hoping for but not expecting a truthful answer. Unlike the once bearer of the Element of Honesty, Apple Bloom could actually lie and often got away with it; just not now. Applejack and Big Mac could see clearly that there was something bothering their sibling and they believed they had an idea of what it was, but they knew the only way to find out was through her. They expected her to lie again but Bloom was tired of it.
After a minute of tense silence, she decided to answer truthfully. “Ah miss Granny.”
“We all do, Bloom. At least she’s in a happier place.” Applejack responded sadly, after discovering what was bothering her sister.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac added, deciding to join in the conversation at last. The Apple siblings stopped speaking for a moment, each deep in thought. Big Mac was thinking of his wife and son at home, Applejack was thinking of how to raise her sister's spirits. And Apple Bloom-
“Seriously, when is she coming back from Las Pegasus? Ah’m not made of bits ya know!” The youngest Apple broke the silence bitterly. The Apple matriarch left for the gambling center of Equestria about a month ago and had been draining Apple Bloom’s funds ever since. Bloom only had enough bits to feed herself and her grandmother’s gambling addiction for another month...maybe. In order for her to sustain herself after that, she needed a contract to land on her lap now. Fortunately, Applejack provided a solution.
“Well shoot, Ah thought you might’ve actually missed Granny Smith. Mah mistake.” Applejack replied in mock apology, though her look said that she was not pleased by what her sister said. “Anyways ya got somethin’ in the mail, from some D.T. Diamonds. Never heard of ‘em, and Ah’m married to the main mare of fashion in Ponyville; they must be small time.” She added before giving the intrigued architect the letter.
She began reading the letter, her brows furrowing in concentration as she went on. She looked as though she had been slapped in the face at one point and was about to rip the letter to shreds, but that was before she reached the bottom of the letter where the offer was located, causing her eyes to widen. This is about five times the amount Ah usually make on a commission. That would be enough to get me back into a comfortable position while Ah make more designs. This is perfect. She finished the letter, stood up resolutely, and shouted, “Ah’m goin’ ta Canterlot!”
-GWG-
A few days earlier in Canterlot
A grey-coated mare was walking down a short hallway to the temporary office of D.T. Diamonds; she had a silver mane and tail and and her greyish violet eyes hid behind a pair of glasses that were more accessory than necessity. In her saddlebag was what appeared to be a portfolio of sorts, a few images sticking out here and there. Underneath the bag could be seen a cutie mark, which resembled a sophisticated dining piece, and her name was-
“Silver Spoon! Did you get what I asked for?” A bratty sounding mare shouted from behind her desk, shortly after the door to the office opened.
“Yes, Diamond Tiara, I have a portfolio for an architect that might just be perfect for the job.” Silver Spoon gave her boss and long time friend the portfolio, and if said friend was paying attention, she would have seen the hope in Silver Spoon’s eyes. Silver Spoon was quite the diligent secretary for Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich before her, always aiming to please. Diamond Tiara decided that it was time to open up her own jewelry store in Canterlot and so Filthy decided that Silver Spoon should be her secretary in that venture; he, perhaps foolishly, gave her a blank check for it. Diamond already had a supplier in the local group of Diamond Dogs and a full staff of metal workers; now she needed a building, and for that she needed an architect which Silver Spoon was tasked with finding. She went about it with as much gusto as all her tasks, and when she came across this particular architect, she knew that she was the one; hopefully Diamond Tiara could see past her biased opinions.
“Apple Bloom! Are you serious!? I will not have her dirty farmer hooves bring down my store’s reputation before it is even built!” It appears that I am going to have to persuade her.
“Look, I know you don’t like her but hear me out. She is the best up and coming architect right now, so she’s good and we can get her for cheap. Just look at what she did in Ponyville and even here in Canterlot; it would be foolish not to send her an offer. Plus, when ponies hear that she designed your shop, they will come from all over and you will be rolling in bits; bits that you earned. Look, she just finished a design not too long ago; now is the perfect opportunity to get her on board. So what do you say?” Hope was still shining in the bespectacled eyes. Oh please say yes.
“Hmm, alright. You set it up; the less we see of each other the better. I’m counting on you, Silver Spoon, don’t make me regret my trust in you.”
“I’ll get it done, don’t worry.” And with that Silver Spoon left the temporary office, her thoughts not entirely focused on the task at hoof; instead her thoughts were on another track: redemption. I can finally make up for those years of being a bully. By Celestia, I was such a brat to those three, and for what? For being enthusiastic about self-discovery, whereas I was proud of a cutie mark that showed off my greed. I’m just a greedy mare, a greedy SELF-ABSORBED MA- Calm down, Silver Spoon. I’m trying to get past all that. My first step is to get Apple Bloom to forgive me, having hurt her the most. But, I think she will forgive me, she was always kind to everypony; maybe a little annoying but not hateful. So while she is working on this project I will work on getting her to forgive me; or even better, become friends.
The silver mare had been trying her hardest to make amends with those she had caused problems for in the past. She had started with those she had hurt the least, ponies that she had bullied once or twice to those that she had bullied since elementary school from at least ten years ago. Now the only ponies left were the ones she bullied the most: the Cutie Mark Crusaders, her hardest challenge yet. But she had a plan; she knew that if could convince Apple Bloom that she was no longer the bully she once was, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would agree with their leader. And perhaps she could even discover if the rumors were true, that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were in fact dating; but that was really an optional objective. First things first, she had to get Apple Bloom to see who she was now.
-GWG-
At Canterlot train station, two days after receiving the letter
Apple Bloom hopped off the train, a saddlebag heavy with necessary materials weighing her down, one suitcase on her back and another hanging from her mouth. She would have came with just one, but when her sister-in-law Rarity heard where she was going, leaving with just one suitcase became out of the question. She was forever indebted to Applejack for getting the number of suitcases down from ten, though she did not want to know the details of how that came to pass.
She started to scan the platform, looking for who was to escort her to the office of her employer. She grimaced, the thought of having Diamond Tiara as a boss did not settle too well for Apple Bloom but the bits on offer was too high to pass up. She figured that if she could find some real cheap housing here in the capitol, the salary part of the contract would be able to cover food expenses and her grandmother’s gambling habits. Hopefully, Diamond Tiara would like the first design she drew, and unpleasantness would not last long. She looked for a pony holding a sign with her name on it, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice, one that she wished she wasn’t familiar with.
“Apple Bloom! Over here!” Silver Spoon shouted and waved excitedly; from the look she received from the architect, she knew she had her work cut out for her. She does not look pleased to see me, though I probably should have expected that. The others were not pleased to see me either, but it was never this intense. I don’t know what I was hoping for; that she would be instantly forgiving? I gave her and her friends so much grief. Well I am going to try to show her I am a new mare, and hope for the best.
Apple Bloom sighed internally, unable to do externally due to the unnecessary suitcase in her mouth. Ah thought Ah would have more time before mah torment would begin. Seriously, of all ponies, why did it have to be Silver Spoon? Ah knew Diamond Tiara wouldn’t show up here, so she sent her partner in crime. By Celestia, Ah knew this was gonna be Tartarus, Ah guess it starts now. She spat out her suitcase so she could greet the harbinger of doom accordingly. “Hey, Silver Spoon; are ya here to escort me to Diamond Tiara’s office so we can discuss the contract?”
“Um, no, actually we agreed, and you will probably agree to this logic, that it would be best if the two of you should not meet, at all. Instead I will be the one you talk to, the one you show the designs to; if there is anything you have to bring up to Diamond Tiara, you bring it up to me.” She looked to the suitcase that was once in Apple Bloom’s possession. “Would you like me to take that for you, so we can walk and talk on our way?”
“Walk? Ah thought a pampered mare like yerself would prefer go about in a carriage or somethin’. What gives?” Apple Bloom asked with a raised brow.
“Well, I never traveled around Ponyville in a carriage, did I?”
“...No.”
“Well, Canterlot isn’t that much bigger than our hometown, and like most earth ponies, I prefer to walk. So shall we?” She started walking in the direction of the castle, not even waiting for the young architect’s response. After some hesitation, Apple Bloom finally followed.
“So Ah have this...financial situation, that requires Ah find cheap housing here, despite the salary promised me. Ah really only want to worry about food and this...other thing Ah have to pay off. Do ya know where Ah could find such a place?” Apple Bloom asked after a few minutes of silent walking, debating whether or not she should ask her only contact in Canterlot about affordable housing, knowing that this prime bullying material; she was surprised by her tormentor’s answer.
“Hmm, well I don’t know about any affordable housing, but...Do you know Octavia Melody?” This might just be the way to win her over. It should be ok, I mean she lives in Ponyville now and she said I could use it.
“Yes. She’s that famous cellist that’s dating Vinyl Scratch; she lives in Ponyville and works with Sweetie Belle from time to time. Why do ya ask?”
“Well, you may not know this, but she is my cousin and when she heard I was moving to Canterlot, she let me have her apartment in the Upper District. I already had a place to live though, so she lets me use it as I see fit. I could let you use it while you are here so all you have to be concerned about is food and...whatever else you have to deal with. Why don’t we head over there now so we can drop off your stuff and take a look at the place?” After saying that, Silver Spoon adjusted her course slightly, heading towards the apartment instead.
“Um, sure and, uh, thank you. Ah gotta say yer a lot friendlier than ya used tah be.”
Silver Spoon smiled when she heard this, confident that her plan was working. “No problem; I’m really trying to be a better mare than I used to be. You mentioned Sweetie Belle earlier, and I was wondering how the other Crusaders were doing.”
“They’re doing great actually.” Apple Bloom was finally starting to lighten up around this mare. Maybe she is actually changin’ for the better. She isn’t bein’ snide or fake right now. “Sweetie Belle just finished writin’ a song, and Scootaloo is discussin’ a contract with the Wonderbolts to open for them.”
“And you are a rising star in architecture; the three of you are really making your way in the world. Now, I heard a rumor about your friends that you could possibly shed some light on; are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle dating?”
At this prying question, Apple Bloom became enraged. “Ah knew ya were a bully, but do ya really have problems with two mares lovin’ each other. Are ya really about to call ‘em ‘fillyfoolers?’”
“What!? No, not at all! I would never do that! In fact…” Silver Spoon thought for a moment, debating whether to tell her secret to this mare. “...It would be hypocritical of me to say so.”
“Really!? Oh Celestia, Ah’m sorry; Ah’ve jus’ been on edge ever since Ah saw ya at the station, and that’s not ok, ya don’t deserve that. Ah can tell ya’ve been changing for the better; Ah would like it if we could start over. So…” Apple Bloom paused before smiling and offering her hoof to a stunned Silver Spoon. “Hi! Ah’m Apple Bloom! Nice to meet ‘cha!”
“Nice to meet you as well. My name is Silver Spoon.” She gladly shook the offered hoof for a moment before turning away from her. “We should get you set up at your apartment. Come on!” And with that they continued their journey to the Upper District.