//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 
// Story: A Silver Summer 
// by Fanboy 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 15

Silver Spoon had learned a valuable lesson today. And the first period had barely yet begun. She even acknowledged that she should have learned it some time ago. By now she knew that much trouble and agony can be – and could have been – avoided by that simple concept that had become so obvious. Why it had taken so much for her to see it, she didn't know. But now she did:
When ponies are talking to you, listen to them.
She had managed to get herself bound by her word. That was a concept she had learned long before from her father; if you agree to something, you have to stay by that decision. That was a question of honor. Whatever that word exactly meant. But she knew that when it came to agreements, honor meant a lot to her father. And even if she was still angry at him – if he saw it as so important, so would she.
But unfortunately that meant for her to pay attention in class.
One careless nod and now she had to stay focused on the blackboard, her teacher and what everypony around her said.
Would she even have to take notes?
She wasn't so sure about that. But all the other foals did it. Maybe that was part of paying attention. After all, Cheerílee had scolded her before because she hadn't taken proper notes. As in, none at all.
So she decided to put her quill to good use for once. Maybe Cheerilee wouldn't pick her for questions when she was busy scribbling down something? Silver Spoon deemed that worth a shot.
But all too soon she had to find out that wasn't the case. At least, not completely. Silver Spoon didn't get picked as often as the last day she had been here. Still, each time was once too often for her taste.
Yet she also had to admit, reluctantly, to herself that time went by a lot faster with a distraction on hoof than when she had just suffered her fate in boredom.
When the first break came, she let her head sink onto her desk. But this time it was more than just the recess routine she had already perfected within the few days of summer school. The missing hours of sleep from last night were wrestling her down. Somewhere between deciding that nopony would mind if she took a quick nap and an outstretched yawn, she had placed her head on her front hooves. This was far from the comfort her bed had to offer, but it would do for now.
“What are you doing?” Cheerilee's voice cut into her atempt to get some rest.
“Trying to sleep.” Silver Spoon opened one eye and saw her teacher right next to her.
“At least you're honest. But that doesn't make it any better. You can't sleep at school.”
“Why? We're having a break and I'm tired.”
“Because you just don't sleep at school.” Silver Spoon hated this kind of answer. “If you're tired go playing outside and catch some air.”
Silently grumbling, the filly slipped from her chair and walked towards the door, followed by Cheerilee.
“Honestly, Silver Spoon. All I wanted to do was tell you how proud I am of you for keeping your promise. And now this.”
Silver Spoon stopped and looked at her teacher. “You were going to praise me?”
Cheerilee was silent for a moment. Then she said: “Yes, I was.”
Silver Spoon lowered her eyes. She knew she would be blushing even before she started to talk. “Could... Could you still do it?”
Again, Cheerilee didn't answer right away. Her cheeks still burning Silver Spoon risked looking up to the teacher. There she saw a wide, amused smile. And Cheerilee's voice sounded even warmer than usual when she said: “I don't see why not. I still am proud of you for keeping your promise. You did really good during the last lesson. If you can keep this up, your grades will go up in no time.”
Not even bothering to contain her smile Silver Spoon finally stepped outside. Somehow, this late summery morning seemed more alive and sunny than any other she had seen before. Even being reminded by their presence that Snips and Snails were the only other foals there by now couldn't drag her down.
She walked over to the swings and sat down on one of them. Slowly swaying back and forth, she watched her two class mates as they ran around the school's playground. The way they spent their break reminded the filly of the animals on Fluttershy's cottage. Especially the squirrels and ferrets. Or weasels, whatever they were.
Feeling the tiredness returning again, she started to swing, just to keep her awake. Cheerilee had told her to play, but she had no idea what. There wasn't much to do on her own. Snips and Snails weren't exactly her first choice as playmates. Not that she usually had any choice. But if she was to start making more friends, she wasn't sure if she wanted to start with those two.
So she spent the time until the next lesson on the swing, wondering what exactly it was her classmates were playing. All they did was running across the playground, from one end to the other and back. Sometimes they stopped and talked with each other, just to burst into laughter and then start over again. Sometimes she thought she caught them looking at her. Not blatantly staring, but a quick glimpse out of the corners of their eyes. And every time she asked herself if those looks had something to do with them laughing so often.
The next lesson started and passed without any answer to that question. But Silver Spoon cared less by the minute, knowing that at least for the last lesson she would have Apple Bloom by her side. And the more this thought settled in, the more she had to restrain herself from laughing. If only a week ago anypony had told her she would long for Apple Bloom of all fillies to show up, she'd have had her father declare that one officially crazy.
When the lesson was finally over she immediately left the classroom, heading for the swings. There she awaited impatiently Apple Bloom's arrival. But she had to find out that she wasn't the only one waiting for her.
As soon as the red maned filly closed in on the schoolhouse, Cheerilee called out to her. Silver Spoon saw her friend, already set to run right up to her, almost tumble over her own hooves. She looked at Cheerilee as surprised as Silver Spoon felt.
Their teacher on the other hand looked as happy to see Apple Bloom as Silver Spoon was. Cheerilee walked over to the filly who was still looking back and forth between her teacher and Silver Spoon. For a moment the grey coated filly thought about going over to her too, but usually when Cheerilee called out to one of her students like that she wanted to talk to her without others listening in.
So she watched them exchanging a few words from where she was. Soon, Apple Bloom's skeptical expression shifted to excitement. After a few moments Apple Bloom glanced over at Silver Spoon and nodded, a determined smile on her face. Then she finally came over to her friend, while their teacher returned back into the schoolhouse.
“What was that all about?” Silver Spoon greeted her.
“Nice to see ya' too.”
“Yeah, sorry. Of course I'm glad to see you.”
“Thanks. Cheerilee wanted to know if what ya' told her was true.”
“Oh. Yeah, that kind of makes sense.”
“But more importantly, she asked me if Ah' could help you study.”
Silver Spoon sighed. “She is really serious about me getting better at school, huh?”
Apple Bloom giggled. “Of course. That is her job, ya' know?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“And by the way, Ah' was thinkin' about offerin' that anyways.”
“Really? Why?”
“Why not? If Ah' can help ya gettin' better grades, why shouldn't Ah'?”
“Are my grades that important to you?”
“Well, they should be important to yerself, don't ya' think? After all, that's what all this here is about. And didn't ya' tell me the reason why yer couldn't go to yer summer house this year were yer bad grades? So Ah' thought, if Ah' could make a difference for ya' next year, why not”
“Yes, well, but if that wouldn't be the case, we would still hate each other.”
“Okay, that's true. But having low scores on tests isn't exactly the usual way to make friends. Now come on, what do ya' say?”
“That is nice of you, really. But I am not sure if that will lead to anything.”
“All it's supposed to lead to is ya' gettin' better at school. And we'll never know if we don't try, right?”
For a moment, Silver Spoon pondered these words. She really didn't like learning. But then again, she did like good grades. And besides that, Cheerilee had already praised her just for paying attention. And she liked being praised even more than good grades. What would Cheerilee say if she was actually able to improve?
She nodded and said: “Yes. You're right. Trying can't hurt. And Stickler surely can't say anything against that.”
Apple Bloom tilted her head. “Stickler? Who's that?”
“Our head-butler.”
“Oh, okay. And why would he have anything against it?”
“Well, you see, he... he... To be honest, I don't know why. All I know is that he, um, isn't very fond of your sister. And no, I have no idea why about this too. But nonetheless, he told me yesterday that I am not allowed to visit you again.”
Apple Bloom's chin slowly drooped.
“Yeah, I feel the same way,” said Silver Spoon. “And I won't let this go until he let's me visit you again.”
“But... But... Why would he forbid that in the first place? For that matter, why can your butler forbid you anything?”
“My father put him in charge. Before he and mother left. And as I said, he doesn't like your sister. Because of something that happened long ago between her and my sister. I have no idea what, but, at least to him, it was bad enough that he sees her as bad company for me.”
Apple Bloom's features kept shifting like she didn't know herself what she felt right now. “Wow. Ah've no idea what to say to that.”
“Me neither. But I'll figure something out. And he never said anything about me not seeing you. As long as we don't go to your place, there's nothing he can say.”
“No, that's not what Ah'm talkin' about. Ah' only found out that ya' had a sister two days ago. How does ma' sister even know her? And what happened between them that yer not allowed to visit me? And why did she never tell me about it?”
“Well, she didn't know Marecedes is my sister. She only found out yesterday. That's all I can tell you.”
Silver Spoon waited for Apple Bloom to say something else. But the red maned filly simply stared past her, focused on something only she could see.
While Silver Spoon eyed her friend, a high pitched voice attacked her eardrums: “Are you two talking to each other?”
Silver Spoon turned her head around. Apple Bloom also finally snapped out of her state. Right there next to them stood Snips, Snails as usual by his side.
“Not the first time we do this,” replied Silver Spoon.
“Yeah,” Snails commented in his nasal, drooping voice. “But never this friendly. Usually you are yelling insults at each other by now.”
Silver Spoon didn't even bother to get annoyed. She settled with just rolling her eyes and saying: “I am sorry to disappoint the two of you. But that show was canceled.”
“Why?” they asked in unison.
Were they actually that dense or simply ignoring her tone?
Silver Spoon was about to call them out on this, but Apple Bloom was quicker to answer. “What she was tryin' to say is that we put that behind us. Ya'll never see us fightin' again.”
The two colts looked at each for a moment. Then, to Silver Spoon's suprise, they grinned. Looking back at them, Snips said: “That's great! All that really started to get on our nerves.”
Now it was the fillies' turn look at each other. It was like staring at a recolored image of herself for Silver Spoon. Obviously neither of them had expected that.
Slowly breaking eye contact with Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom asked: “You were annoyed by that?”
“Yeah, having to listen to other ponies fighting over trivial stuff gets old pretty fast.”
Silver Spoon was dumbstruck. And she didn't even know what baffled her more – that Snails found what had been going on between her and Apple Bloom trivial or that he knew that word.
Obviously Apple Bloom felt the same way. “How can ya' say that? She kept makin' fun of me and called me a blank flank!”
“And you always made a big deal out of it,” said Snails.
“Yeah,” added Snips, “why didn't you just let it go?”
“Easy for ya' to say. Both of ya' have yer cutie marks. Nopony makes fun of yer for that.”
“Not for that,” agreed Snails. “But the other foals always make jokes about my grades. Or, they try to. But whenever I'm starting to laugh with them, they stop.”
Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom looked at each other. Then Apple Bloom asked: “How are ya' able to do that?”
“Why shouldn't he be?” asked Snips.
Snails nodded. “Yeah, I know I'm bad at school. It's not really a secret. Why should I get angry at others simply for pointing out what everypony already knows?”
“But...” Silver Spoon said. “But, aren't you angry at yourself for being bad at school?”
“No, I don't care. Worrying isn't fun. And I like having fun.”
“Do ya' see it the same way?” Apple Bloom asked Snips.
“Of course!” he replied.
The two fillies kept looking back and forth between themselves and the two colts. Silver Spoon was at a loss for words and she saw in Apple Bloom's look that it wasn't any different for her.
Before any of them could even force a crack into the silence, Cheerilee's voice shattered it to pieces: “Come back inside, it's time for the next lesson!”
The four foals moved. Snips and Snails hasted back into the school house, yet the two fillies slowly trotted over. Silver Spoon didn't even need to look at Apple Bloom to know that her friend was still trying to stomach what had just been exchanged. She on the other hand knew exactly what she had to make of it.
It had now been the third Equestrian lessons in a row she had spent together with those two foals, trying every which way to convince herself she was not at their level. Being the only other foal in the room with them simply must not mean that there wasn't still a difference between them. And now she had heard it from them personally:
She was wrong.
Up until now it was her firm believe that they were stupid while she simply didn't care about school. This had been her mantra for months. But now that had been shredded to pieces.
They, too, simply didn't bothered with learning.
With newly found determination she made a promise to herself.
No, not a promise – it was decree.
She wouldn't try getting better at school. She was going to get better at school. Anything else was out of the question.
And this time, her determination lasted until the end of the lesson. Her eyes were glued on the front of the class, only diverting from their target whenever she had to write something down or calculate an equation. Her mind completely dismissed any regards about not knowing what Cheerilee was talking about. Even if she just wrote completely random numbers as a solution on the blackboard, she would do something.
Not only Cheerilee looked impressed, even Apple Bloom regarded her with ever growing surprise each time Silver Spoon volunteered to give an answer.
When the lesson was finally over – which happened way sooner than Silver Spoon was used to – and two friends were about to leave school for the day Cheerilee said: “I can't tell you how positvely surprised I am, Silver Spoon. Keep up working like you did today and soon you'll be one of the best students in my class.”
“I will,” postulated Silver Spoon with a stern nod.
“I'm glad to hear that,” replied Cheerilee. “Say, Apple Bloom, have you already asked her?”
Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah' did. We'll at least try it.”
“No,” said Silver Spoon, “forget what I said.”
“What?” both her teacher and her friend exclaimed in startled unison.
“We don't have to try. We'll do it. I would be most grateful if you'd help me learning.”
Cheerilee and Apple Bloom exhaled with a laugh.
“Don't scare me like that,” said her teacher, patting Silver Spoon on he back. “Now off you go. I'll see you in two days.”
Out of earshot from their teacher, Silver Spoon asked: “Scare her? How did I do that?”
The already grinning Apple Bloom bursted into laughter. Trying to catch her breath again, she said: “Oh, Ah' don't know. But never mind that. So we're going to do this, yes?”
“If you mean learning, then yes, we are.”
“Great, Ah' can't wait to see the face of that butler of yers.”
Apple Bloom broke into a run, leaving behind a Silver Spoon caught off guard. The grey coated filly quickly took up the pursuit of her friend. Whenever she lost sight of her she just had to follow the startled shrieks and cries of anger Apple Bloom left behind. A few unrefined words thrown at them and dodged hooves later, the two friends shot through the open gate of Silver Spoon's home. Only as they reached the gravelled path to the front door they slowed down.
“Why,” huffed Silver Spoon, “are we always running through town?”
“Walkin' takes too long.”
“I'd say you're just too impatient.”
“That too, maybe.” Apple Bloom grinned. “But the sooner we get here, the sooner we can start studyin'. And the sooner we start that, the sooner we're done with it.”
“Good point,” admitted Silver Spoon while she opened the door.
It wasn't until the two had entered the mansion that she noticed something, or rather, somepony was missing. She stopped and looked around but they were definitely alone.
“What is it?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I'm missing my butler.”
“The one that didn't want ya' to see me?”
“Not you, your sister. But yes, him.”
“Aren't ya' glad he ain't here? Ah' know Ah' am.”
“Well, it's just that he always is here.”
“Doesn't he have anything better to do than standin' around in the hallway all day?”
“Of course he does. What I mean is that he always greets me when I'm coming home.”
“Always?”
“Yes, right at the door.”
“So, he does stand around the door all day?”
“Well, um... No, I guess not. But he somehow knows when I'm coming home and greets me. No idea how he does it.”
“Well, for one,” said an amused voice from up the stairs, “you usually come home at the same time or announce when you don't, Miss Silver Spoon.”
Silver spoon turned her head and saw Rosy coming down to them. “But, I'm not late.”
“I never said you were,” laughed the maid. “But Stickler is currently on the phone, talking with your father.”
“My father?” repeated Silver Spoon, a bad feeling spreading in her belly. “Oh, please don't tell me...”
“Don't worry, I won't.”
Both fillies looked at each other in confusion. Then they turned back towards Rosy, silently demanding an explanation.
She giggled slightly, covering her mouth with a hoof. “You'll know soon enough, Miss Silver Spoon. There is nothing you have to worry about.”
Silver Spoon sighed. “Great, now I want to know even more what is going on.”
“I guarantee you, it is nothing bad. But, like I said, you will have to wait a bit. Maybe I can distract you with some lunch?”
“Sounds great, Ah'm starvin'!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.
Silver Spoon was still more than curious, but if her friend was hungry, she wouldn't keep her from a meal. Especially if it was the first time Apple Bloom would see what a meal at her mansion was like.
As soon as they had taken their places at the long table in the dining room Apple Bloom asked: “So, you have one of these new tellerphones?”
“Telephone,” corrected Silver Spoon. “Yes, we do. Father says he has to be available for his partners. But they're not that new, we already have it for a few years.”
“Yeah, but they are still new around here. I thought nopony in Ponyville had one. If ma' aunt and uncle in Manehatten hadn't told us long and in every detail about them havin' one, I wouldn't even know they exist.”
“Father said only we and the Mayor's office have one.” Silver Spoon tried to speak as casually as possible. But it was hard to keep the upwelling pride in her chest from interfering with her voice.
“So, what do you think that butler is talkin' with yer dad about?”
“Honestly, the only thing I can think about is last weekend. I can only hope father tells him that I can visit you again.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Then finally the promised distraction was delivered.
Apple Bloom's anticipation vanished quickly as she regarded the small bowl of salad placed in front of her. “Ya' know...”
“Yes?” asked Silver Spoon as impassive as she could manage to sound.
“Well, Ah' kind of had thought that ya' rich folks could afford bigger servings than this.”
“Us rich folks can.”
“Then, why don't ya'? And why are ya' grinnin' like that?”
“Because this, dear Apple Bloom, is but a simple appetizer.” Silver Spoon tried to give the best possible impression of her mother while trying not to laugh at the face her friend made.
“Oh,” commented Apple Bloom while shifting her bowl around as if to see whether there was any more food hidden underneath the salad. “So that's what an appetizer is. Ah' heard from ma' sister that fancy meals do have such a thing. She said they were too less to feed a bunny, but this...”
“Don't worry, you won't go hungry here.”
Apple Bloom shook her head almost imperceptibly as she ate her appetizer. But as soon as the main course was set up in front of her the filly's face lit up.
“Now this is more like it!” she commented the fried potatoes embedded in a ring of carrot slices and garnished with a bit of broccoli and a vast variety of herbs. “But why did the cook take the time to arrange it like this?”
“Because it looks better this way.”
“It's not like it tastes better this way, is it?”
“Why don't you try that for yourself?”
In fact, Silver Spoon really was curious to have a verdict on that question. Her mother had indeed told her before that if one wanted food to taste good it also had to look good. And the silver maned filly had never doubted it. Until she had been invited to the dinner at Sweet Apple Acres. She had loved every bit of it. Now she wanted to see if Apple Bloom would be impressed with this lunch as well.
Part of her was even disappointed that the kitchen staff had chosen this day to put up something rather simple compared to what they were able to deliver. But it took only a few bites until Silver Spoon's mind was at ease again.
Apple Bloom ate her meal with fast growing delight. “Ah' didn't even know potatoes could taste like this. This is amazing.”
“I can not see where a simple choice of a fitting seasoning has the quality of being 'amazing'.” The head-butler's voice rasped the joy of their meal away like sandpaper.
Both fillies suppressed an annoyed groan.
Then Silver Spoon took a deep breath and collected all her mental strength. She willed herself to say as happily as she was able to: “Good to see you, Stickler. I heard you have been talking to my father?”
“Yes, indeed Lady Silver Spoon. I have and I will again later. And I am terribly sorry I have not been able to greet you personally today.”
“Never mind that. What did father say?”
“That he wants me to deliver his greetings and wishes of well-being to you, of course. For everything else, I would prefer to talk about it not in the presence of, well, guests.”
“Well, if you say so,” said Silver spoon, not actually discontented about keeping this conversation as short as possible. “But speaking about my guest, I believe you haven't been formally introduced yet?”
“Not formally, no.”
“Well, this is Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom, this is Stickler, our head-butler.”
“Nice to meet ya',” said Apple Bloom, her furrowed eyebrows betraying her already feeble attempt to sound pleased.
“Charmed,” Stickler replied with the warmness of a glacier.
Silver Spoon cleared her throat. “She is a close friend of mine and has agreed to help me with my studies. Which means, since I am not allowed to visit her that she will visit me quite regularly from now on.”
“I see, Lady Silver Spoon. I am afraid I have to excuse myself for now, if there is nothing else you need me for. There are preparations I have to take care of.”
“No, that is quite alright.”
The second the door closed behind him, both fillies sighed their relief.
“I hope this didn't spoil lunch for you?” asked Silver Spoon half-joking, half-sincere.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, don't worry. It wasn't that much worse than seeing Granny Smith dropping her denture into her soup.”
“Ew, that happened?”
“Only once.”
“Thanks for sharing. That image will make dessert extra tasty.”
But even with her imagination running wild, the ice-cream with tropical fruits was as refreshing as ever. Even more so since Apple Bloom had obviously never tasted most of those fruits before. She eyed the fruit pieces curiously as if she had found an especially fine work of jewelery.
Silver Spoon enjoyed this view even more than the ice-cream. Seeing how Apple Bloom eagerly taste-tested her dessert with every bite she took was funny enough. But the growing expression of pure joy made this moment the happiest meal she could remember having in her house.
After Apple Bloom had dropped her spoon into the now empty bowl, she looked at its remaining stains smiling thoughtfully. Then, without looking up, she asked: “So, Ah' am a very close friend of yers?”
“Yes, you are. Does that surprise you?”
“It did surprise me hearin' ya' sayin' it, at least.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I felt kind of funny saying it. But I'm glad I'm able to say it. In more than one way.”
“Yeah, it's really great we came this far. But...” Apple Bloom paused briefly. “But it made me also wonder if Ah' could make it from very close to best friend?”
Silver Spoon stared at Apple Bloom who still wouldn't look at her. This idea had never crossed her mind. Even after their camping night there had been no room in her mind for it.
Now her eyes wondered towards her own empty bowl in front of her. “I'm sorry. I don't think you can.”
A moment of silence passed between them. When Apple Bloom spoke again, the surprised disappointment bit deep into Silver Spoon's soul. “That wasn't exactly the answer I expected.”
“Please, don't misunderstand me. I wasn't lying. By now, I do consider you a close and very dear friend to me. But I already have a best friend.”
“Yeah, but, don't ya' think, ya' can have more than one best friend? Ah' mean, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are both my best friends. Ah' want ya' to be it too.”
“How would that work? If everypony is the best, then there isn't really a best after all, right?”
“Not if it comes to friends. Bein' best friends means doing everything together. Sharing joy and sadness. Helpin' each other if needed. Ya' can do that with more than one pony.”
“But, isn't that what friends do anyway?”
“Then, what is yer definition of a best friend?”
“Well, um... Well...” Silver Spoon took a moment to think about this. She had never before been in the need of explaining what a best friend should be like, therefore she had no definite idea what to say. After a few seconds she came up with: “It is all the things you said and something more. It's, how should I put it... Trust. I mean, not just trust. It is knowing you can count on your friend no matter what. Ugh, this is hard to say. It's knowing your friend is by your side even if she is not there.”
By now, both fillies had lost interest in the remains of their ice-cream. They looked each other straight in the eyes. And Silver Spoon saw clearly in Apple Bloom's that she did not quite understood what she wanted to say.
“For example,” Silver Spoon tried to explain, “take your sister. You and your sister are more than just close, right?”
“Yes, but she's ma' sister. Naturally we're close.”
“Not all sisters are like that, remember? Just think how you feel about her. Do you think anypony could ever be closer to you than her?”
“No, Ah' don't think so.”
“You see? That's how I feel about Diamond Tiara.”
Again the room lay quiet.
“Anyways,” Silver Spoon finally broke the silence, “does it really matter how we call our friendship?”
“No, not how we call it.”
For a moment it felt like Apple Bloom wanted to say more. But as it became clear that she wouldn't, Silver Spoon asked: “I think we should start learning, don't you think?”
“Yeah, good call,” agreed Apple Bloom.