Of all the things in the city to wake Silver Spoon up the next morning she was quite surprised that it was a dog.
One moment, she was swimming in a coconut ice-cream lake, the next a dog howling in the background brought her back into reality
“Gah,” she moaned as she looked towards the clock, realizing it was only nine o’clock. Sure, she would have to get up earlier for school in a week, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get up so early today. She stretched out her legs and brushed up against the letter she wrote last night.
“Right,” she told herself, “got to get that delivered.” So she got out of bed and carried her letter straight to her writing table. She looked over the letter again, wrote another one to Apple Bloom and the crusaders, and made her way out of her new room with a saddlebag full of bits just in case she felt like doing something once she downstairs to the lobby.
Her mom was still asleep despite the noise, so she didn’t have to play a million questions just to get out the front door. But when she made her way out into the halls she stopped dead at a pair of arguing earth ponies several rooms over. She might have gone on, if one of those ponies hadn’t been her aunt.
“Your son has woken up half the building, again,” the opposing bleach earth pony said to her aunt. “When are you going to put him in a group home where he belongs?” They heard another howl coming from her aunt’s condo. Silver Spoon’s insides twisted when she realized what had woken her up.
“He’s getting better,” Silver Lining tried to make herself look taller. “He just needs—”
“A little more work, patience?” The white mare said as she towered over her. “How often have we heard that one before? So either you do something or else—”
“Or else what?” Silver Spoon said as she made her presence known.
The white pony chuckled and looked down at her. “And who might you be?”
“She is my niece,” Silver Lining said stepping in between them. “And I suggest you get your ass out of this hallway before I start, oh, spreading rumors about you and certain janitorial ponies?”
Her opponent's eyes widened. “You wouldn’t. You would seriously ruin what little reputation you have left by spreading lies?”
“For my family, yes.” she said as she pointed to the elevator. “Now go.”
The white earth pony took a moment to consider, but did as she was told. But not before looking towards Silver Spoon. “If I were you, kid, I would talk to your aunt about putting that retard of hers into a nuthouse where he belongs.”
Her aunt stomped a hoof into the floor. “Leave!”
With that, the white pony left, but not before giving the pair one last look that said ‘this isn’t over.’ She then disappeared into the elevator.
“Sorry you had to see that, niece.”
“It’s fine,” Silver Spoon lied. “But, you don’t get that on a regular basis, do you?”
Her aunt didn’t respond right away. She took a moment looking away from her before speaking “It’s nothing you have to worry about, Spoon,” she said with a sigh. “You know how rich people can be. We get woken up too early, or if everything isn’t perfect, we set ourselves up to see that it is that way.”
Silver Spoon wished she couldn’t relate to that. “Well, say hi to Decimal for me and see you later.” She made her way to the elevator when her aunt stopped her.
“Where are you off too?”
“To mail a letter to a friend of mine.”
“Okay,” her aunt said with a smile, “have fun. Oh wait, Silver Spoon! Since you’re here, do you think you can do me a favor?”
“Sure thing,” she said without a second of hesitation. “What do you need?”
“Well, I’m taking you up on that offer you gave me last night about being there to help me out.” Silver Spoon titled her head as her aunt went on. “You see, Decimal has a therapy appointment tomorrow at ten in the morning. If I can’t take him, one of my servants do. However, they all have other things to do tomorrow and the only one who can get Decimal to his appointment has an important errand to run across town. Do you think you could be a dear and make sure he gets there and back again?”
A part of Silver Spoon wanted to protest. It felt like her aunt’s last visit all over again when she made her foalsit Decimal as a newborn foal. Then again, it would give her some one-on-one time with her cousin. Maybe learn more about him, see if she could find a way to help him like she swore to herself. Besides, unlike last time, which she enjoyed anyways, this time her aunt had asked her in advanced instead of throwing a foal onto her back.
Also, she didn’t have anything else to do tomorrow anyways.
“Alright,” Silver Spoon answered, “what time do you want me over?”
Her aunt raced up to hug her. “Oh thank you, Silver Spoon. Thank you so much.” She released her. “Just stop by at 9 o’ clock. My butler, Waiter, will see you both to a cab.”
“Alright, auntie,” Silver Spoon said as she made her way over to the elevator, “I’ll see you later.”
“Goodbye,” her aunt waved with a smile as Silver Spoon stepped into the elevator. Her Smile dropped just as the door closed when another howl echoed throughout the floor.
*****
“Good morning, Ms. Silver.” The stallion at the front desk said to Silver Spoon
“Morning, sir.” Silver Spoon nodded back as she held up the letters to him. “Could you mail these for me?”
“Sure thing, madam.” He nodded, and she made her way towards the door when it slammed into her and knocked her onto the ground.
“Oops,” Derpy said as she helped her up. “Sorry there… Oh, Silver Spoon,” she apologized as she smiled at her. “You're just the pony I was looking for.”
“Hi, Derpy.” She said back. “Wait, why were you looking for me of all ponies in this city?”
Out of all the ponies back in Ponyville who had treated her differently because of her changed cutie mark, Derpy had been one of the few ponies who hadn’t treated her any differently besides her friends. Not that most ponies had glared at her, which there were enough of, but she at least would give her an honest smile.
Perhaps it was because Derpy could relate with her own deformities with her eyes. Either way, Silver Spoon was glad that there were ponies in the world such as Derpy.
“Because,” she answered as she pulled some letters out of her saddle bag, “I have some first class letters to deliver to you from Ponyville from your friend Apple Bloom.” She handed Silver Spoon the letter, and pulled out a clipboard. “Sign here.”
“Okay,” Silver Spoon said as she pulled out a pen from her own bag to sign her receipt. “I can’t believe Apple Bloom would send a letter so soon.”
“Yeah, she said it was important you got it as soon as possible.” The mailmare placed the clipboard back into her saddlebag. “Now I can go tell her that you got it.”
Silver Spoon grinned. “Well, thank you, Derpy.” She began to open the letter when she realized something. “Oh, wait, Derpy! Can you hold on for just one second?”
“Of course. You got a letter for your friends back in Ponyville?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” she raced over to the receptionist desk. “Can I have my letters back, please?”
“Sure thing, Ms. Silver.” He pulled them out.
“Thank you.” she raced back to Derpy with the letters, and a few bits. “Could you deliver these when you get back to Ponyville?”
“Sure thing, dear.” Derpy took the letters, but rejected the bits. “It’s no problem, it’s on me.”
“Oh, okay. But at least take a tip.” She tried to push some bits into Derpy’s saddlebag. Derpy tried to block Silver Spoon’s bits with her wings, but Silver Spoon won in the end when she said, “Please, Derpy, it’s the least I can do. You know, it’s still early in the morning? The bakeries are probably just pulling out fresh batches of warm, moist, muffins”
Derpy’s eyes widened. “Well...” she smiled ear-to-ear as she took the bits.“Who am I to turn down a gift from a friend.” She flapped her wings and rose into the air. “See you around, Silver Spoon.”
“Goodbye!” Silver Spoon waved back to the long gone pegasus.
With that settled, she opened up her letter;
Silver Spoon,
How are you? I hope you’re settling in well. Anyways, I hope this letter gets to you as soon as possible. Right after you left, I got a letter from Babs saying that, once you settled in, she would like to introduce you to the Cutie Mark Crusaders Manehattan branch before school starts at Playset Memorial Park, anywhere between 10 and 1 o'clock before school starts.
I hope things work out well for you,
Apple Bloom.
A short letter, but one she was glad to have read. She looked up at the lobby clock, 9:45. “Oh um, excuse me,” she asked the counter pony, “are there any letters for The Silver residence, condo 39?”
“Hang on one second,” he disappeared for a second, leaving silver Spoon to clap her heels together. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing in your mailbox.”
Silver Spoon shrugged not that surprised. They had only been living in Manehattan for less than a day. “Thank you though. Oh, and if anypony asks, let them know I’m heading out to central park’s Playset Memorial Playground for the afternoon to hang out with a friend.”
The counter pony nodded. “Of course, Ms. Silver.”
She thanked him and headed out into the city.
*****
She was not lost, because lost would imply that you didn’t know where you were. She knew that she was in central park, so she wasn’t lost. She was only lost in the sense of not knowing where Memorial Playset Park was, that was all.
“I swear, they need to label this place or something.” Looking up at one of the city clocks. she saw that it was nearly eleven and decided to ask the nearest pony for directions.
That pony, was a young adult pegasus in a trenchcoat leaning against a tree smoking a cigarette.
Carefully, she walked up to him. “Excuse me,” she asked, “do you know how to get to Playset Memorial Playground?”
The yellow stallion looked down at her, blowing smoke rings out of his mouth. “That depends, kid, can you help me out?”
Silver Spoon took a step back.
He chuckled. “Relax, I won’t ask for much,” he opened up the left side of his coat, “just a small sale and then you get your directions.” Silver Spoon got ready to bolt as she looked up at all of the drugs inside his coat.
“Well, I—”
“She’s not a customer, Drug, so back off.” With a sigh of relief, Silver Spoon turned around to see a familiar brown filly advancing upon the colt.
“Ah,” he said as he blew a smoke ring at her, “Babs Seed, trying to take my business are ya?”
She blew his next smoke ring right back at him. “Yeah, no, I didn’t join then, I ani’t doing anything for ya now. I’ve moved on.”
Drug laughed. “Oh yeah, moved on to helping retarded foals get their cutie marks. I bet that’s bringing in the bits.”
“I’d beat you up,” Babs threatened and then looked upon Silver Spoon, “but I don’t want to make a bad impression in front of my friend.”
Drug eyed Silver Spoon as she felt a shiver run down her spin. “Her? Yeah, I guess I can see you hanging out with her kind now.”
“That’s enough,” Babs said as she reached into her saddle bag. Silver Spoon tensed while Drug reached into his own coat. Babs pulled out a bag of money and threw it at him. “Why don’t yah just give me the best ya got that these bits can buy and we just walk away before one of us does something he’ll regret.”
Drug shrugged as he examined the bag of bits. After a moment of counting he shrugged and threw one of the paper bags labeled, coke.
“I know you too well, Babs, you’ll come back one day.”
“Fuck off,” she said as she placed the bag into her saddle bag. “Come on, Silver, let’s go.”
Without saying a word, she followed in step behind Babs, but not before taking one last look at the drug dealer named Drug.
“You know, kid,” he said to her, “we can always—”
“Think about it again, and I scream for the police.” Babs threatened.
Drug straightened himself up from the tree. “Whatever.” With that, he disappeared into the trees.
“Sorry about that.” Babs said to her once he was gone. “Now, how about a hello or somethin,” she threw her hooves around. “Good ta see ya join the light side.”
“That what now?”
“You don’t…” babs blinked, “movie reference, I’ll explain later.”
“No I, I…” Silver Spoon wanted to say something nice to her for saving her life. Yet all that she could think of was; “Wait, you’re in a gang, you do drugs?”
To her relief, Babs laughed off her comment off. “of course not. Besides, even if I did anything to even help um, that was ancient history. Yet if your refering to my purchase,” she reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a paper bag.and proceeded to fling the bag and its content a good seven yards into the park. “Good throw.” She said to herself. “Nah,” she said to Silver Spoon, “I just buy once or twice to keep them on my good side. Don’t worry, they’re ancient history from my old school. Don’t you worry about it and lets focus on the present, okay?
Silver Spoon lowered her ears. “Okay. I’m Sorry, but thanks again for coming to my rescue.”
“Hey, it’s my fault. I guess I just assumed you wouldn't run into any trouble on your way to Playset park. This ain’t Ponyville yah know.”
She thought back to Drug. “I’m beginning to find out.”
“Relax,” Babs said as she placed a hoof over her. “Just stick with me, and you’ll never have a problem with one of them again. Now, how about we forget about that, and I show ya to the Cutie Mark Crusaders Manehattan summer clubhouse.”
“Summer clubhouse?”
“I’ll explain later. Come on, girl, times a wastin!”