For once, Silver Spoon actually managed to get a decent night’s sleep. She dreamt fondly of Manehatten, and the jewelry store that she and Di would be running together in the not-so-distant future. The more she thought about it, the more Silver Spoon fell in love with the idea of working alongside her best friend, and the less afraid she became of telling her father about her having to leave the restaurant.
Despite her new attitude, Silver Spoon still decided to wait a little longer before breaking the news. The holidays weren't for another month, and she didn’t want to make things awkward between the two of them, or lose any more shifts during that time. The money would come in handy for Manehatten, and she had to make the most of the time she had left with her colleagues.
Silver Spoon was so happy and excited, that she had almost completely forgotten about her little conflict with Candlelight the previous night. The whole situation seemed so minor in comparison to the bright future which undoubtedly lay ahead of her. Diamond Tiara was a good friend – no, a great friend, and she was the only pony who deserved Silver Spoon’s attention right now. No one else mattered.
As Silver merrily headed to school, she started to imagine how different life in Manehatten would be. She watched the many pegasi arranging the clouds overhead, preparing the weather for the day. Silver knew that there weren’t many pegasi in Manehatten; their kind preferred to live in more open areas, where they could stretch their wings and fly long distances without having to worry about crashing into buildings. As a result, the weather in Manehatten was far less diverse than it was in Ponyville. Each time Silver Spoon had visited the city with Di, both the weather and the temperature had always been pretty neutral. It occasionally rained, but never for very long, and they never had heatwaves or storms either. Silver concluded that as Manehatten didn’t occupate as much agriculture as Ponyville, there wasn’t as much demand for excessive sunlight or regular rainfall.
The shops in Manehatten were majorly different. Even the busiest areas of Ponyville were relatively pleasant to visit, and never overly crowded. Shopping in Manehatten could take a very long time, there were plenty of queues despite the stores being enormous. However, Manehatten had such a wide range of stock which was shipped in from all over Equestria, and so customers were always spoilt for choice. Everything was top brand too, and therefore pretty expensive - not like in Ponyville.
Silver Spoon wondered how long it would take before their jewelry store became busy and successful. Not long, she concluded - not if Di and her father had anything to do with it. Their family was loaded, and as soon as the place opened there would probably be billboards and other advertisements on every corner of Manehatten. The customers would come flooding in, and the place was guaranteed to be a huge success.
On the way to Di’s place, Silver Spoon maintained her high spirits. She was looking forward to the walk to school with her best friend. She and Diamond Tiara could chat more about Manehatten, and discuss all the pretty jewelry they were going to be selling. She arrived at Diamond’s manor at the usual time, and waited patiently outside for her friend, still daydreaming away.
A few minutes passed by, and Di made no appearance, but Silver Spoon wasn’t fazed; she wouldn’t have to worry about being late to school for very much longer.
“The sapphires will be the best of all.” She muttered to herself, “They’d look beautiful together with silver, opposed to gold. Gold would work better for the rubies….”
After five more minutes, Silver Spoon was deep in thought, and there was still no sign of Diamond Tiara. Silver was admiring the pearl beads around her neck, wondering if they could create something in a similar design to sell. The beads were a gift from her mother, and Diamond Tiara had always admired them. Silver Spoon pondered for a while, and then it hit her.
“We could make a matching pair of earrings!” She gasped excitedly at the mental breakthrough.
Silver noticed that she was talking rather loudly to herself, and a few ponies were giving her strange looks for it; but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t have to see any of the Ponyville residents again once she was living it up in Manehatten; they could think whatever they wanted about her.
It took a while for the filly to notice that ten whole minutes had passed by. In fact, she was so lost in her brainstorming that she had almost completely forgotten about school altogether.
Then, there was a noise. It sounded like a bang, as though something was being struck, or hit, or kicked. Silver Spoon took a single step closer to the door, she could hear some shouting, followed by stomping. And then, she jumped back in shock as the door flew open and almost hit her smack in the muzzle.
“D…Di…?”
Her friend’s face was a scarlet colour, and her eyes were soaked and sore. Her usually perfectly primed mane looked as though it hadn’t seen a brush at all that morning, and thick mascara had dripped down her cheeks, staining them.
Silver Spoon stared as Diamond strode past with her head down. She didn’t say anything.
“Di… what’s happened?” Silver called to her friend, but there was no response. “Di?”
~*~
Diamond Tiara walked at a fast pace, scowling at the ground, paying no attention to the confused and concerned filly struggling to catch up with her.
After a few minutes, Silver Spoon gave up calling Di’s name, but continued to follow in hopes that sooner or later, Diamond Tiara would acknowledge her presence. The filly grew more and more anxious – what could possibly have happened since yesterday to upset Di so much? Then, Silver Spoon realised something:
If Diamond Tiara’s father had meant for his daughter to stay in Manehatten, then why had he purchased return tickets for a mere five months later? Jewelry stores weren’t something that ponies could just start up on a whim, and Filthy Rich - being the organised business pony that he was – would’ve most likely had something like this planned out for a long time.
Silver Spoon had been so lost in her daydreams, that she had forgotten that the whole ‘Jewelry store’ idea had never truly been confirmed. All Diamond Tiara really knew, was that her family had a huge surprise for her, the rest was entirely in her head. At first, Silver Spoon felt pretty depressed herself at this realization.
However, Diamond Tiara was a headstrong pony, with a strong sense of self-image. There was no way she would get this upset over something like that - at least not in public. She would brush it off, not allowing herself to look weak in front of Silver or any pony else. Besides, Filthy Rich usually gave his daughter anything she wanted, if she made enough of a fuss, he probably would promise to buy her a jewelry store at some point anyway. No, what had upset Di that morning was something else - something much, much bigger.
Silver Spoon decided to forget about her own disappointment for the time being; her friend was far more important, after all. Other ponies looked on in confusion; they had never seen Diamond Tiara so miserable, but for once, Di didn’t seem to care one bit. Silver didn’t like this - she had to know what was wrong.
The filly hurried ahead of Diamond Tiara, and stood in her way.
“Di! Di! Answer me!” Silver demanded.
Finally, Di lifted her head. Her eyes welled up a little, but she scrunched her face and gave them a quick wipe with her hoof.
“Please Di…” Silver lightly touched her friend’s shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her.
Diamond turned her head and paused for a minute, as though she was contemplating what to do. Then, she made up her mind. With a single swipe Diamond Tiara coldly brushed off her friend’s hoof. She gritted her teeth, and her face flushed red once more whilst her right ear twitched agitated manner.
“Get out of my way Silver Spoon.” She snapped viciously. Then, Diamond shoved past Silver and continued the walk to school alone.
As she watched Diamond disappear over the horizon, Silver felt her stomach wench. She had no idea what could possibly have happened to make Diamond so unhappy. She didn’t even care about the jewelry store anymore, in fact, she didn’t care about anything; she just wanted to know what was wrong with her friend.
~*~
Throughout the day, Diamond’s mood only worsened. She gave fierce glares towards every pony she passed, all of whom were just as confused as Silver Spoon. Sure, Diamond Tiara was normally unfriendly and bitter, but today she was downright terrifying, not to mention completely out of character. The irritable filly didn’t once try to insult any pony - not even the cutie mark crusaders. She remained silent and withdrawn, and at times her body seemed to be shaking - it was almost as though there was a vicious storm brewing inside of her, which she was struggling to contain.
When the school day finally ended, Miss Cheerilee approached Diamond Tiara at her desk, and spoke in a hushed, soothing tone. Silver couldn’t quite make out what their teacher was saying, but Diamond didn’t take it well.
“Just leave me alone!” She snapped, bashing the desk hard with her front hooves. Then, Diamond stormed out of the classroom, forcing the other students out of her path – Silver Spoon included.
Silver desperately wanted to follow, but she was afraid. Clearly Di just wanted to be by herself. So instead, Silver decided to wait until the other students had left the room, and then approach Miss Cheerilee. The teacher was an understanding pony, who was always willing to help out any of her students with their problems.
“Miss Cheerilee…” Silver Spoon felt rather timid about asking her teacher for help. It was something she had never done before, in fact, she and Miss Cheerilee had never properly spoken one on one.
However, Cheerilee didn’t seem at all surprised to see Silver.
“Hello Silver Spoon, how are you feeling?” The kind-hearted teacher asked her pupil.
“Urm… well I’m fine… but…”
“Diamond Tiara… isn’t?” Cheerilee finished her sentence.
“Yeah.” Silver answered sadly, “I just… don’t know what to do.”
Cheerilee looked sympathetic, “I thought maybe the two of you had fallen out.” She replied, “but by the looks of it, you’re just as clueless as me.”
Silver Spoon felt herself starting to cry. Miss Cheerilee put a hoof around her.
“You know, it’s usually good to try and cheer up your friends, but sometimes it’s best to give them a little space. I’m sure that deep down, Diamond Tiara knows how worried you are about her, and there will be a time when she needs somepony to talk to.”
Silver Spoon wasn’t so sure those words were true. Diamond Tiara wasn’t the kind of pony who depended on others. She was strong and self-reliant; she would never ask for help.
Cheerilee seemed pretty certain of it though,
“When that time comes, you’ll be there for her, won’t you?” She asked Silver.
“Of course I will.” Replied the filly, as she desperately tried to cease her sobbing.
~*~
For Silver Spoon, the walk home felt strange without Diamond Tiara by her side, and seemed to take much, much longer. Silver hoped with all her heart that Di would be feeling better the following day, but it didn’t happen. In fact as the week progressed, Di became more and more angry. She would sit at her desk, scrunching paper, or biting her pencil. No pony dared approach her, and even Miss Cheerilee seemed a little cautious.
Silver Spoon however, didn’t give up hope that Diamond Tiara would eventually return to her usual self. For the next few mornings, she waited patiently outside her friend’s home. Di didn’t look the slightest bit happy to see Silver Spoon, but never the less, Silver followed her to school and kept a close eye on her throughout the day, looking for any sign of the old Diamond Tiara.
Then one day, Di stopped turning up to school altogether.
Silver Spoon was frantic with worry when Diamond Tiara didn’t show up to class, especially since Miss Cheerilee hadn’t been informed of her absence.
“Don’t worry Silver Spoon.” The teacher assured her, after Silver had approached her once again, “it is my duty as a teacher to communicate well with the parents and guardians of all my pupils, I will write a letter to Diamond Tiara’s parents and we will get to the bottom of this.”
Silver Spoon nodded, but she couldn’t wait that long. Life without Di was too hard, she had to find a way to get to the bottom of this; a way to cheer Diamond Tiara up before it was too late. Things had to go back to the way they were before, and soon.
Gathering all of the courage she could muster, Silver Spoon headed over to Diamond Tiara’s house. She was going to speak one on one with her friend - or failing that, her parents. This would normally be a pretty terrifying situation, but at that moment, Silver Spoon was far too concerned about Di to be nervous enough to back out. The filly convinced herself that however bad this plan turned out, things couldn’t possibly get any worse between her and Di than they already were. After all, there’s nothing worse than being ignored …right?
Silver Spoon trotted anxiously through the streets, and soon the glistening roof of Diamond Tiara’s manor could be spotted over the horizon. As Silver approached, her heart began to race, her mind was filled simultaneously with both hope and dread, and suddenly a short, pink, curly maned filly came into view.
“Di…” Silver wanted to shout her friend’s name, but instead, she just whispered it quietly to herself, suddenly realising that she hadn’t even planned out what she was actually going to say or do.
Diamond still looked angry, but she also looked extremely upset. She was kicking at the ground, and muttering something to herself. Silver Spoon hesitated for a moment; was this really such a good idea? What if Di just got angry with her again? What if she ran away? What if things really did get worse?
No. She had to try. Things couldn’t carry on like this. Di needed her right now; whether she was aware of it or not. Silver Spoon took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, and charged toward her friend.
“Fancy seeing you here.” A familiar voice made Silver Spoon stop dead in her tracks. It was taunting, smug, and very unwelcome right now.
“C…Candlelight.” Silver looked up at the unicorn, unsure how to respond.
“You rushing home from school? Is it really that bad?” Candlelight teased,
Silver tried to catch her breath,
“No, it’s fine.” She replied, then continued walking at a slower pace. She didn’t want Candlelight to see how flustered she was, she just wanted her out of the way so she could reach Diamond Tiara.
“Fine hey?” The unicorn didn’t seem to take the hint. “I hated school myself, but then again, you do seem like a total nerd.”
Silver didn’t really understand why Candlelight was trying to get to her; but right now, she didn’t care.
Still, the unicorn wouldn’t lay off. “Bet you don’t have any friends at all.” She continued, “No pony would be friends with a dorky little loser like you.”
For whatever reason, these words made Silver Spoon angry, very, very angry. Without thinking, she turned and looked Candlelight dead in the eyes,
“What is your problem?” She shouted, stomping her hoof. "What have you even got against me?"
Candlelight seemed to find this hilarious, she flicked her dark mane and chuckled.
“Aww, did I hit a nerve?”
“Why won’t you just leave me alone?” Silver was becoming infuriated.
“You mean like everyone else does?” Candlelight wasn’t backing down, “I see you walking home from school all by yourself. You really don’t have any friends, and it’s no wonder….”
“I do have friends!” Silver Spoon retaliated,
“Then where are they?” Candlelight replied,
“They…. urm… she… my best friend… is standing right behind…”
“Silver Spoon, will you stop yelling so loudly outside my house?!” A squeaky, younger voice called over.
“Di!” Silver Spoon couldn’t believe it – Diamond Tiara had acknowledged her for the first time in a week! And what perfect timing; now Candlelight could plainly see that she did, in fact, have friends. Well, she had one friend; one beautiful, cool, amazing friend.
“Who in Equestria is this?” Diamond asked rudely, pointing at Candlelight, “Wait... She’s not your mom is she?”
Silver Spoon chuckled – Diamond clearly meant this as an insult. Although Diamond had never actually met her mother, Candlelight wasn’t quite old enough to be her.
“Actually Di, she’s….” Silver Spoon paused, as reality suddenly hit - Diamond Tiara couldn’t know who Candlelight was. She didn’t know that Silver Spoon was a waitress, and now was probably not the best time for her to find out.
“She’s nobody.” Silver turned her back on the mare, “Di, I need to talk to you.”
Of course, Candlelight was having none of that.
“Well isn’t this cute. You do have one little friend after all. That’s adorable.” She sniggered, “You two gonna go play dolls and make overs now?”
Diamond Tiara was in no mood to be insulted,
“Look grandma,” She began, “You’re obviously jealous of my beauty and youth. Who even dyed your mane? It looks like you tried to paint it, those streaks aren’t remotely even, and you’re much too old to pull off a plat.”
Candlelight’s face dropped, and Silver Spoon suddenly felt really, really happy. Diamond was back to her usual self – at least, it seemed that way.
“Well, haven’t you got guts.” Candlelight raised an eyebrow, “shame the same can’t be said for your nerdy little friend. Don’t stay out for too long Silver Spoon, this weekend’s going to be pretty tough, don’t want you flipping out again now do we?”
At those words, Silver Spoon’s stomach churned, she had to get Di out of there, right now.
“Look Candlelight we’ve got to go.” She turned, hoping that Diamond Tiara would follow her.
Once again, Candlelight kept talking,
“Seriously, the restaurant’s going to be rammed - can’t have you screwing up and getting fired, now can we?”
That last sentence almost sounded like a threat, but that wasn’t what worried Silver Spoon right now.
“Restaurant? What restaurant?” Diamond questioned angrily,
Silver Spoon froze helplessly, as a familiar feeling consumed her entire body. She felt her cheeks rapidly glowing red, and a huge lump building in her throat. She wanted to look at Diamond, to see her reaction, but she was just too afraid.
“Erm… duh, the restaurant she works at?” Candlelight rolled her eyes, “If you use the term work lightly.”
The unicorn didn’t realise that for once, her insults had no effect on Silver. The thought of Di knowing that she was a waitress was already more than the poor filly could bare. She didn't care what else Candlelight said, she was a total state, and her body and her mind were both telling her the same thing; that she just to get out of there. She had to run far away from this whole situation.
No. Not this time. Silver decided that she had already let her anxiety get the better of her in front of Candlelight, and Diamond. They both definitely thought she was weak, and proving them right wasn’t going to solve anything.
And so, with tears in her eyes, and her four legs trembling, Silver Spoon turned to her Diamond Tiara, and poured her heart out.
“I’m so sorry Di, I wanted to tell you, I really did… but I was scared. I was scared you… wouldn’t like me anymore.”
“Tell me… what?” Diamond appeared to be getting agitated.
Her lack of empathy didn’t help, and Silver Spoon couldn’t bring herself to continue.
So Candlelight did it for her,
“You’re kidding? Silver Spoon, you didn’t tell your prissy little friend that you’re a waitress? You are joking right, that’s the best!” Candlelight chuckled as Diamond’s mouth fell open,
“A….waitress?” She exclaimed,
“Silver here works at her daddy’s restaurant; cooking, cleaning, you name it. She used to be pretty into her work, until the other day when she had a mental breakdown, now we have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she stays you know… sane.” Candlelight whispered the word 'sane' into Diamond's ear, as though Silver Spoon wouldn't be able to work out what she was saying.
Silver couldn’t defend herself; she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t move, she just stood there listening to the sound of her violently thumping heart.
“I see you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll just leave you to it. Say Hi to your dad for me won’t you Silver?” Candlelight gave a wink and walked away, still sniggering.
Silver Spoon had never felt this bad before. She was prone to panic attacks, but this was something else. She closed her eyes and wished with all her heart that this moment could be over. Thoughts of Diamond Tiara and the other ponies mocking her came rushing back, playing through her head all at once, overlapping one another. She saw Diamond teasing her, calling her a loser, tearing up her ticket to Manehatten. She also saw Candlelight, watching and cackling evilly as her life fell apart. She saw herself falling, dropping plates and being buried by them as the restaurant staff watched and laughed. The school ponies were all mocking her, led by Diamond who was repeatedly calling her a ‘pathetic work horse.’ Silver Spoon felt herself sweating and shaking, and for what seemed like an eternity, she was mentally trapped in a state of complete despair.
Suddenly, Silver was gently awoken from her nightmare, by a tap on the shoulder by a soft pink hoof. She lifted her head slowly, and looked up fearfully into the eyes of her best, and only real friend, Diamond Tiara.
Diamond wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t frowning or laughing either; her face was blank and emotionless. Silver saw Diamond glance at the ground, as though she was pondering what to say, and then she spoke softly,
“Silver.”
“Ye…yeah Di.” Silver’s voice was shaking so much, her words were barely recognisable.
Diamond then paused again, before adding.
“There is no way… that I can… be friends.... with a waitress.” She turned coldly, and trotted into town.
~*~
The sun began to set, and a heartbroken Silver Spoon crouched down a few feet away from the beautiful manor. She sobbed silently; everything was a mess. She had never felt this miserable before, she had certainly never felt this lonely. Other ponies passed by, but of course none of them approached her - why would they, after all? What Candlelight said was now truer than ever; Silver Spoon had no friends, and she certainly didn’t have a best friend.
The last words which Diamond had said to her played through Silver’s mind on a loop. She couldn’t imagine how different things were going to be from now on. Would Diamond Tiara turn up to school? Would she make fun of her on a daily basis? Or would she just continue to ignore her? Silver wasn't sure which she preferred, but she desperately wanted to see Diamond Tiara and try again, although she knew in her heart that it was hopeless, her head just wouldn't cooperate. Maybe there still was a way out of this; maybe she could make something up, or she could just quit her job and find something cool to do instead; something that would really impress Diamond Tiara. Silver knew that this idea was both wrong and pathetic, but she couldn’t stand the thought of never getting her friend back.
An hour passed by, and the sky grew darker, but there still was no sign of Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon had calmed down a little, although she now felt more helpless than ever. After staring sadly at the ground for a little while longer, the filly got to her feet. She didn’t want to go home just yet, but her father would be pretty angry if she was late – she was supposed to be preparing the dinner for that evening.
The heartbroken young mare tried her best to block out the terrible thoughts spiraling through her head. She set off toward home, taking a last glance at Diamond Tiara’s manor. It was the most beautiful building in all of ponyville. The roof glistened in the last of the suns rays, and the bricks were a delightful shade of salmon pink. Roses decorated the exterior, and light beamed from the large glass windows. Silver Spoon couldn’t help but turn her head, and take a short, sorrowful glance inside. After all, she would probably never enter Diamond Tiara’s home again.
Everything inside Diamond’s house was magnificent; from the glass chandelier to the golden framed fire place. It was a place fit for a princess; no wonder Diamond Tiara didn’t want to hang out with a lame waitress. After a deep sigh, Silver Spoon was about to leave, when two ponies trotted into the room. carrying a long delivery box. Silver Spoon recognised them instantly as Diamond's parents.
Her father; a brown, serious looking stallion with a gelled mane, steadily placed the box down. Diamond’s mother; a pink, glamorous mare with long hair similar to her daughters, carefully began to open it.
Silver gulped at the sight of them; they looked pretty intimidating. She ducked a little, but continued to watch as the two slowly pried the box open. The four sides fell to the ground one by one, and the sight of the object inside made Silver’s face drop. She had to remove her glasses, rub them with her hoof, and then place them back on her face, to make absolute sure that she wasn’t imagining things.
Silver Spoon desperately needed a moment to get her head straight. It all made sense now; it all made perfect sense.