//------------------------------//
// LP22: Heartbreaks and Hoofaches [Slice of Life] 
// Story: Half Hour Horses: Legacy Prompts 
// by HoofAndQuill 
//------------------------------//



The Prompt: Heartbreaks and hoofaches.



Silver Spoon ran.  She galloped as hard as she could, even though she had no idea where she was galloping to.  She ran, until she couldn't run any farther.  Then, she kept running.

It didn't matter where shes was going, and she couldn't see through the tears anyway.  She just had to get away from where she was, and away from... from Diamond Tiara.

Ponyville was a blur as she galloped teary-eyed through the streets.  Voices called out to her, ponies all concerned about the panicked, crying filly, but no one chased her long enough to catch her.  She didn't want to have to explain it anyway.  She didn't want to have to think about it, or to have to remember it.  As long as she was running, as long as she was out of breath and crying, she couldn't think of anything but the next step.

But eventually, "couldn't run any farther" became "absolutely had to stop right now", and Silver collapsed right where she was, panting heavily and almost delirious.  She had stopped crying, mostly, but she still couldn't think.  She could hear voices still, and she could think just enough to remember that it was bad, that she didn't want to be around other ponies.  As she tried to catch her breath, the voices got a bit clearer.

"Is that Silver Spoon?  What is SHE doing here?"

"She looks kinda bad, like kinda really bad."

"Hey!  Come on you two, let's get her up into the treehouse!"

Oh.  Them.  Silver Spoon tried to stand up and argue, but she couldn't manage to make her throbbing hooves and exhausted legs obey her.  She felt magic around her, but it didn't seem to be quite enough until two ponies lifted her up on their backs.  She just gave up and let them carry her up the little ramp to their treehouse.  She felt them shuffle her over to a little bed inside, and then listened to the three fillies chattering about what to do next.  After a few more seconds, she opened her eyes as she heard hoofsteps coming closer.

Sweetie Belle smiled down at Silver Spoon, and set a little glass of water on the table next to the little cot she was on.  "Um, here's something to drink, Silver Spoon.  But you really just need some rest, so don't try to get up, okay?"

Silver reached out and took the glass in her hooves, suddenly realizing just how thirsty she was, and took a deep drink.  She also realized suddenly that she was all sweaty and probably looked terrible, and also that everything was blurry because she'd lost her glasses somewhere during her run.  

While she was running away from Diamond Tiara.

Silver Spoon set the glass down carefully on the table, and sank again to the cot.  She mumbled quietly.  "Thanks, Sweetie Belle."

"You're welcome!  But hold on, you need to do this too."

A green blur filled her vision, until she realized that it was Sweetie's magic again, rubbing a towel all over her.  The towel didn't smell as nice as the ones she was accustomed to, and the texture was rougher.  After a moment or two though, Sweetie Belle tossed the towel aside, and pushed a pile of blankets onto the bed with her hooves.  "Here.  Get covered up.  You'll get really cold if you don't, you're not supposed to sweat that much in winter."

Silver Spoon gathered the blankets around herself, and then finally took the time to look around the room.  Applebloom and Scootaloo were sitting off to the other side of the room, playing some kind of two-player card game, and pointedly ignoring Sweetie and herself.  Silver wasn't really sure how she'd manged to end up here, but she knew by the ache in her legs, the throbbing pain in her hooves, and the sudden chill that was creeping over her that she wasn't going to be running anywhere else.  But the blanket was helping, and the water had been nice.  "How do you know all this?"

Sweetie Belle blushed and giggled.  "We tried getting out cutie marks in marathon running last year.  But it didn't work out."

Silver Spoon looked down at the floor, and an awkward silence fell for a few seconds.  The flipping of the cards in the card game across the room seemed weirdly loud, as did the rustle of leaves outside.  After a little while of this silence, Sweetie Belle spoke again, much quieter and calmer than usual.  "Was it Diamond Tiara?"

Silver nodded, trying to force herself not to start crying again.  It wasn't easy.  "I... told her.  It's Hearts and Hooves Day, and I... I thought..."

Applebloom looked over toward her, but then Scootaloo pointedly knocked her hoof against the floor, and she turned back to her card game.  Sweetie Belle nodded, just a little.  "I thought it might be that."

Silver Spoon wiped her eyes with the back of her forelegs.  "She could have just said no.  She didn't have to say... what she said."

It took a second or two for Silver Spoon to realize what was happening.  It was warm, and soft, and comforting.  Sweetie Belle was hugging her.  It was also... a little awkward.  They weren't friends, if anything they were something like enemies.  But still she was there, and after a few seconds, Silver Spoon hugged her back.  They stayed that way for just a little longer, and then Silver Spoon remembered herself and pulled away.  Sweetie let her go, and after a brief silence, Silver spoke again.  "Why are you being so nice to me?  I mean, after what we did, and..."

Silver Spoon couldn't help but notice Scootaloo's wings twitch, and a bit of an irritated expression on her face, but Applebloom put her cards down and Scootaloo frowned and started arguing about the cards instead.  Sweetie Belle smiled at Silver.  "Uh, well, we don't really hate you or anything.  Besides, we can't just ignore a pony crying and almost passed out next to our clubhouse."

Silver wiped her eyes again, and sighed.  She was pretty sure she wasn't friends with Diamond anymore.  None of the fillies and colts at school would probably ever forgive her for what she did when she was.  But these three ponies were different.  They weren't her friends, or they weren't yet.  But...  "Thanks."

Another hug, much briefer than before, and Silver couldn't help but smile at the smile on Sweetie's lips.  Maybe the end of her friendship with Diamond Tiara wasn't the end of the world.  Maybe there it was just the start of something better.