“How could this happen?” Silver Spoon paced up and down in her room the following morning, “no wonder Di is so miserable lately! I gotta help her, I’m her friend, but…. What can I do?”
The filly had been tossing and turning all night, and yet she was still completely restless. Silver lay on her bedroom floor, looking through her beloved velvet diary at the photos of her and Diamond Tiara when they were fillies.
“Why didn’t she tell me?” Silver whispered, “I thought we were best friends.”
At first she contemplated searching for Diamond Tiara, and telling her about her discovery, spilling her heart and assuring her friend that everything was going to be alright, but… Silver Spoon was afraid of the consequences. Each and every time she had tried to reach out to Di, it had only driven them further apart.
“Maybe Miss Cheerilee was right.” Silver Spoon concluded, “Maybe Di will realise that she needs somepony to talk to, some pony to be there for her… eventually.”
With all of these conflicting thoughts racing through her mind, Silver Spoon had forgotten that she had a long, busy shift ahead of her. When she suddenly remembered, the filly felt incredibly queasy, and the anxieties of her and Di’s run-in with Candlelight came flooding back.
Silver Spoon used to love her job, but not anymore. That mare had ruined everything; not only her career, but also her already damaged social life. Candlelight’s mocking voice echoed through her thoughts. Silver Spoon began to fret; her body and her mind were just not up to this.
“I shouldn’t go.” Silver Spoon told herself, “it will only be a complete disaster anyway, I could call in sick…” She looked disappointingly at her own reflection, “or better yet, I could just hide.”
“No.” She decided, “the restaurant still needs me; they’re going to be busy today. I’ve never called in sick in my life, and I’m not going to start now.”
And so - even though everything in Silver Spoon’s gut was telling her not to go - she still put on her uniform, and set off to work.
When the magnificent building came into view, Silver suddenly felt exhausted. It was as though her body was deliberately trying to tell her not to enter the restaurant that day. Regardless, the filly took a deep breath and boldly headed over.
She paused once more upon reaching the overwhelmingly large blue doors, with their gigantic golden handles.
“You can do this… you can do this….” The filly muttered under her breathe. Then she lifted her hoof, reached out for the handle, and then…
Wack.
“Ouch.” Silver Spoon rubbed her sore head.
The large, heavy door had been opened from the inside, quite recklessly, and struck her pretty hard.
It took a moment for the fillies vision and hearing to return to her properly, but when they did, she was surprised to see a young pony no bigger than herself standing over her, freaking out and apologizing over and over.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” The red colt was rapidly looking her over, to see what damage he had caused. “Are you alright?”
“Wh… what the…”
“I’ll go fetch some pony!” He added, and turned to run back inside.
“No!!!” Silver Spoon panicked, grabbing his back hoof.
The colt stumbled, and looked back at Silver in confusion.
“Don’t… don’t fetch any pony. I’m fine.” Silver said as calmly as possible, and lifted herself back up as if to prove it.
“Are ya sure?” He wasn’t convinced, “that door is preetttty heavy.”
“Y…yeah.” Silver Spoon assured him, before giving the strange pony a look over.
His coat was a deep red, decorated by small patches of mud. His large eyes were a marginally lighter colour than his striking green mane, which was tattered and looked as though it hadn’t seen a brush in days. His tail was short and unevenly cut, and he was a little… podgy.
“Who are you?”
Silver Spoon wasn’t sure if her hesitation to enter the restaurant was getting to her, or if she was genuinely curious. Either way, this colt didn’t seem like the type of pony who could usually be found anywhere near her father’s fancy restaurant.
A large goofy grin appeared across the colt’s face,
“I’m Apple Pippin!” He stated his name as though it was some kind of title, “Pip for short! I’ve just moved to Ponyville to live with my relatives. They’re going to teach me to become a real apple farmer! I just got my cutie mark last week, after planting my very first apple tree - I think I’ll do a pretty good job.”
Silver Spoon hadn’t noticed the young colt’s cutie mark, as it was partially covered by mud, but she tilted her head and saw that it was three seeds, one of which was shining.
“Apple Pippin?” She raised an eyebrow, “you look more like a strawberry to me.”
To Silver’s surprise, the colt didn’t seem in the least bit offended by her comment.
“I love strawberries!” He hopped up and down energetically, “And I also love Ponyville! I used to live with my brother in the city, but he doesn’t really have time to take care of me anymore, and he’s seeing this girl so… I came here to follow my destiny! What’s your name? Do you like apples?”
“Urm…” Silver Spoon didn’t feel like answering. She began to wonder why she had even bothered asking the question in the first place.
Of course this guy was just another relative of the apple family in Ponyville. She should have guessed from his tatty appearance and pitiful attitude. Each of the Apple Family had the word “Apple” in their name, and they were all earth ponies with agriculture-related cutie marks.
“Oh no!” Apple Pippin suddenly gave a panicked hop, “I forgot my cart again!”
He darted back inside, opening the door as carelessly as he had done the first time. Silver Spoon rolled her eyes as she heard the young colt apologizing to some ponies on the other side.
“Well that was interesting.” She commented, entering the restaurant herself.
~*~
The staff were all lined up, whilst being given a pep talk by Mrs Sizzle about how the restaurant was becoming increasingly popular, and how this weekend was going to be one of their busiest to date. The other waitresses and kitchen staff smiled at Silver Spoon when she joined them, but continued to pay attention to the head supervisor.
“We must ensure that all meals are prepared swiftly and successfully.” Mrs Sizzle spoke in a strict tone. “Many of the customers booked in for tonight are very important, successful ponies, and their custom could influence the entire business.”
Some of the others looked nervous, but at first, Silver Spoon actually felt rather motivated. She usually looked forward to busy shifts; working hard to satisfy upper class ponies, earning their admiration and respect, and being tipped generously for her efforts… there was nothing quite like it.
Then, she noticed Candlelight.
The unicorn approached the group, who were stood in a circle around Mrs Sizzle. She faced Silver Spoon from the opposite side, and glared at the young pony in an intimidating manner. Silver tried her best to ignore Candlelight. She still didn’t really understand why the mare had such a problem with her, after all. Today, she just had to keep her mind on her work, do her best, and hope that trouble didn’t find her.
The shift began, and the first customers arrived. It was a large party of about twenty well-dressed mares and stallions. They were greeted by the front of house ponies, and shown to their seats. Shortly after, another group arrived, then another, then another. In less than half an hour the entire restaurant was filled with customers, each arrival more fancy-looking than the last.
Together with the other waiting staff, Silver hurried to take the orders and deliver the food, all whilst maintaining a polite and pleasant attitude. Although speed was essential at a time like this, customer satisfaction was still the number one priority. Each guest Silver attended to thanked her kindly for her service, and complimented the wonderfully presented food which she laid out before them.
Surprisingly, the shift was going pretty well. After a while, Silver Spoon stopped noticing that Candlelight was still glaring at her each time they crossed paths. The filly felt better; much better. The hectic day came and passed in the blink of an eye.
Once the guests had left, the staff cleared the diner and Silver Spoon and a few others helped out the kitchen staff with the washing up. The chef was in high spirits as usual, singing as he worked.
Suddenly, in walked Mrs Sizzle, followed by the rest of the ponies – including Candlelight- who had finally finished their cleaning. The chef and his helpers turned around to face her, unsure what to expect. Mrs Sizzle’s was frozen in a serious expression, and she said paused for a minute. Then, she spoke.
“I’ve spoken to many of our guests this evening, as they were leaving the restaurant. And I am pleased to inform you all that we have received some very high feedback not only for our food, but for the professional and efficient staff who work here.”
The ponies all gasped and looked at one another happily, and the chef patted a few of their heads in an affectionate manner. Then, the supervisor said something which greatly surprised at least two of them.
“Silver Spoon, you were referred to by many of our customers as being helpful, polite, and incredibly hard working for your age. Very well done, young mare.”
Silver couldn’t help but let her mouth drop open at those words. Her fellow co-workers all started patting her, and congratulating her on a job well done. The chef embraced her in a tight hug.
“Your father will be so proud.” He said loudly.
“Aww thanks guys, but we’re a team! And tonight, we all did great.” Silver told them modestly.
She looked over at her work friends. They were all so pleased to have her back with them. How could she ever have considered leaving this place? The restaurant needed her, and she needed it. Fine dining was her passion, and it was what her cutie mark represented. There was no way any pony could ruin this passion for her, not even…
That’s when Silver realised that Candlelight, was gone.
After waving goodbye to her colleagues, Silver gave a yawn and left the restaurant. She was still thinking about Di, but in her current content state of mind, the filly had come to accept that perhaps there was no way she could help her friend at the minute. Right now, all Silver needed was a good night sleep.
~*~
The following morning the mare awoke refreshed and restored. She rubbed her eyes and prepared for another productive day. This time around, Silver Spoon wasn’t worried about work at all. She put on her uniform and set out into the daylight.
As she headed to work, the birds were singing and the bees were humming; it was evident that summer was getting closer and closer. The beautiful sunshine was enough to make any pony feel relaxed and at ease, even if that pony was about to work a frantic shift at a top-quality restaurant.
The shift itself went as well as the previous night, with just as many customers and therefore just as many orders to take out. Silver Spoon didn’t have to stay too late this time around. The restaurant was aware that the young filly had school the following day, and kindly gave her an earlier finishing time on Sundays. Nevertheless, the young pony worked her hooves to the bone alongside Cocoa and the others. Again, the customers were very impressed by her pleasant attitude and excellent waitress skills.
Silver noticed Candlelight charming a few of her customers in a similar manner, sometimes even by repeating word-for-word what she had overheard Silver Spoon saying, to her own customers. This was a little annoying, but Silver held her head high, realising that Candlelight was probably a little envious of the praise and tips she had received.
As another successful shift came to an end, Silver Spoon said goodbye to the others and left the building. The sun was beginning to set, but the air was still warm, and she could hear crickets chirping in the long grass which surrounded the restaurant.
Then, Silver Spoon heard another noise. It was squeaky and strange, and getting closer and closer.
“Good evening!” Apple Pippin beamed as he trotted over and stood in her path.
The scruffy colt was pulling a small wooden cart, filled with red and green apples. It was rickety and looked as though it could fall apart at any given second.
“Oh… hi.” Silver gave a quick glance, contemplating which the best way to walk around him was.
“So do you like apples?” He was pretty persistent, “I never got your answer last time.”
“Not really.” Silver Spoon replied coldly, deciding to pass on his right. She didn’t want to associate with a relative of that blank flank.
Once again, Pip wasn’t fazed by her response. “I deliver these apples around Ponyville.” He announced proudly, “but the very best ones go to this restaurant. They pay a high price, I bet their apple pies must be delicious!” The young colt licked his lips. “Do you work here?”
Silver sighed, “You aren’t going to ask me to sneak you an apple pie are you?” She asked sarcastically.
Pip’s eyes grew wide, “You can do that?”
“No.” Silver rolled her eyes, “And I have to go home.”
She galloped a little ahead of Apple Pippin, before muttering “weirdo…” under her breathe.
“Okidoke. Have a good evening.” The colt replied.
Silver Spoon turned and began to walk away. She heard the door to the restaurant opening, and assumed it was Apple Pippin delivering his apples to the Chef.
Then, another voice called after her.
“Hey Squirt, what do you think you’re doing?” It was Candlelight.
Silver Spoon didn’t want to turn around; she knew that it would cause nothing but trouble if she acknowledged the mare again. So she continued walking,
“You think that it’s okay for you to show me up like that? You think you’re better than us?” Candlelight sounded angry, “I told you to stay out of my way!”
Silver Spoon still didn’t turn, she tried to hurry along and ignore Candlelight altogether, but the mare followed her.
“You think you did so well today don’t you? Well let me tell you something, those ponies are all just being nice to you because you’re young; the staff, the customers, they all just think “Aww look at that little filly playing waitress!” And you actually believe you did a good job? Ha, all you are is a kid.”
Although a part of her knew that Candlelight was just trying to get under her skin, those cruel words were enough to ruin Silver Spoons content mood, as well as her sense of accomplishment. She’d had enough of that mare’s attitude, and had a good mind to make the point that a grown mare trying to run-down a ‘kid’ was downright pathetic… or something along those lines, Silver never was much good when it came to confrontation, at least, not without Di.
Never the less, Silver Spoon stopped in her tracks, and turned to face Candlelight. She was about to say something, but a squeaky voice beat her to the mark.
“Hey! I know you!”
Both mares turned, to notice that Apple Pippin was still standing there with his cart, watching them.
“Y…you what?” Candlelight gave him the same patronizing look that she frequently gave Silver Spoon, but it had no effect on the naïve colt.
“You’re that mare who got fired from the café.” He stated.
“Fired?” Silver Spoon asked, confused.
“Yeah.” Pippin turned to Silver, and continued talking as though Candlelight wasn’t even there. “My cousin, Apple Dumpling has worked there for years. She was promoted to Assistant Manager and given a pay rise for her incredible dedication and great customer service skills, but urm… Candlelight is it?... got jealous. One day she had some kind of weird rage fit because she wasn’t promoted, took it out on a customer, and Apple Dumpling had to fire her.”
“T… that’s not…” For the first time ever, Candlelight seemed actively defensive.
“Candlelight angrily told Apple Dumpling that she would get even somehow. So Dumpling was afraid that she might take it out on the Apple Farm.” Pip continued as though he was telling a story, “so she warned Applejack to look out for her, and Applejack told me all about it.”
“That… that was a long time ago!” Candlelight’s face was burning up, “and I deserved that promotion anyway! Apple Dumpling was a loser, she couldn’t bake to save her life.”
“That’s a lie!” Suddenly, Apple Pippin’s carefree, dazed expression turn to one of pure fury, “Apple Dumpling is a fantastic baker! That’s why she got promoted and you didn’t!”
Those words hit a nerve,
“Now look here you little runt…” Candlelight squared up to Apple Pippin, but she was interrupted.
“Candlelight, your break is over, we need you back on duty.” Mrs Sizzle called from the diner,
“Y..yes, of course, I’m coming!” the mare called back, before scowling at the two young ponies who now stood before her, together.
“This isn’t over.” She snapped, then trotted into the restaurant slamming the door behind her.
“Wow” Apple Pippin turned to Silver Spoon, “she’s just as jealous of you as she was of Apple Dumpling.”
“I can’t believe she was fired.” Silver replied, “I’ll bet daddy didn’t know that when he hired her.”
“Hired her?” Pip looked confused, “Wait. Does your dad own this huggggeee restaurant?”
“Y…yeah, he does.” Silver replied.
“That is SO cool!” Pip bounced up and down to emphasise his amazement.
“Yeah, it is pretty cool.” Silver Spoon couldn’t help but smile, “well, I gotta get home anyway, school tomorrow. Good luck delivering your apples or… whatever.”
“School?” Apple Pippin certainly wasn’t easy to end a conversation with. “You mean, in Ponyville? I start there tomorrow!”
“You… what?” Silver Spoon gulped,
“Yeah! I’m joining my awesome cousin Apple Bloom at the Ponyville School house. Wow, I can’t believe I’ve already met one of my classmates, we could be friends!”
Silver froze at the thought of having another member of the apple family in her class, as if one wasn’t enough. She hated Apple Bloom; that little goody-two-shoes know it all who was the ringleader of the cutie mark crusaders. She was always getting gold stars, and top marks, and she was super popular in class. Silver Spoon gritted her teeth, then turned back to Apple Pippin and replied.
“Friends? No, I don’t think so.”
~*~
When the school bell rang the following day, Silver Spoon and the other ponies entered the classroom and took their seats. Of course Diamond Tiara didn’t turn up to class, and of course Silver Spoon felt concerned by that matter, but Diamond had told her quite clearly that the two of them could no longer hang out.
Silver hoped with all her heart that Diamond was speaking out of misery, but now that she knew what the problem was, she wasn’t quite sure if things would ever get better. For once in her life, Silver Spoon realised that worrying wasn’t going to solve anything. There was nothing she could do right now, she had to just focus on the lesson, and try to drown out the annoying giggles of the three cutie mark crusaders behind her.
That’s when Silver Spoon realised that Apple Pippin wasn’t sitting with his cousin Apple Bloom, or with Scootaloo, or Sweetie Belle. However, there was an empty desk directly in front of them, and Silver Spoon started to wonder if he was late; that wouldn’t have surprised her one bit, judging by his goofy attitude.
Miss Cheerilee soon entered the classroom, and put her mind to rest.
“Good morning class! I have some exciting news for you all today! We have a new student, who is a relative of Apple Bloom!”
A few heads turned to look at the country filly, who was grinning excitedly along with her two best friends.
“I’m happy to introduce you all to Apple Pippin!”
On that note, the young farm colt entered the room. He looked a little less dirty than he did when he was on apple delivery duty, but he was still pretty scruffy. Never the less, the class all started asking questions to both himself and Apple Bloom.
“Where are ya from?” Twist waved her hoof in the air,
“Do you live with Apple Bloom?” Featherweight asked a little sheepishly,
“Do you like video games?” Button mash called over.
“Now, now.” Cheerilee calmed the class down, “I’m sure there will be plenty of time at recess for Apple Pippin to answer all of your questions, but for now, let’s start the lesson shall we?”
Pip smiled at Silver Spoon as he passed by her desk. Silver obviously ignored the colt, but for some strange reason, she actually felt a little bad for doing so. It didn’t seem to bother Pip one bit though, he sat at his desk waving and shaking hooves with the students surrounding him. When the lesson began, Silver turned around and saw Pip writing notes vigorously, completely engaged in it.
Silver Spoon hated recess. She dreaded that bell going off and reminding her that she was all alone at school. She and Diamond Tiara used to take this opportunity to remind the other students that they were above them in every possible way. It always made Silver Spoon happy that Di wouldn’t hang out with any pony apart from her, that she was the only one good enough to be Diamond Tiara’s friend, and that no pony else even came close to it.
Nervously, Silver let all the other students leave the classroom first, and then set out to follow, when she noticed Cheerilee beckoning her silently. Silver walked over, and looked up at her teacher.
"Yes Miss Cheerilee?" She spoke slowly, hoping to kill some time.
“Silver Spoon, are you alright?” The teacher asked kindly,
Silver gave a nod, but it wasn’t very convincing.
“You seemed to enjoy my lecture today.” Cheerilee continued, “I think you’re a very smart pony Silver Spoon. You have a lot of potential.”
“It was a great lecture Miss Cheerilee.” Agreed Silver Spoon.
“And yet, I can't help but notice you seem a little lonely without Diamond Tiara?" Cheerilee had a good idea of what was wrong, but she wanted to hear it from Silver's point of view.
“Y...eah.” The young filly said meekly. "Do you know about..."
"Yes." The teacher nodded, "I've spoken to Diamond Tiara's parents. I don't think she will be joining us for class any time soon."
Silver Spoon gazed sadly at the ground, feeling completely helpless, and alone.
Cheerilee hesitated for a moment, then added, “I know it's tough Silver Spoon, but you are a very smart, and very strong little filly. .Do you think maybe it’s time you tried to make some new friends?” She suggested.
Silver looked at back at the mare as though she was crazy.
“I can't do that.” She argued, "No pony here likes me, and... I don't even know how!"
Cheerilee gently lifted the young fillies head from the ground with her hoof, and spoke in a kind, gentle manner.
“Maybe you could just try being yourself, and see what happens.” She smiled supportively, but Silver Spoon wasn't convinced.
She forced a smile, and turned, just in time to see a pink ribbon quickly disappear from the window - it was clearly a part of Apple Bloom's bow. This made Silver feel worse; those stupid blank flanks were spying on her! They had probably heard the whole thing, and had a right giggle about it. Well, at least now she had nothing left to hide.
Silver sighed and reluctantly left the classroom. It was going to be the longest twenty minutes of her life. It felt like the first day of Kindergarten all over again. There she was; alone and nervous, without a friend in the world, walking sadly into an area full of happy ponies playing together. But there were no bookshelves in the small playground, there were no hiding places, and there was no Diamond Tiara.
Silver walked to the edge of the playground, as far away as she could get from the other students. She was just going to sit and watch the birds, and try to ignore any strange looks she got for being alone at recess. No other pony was alone; this was the first time Silver had realised it, the other classmates all got along so well with one another.
It started to get to her, and so Silver looked away, and and noticed a little caterpillar on a leaf. Diamond hated bugs, but Silver actually rather liked nature. As she watched the tiny creature wiggle to the edge of the leaf and start munching away, she heard a sudden 'thud.' Silver looked around to see a familiar purple ball had landed on the grass beside her, and then she heard an all-too-familiar cheerful voice.
“Hey Silver Spoon! Come play with us!” Apple Pippin waved over at her from a distance.
Silver tilted her head, what on earth was that colt doing? Did he not understand anything? Soon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders turned up as well, wondering why Pip was taking so long to retrieve the ball.
“What?” Silver snapped, in an unfriendly manner.
“He said come play with us.” A high pitched squeaky voice called over. It was Sweetie Belle.
Silver paused for a moment, then scoffed. Just who did these little dimwits think they were? Did they feel sorry for her? We’re they trying to trick her? Either way, there was absolutely no way she was going to play with them. Not with any of them. She hated them. she really hated them all.
“No way.” She scowled defensively,
“Aw what’s the matter?” Apple Bloom said in a playful tone, “Afraid you’ll lose to a bunch of blank flanks?”
Silver was insulted at the thought; of course she wouldn’t lose to them! They were dopey little brats, they had no talents. That was it, she didn’t really have much of a choice now – Silver had to play, to prove that she wasn't afraid, to prove that she was better than them!
“Alright farm horse, you’re on!” She scowled.
The young ponies trotted over to the grass,
“Okay” Apple Bloom called out, “It’s Silver Spoon and Apple Pippin against me and Scootaloo! Anddd Sweetie Belle is referee.”
Sweetie Belle blew her whistle loudly, then bellowed.
“Right, every pony ready? We sure have a nice day for this… urm... okay, go!” She blew the whistle again, and the ponies ran to the ball.
Scootaloo reached it first, she started dribbling across the grass, in the direction of two stumps which signified the goal for their team. Apple Pippin was swift; he darted alongside her and stole the ball, then kicked it to Silver Spoon. Silver panicked a little when she saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo charging towards her, but she straightened her glasses then dribbled the ball toward the other goal. The fillies came either side of her, and she was getting tired, when suddenly she head Apple Pippin’s voice.
“Silver, over here!” He called, and Silver Spoon kicked the ball as hard as she could toward the young colt.
Pip took over, he ran far ahead of the other team, and then fiercely shot the ball right into the goal!
“Yeah!!!” He cheered and hopped around excitedly.
“Awesome job Pip!” Silver called to her team-mate. Then froze again when she realised what she had just done. Silver Spoon watched Apple Pippin prancing around, celebrating their first goal, and she just couldn’t help but smile.
Sweetie Belle blew the whistle, “That’s one point to Apple Pippin and Silver Spoon! Alright ponies, back to your starting positions!”
The ponies returned to the centre of the field, looking more determined than ever. Silver smiled at Apple Pippin and he winked back. After one more blow of the whistle, and the game resumed.
Meanwhile, from inside the classroom, Cheerilee looked out the window and saw the group having fun together. She smiled, and then continued preparing the chalk board for her next lecture.
“That was an awesome match!” Scootaloo flapped her orange wings excitedly.
“Woohoo we won!!” Apple Pippin was still prancing about.
“Yeah yeah, by one point!” Apple Bloom smiled confidently, “Besides, we just went easy on you cos it was your first day! Tomorrow, you’ll see what we’re really made of!"
Pip wasn’t fazed; he continued to chuckle. “Haha, that’s right, you just keep telling yourself that Cuz! Me and Silver can beat you guys any day! Isn’t that right Silver Spoon?”
Silver said nothing; she didn’t know what to say. She looked over at the four young ponies laughing and joking about in a playful, friendly manner, and she just didn't understand. Her and Diamond never played ball games; Diamond always said they were for babies. They used to play other games though, like Chess and Ponyopoly, but Diamond always either cheated, or got angry when she was losing and ended the game early. Diamond was a very sore loser, and a very boastful winner, playing games with her never was much fun. Silver had fun today though, and this confused her.
Pip didn’t seem offended by her silence. Instead, he put a hoof around her shoulder.
“Say, what are you doing after school Silver Spoon? Do you want to come to Sugar Cube Corner with us?”
“What?” Silver Spoon jumped a little, then looked up at the energetic young stallion. He had a huge grin on his face, and seemed to be having trouble keeping still.
Silver slowly turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, expecting to see three awkward faces glaring back at her, disgusted at the idea of her being invited. But to her surprise, they were smiling too; not to the extent of Apple Pippin, but they certainly didn’t look disgusted.
Nevertheless, Silver stepped to the side, letting Pip’s hoof fall.
“No, no, thank you.” She said sternly.
“Are you sure?” Apple Bloom tilted her head.
“Yeah.” Silver didn’t know how to talk to Apple Bloom - she didn’t know how to talk to any of them.
Pip actually seemed hurt. His smile faded and he stopped bouncing up and down; he just didn’t understand why Silver Spoon didn’t want to go with them. One look at the sheer disappointment upon his face made Silver feel a little guilty. She sighed, then forced a tiny smile.
“Okay… maybe just one milkshake.”
The young colt’s face instantly lit up. “Woohooo!” He cheered, and hugged Silver Spoon.
Silver was caught by surprise, and couldn’t help blushing.
The cutie mark crusaders smiled, first at Pip and Silver, then at each other. Silver still had her doubts about them, but she was starting to believe that Apple Pippin really did want to hang out with her. And so, that afternoon, the five young ponies headed off to Sugar Cube Corner.
Silver was a little nervous. In the past, she always let Diamond Tiara order for her, so she never really had to speak or order anything. The filly began to panic as the group approached the counter, but relaxed when Apple Pippin said exactly what was on her mind.
“Wow! There’s so much to choose from, it all looks delicious! I just don’t know what to have!”
“Why don’t you guys go get a table?” Apple Bloom turned to the others, “Today is my treat. It’s a special occasion.”
‘Special occasion’? Silver didn’t understand, but she followed Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Pip over to a nice little oak table by the window.
She wasn’t sure how to speak to them, so she took a seat next to Pip and listened nervously. To her delight, Pip didn’t stop talking once, so Silver and the others couldn’t really get a word in anyway. Soon Apple Bloom joined them, she was carrying a paper box, which she lifted gently onto the table. The ponies gazed as she opened it to reveal the most beautiful sponge cake they had ever seen.
It had words written on it in swirly icing, and underneath was a picture of three apple seeds, also drawn in icing.
The words read, “Welcome to Ponyville Pip x”
“I had it made special.” Apple Bloom smiled and took a seat, “As ya’ll know, my cousin Apple Pippin has just moved to Ponyville, to help out on the Applefarm. He did an amazing job this weekend, and he’s already getting along great with my friends. So this is a little thank you, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say: it’s great to have you in Ponyville Pip!”
It was the first time Apple Pippin had stopped talking since they entered the store. Silver even spotted a single tear appear in his eye,
“Aw shucks Apple Bloom, you didn’t have to do that.” Pip hugged his cousin - it was a truly touching moment.
Mrs Cake came over to cut the treat, and every pony got an equal slice. It was delicious; the butter cream icing was the sweetest thing Silver Spoon had ever tasted. The jam in the middle was made from fresh strawberries, and the sponge was light and had vanilla flavouring.
The group then ordered some milkshakes, and Silver started to feel more comfortable. Apple Pippin seemed to get even more hyper off the sugar; he talked about apples, about his home town, and fun times he had with his older brother.
The young ponies laughed at Pip’s stories, and joined in with their own, and not once did they say a bad word about any pony. It was very different to hanging out with Diamond Tiara. Silver found it difficult to join in their conversations, but they didn’t seem to mind. Apple Pippin kept smiling at her, as though her just being there was enough.
It was a great afternoon, and the group completely lost track of time. Mrs Cake had to walk over to tell them that the store was closing. They thanked her and made their way out.
“Well guys, we best be heading back to the Apple Farm. See ya’ll tomorrow.” Apple Bloom first smiled at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and then at Silver Spoon.
“Yeah tomorrow, best up your game Scootaloo!” Pip smiled and raised his hoof.
“Oh it’s on!” Scootaloo gave Pip a hoof bump.
Sweetie Belle giggled, “Bye guys!”
“B…bye.” Silver added.
As the young fillies went their separate ways, Silver felt unusual. She couldn’t believe how much fun she had with those blank flanks - what in Equestria would Diamond say if she found out?
For years, Silver and Di had always hated the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The way they naively spent their days playing and having fun, how friendly and compassionate they were to one another, how every pony liked them and they liked every pony. It made her so angry. But today, Silver had become a part of it. It was as though the crusaders had completely blanked out everything that had happened in the past and just forgotten all the times her and Di had been mean to them.
Silver Spoon contemplated the strange events of that day, playing them over and over again in her mind. Then suddenly, she caught sight of a bright blue star soaring gently through the night sky. She watched it with wide eyes, until it started getting smaller and smaller. For some reason, Silver Spoon followed the light as it faded into the distance, and then, she saw Diamond Tiara.
The pink filly was just standing there in the darkness, but Silver Spoon could still make out her flushed cheeks and heavy scowl.
“Di, what are you doing out here?” She asked, as calmly as possible.
“What do you want… waitress?!” Diamond snapped bitterly through her tears.
“Di, come on. Don’t do that.” Silver Spoon could hardly believe she had just spoken like that, and to Diamond Tiara no less. She decided to try and remedy the situation. “Do you want to come and stay at my house?” She asked kindly.
Diamond Tiara looked at her in disbelief, and for a moment she actually seemed to consider taking up the offer. Then, she gave a violent stamp at the ground.
“No!” She shouted, “I don’t need your help! How dare you look down on me like that! I can’t believe I was friends with you, why… you’re practically a servant!”
Usually, that kind of comment would have really gotten to Silver Spoon, but Diamond Tiara was clearly on the verge of some mental break down, and so Silver Spoon decided to put all of her cards on the table.
“Di.” She spoke softly, “I know about the baby.”