Silver Spoon sat down at the chair in front of Cheerilee's desk, sniffling and brushing away rain and tears. Cheerilee held out a tissue box, which Silver accepted and promptly used.
"Now," said Cheerilee, sitting down at her desk and giving Silver a warm, but stern smile. "Would you please tell me why you were sitting on the swings in the middle of a rainstorm? I was very worried about you."
Silver's lip quivered, and she wanted to cry. "W-well," she started, looking fixedly down at her hooves. "A-after s-school was over, I-I followed B-b-boysenberry so that I-I could see if she m-maybe wanted to hang out sometime. I t-t-talked to her, and she... she..." Silver burst into tears again, discarding the rest of her sentence.
"Silver Spoon, what did she do to you?" asked Cheerilee, curious. "Did she hurt you?"
"N-no..." said Silver. "B-but when I asked i-if she p-possibly wanted to be my f-friend, s-she asked me... she a-asked if this was a joke!" A fresh flood of tears erupted from Silver.
"Why, that's just awful!" said Cheerilee, looking sympathetic. "And so unlike Boysenberry! Usually she's friendly to just about anyone." This only made Silver wail louder.
"T-t-then w-why w-w-wasn't she f-friendly to me????" she bawled, yanking out tissues from the box on Cheerilee's desk.
Cheerilee was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
"Have you ever thought that it might be because of Diamond Tiara's influence on you?" said Cheerilee tentatively.
"Of course I have!" said Silver, hiccuping. "And that's just it! I t-thought that ponies were only afraid of Diamond, not me! So if I was genuinely nice to somepony else and Diamond Tiara wasn't around to spoil it, then other ponies might give me a chance! But," she sniffed, her face covered in tears and snot. "I guess I was wrong. M-maybe it's not Diamond at all. Maybe... maybe ponies don't like me because I'm some sort of nerdy freak, just like Aqua and C-coronet told me!"
"No, no, Silver Spoon, don't believe any of that!" said Cheerilee, putting her hoof on Silver's shoulder. "You are a smart, beautiful young mare, and anypony who says otherwise is wrong. I know it, they know, and I'm sure you know it, too."
"(sniff) I-I guess..."
"Now, you said that Aqua and Coronet were calling you names?" said Cheerilee in a steely tone of voice.
"Uh-huh," said Silver. "Yeah, a c-couple of weeks ago, Diamond invited those two t-to be her new friends, which I-I guess isn't such a big deal, DT's allowed to have more than just o-one friend, I suppose... but then they started freezing me out, and making me do their school stuff, and i-insulting me to my face and... and..." Silver trailed off, sniffling and hiccuping.
"Oh dear..." said Cheerilee, pressing a hoof on her forehead. "I hate it when these things happen... Silver, would you like me to confront them or write them a note home?"
"No!!!!" screamed Silver Spoon, looking frantic. "Please don't do that! That'll only give me less of a chance of staying Diamond's BFF! Please, please, please no! Anything but that!"
"Alright, alright! I won't talk to them!" said Cheerilee, a bit surprised at Silver's reaction. "But you must realize, Silver Spoon, that what they are doing to you is wrong, and it has to stop! And it's not going to stop if neither you nor I do anything about it!"
Silver didn't answer. She knew that this was the truth, and that in was in her benefit to accept it. But try as she might, the thoughts that she was the root of the problem stayed.
"I know, but i-it's so hard!" Silver cried, covering her face with her hooves. "Every time I even try to add something to the conversation, they just stare at me like I'm some sort of a bug! I bet they're only keeping me around because I can get them straight As. I want to tell them to treat me with some respect, but I... I... I just can't!"
"Have you tried asking Diamond why she froze you out in the first place?" asked Cheerilee. "It might help if you know why she is doing this at all."
"I-I don't need to." said Silver. "A c-couple of weeks ago, I overheard her t-talking to Aqua and Coronet. Diamond s-said that she was getting b-bored with me, and that's why she chose those two to be her n-new friends."
"Silver Spoon, if she really was bored with you, then why would she keep you around?" asked Cheerilee. "And before you say that she needed you to do her school things for her, let me tell you that I was once a filly, too. I know how these things go. If she really and truly did not want you around, but still wanted you to do her schoolwork, then what she most likely would have done is give you her assignments and tell you to give them back when you were through."
Silver thought about this for a minute. That does seem like something Diamond would do... but why hasn't she done it, then?
"But I don't get it!" said Silver Spoon. "That's sounds exactly like something Diamond would do, but she hasn't! Almost every time that Diamond and the girls are doing something, I come along and they treat me like dirt. I don't want to go with them at all, but I'm afraid that if I don't, then Diamond'll be mad and our friendship will really end."
"Silver Spoon," said Cheerilee slowly. "If your friendship with Diamond is causing you this much stress, then..." she trailed off, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.
"What?" asked Silver, narrowing her eyes. "Miss Cheerilee, what are you saying?"
Cheerilee sighed. "Silver, I think it might be in your best interests if you let this relationship with Diamond Tiara go."
Silver Spoon's eyes became like saucers. "I-I d-don't understand. M-me and D-diamond have been b-best friends f-for years! I c-can't just break it off. That would be suicide!"
Cheerilee looked confused. "Suicide? That doesn't make sense, Silver Spoon."
"Yes it does." said Silver, scrunching up her features bitterly. "With all due respect Miss Cheerilee, you might rule over us during class, but on the playground, Diamond's word is law. If you do anything to tick her off, then she'll do whatever it takes to make your life miserable. Trust me, I've seen it happen first hoof."
"Then why in Equestria are you still friends with her?"
Again, Silver couldn't answer this. The only thing she could think of was because they'd friends for years, and she didn't want to lose that. "I don't know." she finally responded. "She's always just been my one good friend... and I can't risk losing her."
Cheerilee sighed. "Whatever you feel is right, Silver Spoon. But let me ask you this- what's the difference between a friend and an enemy, when said friend makes you feel like trash?"
Yet again, Silver found herself lost for speech. For several minutes, she pondered her teacher's words, until Cheerilee spoke up.
"It looks like the storm is ending, Silver." she said, looking out the window at the slow-falling rain. "Let me walk you home. I'll tell your parents that you and me were just talking while waiting the storm out."
Silver nodded, still thinking.
"Good. Now gather your things, and we'll be on our way." Silver Spoon did as she was told, picking up her still-damp saddlebags and slinging them over her back. She followed Cheerilee out of the classroom and outside, where the now gently sprinkling rain was showing signs of stopping. Dew drops trickled off leaves and blades of grass, making tiny prisms in the early evening light. Ponies were coming out of their houses, and young foals were splashing in the leftover puddles from the rain.
Silver smiled at the harmonious scene around her. This was one of the things she loved about living in Ponyville; that it almost always gave her a sense of peace. For a moment, she forgot all her troubles with Diamond, exams, and Boysenberry. A tranquil aura enveloped her; she could feel all her burdens slipping away...
"Silver Spoon? Are you coming?"
The silence was shattered, and Silver snapped out of her trance. "Oh! Sorry, Miss Cheerilee. Spaced out for a minute, there." Cheerilee nodded, seeming to understand. They walked side by side down the puddle-lined dirt road in silence. When they came to Silver's house, Cheerilee turned to Silver Spoon and smiled.
"I'm glad we had that talk, Silver." she said kindly.
"Me, too." said Silver. "Um... Miss Cheerilee? Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything Silver Spoon. As long as it's not about my age or weight."
"What do you think I should do about the Diamond situation? I mean, I don't want to stop being her friend, but I also don't want to keep being her doormat."
"Hmm..." said Cheerilee, thinking. "Well, the first thing you should probably do is apologize to the ponies you've hurt- namely the crusaders." she said.
Silver squirmed uncomfortably. "Yeah..."
"And another thing- why don't you ask Diamond why she's adopted this attitude towards you?" she said.
"But what if Diamond gets mad?
"Then you'll know that Diamond isn't really your friend at all."
Silver froze. "W-what do you mean?"
"That if Diamond gets angry at you for expressing your hurt feelings, then she doesn't deserve to be your friend." said Cheerilee, sounding stern. "Now, let's go inside. I'll explain all this to your parents."
Silver Spoon smiled. But just before she opened the door, she turned to her teacher. "Oh, and Miss Cheerilee?"
"Yes, Silver Spoon?"
"Thanks for listening."
***
That afternoon came and went, leaving Friday behind in its tracks. The weekend was the slowest Silver had ever experienced, because Diamond had gone to visit her grandmother in Las Pegasus. By the time Monday came around, Silver was so anxious to talk to Diamond that her fears had temporarily subsided. When Silver Spoon saw her finally taking a break from talking to Aqua and Coronet, she took her chance.
"Hey, um, Diamond?" said Silver. "C-can I talk to you?"
Diamond turned, a bored look on her face. "What is it, Silv?"
"I-I need to ask you about-"
"Diamond! Hey, Diamond!" called Coronet from the playground. "Come on over here, you won't believe what Peach Fuzz is wearing!"
Diamond's attention immediately shifted to Coronet. "OMC, you have to tell me, Cory! What is it?"
"I'm not really sure. It's all glittery and in this pukey orange color, and it's like she has a tight skirt around each of her back legs. She says that it's gotten really popular in Germane, and that they're called 'pants', apparently. Seriously Di, come look at them!" Diamond raced over to the playground, leaving Silver Spoon in the dust.
"But..." started Silver, trailing off. "Never mind..." she mumbled to herself.
All week long, Silver Spoon tried and failed to keep Diamond's attention long enough to confide in her. Every day, Diamond either was too busy to pull away, or simply wasn't interested in listening to Silver. Time was running out, though; next week were the final exams, and the following Friday was the last day of school. When summer came around, Silver Spoon knew for a fact that there was little to no chance that she would ever have a chance to catch Diamond alone. Every summer, Diamond spent a month in Manehatten with her mom, and spent the rest of the time either taking shopping trips to Canterlot or hanging out with her friends- a group of friends that Silver was pretty sure wouldn't include her this time.
Finally Silver Spoon told herself that enough was enough, and that she was going to talk to Diamond or die trying. On Friday at lunch-recess, Silver cornered Diamond outside the door before she caught up with Aqua and Coronet.
"Tiara, we have to talk." said Silver Spoon, looking her friend right in the eye.
Diamond only rolled her eyes and attempted to move past Silver, but was soon blocked.
"Hey, what gives, Silver Spoon?" said an irritated Diamond. "Like, I'm trying to get outside, if you haven't noticed."
But Silver stood firm. "Diamond, I said we have to talk."
"And I said that I need to get outside."
Silver knew that it was now or never. She knew that the safe thing to do would just be to let Diamond have her way, but she couldn't let herself do that.
"No, Diamond." she said, shaking inside. "We are going to talk right now."
Diamond sighed. "Fine. Whatever. What is so important that you're making me miss recess for?"
Silver let out a breath of relief. "Well, um... you know how about two months ago, we did that thing to Sweetie Belle?"
"Yeah, why?"
"And after that, you started hanging out with Aqua and Coronet?"
"Yeah..."
"And, um, no offense, but you guys have kinda been treating me like, to put it bluntly, like dirt."
Diamond rolled her eyes. "Are you going somewhere with this?"
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you- are you mad at me or something? Because whatever it is that I did, I'm truly, truly sorry."
Diamond stared at Silver blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. Silver joined in tensely, her nervous titter clashing with Diamond's high, spiteful laugh.
Diamond's chuckles died down a bit, and she turned to face Silver.
"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" she giggled, her expression one of amused skepticism.
"F-figured out what?" asked Silver shakily.
Diamond smirked. "Don't you get it? The new friends, the icing out- it was all just a test."
Silver froze, her lavender eyes widening in disbelief. "W-what are y-you t-talking about?"
"Geez Spoony, for somepony who's supposed to be so smart, you can be real dumb sometimes." said Diamond. "After you contradicted me when I was roughing up Squeaky Belle, I needed to know exactly how far I could stretch your loyalty to me. And as it turns out, you'll do practically anything to stay on my good side- cheating on tests, carrying my books, even getting insulted to your face by my friends. You'll go through it all, as long as it means that we can besties. It's kind of pathetic, actually." Diamond snickered a bit at this.
Silver Spoon was frozen in shock. No... she thought, staring stoically at the ground. No, no, no, no, no!
"D-d-diamond..." stuttered Silver, not daring to look her friend in the eye. "W-w-why w-w-would y-you d-do this t-to me?"
"Honestly Silver Spoon, you're so slow sometimes. I already told you- I had to see how loyal you really were to me."
Suddenly, Silver's grief changed. She didn't want to cry any more; She was too angry to cry.
"Do you have any idea what you've put me through?" said Silver, slowly and dangerously. "These past few weeks, I've been killing myself trying to figure out what it was that I'd done to make you mad, and you're telling me that all along it was just a test???"
"That's what I said, hon."
Silver Spoon's cheeks flushed red, not from embarrassment but fury. She hated it when Diamond brushed off her feelings like they didn't matter. She hated it when she made her feel like trash.
"But," said Diamond, examining her hooficure. "I'll admit, maybe I did go a little overboard with all of this."
Silver perked up. "You... what?" It was the first time Diamond had apologized to her in years.
"Yep. But I won't lie, Aqua and Cory are a lot of fun to hang out with. They love fashion and celebrities, just like I do, and both of their families have at least some money. And they may do what I say, but at least they have backbones. No offense Silv, but you can be a real pushover sometimes.
"So it would probably be hard for me to just drop them like that, you know?" Diamond continued. "I would probably miss them, so it would take a lot for me to let them go, don't you think?" She batted her eyelashes at Silver sweetly, but her icy blue eyes shone menacingly beneath them, as if to say 'Get my drift?'
Silver got the message. "S-s-sure thing, Diamond. W-whatever you s-say."
Diamond Tiara smiled. "That's the spirit. And because I'm not totally heartless, I'll give you one last chance." Suddenly, Diamond's amiable expression shifted darkly. "Recognize it when it comes."
And Diamond pranced off to the playground, leaving Silver Spoon distressed and utterly confused.