Silver Marriage

by cdcdrr

Rumbling Hearts

Chapter 4: Rumbling Hearts

"So what's the deal with you and Scootaloo? I saw you walk in together." Silver Spoon asked Rumble as she glanced at the orange pegasus chatting with her mare.

"Oh, we're roommates. So we though we'd come here together. Well, actually Scootaloo was already agreeing to meet with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and I came along because we live together." Rumble uncomfortably rubbed his withers with a hoof.

"Ooh, somepony has a crush on Scootaloo." Silver leaned in like she was a school filly again, embarrassing somepony for harbouring romantic feelings.

"It's not like that! I mean, at first I thought she was really into me. But then she told me she was purely friends with me because we both were the most athletic ponies in our class. So I kind of gave up. But I just can't help myself." Rumble was blushing, and indeliberately backing away from the centre of the classroom.

Silver Spoon stopped hounding him to straighten her glasses and compose herself. "Go on. You know you could like share your feelings back when we were in school and I never betrayed your trust."

"Well..." He checked their vicinity, and found they had separated from the crowd by now. "It's awkward, living with a girl. One you want to date. There's just going to be moments where I or she walk in on something when I really want to give her the space she needs. I want to respect her privacy, and her decision to just be friends. But I also want to try again and see if she's changed her mind. But I tell myself that if Scoot ever felt that way, she'd come out and say it. I kind of want to be more like my brother, a confident stallion. So I act all interested in other mares. I don't know, maybe I'm hoping Scoots will get jealous and pursue a relationship. Stupid plan, huh?"

Silver Spoon laid a hoof on his shoulder in sympathy. "Rumble, when a mare says she isn't interested, it's not healthy to nurture a crush. You're a fine gentlecolt for not forcing your affections on her. But maybe you have to put the idea out of your mind if Scootaloo says she just sees you as a friend. It doesn't sound healthy to crop this up and might lead to something you'll regret."

"You're probably right Silver, thanks for helping a big dumb stallion like me." He took Silver Spoon in a short hug. "I miss the old days when I could come over and we'd talk. You know... if you and Diamond Tiara... I could have seen myself marrying you instead of Scootaloo." He cleared his throat and awkwardly began moving away from her to blend into the crowd, leaving Silver Spoon to stare at him.

"What was that all about?" I voice from behind Silver Spoon suddenly asked.

She turned around to see Sweetie Belle had come from around the corner to the bathrooms. Silver Spoon had never even noticed she'd gone there.

"Sweetie Belle!? How much of that did you hear?" She asked urgently. Maybe there was still a point in denying.

"Only the last part from Rumble. So is it true that you and him were friends?" Sweetie Belle seemed a bit regretful even as she pried about Rumble.

"You know it isn't polite to eavesdrop." Silver stated sternly even as Sweetie Belle's pout wore on her nerves. "Fine, if you heard that much, I'll set you straight just to kill the rumours. But none of this gets out, you hear?" Sweetie Belle nodded vigorously, after which Silver Spoon decided to elaborate. "You're right, me and Rumble were like friends back in school. He'd sneak over to my house sometimes after school and we'd just stay in my room and talk. No girly tea parties, no playing with my dolls, just talk about ourselves."

"Only talking? Gee, that sounds kinda boring." Sweetie Belle opined as she rolled her eyes.

"It didn't have to happen often. I still spent most of my time with Diamond Tiara. I think Rumble just wanted somepony who he could share his problems with. We didn't tell anypony about this. I believed Diamond would be jealous or try to impose herself on our time together. And Rumble sometimes worried how his older brother would react if he told him he spent time with a filly. It's silly to think we both needed to hide it, but we also didn't really see why anypony needed to know either." Silver tugged at her necklace uncomfortably. "My parents did know, of course. We broke off contact when I opened up to them, and they wanted to pair us to 'cure' me."

"Your parents didn't like how you were in love with Diamond Tiara?" Sweetie Belle could have imagined ponies disapproving for other reasons.

"They tried everything to make me be what they wanted me to be like. They thought using Rumble would make me like stallions, so I pushed him away to spare him from being manipulated as well. And then they got it into their heads that maybe Rumble had been a bad influence. That he had been too girly, that I had softened him into a coltcudler, that he had infected my mind with mare love. It was all the worse I could no longer tell him about how mean they were being. I spent a lot of days crying to myself over what they would do to me. Some days, I was just in a really dark place. Like what if my parents were right and I was truly mentally ill? They'd warn me that fillyfoolers were moody, suicidal mares whose soul knows they are wrong even when their minds rebel. I... I contemplated it. I'd stand in front of the mirror and search the shelves for a painless, swift escape from existence, then I'd be reminded of their words on how I was supposed to have these thoughts, confirming them. Then I'd throw myself on my bed and pray for Celestia to help me. Or I'd run downstairs and plead with them to fix me because I didn't want to die. I believed it. I was foolish. If it wasn't for Diamond Tiara and her dad, I still might have believed it." Silver blinked away several tears, looking up at Sweetie Belle's aghast face.

"Gosh, I never imagined what it must have been like for you. I only ever saw you and Diamond Tiara bully me and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Is that why you did it?" The unicorn asked.

"I shouldn't excuse how I behaved with that. My parents would tell me fillyfoolers are bullies who won't stop at making others like them until they are considered normal. To look back at my school period and remember their words churns my stomach. I did so much to confirm their biases, I could kick myself. But even when we got older and I became more assertive that they were wrong, they kept trying to convince me otherwise. I spoke to doctors who told me there was nothing wrong with me and the vast majority of ponies out there didn't believe I was an ill pony. So my parents looked for a doctor that wouldn't tell me I was fine. They sent me to a seminary in Canterlot of the Sun Temple, and I was again told Celestia didn't hate me for the way I am. So they pulled me out of that to make me attend a camp up in the woods of the Unicorn Range where other parents would sent their fillies that had a crush or relationship with other fillies. I know that some of them believed what we were taught there, and that they were convinced once more there was something wrong with them. But I got out by simply complying and pretending to be cured so I could spend the rest of my years until adulthood in freedom at least. After that, I was allowed to make my own choices and I chose for Diamond Tiara. She would be there for me and I would be happy again."

"How did your parents react knowing you lied about being cured?" Sweetie Belle dared ask.

"I had lied to myself! I didn't have to lie to counsellors or my parents if they had not put me in a position where I had to betray either them or myself!" Silver Spoon caught her outburst, looked around self consciously, but found the class hadn't taken notice. "They were angry because I announced my marriage to Diamond Tiara out of the blue. They scolded me for lying to them, for being so conniving as to wait until they couldn't force me to participate in more therapy, for having spent many a night begging them to be cured only to turn around at adulthood and throw my orientation back in their face. They cut me off and we haven't spoken since. They go out of their way to avoid me now, and I don't mind for as long as they won't accept it. There are things I regret about our marriage. Like not having had a formal education and being stuck as a housewife when I wanted to learn about smithing. Our ancestors were Canterlot silversmiths, but I got my cutie mark at a tea party with Diamond Tiara. Can you believe that? I hide my dissatisfaction for her sake. But the truth is, our marriage itself I do not regret. Perhaps the way I got my cutie mark was prophetic, but regardless I am happy with her. I held on to my love for her when I was in that camp and it saved me from losing my mind in there. I am eternally grateful to her, even if she wasn't there or could understand how much it meant to me."

"I believe I understand, even if I never had to go through that." Sweetie Belle comforted her, levitated a tissue from the box on the teacher's desk to wipe Silver Spoon's face clean. "I never really imagined Diamond Tiara could mean so much to anypony. I guess I'm glad I was wrong to think the worst of her."

"Thank you. You're not too bad for a blank flank yourself." Silver Spoon sniffed.

"Former blank flank." Sweetie glanced back at the heart on her flank. "And don't worry, our Gabby Gums days are over. This is confidential even if the Ponyville Express ain't."

Author's Note:

This chapter I was finally able to go deeper into the main characters' marriage and present some other perspectives. Some more broken bridges get fixed, though other relationships inadvertently damaged. And there may be more old wounds this mere reunion won't heal.

Comments

[Telaros]

Poor Silver. And damn, hopefully those two contrasting opinions from DT to Scoots and Silver to Rumble don't mess things up.

Silver's parents are just rather horrible though, geez. To even go so far as to say those things about Rumble, damn.

Not sure why this wonderful story is being ignored. Rather dumb in my honest opinion, I suppose Silver Spoon fans hate Silver Spoon if she isn't breaking Diamond's heart in some way. Not enough Silver putting DT in her place I'd imagine.

Seriously, story is only getting better. Their loss, whatever.

[cdcdrr]

5062559
I personally think it isn't necessary to put down Diamond Tiara or even redeem Silver Spoon to write Silver as a pony with personality beyond childish antagonist. She doesn't have to grovel for forgiveness from the CMCs to become sympathetic (even beyond their stint as Gabby Gums, I wonder if the CMC themselves are regarded sympathetically by most of Ponyville. I can imagine the property damage they cause on a daily basis). So I tried to keep Diamond and Silver reasonably human. They aren't going to beg everyone they tormented to forgive them, they still do have their dignity and pride. But like adults, they aren't proud of their more childish mistakes. And since they both care about eachother, they aren't going to criticize one another for it since they know it applies to both.

[ServingSpoon]

"Ooh, somepony has a crush on Scootaloo." Silver leaned in like she was a school filly again, embarrassing somepony for harbouring romantic feelings.

it's my headcanon that Silver love's to tease much like Pinkie and Dash like to prank ponies.

[ServingSpoon]

Silver Spoon stopped hounding him to straighten her glasses and compose herself. "Go on. You know you could like share your feelings back when we were in school and I never betrayed your trust."

Oh THAT is awesome! letting Silver be someponyelse's confidant other then Diamond's.