Chapter 4 - Growing Confusion
Exchange of Spoons
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Chapter 4
Growing Confusion
“Is the way clear?” Sweetie Belle asked as she walked towards the stone wall that separated the mansion from the rest of the world. She sat next to Apple Bloom as they both awaited the answer, both staring at their friend expectantly.
Scootaloo peeked from behind the wall, now looking at the residence. “No hostiles detected,” she said with a joking tone, causing her friends to roll their eyes.
“Was tha’ s’pposed to be Dash, or are ya tryin’ to get a ninja mask as a cutie mark?” Apple Bloom asked while fixing her saddlebag.
“I think she tried to act like Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie said before smirking. “It seems your so called older sister is a bad influence for you.”
“Just quit it already.” Scootaloo frowned before pushing her head between the metal bars of the gate as she looked around.
“Hello there,” said Gatekeeper, his forelegs crossed as he looked back at the filly with a smug grin. “Visiting Silver Spoon, are we?”
“Y-yeah,” Scootaloo responded with an awkward smile. “Can we enter?”
The stallion nodded before opening the gate slowly in order to not make any noise. “Next time you fillies try to be stealthy, I would suggest less talking and more acting. You should try to take some lessons from your classmate.” He pointed at the window on the first floor, located on right wing of the residence. “Mistress Novel is currently working on her story while the tutor left an hour ago.”
“Great, let’s go,” Scootaloo said before trotting towards the main entrance, the other two crusaders following.
“Can I use the window?” asked a weak voice from behind the stallion, who flinched and turned around.
Gatekeeper looked down at the young colt, whose legs, belly and wings were thin and tiny when compared to his head. A small sack hung from his neck by a thread. Gatekeeper replied, “No need to fly up the window this time, Mister Featherweight. While somewhat romantic, doing so may become creepy after a while.” He pointed at the opening door and continued, “Please visit your lady in a civilized manner.”
Featherweight nodded before zipping between the stallion's legs and under his belly.
Gatekeeper turned around, but the colt was nowhere to be found. “I swear, that colt keeps catching me off guard every damn time,” he said before sighing. “I hope that he never becomes a thief. He’s too stealthy for his own good.”
“Don’t worry. I would never shame myself or my family with such deeds.”
Gatekeeper turned around swiftly to the source of the voice, seeing only spreading dust. He turned to look at the door, which closed before his very eyes. “Again...”
“So, what now?” asked Sweetie Belle as she stared at the empty room of Silver Spoon, not bothering to come inside as her two friends did.
Apple Bloom took one more glance towards the mirror and fixed the bow on her head, before turning towards the unicorn. “We split up, Ah guess.”
Scootaloo nodded before going outside and pointing at Sweetie Belle. “You, check the music room. Apple Bloom can check the kitchen,” she pointed at herself, “and I will go to the basement.”
Sweetie Belle tilted her head to the side and said, “Wouldn’t it be easier if we just asked a servant. They’re all very friendly.”
“And what’s the fun in that?” Scootaloo asked with annoyed stare.
“She’s in the kitchen, cleaning dishes.”
The three crusaders turned towards the source of voice, which came from a large vase with flowers that decorated the hallway. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak, “Featherweight, is that you?”
“Who else did you expect?”
The fillies flinched and turned around, now staring at the giggling colt, whose tiny rapidly flapping wings kept him millimeters above the carpet.
“Can you stop doing that?” Scootaloo asked with a frown.
“And what’s the fun in that?” Featherweight asked as he booped the orange filly’s nose.
“Touche.”
Not wasting more time, the crusaders galloped towards the kitchen, while Featherweight zipped from one hiding spot to another, using vases, pillars and whatever else he could find to blend in with the shadows.
With a solid jump, they burst through the double door and looked around, quickly noticing a unicorn stallion wearing a chef’s hat cutting vegetables for salad, and a unicorn maid sitting next to a sink. On the maid’s side was Silver Spoon who was standing on her hind legs, a plate in one foreleg with a sponge in the other.
Silver Spoon yelped as she started to lose her balance while the stool she stood on was shaking with her.
The crusaders ran to their friend’s rescue, but stopped midway as the telekinesis of the maid resolved the problem.
“Are you okay?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Silver Spoon placed the plate on the table and jumped from the stool, now facing the crusaders.
“First, don’t jump into the kitchen like that. You startled me and as a result, nearly caused the accident to happen,” Silver Spoon said with a stomp before pointing at the fillies, who rubbed their forehooves and blushed from embarrassment. “Secondly, what in Celestia’s name are you, of all ponies, doing in my home!?”
Apple Bloom went ahead of the group and said, “We came to cheer ya up after hearin’ how yer mom grounded ya.”
Scootaloo nodded. “We crusaders always stick together,” she said, causing Silver Spoon to take a step back and stare back with confusion, which replaced her anger. “Also, we brought you some stuff from your friends to cheer you up.” She pointed at Apple Bloom’s saddlebag which Sweetie Belle opened with her magic.
“Can’t you always stick together outside, far away from me?” Silver Spoon asked as she massaged her forehead. “Besides, Diamond Tiara would never ask you to give me anything.”
“Tiara?” Sweetie Belle asked as she levitated outside a jar filled with multicolored candies and a book. “Why would she want to give us anything without it being a cruel joke?” She levitated over the candy jar. “Twist asked us to give you some ‘get better’ candies she made for you.”
Scootaloo rolled his eyes. “I know. She has a one-track mind.”
“But she makes up for it with her enthusiasm,” Apple Bloom added.
Silver Spoon examined the gift curiously, looking at it from many angles while deep in thought. It wasn’t unusual for Twist to share sweets with the rest of the class, something she started doing ever since she got her cutie-mark. Even Diamond Tiara never bullied or joked about Twist’s voice after eating the marvelous candies every so often.
Finding the gift satisfactory and normal enough, Silver Spoon placed the jar on the floor, her attention now on the next gift which looked like a large book.
“Funny thing is,” Scootaloo said, “Just like Twist, Twilight also has a one-track mind when it comes to gifts.” She chuckled. “However the fact that you prefer books over sweets makes it even funnier.”
“Princess Twilight?” Silver asked before grabbing the book and examining it. She frowned and shouted, “You lie!”
“Still in a poor mood, I see,“ Rose said as she lowered herself to Silver’s level, who frowned at her.
“And how can I be in a good mood when everypony around me is acting crazy?” Silver pointed at the maid. “Why you thought that making me clean the dishes would cheer me up is beyond me.”
Rose grimaced. “Well, excuse me. You always like assisting others behind your mother’s back, so forgive me for assuming such.”
“What?!” Silver shouted, now even more clueless than before. “I never did such a thing.”
“Well, we can always sneak out and crusade for a cutie-mark,” Scootaloo suggested as she placed a forehoof on Silver’s shoulder. “A bit of action should lift up your mood.”
Silver Spoon shook her head and pushed the hoof away. “I am not a crusader, why would I ever want to do that?”
Scootaloo looked to the side and said with a snobbish tone, “Not with that attitude.”
Sweetie Belle pushed Scootaloo to the side gently and approached, speaking with a gentler tone, “We don’t care if you have a cutie-mark or not, you’re still a crusader. We’ll help you find out what your mark means.”
“I already know what my special talent is, why would I need your help in the first place?” Silver Spoon asked before poking Sweetie’s head, as if making sure if it wasn’t empty. “Hello.” Much to Silver’s surprise, each of the crusader was staring at her with wide eyes and creepy smiles. “Is something wrong?” She bit her bottom lips and braced herself for the impact as three fillies tackled her to the ground, knocking her glasses off her muzzle.
“You know!” the crusaders said in unison.
Silver Spoon found herself in a very uncomfortable position, now pinned to the floor by Apple Bloom as three cheerful faces were staring at her, her vision slightly blurred.
“What’s your special talent, tell us, tell us!”
Silver Spoon struggled to free herself fruitlessly, her body not strong enough to wrestle against a farm filly. She looked at Apple Bloom with a hostile glare and said, “If you have to know, I am good at cooking and making tea. Now, happy?”
“Cooking?” Sweetie said before looking at Silver’s cutie-mark, which did little to make the situation less creepy. “So a silver spoon cutie-mark represents your talent in cooking?”
Apple Bloom jumped back in excitement, releasing the rich filly from her grasp. “Ah bet it must be fancy cooking.”
“Can you cook something for us? Please,” Scootaloo pled.
Silver stood up and swept the floor with her forehoof in search for her glasses, only for them to descend onto her muzzle. She glanced at Rose with a thankful smile before her frustration returned. She looked at the crusaders and said, “If it will calm you down, then fine.”
She turned towards the cook and maid, now looking up at them. Not that I have much of a choice. I will need to talk with my mom about servants letting fillies run in our house and making me do the work for them.
Silver shot the crusaders another glance, easily noticing their excited expressions. She sighed and turned towards the stool, only to flinch as somepony already stood on it. “Featherweight, what are you doing here?” she asked in confusion. “How did you get here in the first place?”
The colt blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, though a stomp from Silver Spoon woke him up from his embarrassed stance. He carefully opened the stash on his neck and showed a tiny rose. “I… I wanted to wish you a quick recovery… and good fortune.”
Silver Spoon’s eye twitched as her mouth opened agape. Was this really happening? Never before, even during hearts and hooves day, did anypony ever give her a card or say any nice words. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if what she saw was nothing but a mirage, or if a colt had actually just given her a flower.
“T-thank you,” she said, carefully taking the gift, now holding it as if it was a precious and rare gem.
“I had no idea we will have Miss Spoon’s special somepony as our guest today,” the cook said, now looking at the group of fillies and a colt. “Should I prepare a welcome food, or would you like to cook something yourself?”
Special somepony… After carefully placing the little rose on top of a jar with candies, Silver closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against a nearby wooden door, which were quite numerous in the kitchen. What happened yesterday. Did I drink alcoholic cider, only to join the crusaders, befriend my servants and the princess herself, and unintentionally anger my mother? Or did I hit myself and end up in a delusional coma?
Her eyes opened quickly as she laughed. The mess inside her head giving way to a rush of logic. I must be dreaming. There is no way in the world that any of this is real. It is that simple. She turned towards the confused crusaders and nervously waiting colt, and then smiled. It all makes sense now. I’m dreaming, and soon I’ll wake up in my bed as if nothing happened. Fine, I will play along.
After fixing her glasses, Silver Spoon took firm steps towards Featherweight, who was sitting on the stool. “So, you’re my special somepony.”
“Y-yes, I mean no, I mean… I’m trying.” His words were cut off by a quick kiss in the cheek as he blushed. “W-what.”
“It’s so nice of you to check on me, and I appreciate the gift.” She nuzzled Featherweight’s muzzle and continued, “Would you like to stay for dinner? I’ll make it personally.”
“Of course! I would love to,” Featherweight said before hovering in mid-air. His teeth shining across his wide smile while his little wings flapped more rapidly than usual.
Silver Spoon blushed, slightly embarrassed by what she just did. Calm down Silver, it is just a dream, you’ll forget about everything in the morning.
“How romantic,” Sweetie Belle said.
Silver Spoon pointed at the young unicorn. “So, I’m a crusader, and we’re friends, am I right?”
“Well, duuuh,” Scootaloo said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Of course you are. Just because you learned what your special talent is doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” Sweetie said.
“Yer a crusader at heart, just like Bab Seed and Twist,” Apple Bloom said with an encouraging smile.
“I see,” Silver said before hopping onto the stool. “Since I promised you all to show you my special talent in action, I will prepare you all dishes and tea you will never forget.” She rubbed Featherweight’s chin, who purred in response. “And something special for my very special somepony.”
Rose smiled warmly. “That’s the spirit. I’ll do my best to help, and I’m sure your dad would love to taste your food too.”
“My dad?” Silver asked.
Rose nodded before looking at the clock on the wall. “He should be back from work in around an hour. I’m sure he will be overjoyed to hear that you finally learned the meaning behind your cutie mark.”
My dad…. is coming back from work... Now I’m sure it’s just a dream. Somewhat curious, she asked, “And what about tomorrow?”
“What about tomorrow?” Rose asked in confusion. “If you mean your dad, he’ll be back home at the same hour, like always.”
A sad smile replaced the cheerful one as Silver looked down at the floor, now suddenly wishing that this dream was a reality.
“What a day,” Silver said while taking her pearl necklace off her neck, a few bruises present on her fur. If anypony ever told her she would cook for every servant, a classmate who is her special somepony, and the crusaders themselves, she would laugh hysterically. The very idea of putting effort into something besides studying sounded ridiculous.
After bothering to use her special talent to feed mere servants and low class ponies, then spending an entire hour on physical activities with the crusaders, she should be annoyed, enraged… so why wasn’t she? Truth be told, today was quite enjoyable. Odd, tiring, but also exciting.
As much as she wished, she couldn’t deny it. Spending time with the crusaders was… fun. Until now the only pony who ever talked with her openly besides her mother was Diamond Tiara, her only true friend. Her other classmates either acted nice in search of favours, or avoided her.
Now that I think about it, maybe it was my fault for not having any friends. Mom always told me to not lower myself to the so called ‘lower class,’ warning me that they would want to take advantage of my social standing and fortune. Not that I ever wanted to disappoint her. Was my mom the reason I befriended Tiara in the first place?
Silver Spoon climbed up onto her bed and laid down on it, her head sinking into the large pillow while giving her aching muscles a break they’d been begging her for. Now that I think about it, my mom always showed me the way, and whenever she wasn’t around, I felt like something was missing, somepony to tell me what to do. Maybe that’s why I follow Tiara everywhere. But am I her equal… or just her follower? I can’t tell anymore
Silver looked at the door and smiled warmly as it opened, revealing the face of her father. I feel as if the entire world got turned upside down. Mom is busy with work while dad is the one with time to spend with me, no longer spending endless hours working on ships for rich nobles to earn more bits for us to spend. The crusaders I always bullied want to be my friends.
“Are you feeling tired, my brave daughter?” asked a white stallion with gray mane. A hammer made of wood and gems instead of wood and metal as a cutie-mark.
“Yes, I am,” Silver responded. After so many chores, I feel more tired than I ever have in my entire life.
Crystal Hammer nuzzled his daughter and whispered, “I’m proud of you. I’m sure that when you grow up, you’ll own your own restaurant, or luxurious cafe.”
“I hope so. If I open one in Canterlot, we can spend more time together,” Silver said as she returned the gesture. It has been at least a month since my dad last nuzzled me… I missed it.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Crystal Hammer said before raising his head. “Tomorrow’s my free day. Better get some rest, sweetie, because I’m taking you to a swimming pool… ummm… why are you sad? Do you not want to go to the swimming pool with me? I can take your friends with us if you want.”
Silver Spoon looked to the side, now feeling growing regret. “I… I would love to, however I fear that if I wake up, this dream will be over.”
Crystal Hammer stroked his daughter’s mane. “Then it’s a good thing this isn’t a dream.”
“S-sure,” Silver responded before faking a yawn. She pressed her head into the pillow and said, “Good night, dad.”
“Good night, sweet dreams.”
With the lights in the room now turned off and the noise of her dad closing the door reaching Silver Spoon’s ears, she sighed. So much for the dream… Not that I regret living in comfort with my mom… but I will miss the warmth I experienced today. Even that stupid friendship I had with the crusaders. On the other hoof, maybe it’s a good thing it will be over soon. She twisted in the bed nervously. I don’t think I would ever get over the embarrassment after everything I said to Featherweight.
Slowly, Silver Spoon went into the world of dreams, unaware of Discord’s presence as he peeked inside, his head emerging from the wall.
“I must say I am impressed. For being a one dimensional bully, you sure did quite well today. Maybe this whole idea will work for both sides after all.” He chuckled. “Also, thanks for all the entertainment. I never thought watching someone so young trying to score a colt would be so fun. I wish you chaotic dreams.”
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I know that things are going pretty well for the Silver Spoons, but I hope that Discord does get at least some kind of punishment for his reckless actions (unlike Starlight).
I STILL love that look on Sweeties face in the picture
I've always like Spoon as the more balanced of the two, back in the bully days. Although there's always a devious enjoyment at writing Diamond Tiara-redemption fics :P
I give up. Silver Spoon will wake up and be like, "this is the first time my dreams have had a sequel!"
Oh, suddenly I understand why I couldn't find the story that I edited in my library. You posted it as a new story! Dang it!
This story is fantastic. I can't wait for more
Careful discord, you don't want the FBI knocking on your door...
If you continued i would like a marking of witch spoon is witch since im intresteded mainly in frendly spoon