Confessions and Concerns
Rarity had informed our parents of our stay through some sort of magic mailing system. Apparently, unicorns are able to burn up their mail in the form of scrolls or parchments to send it to other pre-designated locations; similar to how Celestia gets Spike to send Twilight's letters. It wasn't all that surprising to learn that Silversmith, despite being an Earth Pony, has access to the unicorn mailing system thanks to the unicorns under his employment.
Rarity was surprised to learn that both Dia and I come from extremely wealthy households. She offered plenty of snacks for us to munch on and even allowed us access to much of her bath soap collection. Speaking of which, she's currently getting all three of us in a bathtub while humming a catchy little tune. “Hmhmmhmm hmmhmhm~ It’ll be nice to get all that dirt off,” Rarity says relievedly, depositing me in alongside Dia and Sweetie Belle.
She turns the faucets off with her magic. Clearly, Rarity is well familiar with this bathtub’s particular ratio of cold to hot. She grabs with her mouth, a bottle from a tray alongside the bathtub, and up-ends a dash of its contents into the tub, humming pleasantly all the while. Just a splash of something. It’s a perfume, I think, from the smell that quickly pervades the air. An essential oil, perhaps? I have a maid that does the exact same thing whenever she prepares the bath. With the water full and steaming, I relax inside it as I feel the blessed warmth seeping in through my tired skin and relaxing my tense muscles.
"No bubbles?" Dia says curiously, getting me to look up from my bath trance.
"Oh, I'm sorry dear, we just ran out of Castile soap." Rarity apologized as she takes the showerhead to soak her already wet mane. "Sweetie Belle used it all a few days ago." Her eyes glanced towards her sister, who in turn wore a meek expression back at a disappointed Diamond Tiara.
“What did you... add to the water? It smells nice.” I say diverting Rarity's attention away.
“Just some solemn tree oil.” she says casually, switching her water nozzle to soak my mane. The cold rainwater flows down into the bath replacing the icy feeling on my skin with a warm embrace. “It’s a wonderful, long-lived tree whose essence is known to invigorate the mind, and calm the nerves.” she finished.
"I feel calmer already." I say as I crossed both forelegs on the side of the tub, the nozzle drizzling hot water down my withers.
"I'll say," Rarity responds, "Scootaloo was never this behaved when taking her bath."
"Scootaloo takes dust baths," Sweetie argued, "she doesn't need regular baths."
Rarity visibly cringes as she moved on the nozzle to her sister. "Now now Sweetie, everypony simply must take a bath every now and then, preferably every day."
Sweetie's comment shifted my brain into high gear. Dust baths? I was perplexed that pegasi even took dust baths. I know that certain animals do it, mostly to remove parasites from fur. Why would a pegasus need to take one if we can just take baths? Unless...!
"Hey Rarity?" Rarity pauses in accosting Sweetie Belle with her nozzle and looks at me querulously. “I’ve forgotten...” I say timidly and a bit slyly, “but do pegasus feathers need to be oiled?”
“Well of course they–” Rarity starts to say, then looks at the soapy sponge held hovering in her magic. Her gaze darts to Sweetie Belle and she says, “Oh, oh dear. I’m... I-I... I've been bathing her all wrong! Good catch Silver Spoon! Oh, I’m so sorry Sweetie Belle. I hadn't realized that I was treating your friend so horribly. Her wings must be in such poor condition-”
Rarity's muzzle soon turned into a horrified expression as she suddenly dropped the nozzle in the bath, clasping both her hooves over her mouth. "Oh, oh no... Sweetie Belle, I've been the reason why your friend can't fly. B-Because of me your first friend has been... been... crippled!" she wails dramatically, the light-grey mare's eyes visibly watered and her lips quivered upon the realization that she possibly had done something completely and utterly unforgivable.
Sweetie Belle and I immediately recoiled back in the bathtub, the both of us being very familiar to Rarity's dramatic hysterics while Dia stood visibly concerned and confused. Seconds later, Sweetie sloshed in the water to approach her sister wearing an expression of solace. "Rarity! It's not your fault." She leans over the side tub, still drenched in water.
"But, it is Sweetie Belle!" Rarity's eyes were still quivering in tears.
"No, it really isn't." The light-grey filly insisted. "Scootaloo couldn't fly even before she became my friend. Scootaloo isn't crippled, she can move her wings just fine. She just... hasn't figured it out yet."
"O-Oh... right." Rarity meekly wiped her tears that were dripping down her mascara. "Well that's a relief - that I didn't cripple her I mean. Not that she can't fly! That's still horrible-"
"I get it Rarity." The small unicorn consoled her older sister with a reassuring smile.
"Right, right... that's good." The older mare sighs a fresh breath of relief. "I'll have to apologize for my unsightly display," she turned apologetically towards Dia and me, "I do tend to... get emotional over things."
"You mean overreact?" Sweetie Belle corrected.
"Shush." The older sister quipped.
"I don't mind. I think it's kinda sweet that you care so much about Sweetie Belle's friend," Dia responded while waving a hoof, "even if she is a mule..."
"Now that's not a very nice thing to say Diamond Tiara-"
"No, she's right." Sweetie Belle interrupted Rarity mid-scolding. "She has been... pretty rude to the both of you, and me."
"She has?" Rarity seemed surprised but clearly upset at this revelation. "Now what has that troublesome foal- wait... was she the reason that you cried?" She asked adamantly in concern.
"H-Huh? How did you know I-"
"Of course I would know Sweetie Belle!" Rarity rested both of her forelegs on her sister's shoulders. "As an expert in crying, I could tell that something simply horrid happened to you. I just didn't want to say anything until you were ready to share it with me." Rarity's firmly grasped both hooves in reassurance. "Has Scootaloo hurt you in any way Sweetie?"
"I-" Sweetie Belle turned back to the both of us sitting on the other side of the tub, Dia watching with mild concern and I with moderate interest. The light-grey filly opened her mouth, before deciding to close it again. She was obviously trying to choose her next words carefully. "She said my opinion doesn't matter since I'm her friend."
"What!?" Rarity exclaimed, completely baffled. "But Sweetie, your opinion matters because you're her friend."
"I know, it's really dumb." Sweetie sighed in exasperation.
"What's brought this up?" I asked curiously, still relaxing at the other end of the tub with my head rested against the rim.
"Well... Scootaloo thinks you both are uncool."
"Pfft... that's more than obvious." Dia added sarcastically.
"What? Why is that?" Rarity tilted her head.
"Because she believes they're both eggheads... and that eggheads shouldn't be popular."
"Who said that we're popular?" I asked perplexed.
"Well apparently she thinks that you both are. Ever since you tried that ori-ga-me thing with the whole classroom." Sweetie answered.
"Ori- I'm sorry what?" Rarity asked, clearly missing context.
"Origami! It's folding paper into shapes and other cool stuff. Silver Spoon invented it!" Dia excitedly explained.
"I didn't invent it... I just read about it in a book somewhere." I said. "All we did was make paper stars and Miss Cheerilee had the whole class join in. Anypony can do it, it's really nothing special." I waved a hoof dismissively.
"I see... but how does this connect with Scootaloo invalidating your opinion?" Rarity turned to Sweetie Belle.
"Well, now she thinks that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are both popular. And that she's cooler than the both of you." Sweetie Belle explained.
"So... she's jealous then." Dia summarized.
"How petty." I lamely remarked, sloshing over to the other side of the tub.
"I'm inclined to agree." Rarity nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah, and I'm not the popular one, Dia is." I waved a hoof at said filly.
"No I'm not!" Dia denied.
"Says the one with a dozen new friends." I say sarcastically.
"What's wrong with having a couple friends?" Sweetie asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.
"Too many friends can be a bad thing." My eyes narrowed as my pessimistic side reared its ugly head. "Get a big enough group and they will stop being themselves. They wear masks, pretend to be upstanding so they don't get excluded from the group. They smile and agree with everything everypony else says, laugh at jokes they don't really understand or find funny, and try to be the least controversial to not start any drama." I listed on. "They're all just being fake. You can't ever have a genuine relationship like that." I added with a bit more venom than I intended.
Everypony was staring at me dumbfounded. Dia and Sweetie Belle were surprised while Rarity was looking on with intense concern. "It sounds like you're speaking this from experience." The older mare remarked, eyeing me with worry.
I snorted and faced away, resuming my relaxation in the hot tub. "Yeah well, if you've been to as many social gatherings as I have, you'll quickly pick up that proper etiquette is nothing more than a glorified mask to maintain your public image."
"I- I think I know what you mean." Sweetie Belle timidly admitted, drawing a glance from me. "Scootaloo always makes fun of you two and I don't see it as very funny... I just laugh along with her because I want to stay as her friend." She says a tad bit depressingly. "She always talks about herself, and how she should be popular for her scooter tricks. She wants to be cool and I said that she was, but-"
"-She dismissed you because you're her friend." Rarity finished. "Honestly that filly, she's starting to remind me of a certain somepony..."
"Yeah well, I said that if she doesn't think my opinion matters as a friend, I didn't want to be friends with her at all." Sweetie Belle stated bitterly while crossing her forelegs.
Rarity cautiously analyzed her sister's expression, staying silent before responding. "While I think you're perfectly justified in feeling such a way, don't you think cutting off your friendship with her is a tad much? You both seemed so close together." She rubbed a hoof on Sweetie's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to be friends with her anymore?"
The light-grey filly paused in thought, her upset expression slowly turning remorseful as she thought. "...No." She answered, still unsure of what she believed. "I don't think she meant it and I don't either." Sweetie Belle groaned. "Why is friendship never easy?"
"I don't know, seems pretty easy to me-"
I quickly shoved my hoof into Dia's mouth. She tried to protest by trying to speak under my hoof, but all that did was get her saliva all over it. I instinctively released my grip on her and wiped away her saliva on the side of the tub in disgust.
"It never is Sweetie Belle." Rarity explained. "Friendship requires communication from both ponies, where both can understand each other from different perspectives. And sometimes, friends won't reach a common ground and they get into fights." Sweetie Belle's ears drooped down upon hearing this, but Rarity kept a reassuring smile and a firm, but gentle grip. "But it never lasts. As long as they both keep an open mind and try to talk things out, they can be sure to reconcile. It just takes patience Sweetie."
The light-grey filly pondered her sister's words for a moment, before sighing. "...Alright. Thanks sis."
"Anything for you darling." Rarity smiled brightly.
"Hey uh, not to ruin this moment, but I think the bathtub is starting to overflow." I stated. The nozzle that was dropped below felt pleasant with the constant source of hot water, but the drain that stopped the tub from overflowing was steadily becoming overwhelmed.
"Yeah! I'm starting to have wrinkles in my coat." Dia exclaimed, showing her unsightly hooves that caused me to recoil in further disgust.
"Oh! My apologies! I completely forgot. Seems that I got all caught up in some friendship drama." Rarity chuckled before shutting off the water with her magic. "Here, lets get you three cleaned up--"
The first floor mainly consists of Rarity's workroom, from which she does much of her designing. The room is stocked with materials and supplies such as mirrors, dress form mannequins, movable screens, and a small display stage. That's all I managed to see while the three of us left the bathroom to the upper floor where Rarity and Sweetie Belle's bedrooms reside. Rarity was busy preparing our supper and this building didn't seem to have a living room, so we ultimately decided on hanging out in Sweetie's room.
Our coats were dry, but our manes and tail were wrapped up in a quick-drying towel, or drying turban as Rarity explained. Apparently, it helps our mane dry gently since friction can ruin strands of hair and the light-grey mare insisted on having us wear one. I never had one done before, but it seems that Dia didn't either and was excited about having her mane done. Sweetie Belle was indifferent about it, as her older sister must have done her mane probably hundreds of times by now.
"Woah! Your room is so small!" Dia observed the room around her wide-eyed. The room was a tad smaller than I thought it would be. The diamond motif of the Boutique continues on the bed’s headboard, the diamond shape inset within a stylized heart. The pillow is a light salmon with various shades of blue hearts all over it. The bed covers sort of... clash with the surrounding purple wallpaper, and the peculiar checkered columns. I suppose the colors work with the flooring though: a goldenrod yellow patterned tile that feels slightly stiffer than linoleum, in the design of large checkers. There’s also a huge daisy-shaped rug on the floor right at the foot of her bed.
There’s a chest of drawers across the room from that foot, with a large, smooth mirror and a stool, presumably to get up to see the mirror. There were a couple of toys and dolls piled in a literal wooden chest. Some of which seemed to be all sorts of odds and ends, including some papers and other junk. A tall mirror occupied one corner of the room. The only source of light was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There’s a simple writing desk, crafted whole it looks like, from a single piece of bluish wood. It’s a wood that doesn’t match any I’ve seen on Earth, certainly. Not that I’m an expert on Earth woods. However, the one thing that stood out was how basic it all was. Other than the chest, nothing particularly stood out as something that belonged to Sweetie Belle.
"Huh? What do you mean? Looks about the same size as anypony else's." Sweetie Belle eyed the pink filly questionably. "Rarity's room is only slightly bigger than mine."
My attention was pulled away and I subtly tapped Dia's shoulder with my hoof. "Their rooms aren't small Dia, it's just that our rooms are huge compared to hers."
"Wait, so how big are your rooms?" The light-grey filly asked.
"Ehh... mine is like, maybe two-thirds of the first floor." I waved a hoof in a roundabout way, before dropping my slightly-soaked saddlebag onto the floor.
"Two-thirds?" Sweetie Belle asked, clearly not understanding my estimate.
"Oh right, Miss Cheerilee hasn't taught us fractions yet." I sighed, mentally facepalming (facehoofing?) myself. Tiara and Sweetie Belle both proved to be so proficient in basic grammar, that I sometimes forget that I'm talking with literal six-year-olds. It proves just how smart these two fillies are. It's going to take some time to get used to the literary gap between them and me.
"Fractions?" Dia gave me an equally confused gaze as she dropped her saddlebag next to mine.
"Ah just ignore me. My room should be a little bit bigger than your room Sweetie Belle." I offered a simpler explanation.
"Oh, my room is way bigger then. It's like the size of all of downstairs!" Dia chirped.
"Wha?! That big? What do you even do with all that space?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"Oh!" The pink filly's eyes sparkle with excitement. "My daddy fills it with all kinds of toys! I have a giant stuffed bear, a bunch of dolls, marbles, balloons, a piñata-"
"-Speaking of toys, why is your room so... barren?" I interrupted Dia's ongoing list of things her father spoiled her with.
"Barren?" The light-grey filly tilted her head at another foreign term.
"Empty." I explained curtly. I might as well increase their vocabulary even further while I'm here. Could be fun watching those two use terms no other pony knows. Hell, I could even introduce some human terms while I'm at it, just to mess with them.
"Oh. Well I don't actually live here. Only sometimes." Sweetie Belle answered vaguely.
"Sometimes?" Dia raised an eyebrow.
"It's a guest room. I usually live with my mom and dad, but when they go on vacation they leave me here with my older sister. So I bring whatever stuff I can in that box over there." She walked over to her toy chest and opened it. "Wanna check it out?"
"Sure!" Dia chirped as she trotted after her.
After scrounging around in her chest we found out Sweetie Belle hoarded a bunch of junk. Mostly broken kites, some swirly fans, and yes dolls. They were mostly ponies too, not really sure what else I expected. I expected maybe to see some elephants or giraffes, but considering how Ponyville reacted to Zecora at first, it was possible that this town was way too secluded to even know about other intelligent races outside of ponykind. Oh look, there's a stuffed Celestia. I naturally grab it out of the pile Sweetie Belle made when showing each one of her toys to Dia.
"And I made this!" The unicorn enthusiastically showed the pink filly a crude-looking spiral of white fabric wrapped around a stick with four other twigs poking out. It had bits and pieces of purple ribbons tied to it and what I think is glitter?
"Neat!" Dia tried to share her enthusiasm, before blatantly asking, "What is it?"
"It's Rarity!" Sweetie Belle answered. "Or a doll of her at least. I wanted to make a present for her, for always taking care of me. I tried using her sewing machine, buuuuut... it kinda caught on fire."
"On fire!? How did you manage that?" Dia exclaimed incredulously, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just not that good at sewing I guess." Sweetie Belle shrugged a tad disappointedly.
"You're so bad at sewing it caught on fire?" The pink filly deadpanned.
"Yup. Pretty much." The unicorn bit her lip.
"...Maybe catching things on fire is your special talent?" Dia suggested.
"Hey you got any games here?" I interrupted, tossing the stuffed Celestia merchandise to the side and proceeding to rummage through her pile of random junk. "All I see are dolls."
"What's wrong with dolls?" Dia tilted her head.
"I just think they're-"
"Lame?" Sweetie Belle deadpanned.
"-not my thing." I finished. "They aren't lame, just not as fun."
"Hmm... Well I do have Jacks." Sweetie Belle said as she pulled out a small tin box from her toy chest. She shook a couple of metal jacks out of the cartridge and a small red rubber ball bounced out right afterwards towards Diamond Tiara.
"Oh I have that game too!" The pink filly grabbed the rubber ball, tossed it in the air before rapidly swiping three jacks off the ground, catching the ball again in the same hoof after it bounced.
"Woah, that was quick." I commented.
"I didn't even see what happened." Sweetie Belle was alternating her gaze from Dia's hoof to the floor and back to her hoof again, trying to count how many tacks she managed to pick up before the first bounce.
"I practice. I even managed to pick up four jacks once." Dia flicked her tail and huffed in pride. "You want to try Sil?" She offered the ball to me.
"Uh, no thanks. I was more thinking of playing some other games." I answered honestly. Jacks was such an old game that I forgot it was even a thing back in my old childhood. "You girls have any card games? Maybe some board games? Jenga?"
"Jenga? What's that?" Sweetie Belle tilted her head to the side with Dia also sharing the same sentiment while dropping her ball and jacks to the floor.
"Okay, so that's a no then. What about Monopoly? Uno?"
"Okay you're just making words up at this point Sil." Dia said incredulously.
"No I'm not." I said defensively, before sighing at her response. I'm going to have to invent these, aren't I? "Okay fine, I'll just have to show you two." I say, before retrieving some crafting supplies from my saddlebag. It was only slightly soaked, but it'll do.
I managed to find some cardboard, paper, and glue amongst Sweetie Belle's things. The paper was divided into card-sized sections with a dotted line, colored with the respective colors in the game Uno, and labeled properly with numbers and special symbols for the unique wild cards. The other two fillies were eyeing me intently as I perform arts-and-crafts, Diamond Tiara a little more mesmerized compared to Sweetie Belle who was just plain confused. By the time I had glued the paper onto a sheet of cardboard, I found myself staring at a pair of scissors in my hoof.
Two metal cutters bolted together in the middle to snip thin materials. However, the most glaring part was that it had two separate grooves that are perfectly shaped for four fingers and a thumb. This tool was made for human hands. My mind was instantly racing for conclusions and excuses. Maybe it's an exclusive tool for unicorns, such as the grooves being some sort of special foci for magical levitation. Or maybe the ponies have stolen the design from human ingenuity from a long-lost civilization. Maybe this world has made spontaneously to adapt to a children's show with scissors made solely in that image for the audience to recognize. Dread slowly fills me as my eyes dart across the room. Am I being watched?
"Um, Silver Spoon?" Sweetie Belle interrupted my rapidly increasing existential anxiety.
"Oh uh, y-yeah?" I snapped back into reality as my eyes darted back to the light-grey filly.
"You know that's just a pair of scissors right?" She asked, notably concerned.
"Well yeah, it's just... how do you use this?" I ask, still somewhat confounded.
"Oh that's easy silly!" Dia cut in before grabbing the pair of scissors in my hoof, wrapping her hoof-pads on the side of its groove. Then I heard a couple of snips as she easily extends and retracts the metal cutters.
"Wait, show me again." I leaned in closer to get a better look. Somehow, her grip on those scissors flexed in a way that gripped on the sides of both grooves without even entering them. She just... flexed it open and close. "What?"
"See?" Dia smiled before hoofing them back to me. "Now you try."
"Okay uh." I grabbed the pair of scissors and mimicked Diamond Tiara's technique. As expected, it worked exactly like she said it would. "That's so weird." I muttered under my breath.
"How so?" Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, nevermind. I'm just being weird again."
The unicorn snorted but smirked. "Yeah okay. What were you making anyways?"
"It's a card game I know called Uno. It means 'one', and you'll understand once I teach you both how to play. It's really easy to learn and it's fun!" I exclaimed as I start cutting along the dotted lines I've made. The numbers and symbols were a little crude, but it'll do.
Then my ears perked up to hear a resounding knock on Sweetie Belle's door. "Sweetie Belle, supper is ready for you and your new friends."
"Finally! I'm starving." Sweetie Belle jumped up from her haunches and opened the door.
"What are we eating?" Dia asked as she followed in turn.
"You'll find out once you reach downstairs. Come along now." Rarity answered. "Silver Spoon?" I heard her saying through the door.
"Coming!" I say aloud, before pausing at the exit. I glance momentarily back at the pair of scissors, my suspicions never fading for a moment. My eyes narrowed before I proceed to close the door behind me.
The stairs descend to a curving hallway around behind her display room, where Rarity walks into the house portion of the downstairs boutique. It has a rather large kitchen, in which I can see the very same table that Rarity’s parents were sitting at when they surprised Sweetie Belle. Vague memories of the light-grey filly somehow burning a drink made me feel reminiscent of the show. How long will it be until those events actually pan out? I idly thought to myself.
Rarity serves a tasty meal of sautéed creamed spinach, layered with a white cheese that faintly reminds me of the spice fenugreek. There was also a side of sweet hearty broccoli, bread crumbs, and what look like scattered pansies. As a former carnivore, something like this would churn my stomach into a frenzy of unpleasant stomach aches.
"What is it?" Dia looked squarely on the plate in front of her, poking at it with a fork.
"It's my homemade creamed spinach darling. I know it's probably not as sophisticated as what both of you probably ate at your homes, but I try to be generous with what ingredients I use in my cooking." Rarity answered with a warm smile.
Sweetie Belle was already digging in, muzzle first, into her plate. The green-white paste was spread all over her mouth as she took a few mouthfuls. "Iz prethy ghood!" The smaller unicorn praised before digging into her plate again, causing Rarity to look uncomfortable. With a bit of her magic, she levitated a napkin on Sweetie Belle's face with a feigned smile.
It was enough of a sign to start eating myself. As I dig in, I realize that the taste was truly something else. I definitely could taste the spinach, but as with every other vegetable, its taste was enhanced for some unexplained reason. The sautéed spinach blended well with the cream and I could tell that there were various other spices in the mix that caused it to possess a bit of needed zest. The quality of the dish wasn't as ambitious and complicated compared to the meals I've been having at home, but it possessed a rather homely quality that did the simple spinach justice. "You're right, this is good."
"Tastephs a littple plain." I see Dia trying to take a couple of bites, also muzzle first; causing both Rarity and I to visibly cringe. The years of being taught proper noble etiquette have been ingrained in my mind. Usually, the use of utensils is something exclusive to unicorns, as they tend to like showing off their use levitation, such as how Rarity was eating her cooking now. Most pony foods typically didn't require the use of utensils, from hay and flowers to apples and carrots. Yet the higher you go on the economic ladder, so does the number of cuisines becomes available. And with those come even higher standards. Even the rarer case of high-class earthponies and pegasi were taught to use forks, the Silver family being one of them. Yet this pink filly was just tasting her meal without a care in the world.
"Uh, Dia. The fork is right there." I pointed with a hoof.
"Hmm?" The pink filly glanced at me before gulping. "Yeah? So? Sweetie Belle is eating with her mouth too."
"Why yes, she is." Rarity confirmed to Dia, before hastily taking her napkin in her blue magic and wiping the pink filly's mouth as well. "But there is a reason why we use them."
"Isn't it just to be fancy?" Sweetie Belle commented, already finished with most of her meal. Her mouth was already stained with more spinach sauce, drawing a restrained sigh from her older sister.
"More or less," the older unicorn admitted, "but it's also so both of your mouths aren't constantly in need of a napkin." She curtly snorted before wiping Sweetie Belle's mouth again. "Just look at your silver friend for example, being perfectly polite with my food." Rarity caught me finishing up my last bite with a fork in hoof.
"You're done already?!" Dia exclaimed, with me meekly wiping my mouth with a napkin.
"You eat fast!" Sweetie Belle stared wide-eyed from across the table, despite taking entire mouthfuls, not quite finished with her supper.
"What is really that good?" The pink filly skeptically asked, barely even touching hers.
"It's just good. Plain and simple." I responded simply. "Besides, I've been eating five-star meals as long as I can remember. It's nice being able to eat normal food for once." I smiled towards Rarity, with her returning a smile of her own in kind.
"Well that's definitely kind of you to say Silver Spoon. Although I would be lying if I said that calling my cooking 'simple' didn't feel a little demeaning." She commented.
"Oh! Uh sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Rarity interrupted me with her own giggling. "Oh it's quite alright. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It's not often that I make food for other ponies. I'm still learning to improve myself, especially now that Sweetie Belle will be living here more often."
"I am?" Sweetie Belle tilted her head at the older mare in mild surprise.
"Of course! You are going to school now after all. Mother and father cannot take you here on the train everyday. It'll save both time and expenses just to have you live with your favorite older sister!" Rarity's teeth practically gleamed.
"But what about my stuff?"
"Oh your luggage should all come the next time they arrive. They plan to still visit on the weekends, don't you worry Sweetie Belle." The older unicorn comforted her sister.
"Oh, I guess that's okay then." Sweetie Belle replied, drinking from her glass of water idly.
"What's wrong dear?" The older mare voiced her concern.
"...It's just, I would have like to have known that ahead of time." The smaller unicorn confided.
"Yeah well you know how they are, always changing their plans last minute. Besides, I can't imagine it was an easy decision for them to leave their cute little Sweetie in Ponyville." Rarity emphasized that last part with baby-talk.
Sweetie Belle simply groaned at this. "Urgh. I'm not a foal anymore Rarity."
"I know you aren't Sweetie. You're an outstanding young filly and you'll do just fine in this lovely little town." Rarity praised before taking another bite of her meal.
"You make dresses right?" Dia asked, grabbing the older mare's attention.
"Why yes, I do. Why do you ask?" Rarity responded in kind.
"So why do ponies here not wear clothes?"
"Pfft-" Dia managed to make me choke on my water as I coughed the rest of it out.
"You alright?" Sweetie Belle raised a concerned eyebrow.
"Wrong hole," I replied, "I'm fine. Thanks." I wiped myself with a napkin.
"Well," Rarity continued with a little apprehension in her voice, "Ponyville isn't the most... amiable of places for designers such as I. Many ponies here have no need for clothing, either due to a lack of opportunity to wear them or simply because they cannot afford them."
"But Daddy and his servants wear clothes all the time!" Dia exclaimed.
"Yeah, but not everypony can be as rich as your dad." I cut in before pausing trying to choose my next words carefully. "Other ponies, are just not in the same class as your dad, or mine for the matter."
"That's quite right." Rarity conceded. "Other ponies simply have to make do with what they have." She smiled gently.
"Finished!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed with an empty plate and a muzzleful of leftover spinach. Rarity shook her head before sighing. Causing her horn to glow, she simultaneously magicked both empty plates towards the sink and wiped her little sister's mouth yet again.
"I think I'm finished too." Dia answered, deeply in thought with barely a third of her dish eaten.
"Are you sure?" Rarity asked with concern.
"Yeah, could you just get an apple for me? I don't think I like spinach all that much." Dia admitted.
"Sure darling, just let me get ahold of your plate as well." The older mare levitated her plate and proceeded to walk to the end of the kitchen. However, by the time she had placed those plates in the sink, her attention was caught by the adjacent window in the room. The sounds of watery bullets tapping on the roof with water pouring down the windowsill. "Oh goodness gracious, it's still pouring outside."
"Yeah it's raining cats and dogs." I agreed.
Sweetie Belle was notably shocked at my statement with Rarity looking on with visible concern as she turned away from outside. "That's horrible!" The smaller unicorn exclaimed with a horrified expression.
"Not literally!" I stepped a hoof back in alarm. "It's an expression. It just means it's raining pretty hard."
"That's not a very nice expression then." Dia commented, still in the midst of her thoughts.
"I must agree." Rarity conceded. "The mere thought of living animals falling out of the sky, well it's simply a horrid thought. Just what are they teaching fillies nowadays?" The older mare opened her fridge to levitate an apple to Diamond Tiara; the pink filly holding it by the top stem. "Anyways Sweetie, since it appears it's going to be pouring all night, do you mind if these two slept in your room tonight?"
"We're having a sleepover!?" Dia bounced up and down with absolute glee.
"We only have one spare mattress though." Sweetie Belle brought a point.
"Oh I'm sure there's enough room for two fillies on that old thing." She smiled warmly before turning to Dia and me. "Is that arrangement alright with the both of you?"
"I'd love to have a slumber party!" Dia's expression swiftly turned into a smile.
"Sure." I replied nonchalantly, not entirely sharing the pink filly's over-enthusiasm.
"Excellent, I'll bring the arrangements. Sweetie, could you please entertain your friends in the display room while I bring everything up to your room?"
"Okay." The smaller unicorn answered before leading the both of us there.
"I can't believe it, our first slumber party!" Dia ecstatically claimed.
I chuckled in response. "Not exactly a party, but we'll see."
"Yeah just don't make too much noise when it reaches night. Rarity hates having her beauty sleep ruined. Last time Scootaloo did that she had to wear so many dresses... so many dresses." She looked off in the distance with a thousand-mile stare.
"I see..." I replied.
"You had sleepovers with Scootaloo?" Dia asked.
"Sometimes. Mostly to escape her foalsitter." She answered.
"Oh, huh. Does she have any parents?" I brought up the one question that had been eating away at my mind. I stopped watching midway throughout the entire show, so I didn't know much about what went on afterwards. Nor did I know if Scootaloo was actually orphaned as the fandom seemed to speculate.
"What? Of course she has parents. She just lives with her aunts and sometimes her foalsitter. Her parents live outside of town, like mine." The light-grey unicorn answered. "She doesn't talk a lot about either of them though..."
"Oh." I said simply. "Sounds tough."
"Well she hangs around by our place, so it ain't all bad." She said.
After that conversation, we eventually reached Rarity's display room. The spiral framed mirrors, the checkered tiles, the squat round tables covered in a yellow inlay. The deep magenta curtains draping roundly from the ceiling, sectioning the room off and giving it the illusion of being small. The carousel motif baffling concealing their runners, with more of those spiral pole designs intermixed with diamonds and hearts. I had been too concerned about my soaked mane and coat to appreciate it the first time I stepped into this room, but now I can take it in the sight for all its beauty. "Your sister has an impressive boutique," I observed, "must have cost her a fortune."
"Yeah, well owning a building in Ponyville is pretty cheap according to her." Sweetie Belle answered, before eventually sitting on one of the stools beside the display table.
"She couldn't own a boutique anywhere else?" Dia asked as she walked around the interior, observing the various dresses Rarity presumably made.
"She can't afford it." She said, a little downtrodden for her sister.
"These dresses look really expensive though! Are these real gems?" Dia held one of the dress fabrics in her hoof, the glittering shine of embroidered gems reflecting off her eyes.
"Yeah, she goes around collecting gems outside of Ponyville. It's actually how she makes most of her bits." Sweetie explained. "Not a lot of ponies buy dresses from her. They just kinda walk in and browse around, or ask her to tailor the clothes they already own."
"So she's just Ponyville's tailor then?" I summarized, before sitting on another wooden stool beside the light-grey filly.
"Yeah pretty much..." Sweetie Belle confirmed, placing the side of her head on the table seemingly depressed from the whole ordeal.
"These dresses are really pretty though!" Dia admired the collection. "Maybe I can get daddy to buy me some dresses! He could spread some word about it too, he has lots of friends in Canterlot and all sorts of places."
"You'd do that?" Sweetie Belle lifted her head off the table, her voice showing a bit of surprise.
"Yeah! Why not? Your sister could probably make a ton of money that way!" The pink filly smiled. "It's how he got Sil's dad to become super rich, why can't your sister?"
"That would be pe҉rfect!" Sweetie Belle jumped from her seat and onto the display table and trotted in place. "Rarity always wanted to become a famous designer! With a bunch of ponies buying her clothes and making enough bits to have a boutique in Canterlot, it would be everything that Rarity wanted! She would be able to live her drea҉m!" The unicorn filly practically screamed as her voice cracked in absolute glee.
"That's awfully generous of you." I smirked from my seat. "How do you know Filthy Rich will fully support her business?"
"Daddy would do anything for me." Dia grinned. "Besides, he loves helping other ponies and giving to charities. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping Rarity."
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Rarity will be so happy!" Sweetie Belle elatedly jumped down from the table and embraced Dia in a short hug. "I really don't know what else to say."
"Oh it's no biggie." The pink filly shrugged nonchalantly with an obvious dumb grin. "Helping ponies is what nobles should do, right Sil?" Dia turned to me, searching for approval.
"Yup." I nodded lazily, taking another glance around the room. However, the deepest recesses of my memory particularly struck me as I realized something. "Hey Sweetie Belle, where's your cat?" I asked in elated anticipation.
"Huh? I don't have a cat." The light-grey raised a brow.
"Oh, you don't?" I ask, genuinely confused.
"No? Why would I have a cat?"
"Really? I could have sworn you or Rarity had one." I averted my eyes, trying to hide my disappointment.
"Hah, well I doubt that. Rarity hates loose fur getting on her dresses." Sweetie Belle sat back on her stool.
"A shame." I say with full honesty. I never had the opportunity to take care of a pet back at the manor. The closest thing to that would be me staring at the fish in the pond while the workers fed them routinely. Back when I was human, I considered cats to be my all-time favorite animal. However, I was unable to take care of one due to my intense allergies. If I touched one or get even one scratch, my skin would burn red and irritatingly puff up. My excitement obviously deflated once I learned that I wouldn't have the chance to pet a cat without fear of an allergic reaction. A real shame.
"Maybe we should get one." Dia interrupted my thoughts, smiling encouragingly at the both of us.
"Get a cat?" Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes in befuddlement.
"Yeah! Like, what's stopping you?" The pink filly waved her hoof.
"Like I said, Rarity would never let a pet in here." The unicorn deadpanned.
"I don't know about that~" I smirked slightly.
"Sweetie Belle, the arrangements are done!" My ears perked to hear Rarity shouting from the spiral staircase.
"Coming!" The light-grey filly shouted back. "Come on girls, lets play some games already."
"I wanna see more of your dolls!" Dia followed.
"Just wait until I finally finish those cards." I trotted after them.
"You forgot to say Uno, draw one more card."
"Oh come on Sil, it's already hard enough to remember all the rules." Sweetie Belle complained.
"Those are the rules~" I say with a smug expression on my face.
"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, I have a plan." Dia said quietly.
"What is it?"
"Just place a reverse card down, trust me." The pink filly winked. And behold, the light-grey filly placed down a yellow reverse card before Diamond Tiara placed a wild +4 card and a red +2 card, causing me to draw six more cards from the deck.
"What? You can't conspire against me!?" I exclaimed.
"Is that against the rules too?" Sweetie Belle smirked slyly.
"Well, no. But-"
"Then draw six cards!" Dia proclaimed with a hoof in the air.
"Girls, it's bed time." Our ears perked to hear Rarity behind the door. "All of you have school tomorrow, so you three better get some rest."
"Okay Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted back, before placing her cards back down. "You're right Sil, this is a fun game!"
"Heh," I lightly laughed as I placed my cards down as well, "told you so."
We hear a yawn coming from Diamond Tiara as she stretches in place. "Ahhh~ I don't know about you girls, but I'm actually getting pretty tired."
Sweetie Belle yawned in response as well, "Yeah same here. I haven't had this much fun in ages."
"You haven't?" I said curiously.
"Nah, Scootaloo said that my dolls were too lame to play with, so I always end up going outside just to watch her do scooter tricks." She replied as she hopped onto her bed with a slight bounce on the springs.
"Now that, sounds lame." Dia remarked, before curling up in her sheets.
"Tell me about it." The unicorn filly deadpanned, flipping over headfirst beneath the covers. She managed to twist and squirm around, popping out and resting the back of her head against the springy pillow, using her front legs to smooth out the bedcover as best she can. Her display managed to raise an eyebrow from me and Dia.
"Rarity gets fussy whenever I crinkle the covers." Sweetie Belle explained.
"Huh, my servants just take care of the covers when I get out of bed." Dia remarked.
"Must be nice." Sweetie Belle said with a bit of envy in her voice. "Speaking of servants, Sil, could you get the lights for us?"
I huffed as I got up from my haunches. "Don't get too confident, next time I'll be winning that match. Just you wait."
"We'll see at lunch," Dia smirked, "but I doubt it."
I snorted, feigning annoyance, but I couldn't hide my smile from the whole ordeal. "Alright, g'night girls." I flicked the switch off, the whole room becoming completely dark.
"Night."
"Nighty Night."
I hear them both echo back. One thing I've taken note of was that ponies all had excellent night vision, so it took me almost no time to find my own spot amongst the mattress and buried myself within the soft sheets. My eyes closed, my breathing finding its rhythmic pace as my mind went elsewhere in an attempt to sleep.
...
..........
...................
Minutes have passed, hours maybe. I have tried to sleep, but I couldn't. My insomnia wouldn't let me. With a heavy sigh, I peeked out from my covers, seeing my pink friend resting peacefully under her covers hogging most of the blanket. Her breathes of air rhythmically sounds as her barrel expands and exhales slightly, her tiara placed right beside her pillow. She actually reminded me of a sleeping princess, weirdly enough. I smiled at her. I smiled that she was becoming something pleasant, something other than the show frequently presented her as. However, something deep within my mind tugged at me and has been tugging since I talked with Sweetie Belle this afternoon. At what cost?
The events of today have played back to me: how I comforted Sweetie Belle and become her friend, how I was invited to a sleepover at Rarity's boutique, how Diamond Tiara offered a huge opportunity for Rarity. I haven't planned for any of this, I was simply going with the flow the entire time thinking everything will resolve itself eventually. Yet uncertainties kept piling on. To what effect will this have on the Cutie Mark Crusaders?
I shook my head as more questions kept following, eventually deciding to get up from my spot and slowly walk towards the windowsill. Looking outside I could see the moonlight illuminating all of Ponyville, the mare on the moon forever staining the surface of its incanting source. Was I supposed to be friends with Sweetie Belle? Diamond Tiara seemed pretty insistent on it. Were Sweetie Belle friends with us originally? I couldn't tell. The events of the show played out long after this happened.
"Silver Spoon?" My ears perked up in alarm. My neck craned behind me to see that Sweetie Belle was shifting up from her covers, wide awake.
"Oh, sorry Sweetie Belle." I whispered lightly.
"What are you doing awake?" She very obviously asked.
I sighed, looking back out the window. I could see my own reflection along with the light-grey filly in her covers. "Couldn't sleep." I replied.
"...So you can't either huh?" I hear her say.
"Certainly, seems that way." A moment of silence passed.
I hear her getting up from her covers before lightly treading the tiled floor. The sounds of careful hoofsteps pressing towards me. "You know, you don't have to be friends with me if you don't want to."
My head turned again to see her avoiding my gaze, grabbing the side of her leg. "Why would you think that I don't want to?" I ask.
"I'm not stupid Silver Spoon. I could see that Dia wanted you to come to make friends with me. What you said in the bathtub, I could tell that you didn't want anymore friends than you have to. And what Dia said about my sister's food, forcing yourself to like her cooking." She said, still avoiding my gaze. "You don't, have to force yourself to be friends with me."
I pause momentarily, opening my mouth before holding my tongue, and closing it again. With another sigh, I turn completely around to face Sweetie Belle. "Of course I want to be friends with you Sweetie Belle, it's just-"
"It's just what?" She turned her head to face me, narrowing her eyes to lock in straight with mine. "That I laughed at you along with Scootaloo? That I was just an easy friend to make? That my family isn't as rich as you two? That you just want me to be grateful for being friends with the both of you?" I see glints of her tears swelling in the dark.
"Sweetie Belle, wh-" I paused again, before resuming more cautiously. "Where is this all coming from?" I ask cautiously.
"It's just... I can't believe it." The light-grey filly admitted. "So many things happened today. I stopped being friends with Scootaloo, I made two new friends who I made fun of yesterday, I found out that I would be moving here permanently, and Diamond Tiara offered to help my sister live the life she always wanted... It's just too much to believe." Her voiced struggled to maintain its consistency. "It feels like it's all a dream, and I'm scared." I could see her visibly shaking in the dark. "And I don't know what I'm more scared of, waking up and seeing it was all a dream, or seeing it was all real all along." Her eyes were watering, but she didn't cry. She still stared into my eyes unwaveringly. "I don't want this to end up with me playing along like I did with Scootaloo. Please, just tell me the truth." Her eyes showed an analytical side of her, an overreactive imagination. Her fears and expectations were all there within the glints of her eyes, slightly watery, but still there.
My own face remained expressionless, but my mind was laid completely overwhelmed. It was hard to believe that this filly was capable of having these kinds of thoughts, that her mind was thinking about these things the entire time I was with her. My heart was beating faster with the anxiety of it all, but I couldn't back down and let things resolve themselves, not now. My legs shivered from the icy air around me and my heart continued beating audibly. Seconds have passed and I could see that Sweetie Belle was waiting patiently for my response. I had to make a choice here, one that I couldn't take back.
With a large inhale and exhale, I slowly resigned myself. "Sweetie Belle, I truly do want to be friends with you. I was just, I just wasn't sure if I was supposed to."
"...What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked, genuinely confused.
"Sweetie Belle, let me tell you a secret." I proceeded to sit along the edge of the windowsill upright. "I have dreams of the future."
"Oh come on, you can't expect me to believe-"
"I'm being serious." I maintained eye contact with her.
This stopped Sweetie Belle mid-sentence, her eyes maintaining mild irritation, to confusion, to realization. "You...are?"
"Yes, it's how I was able to become friends with Diamond Tiara." I admitted. "She came up to me without me realizing, and I called out her name before she even knew me. Yet, I knew her because I saw that we were friends in the future. Since then we have been... disturbingly close."
Sweetie Belle continued staring, before slowly nodding. "So that's how... but why did you think we weren't supposed to be friends?"
A null expression filled my eyes as I glanced sideways. "Because we weren't exactly friends."
"We weren't?" Sweetie Belle's gaze lit up in mild concern.
"No," I conceded before sighing, "you were friends with two other fillies, Scootaloo and Applebloom."
"That yellow farm filly? With the red bow?" The unicorn asked skeptically.
"Yup, that's her." I smirked. "You three were inseparable. In all of my dreams, you all stuck together like three peas in a pie. It was almost disgusting how you three got along." I glance back at the light-grey filly, still staring back at me with her mouth agape. "You did literally everything together, every adventure, argument, competition, but most of all you all shared the same goal of getting your cutie marks. The Cutie Mark Crusaders you called yourselves." I gave a heartfelt smile. "Or otherwise known as the most obnoxious friends in Ponyville."
Sweetie Belle was enraptured with every word I said, her eyes now sparkling with inspiration. "That sounds... amazing." A small smile captured the edges of her lips, but eventually, she grew a frown and carefully stepped forth. "But... you two weren't."
"No, we weren't. We were enemies." I averted my gaze.
"Enemies?" The light grey-filly echoed back.
"Yeah." I said. "Diamond Tiara and I... made fun of you three. We had our cutie marks first and we used that against you and..." I sighed. "It was bad. The things we did. I don't even know why we did. I just... I don't know."
A saddened expression filled the unicorn's expression. "So because we were enemies, you can't be friends with me?"
My gaze immediately turned back to meet hers. "No I-I," I stuttered over my own words, "I really do want to be friends with you Sweetie Belle. I don't want us to be enemies, I don't want Dia or I to end up like those two fillies in my dream. Ideally I'd rather have all five of us become friends!" I tried my best to explain but my expression slowly soured, "but if Scootaloo already hates the both of us, then I don't know how I can manage that..." I tilted my head down sullenly. "I really... do want us to be friends." I reiterated, before going silent.
Seconds passed as I sat on along the windowsill frozen in place. The room was completely silent aside from the ticking clock hanging from one of the walls. My eyes stared at the checkered floor as I waited for Sweetie Belle's inevitable response. Everything I said, I couldn't take back. It was already out there, and it was up to her if she believed me or not. I felt her gaze digging into me, my own thoughts increased with anxiety of what kind of reaction she would give. Why the hell did I tell her all that? I revealed way too much information than I was supposed to. What happens now that she knows she's supposed to be friends with Scootaloo and Applebloom? Will she not become friends with them? Will the Cutie Mark Crusaders even be a thing anymore? She's probably going to think I'm crazy. Why the hell would she believe a pony she just met?
"I think I'd like that too." My ears perked to hear her say. I glanced up to see Sweetie Belle starting right at me, but this time with a smile plastered on her face. A feeling of hope fluttered inside me. "Really?"
"Yup. Friends?" She held a hoof open.
I can't help, but accept her hoof as I smile back. "Friends."
I'm a little nervous about my serious characterization of Sweetie Belle at the end, but I hope the end result gave these fillies a little more depth. I hope you enjoy!
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10803556
Now.
Sweetie is a good pony. And, Diamond is getting there.
I wonder which way Apple Bloom is going to jump?
Aw man! This is the quality content I've been waiting for!
Also,
There should be quotation marks before 'And'.
10824007
Thanks for the catch and I appreciate it!
Life has takes a very drastic turn. I just don't know what to expect anymore because canon has been thrown out from the window at this point.
I like this because the MC is not simply carried along the plot.
10824014
Fuck cannon. Even I don't know what's going to happen and I'm the author.
10824018
I do this with other stories I really enjoy so here's a little Error Report.
As a
practically aformer carnivore,must have cost
edher a fortune."On your characterization of Sweetie, she felt pretty spot on to me.
10823983
Based on the show, I'd say she's likely to side with Silver, the only reason she didn't was because of regular teasing and feeling isolated. With the way Diamond and Silver are shaping up I see a big chance of her joining them, especially with Filthy and the Apples being friends.
10824042
Thanks for the grammatical corrections and the feedback!
10824018
Well that's sounds rather interesting...
Now, I might be wrong. Total shot in the dark a Hail Mary, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess silver spoon miiiiight be your favorite character? If not personality wise then appearance wise?
Seriously though I’m loving this story so far! I also like how much depth you’re going going into with Dia, Sil, and sweetie’s characters!
10823964
Looking forward to chapter 6 lol
10824018
Some of the best stories aren't written by authors. They simply flow through the author who acts as a vehicle for come what may.
10824018
A f cannon sounds like a great M rated pinky story idea
10824058
Trixie is my favorite character.
She is great and powerful you know.
This is great just great maybe you should get more people to help for more uploads if that your kind of thing. Kinda like other collaborative fimfics. It ould probably boost the views and reads, but its your decisions on if you want a more serious fic or a more laid back type of story.
10824121
I got, pretty ambitious plans for my fic. I don't really know anyone else who is capable of adapting my ideas onto paper the way I want it. I also like alternating between the wholesome moments with more serious ones. Gives room for the reader to breathe and simply enjoy the story before batting over their head with emotions.
Wonderful chapter!
Ah of course she is. Rarity has a MA of Drama Queen after all.
okay this is just wholesome in a nutshell
Oh wow, I hadn't thought about that in ages.
I didn't know you could burn juice.
This was a great chapter. One thing I really like is like how your DT is just relatively unaware about her wealth at this point, and not just flaunting it to make others upset. It's nice she doesn't start out as the awful brat she ends up as in the show. Aside from that, I also feel bad for Scoots. It seems she got the short end of the stick in this reality. Can't wait to see how that is handled in the next couple of chapters.
this chapter was awesome and nice to read, i don't even where to start praising everything :D
your doing amazing work with this fiction
You fool! UNO is a double edged sword, also known as the Friendship Breaker!! Sil! What have you done!?
Nice to see y’all again and I await for the next chapter ^_^
I must say, the writing is impeccable. It's nicely written
And thus, the Butterfly Effect to Armageddon, has begun!
Love this. I love how you make this feel like a whole different world but still the same. It just filles me with something. I don't know what but I want more. I want to see how the changlings are handled. Or discord. Or even nightmare moon!
10824018
Military fetish, I see.
10824373
She also suggested Monopoly. The twist ending to this fic will be that it's been Discord in disguise all along.
I can actually see Apple Bloom being friends with Silver and Diamond along with Sweetie Belle.
Something missing from the end of the sentence.
10824708
Ah whoops. Nice catch!
Silver changing the future might lead to bad outcomes. Not just in school either. Heck, should she attempt to nip some of the villains' plans in the bud? You'd never know what good decisions early on will lead to bad outcomes. And she doesn't even know the other half of MLP.
Her further injection of human culture into Equestria's is interesting. Even if it's mostly limited to school, I can imagine her starting some trends when she gets older.
Rule of thumb: If an ex human in Ponyville, the act that increases friendship is the best action. If everything was supposed to be the same, you wouldn't be there to begin with.
Ah yes, the changing future crisis. Well, Silver was going to change the timeline regardless so might as well just go all-in and enjoy her life.
The serious bit between Sweetie and Silver was done pretty well. I think most people underestimate kids sometimes. They can be pretty smart when they want to be.
10825069
That's a great relief to hear. I had hoped to make Sweetie Belle feel in-character and believable while also having more serious moments compared to the light-heartedness the show often had.
Monopoly is a Hasbro product. No reason why it wouldn't exist in Equestria.
Uno belongs to the accursed competition.
As for Silver Spoon being friends with Sweetie, her foreknowledge kind of makes her a wild card, and the CMC never did anything truly significant enough that it has to be that specific group. Sure they help a lot of ponies, but not until after they become friends with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
The only major issue with so-called timeline manipulation is that, in balanced systems like this something must occur to keep the equilibrium. That's why there was basically a thousand years of monotony for Equestria and then all the sudden five years of massive fluctuation. It is not a coincidence that the Elements of Harmony were rediscovered just in time to respond to a powerful evil.
Simply put, there's no reason Silver shouldn't be friends with the future CMC, but she should be prepared for the foil that will necessarily come and replace her role that she abandoned...
We half expected her to try rushing out to find Scoots. Glad she did not.
Freaking hooves, how do they work? 😫
Correction
10825639
https://writingexplained.org/make-do-or-make-due
Make do is an idiom.
10825181
Monopoly is a game made during the Great Depression. The era ponies are in and the circumstances leading to a similar event could be muddled.
Hmm, on one hoof telling her friends that she roughly knows the future could be pretty bad. The chance someone will think she's crazy is there. Though no one ever does anything about Pinkie Pie... Then there's the chance that this world isn't one-to-one with the show, and the things she says will happen in the future never occur. On the other hoof, she's been honest with her friends from the start, and that fits in with MLP's theme. Not to mention it just makes me feel warm and fluffy inside. But yeah, I'm curious to see where this train is headed considering that you yourself practically said that you're laying the tracks as you're trudging along.
The story can be a surprise to all of us!
The only thing that I could see snowballing in a bad direction so far is the deal with Dia mentioning Rarity to her dad. I'm not sure if it'd be hilarious or sad that Sil doomed her world just by getting Rarity to move to Manehatten/Canterlot with her business ahead of schedule.
Below are some typos for your editing pleasure:
*Rarity was surprised to she learn that - Rarity was surprised to learn that
*humming pleasantly the while. - humming pleasantly all the while.
*wails dramatically, the light-grey mare's eyes - I think I mentioned this before, but Rarity is white? The same thing for Sweetie Belle. It just seems that light-grey is a better description of Silver ...Unless you're going by real-world equine classifications which says they can't be white unless they're albino? This isn't really a typo, just something that I read and it feels like my mind just hit a speed bump. I might need to try and adjust my mental filter for this.
*take you on there on the train - take you there on the train - or - bring you here on the train
*"It's how he got his Sil's dad to become super rich - "It's how he got his friend, Sil's dad, to become super-rich - or - "It's how he got Sil's dad to become super-rich
10826236
Hi! I appreciate all the feedback and corrections!
And as for laying out the tracks, I in fact do have a series of destinations in mind. It's just a matter of how our MC gets there, with of course possible obstacles.
Question... Why is the Silver Spoon in the picture Thicc? I fear for my sanity if I am the only one to see that...
Otherwise, great chapter! A little bit cliche on the part after the reveal, but nothing too over the top. I hope you keep updating this little slice of life tale!
10826518
There's a reason why there's cliches.
And that's a perfectly normal filly being very comfy.
10825833
Make Due is still incorrect, though.
The reason Make Do is considered the correct form is simply due to what the phrase means. Make Do is to "Make something do what you need it to with what you have on hand." Make Due simply does not make sense in any real context.
Due has a few meanings, namely either "Something is because of something else" or "something needs to be done at or before this time" and thus Make Due lacks the meaning to make sense. To 'make due' would mean to "give a due date" or "instil a reason to exist because of something else" as such it really doesn't make sense, especially in the context that you have used it in.
Thus why Make Do is the accepted modern form of the phrase and Make Due is incorrect.
10826936
You're right, I thought you meant that "do" was wrong.
Looking back now I see that it actually was "due" initially.
I corrected it, many thanks!
10826987
Yeah, fair. In hindsight I could have made that clearer. I'll remember that next time.
This was probably unintended.
10827187
Fixed!
Rarity everybody: Solving friendship problems before it was cool.
Also I like the direction you are pushing DT in this fic. We'll see how it goes when Spoiled comes into play.