Prologue

Exchange of Spoons

Prologue

Silver Spoon trotted through the beaten path with bag half her size on her back, bypassing the rustic but colorful homes of Ponyville. Her brand new glasses rested on her muzzle, their blue frames glinting in the sunlight.

Taking a glance at the surrounding architecture, she admired the traditional approach to the construction of this cozy little town. Wood may not be as sturdy as stone, but Ponyville more than makes up for it with creativity, she thought, comparing the different houses. While yellow, white and bronze colors seemed a bit repetitive, the creative design of each home had a certain undeniable charm.

Her peaceful trot came to an abrupt end as she tumbled for a brief second. Silver Spoon collapsed on the ground with her saddlebag falling into the dirt as her glasses slipped off her muzzle, dust covering the lenses.

As she stood up, dusting herself off, she noticed a raised pink foreleg behind her. Glancing upward, her sight began to focus on a rather blurry pink and white form. Racking her brain, she began to discern the identity of her assailant. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long, as a familiar cackle filled the silence. Diamond Tiara… She smacked away the offending hoof, growling.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Silver demanded, staring at her aggressor’s form with as much hostility as she could muster.

“What, me? I’m not the clumsy one around here,” Tiara said as she pointed at the dusty blue glasses on the ground. “You should use rope or something so those glasses won’t fall off your face so easily. What if somepony accidentally stepped on them?” She raised her nose, dropping her foreleg as she did so. The crunch of breaking glass followed the action. “Oops.”

Unfazed, Silver Spoon approached her bag, rolling her eyes as she grasped the strap between her teeth.

Tiara approached as well, speaking with an innocent tone, “Your parents must be so disappointed to have such a clumsy daughter, constantly buying you new glasses to replace the ones you oh so carelessly broke.”

The grey filly opened her bag and pulled out a wooden box between her forehooves. Opening it, she took out her spare glasses before placing them on her muzzle, then sweeping up the leftovers of the broken glass and frames into the box. She placed the bag on her back and took a step forward, only to feel a tug on her tail. After looking back, she pulled her tail out from under Tiara’s foreleg.

“Don’t you have something better to do? Or is being a rich snob and a school bully what your cutie mark really means?” Silver asked.

“So says a less rich nerd playing in the mud with blank flanks,” Tiara snapped back. “I can do whatever I want, and I’m going to show losers like you your proper place.”

Silver Spoon sighed before trotting away. “You know what, Tiara. I think if you had a friend, you wouldn’t be so grumpy and rude all the time. Not that anypony would want to befriend somepony like you."

“Shut your mouth!” Diamond shouted, stomping in frustration. “Being a friend with some blank flanks who fail at everything, or that candy making pony who should be locked in a prison for annoying everypony with her terrible voice? No thanks, I’d rather have no friends.” She raised her head proudly and walked in the opposite direction.

“Are ya sure yer okay, Silver?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked by Silver Spoon’s side, her neck and back covered in bruises while fragments of a broken branch were stuck in her mane.

Silver Spoon smiled awkwardly, somewhat overwhelmed by the three pairs of concerned eyes being directed at her. “Of course I’m fine. I wasn’t the one shot from the catapult after all. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Eeyup, but yer the one who tried to catch me,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “And ya lost even more glasses.”

Scootaloo flared her wings and slowed her scooter so her friends could catch up. The white unicorn in the wagon behind her groaned as the jolt shunted her around. “Helping Apple Bloom was the easiest part,” Scootaloo said, folding her wings to keep pace. She glanced at Silver and added, “But when you and Apple Bloom tried to catch Sweetie Belle, you three rolled down a hill, bouncing between trees and slamming through bushes filled with all sorts of thorns.”

Sweetie Belle, who until now had been sitting in the back of the wagon next to Silver’s bag, yelped as she magically yanked the last thorn from her foreleg and threw it to the side. Now thorn-free, she levitated the bag with her magic and jumped onto the ground, quickly matching her friends’ pace, gritting her teeth for the first several steps. While her friends had crashed into the thorny bushes with their backs, she had been cushioned by her poor, throbbing legs and belly.

“You don’t need to walk, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said, motioning back towards the wagon trailing behind her. “I can get you home, no problem. I’m the sole survivor of the C.M.C. after all.”

“Thanks Scoots, but I’ll pass,” Sweetie answered. “It’s not the worst that’s happened to us anyway. I’ll manage.”

Silver Spoon looked at her unicorn friend with a smirk. “Exactly! I don’t even need to clean the tree sap from your fur this time around,” Pausing, she chuckled, “for the third time this week. In other words, progress.” The girls chuckled, recalling the numerous baths they had been subjected to. “Besides, we should go to my place first. I can get you some bandages and chocolate tea and... is something wrong?” she asked while noticing that her friends had slowed down and were now looking to the side nervously.

“No need to waste bandages on this,” Sweetie Belle said hesitantly.

“Ah heal fast,” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“And I need to work on fixing my scooter,” Scootaloo said with a fake smile.

“Excuses,” Silver Spoon said with a frown. Her ears drooped a moment later as she turned to her friends. “Whenever I want to invite you to my home, or ask if I can get you something, you start acting all nervous.” Staring at her friends, she asked, “Please tell me why. Did I do something wrong?” As the silence maintained for several seconds, each crusader rubbing their wounds nervously, she asked, “Don’t keep me in the dark... pretty please.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Fine… Ah’ll tell.” She stood up and walked forward, her friends following suit. “Ya already did so much for us in the past, and Ah feel bad for not repayin’ favours.”

Scootaloo continued, “I can’t even count how much it had to cost you and your parents for all the medical support you’ve given us during our crusades.”

Sweetie Belle added, “Not to mention how you paid to cover for… for our unintentional damage. We‘ve caused quite a lot of collateral damage while searching for our cutie-marks.”

Silver Spoon kept walking next to the crusaders as she raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what friends do?”

“Well,” Scootaloo started. “Ever since you became a crusader, you spent lots of bits to help us, and maybe even more on repairing your glasses.”

“It don’t feel right,” Apple Bloom said.

“We like you as a friend and fellow crusader, not for all the bits you have,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “We wanted to prove that our friendship is honest… Not just to you, but to ourselves.”

Silver Spoon took off her third set of glasses today and wiped a tear from her eye. “It… it’s so sweet of you.” She hugged her friends before placing her glasses firmly back on and resuming her walk. She was about to pick up her bag from Sweetie’s levitation field, but Scootaloo beat her to it. “I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but don’t you think that health is worth spending a few bits?”

“You may have a point, but you’ve got a fair share of bruises and cuts on your own,” Scootaloo said, pointing at her marks left by thorns across the grey fur and damaged mane. She continued in a joking tone, “Keep bandaging ours, and you won’t have enough supplies to tend to your own. We were just concerned, that’s all.”

Sweetie Belle kept limping as she said, “The charm of being a crusader.”

“Well… it does have its downsides,” Silver Spoon pointed out. “But it‘s still fun. No bits can buy experiences I had with you as a crusader.” She looked at her cutie mark and continued with a slightly saddened voice, “Don’t feel bad if I use bits my mom gave me to help. It feels better to help friends than if I spend them on myself.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “When you pointed out how spoiled I was a long time ago, you weren’t wrong.”

“Sorry about that,” Sweetie Belle said, now walking between two lines of creative homes as passing ponies kept giving them the usual worried glances.

“No need to apologize for being right. My parents always gave me whatever I wanted. The least I can do is to help you find your cutie-marks.”

Sweetie Belle pointed at the spoon on Silver’s flank and said, “And we’ll help you find out what your cutie-mark means.” She shook her friends’ forehooves and ran towards Rarity’s boutique. It didn’t take long for the crusaders to hear a mix of panic and lecture from Sweetie’s older sister.

With the farm as their destination, Silver Spoon spoke up, “It feels odd.”

“Odd?” Apple Bloom asked.

“You girls try to get your cutie-mark to find out your special talent. I got my cutie-mark, and still haven’t figured out what my special talent really is. I’m one weird crusader.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Totally. You must’ve been really distracted. Maybe visiting the spa was too important to notice how you got your mark in the first place.”

“Or maybe my special talent is being spoiled,” Silver joked before looking at her residence nearby, which was the second biggest mansion in Ponyville. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get you bandages? My home is nearby.”

“Nah, Ah pass,” Apple Bloom said. “Apples are tough, few cuts and bruises are nothin’.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow, and don’t forget about your presentation,” Silver Spoon reminded her friend, who groaned at the mention of homework. Scootaloo returned the bag she was carrying and placed it onto Silver’s back, who gritted her teeth as the extra weight pressed against her cuts.

She waved at her leaving friends and began walking home, her senses sharpening as she scanned the area for Diamond Tiara. After reaching the gate of her residence with no bully in range, she sighed and approached her parents’ guard. A very tall, bronze earth pony greeted her, his black mane slicked back to accent the iron gate on his flank. “Hello, Gatekeeper.”

“Oh, Mistress Spoon, welcome back,” he said before opening the gate, the hinges well oiled. He raised an eyebrow after noticing a few small cuts on the filly’s face. “I suppose the crusading was eventful today.”

“As eventful as catching a friend shot from a catapult can be,” she responded, causing the gate guard to chuckle.

“Should I assume that no environmental damage was involved?”

“Luckily there wasn’t, and to answer your next question, no tree sap cleaning emergency today.”

“Good to hear,” Gatekeeper said as he pointed at the tall door. “Your parents are currently listening to a private concert in the music room.”

“Thanks for the warning. I better bandage myself before my parents panic or something.” She opened the saddlebag and took out a few bits before showing them to Gatekeeper. “Thanks for the warning.”

He gently pushed the bits away and shook his head. “Naaah.”

“Not want a tip? How about a smile instead?” Silver asked before shooting the Gatekeeper a warm smile, of which he gladly returned.

“Mom, I’ll be fine,” Silver Spoon said while lying in her abnormally large bed, which was an even larger waste of space considering it was just for a single filly. She pointed at her bandages and continued, “These are just minor cuts, I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

The tall, grey earth pony with a long, golden-like mane shook her head as she examined each bandage, wondering what kind of wounds may be hidden beneath them. A feather in a bottle of ink cutie-mark decorated her flanks. “Don’t lie to me, sweetheart, whatever happened to you must hurt.”

“Just a little,” Silver Spoon said hastily. “It’s nothing to worry about, please, believe me.”

The mare frowned. “I told you countless times not to play with those... crusaders.” Shuddering, she took a spoon from a teacup and blew on it to cool it down before moving towards her daughter.

“Mom, please don’t treat me like a newborn filly, I can drink tea on my own,” Silver responded, now observing the numerous snacks on a nearby table next to the tea with an illuminating gem serving as a nightlight. The room itself was large, and was filled with more junk than any normal filly would have: a sofa, some cupboards for clothes, toys in the corner of the room, a private sink with cosmetics, powder, a comb, and a mirror for so called morning beauty routine. I wonder if Rarity has something similar in her room. I should ask Sweetie Belle next time around. Elegant curtains with ribbons were visible across two windows, the stars and the moon perfectly decorating the night sky.

“You’ll always be my little daughter to me.” She stroked her daughter’s mane, who frowned and crossed her forelegs. “If it was not for my husband, I would not allow you to interact with those troublemakers. They are a terrible example for you.”

“They aren’t… well… maybe a little, but they are good ponies and loyal friends.”

“They are loyal only to your bits. Elites like us should never trust common ponies.”

Silver Spoon pushed away the stroking forehoof of her mother before hitting a nearby pillow in frustration. “Stop talking like we’re better than them!”

“Oh, but we are,” her mother responded, unfazed by her daughter’s shouting. She pointed at herself and crowed, “My novels are very popular with most of the Canterlot Elite, and your father leads construction of luxury blimps fueled by magical gems. We are far superior to a farm family, and whatever the parents of that flightless filly are doing.” Her daughter growled. “I suppose Sweetie Belle’s older sister is a saving grace. If only she took after Miss Rarity more, then she would be a fine companion for you.”

“Are you done insulting my friends?” Silver asked, her patience at its limit.

Her mother stomped and said with a firm tone, “You are clearly not thinking straight. You must have caught a cold or something from being outside all day. I forbid you from going to school until you are feeling better. I’ll send the butler to inform Miss Cheerilee about your condition.”

“What? You can’t!” Silver Spoon shouted, sitting up in shock and fixing her mother with a pleading stare. “I’m feeling fine, honest. I can’t miss school because of a few bruises.”

The taller mare stood up and walked towards the door, now glancing at her daughter from a distance. “I will hire a tutor so you will not fall behind with your education.” She sighed. “And to think you were such a good daughter, always listening to your parents, and now, look at you.”

Silver Spoon’s ears dropped. She looked to the side, unable to meet her mother’s disappointed stare.

“You would be so much better befriending Filthy’s daughter, who, unlike your mud playing friends, comes from a proper family. Instead, you embarrass us in front of the Riches.”

“But Diamond Tiara is a bully!”

“I don’t want to hear anymore of your lies, child. Goodnight.”

After the door closed, Silver Spoon sat and whimpered. ”Surely, today could’ve gone better.” She covered the illuminating gem and buried herself under the quilt as her head sunk into the pillow. The comfort did little to ease her worries.

She closed her eyes, unaware of someone’s presence peeking inside by the window.

Chapter 1 - First Impression

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 1

First Impression

“It is time to wake up, Young Mistress. School is starting soon.”

Silver Spoon awoke as somepony’s hoof gently prodded her side, while a gentle voice whispered, “Lady Spoon…” Curling back under the covers, Silver Spoon did her best to ignore the uncomfortable sensation. The hoof prodded her again, and the voice spoke again, slightly firmer this time, “Lady Spoon. Please, it is time to get up.”

Silver Spoon rose to a sitting position. She stretched her legs and yawned before opening her sleepy eyes. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, trying her best to make out the shape since her glasses weren’t yet resting on her muzzle. Suddenly, she felt a wet towel rubbing against her face.

And here I thought we were one year above petty services, Silver thought, waiting patiently for the cleaning to end. After the towel was levitated away, she chided, “Very funny, Soft Rose. What’s next, are you going to feed me or something?

“If that is what you wish, Lady Spoon,” the unicorn responded before levitating over a snack.

The filly pushed the tasty treat aside gently and rolled her eyes, her hooves fumbling for the glasses she had placed on her nightstand the night before. “I was joking. What’s up with ponies wanting to feed me lately. I’m not that lazy.”

“Whatever you say, Lady Spoon,” the maid said, lifting the blue frames towards her mistress.

“No need to be so formal,” Silver said as she looked at her servant with a smile. With her glasses secured, she could finally meet her friend’s eyes. However, Soft Rose did not match her smile, her eyes instead betraying her confusion. “I suppose you have a point.” Silver continued, “I can be lazy way too often. Maybe I can help with the dishes after dinner.” Rising to all fours, she stood on her bed and looked around before whispering, “Just don’t tell my parents. They still believe that we’re above physical labor.” She chuckled.

Raising her forehoof, the maid carefully pressed it against the filly’s forehead, who blinked in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Just checking your temperature, Young Lady.” Soft Rose responded, levitating a glass of sparkling orange juice over. “Are you feeling alright?”

Silver tilted her head to the side in confusion. “I’m feeling fine…” She looked at herself and facehooved. “Oh, right, bandages, I better get them off.”

“May I be of assistance?” Soft Rose asked.

“Of course. In times like this having a horn would be really useful,” Silver said, attempting to unroll a bandage from her belly with her teeth. As Soft Rose helped remove the numerous bandages, placing the used ones on the bed in a pile, Silver grinned and said, “Thank you.”

A smirk crossed Soft Rose’s face for just a moment, before it returned to its new stoicism. “It was my pleasure.”

Pointing at the large tray on the silver cart, Silver Spoon asked, “Why did you bring me so much food? There is no way my stomach has enough room for it all.” She chuckled and massaged her belly. “Is this a secret message? Are you trying to say that I am gaining too much weight.”

“What? I wouldn’t dare,” Rose said with foreleg raised defensively, the shock evident in her voice.

“Relax, no need to be so tense around me,” Silver said before grabbing the salad bowl and diving in.

“Young Lady, your manners!”

Silver raised her head and blinked as leaves of salad fell from her cheeks. She gulped and said, “Oh, sorry, I got carried away,” before grabbing a fork between her forehooves. I guess the Crusaders have been rubbing off on me. Not that it’s a bad thing, but a bit of adventuring is no excuse for a lack of manners. After taking a few more bites, she pointed at the food next to the salad and said, “I’m sure you must be hungry too. I know I can’t finish all this by myself.” Looking up at her maid, she smiled. “Would you like to eat with me?”

“What? I m-mean, I’m honored with the offer…” Rose said in haste as she looked around nervously. “However, I still have much to do. This room won’t clean itself.”

Silver Spoon looked around and raised an eyebrow. “This room is shining, and the carpet has nearly no dust in it. If you don’t want to eat with me, just say so.” The maid rubbed her foreleg. “I get the impression that you are a bit nervous today, Rose, has something happened?”

“N-nothing… it is just that... you rarely speak to me, Lady Spoon, outside of telling me what to do. I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage.”

“Rarely? But we talk almost everyday when I’m home or my parents aren’t around,” Silver Spoon pointed out before taking a bite of a strawberry.

The unicorn rubbed the back of her neck and looked to the door. “I still have more work to do… in the hallway.” She slightly bowed her head. “Please, excuse me.”

Silver Spoon watched as the maid went outside, and murmured to herself, “Well… somepony’s not be herself today.” She shrugged, and after eating one more strawberry, she approached the mirror and examined her features. The bruises and cuts were now but barely visible marks among her grey fur.

It seems spending time with the Crusaders has toughened me up, not to mention the increased regeneration earth ponies posses thanks to our inner magic… I miss Twilight Time. She thought as she brushed her mane. After a brief struggle from using her hooves, she fastened it together into her usual mane style, and finally placed her favorite pearl necklace around her neck. Maybe if we didn’t keep our learning from the princess a secret, my mom wouldn’t be against my friendship with the crusaders, but a promise is a promise.

With a quick action of her foreleg, she opened the shelf next to the sink and blinked in confusion. “Hey!” She exclaimed, he eyes scouring the empty cabinet. “They’re gone!” She took a closer look, examining the shelf, but with no results. Where are my extra glasses? And where is the armored and enhanced model for extreme crusading?

Her morning routine was interrupted by a near inaudible creak, her eyes catching the figure of her mother in the mirror.. She turned towards her mother, whose eyes were filled with worry.

“Your maid just told me that you were not yourself today,” she said while approaching, her hooves cushioned by the silk-weave carpet. “And that you offered to clean the dishes today.”

More like Rose was not herself today. Traitor, Silver thought, frowning. After she fixed her mane, she said, “I am perfectly fine, besides, cleaning dishes isn’t a crime, is it?”

Her mother pointed at her head. “Did you just braid your mane without a maid’s help?”

“Yeah,” Silver said with a weak nod. “What about it?”

“I had no idea you could do it on your own.”

Okay, now this is getting weird, the filly thought, sitting patiently as her mother examined her fur.

“Maybe I should take you to a doctor.”

“Mom, I’m fine.”

The taller mare lowered herself to her daughter’s level and stroked her. “If you are sure…” After rubbing her daughter’s mane one last time, she continued, “Anyway, school is starting soon. We will worry about it once you are back.”

“School? May I go?” Silver asked in confusion, still remembering her yesterday discussion.

“Of course you can… unless you don’t feel well.”

“I feel great,” Silver said before nuzzling her mother on the muzzle and fixing her glasses. “I will be late for dinner today, love you.” With renewed energy, she grabbed her saddlebag and ran towards the opened door.

I feel like I forgot something… Silver Spoon thought as she ran through the hallway and down the stairs, quickly reaching the ground floor as she stopped in front of a large door. Waving enthusiastically, she said, “Morning, Fresh Tea,” pushing the door open before the butler could.

She ran outside and slowed down before approaching the gate.

“Good Morning, Gatekeeper,” she said, staring at the servant with a cheerful smile.

“Morning, Lady Spoon,” he said with a half-bow before opening the gate. His face firm and serious, as if a smile had not graced it in years.

Silver Spoon stared at the servant, who refused to keep eye contact with her. Seems somepony is in a poor mood today. Not wasting anymore time, she galloped towards the school. I'll ask what's wrong once I get back. I can't be late.

“A tea party with Fluttershy, what a wonderful way to start the morning.” Chuckling, he clapped his mismatched hands greedily. “I do have quite a lot of entertainment to look forward to this week. And what better way to start?” Discord cheered, donning a t-shirt that read, ‘I heart Fluttertea’ while levitating above a tree. Looking down at a grey filly, he grinned madly, anticipating the chaos that was to come. Meanwhile, the young Spoon continued to walk peacefully towards the schoolhouse.

His attention shifted towards a small pink filly, who waved her forehoof at her silver partner in crime. Much to Tiara’s surprise, Silver Spoon galloped past and left her in the dust. Oh, this is going to be fun. Discord snickered, before his amusement was interrupted by a strange sound from his watch, which was very similar to a deflating chew toy. All three hands on his watch were all pointing towards a golden alicorn, who bore a striking likeness to Celestia, if she was five inches tall, and dripping wet.

“Oh look, it’s Celly’s bath time.” Splitting his head in two, Discord judged his options. Biting his lip, he came to a conclusion. “I suppose someone needs to ensure that Celestia takes a bath in water of proper temperature after all.” With a snap of his fingers, he vanished, appearing in the royal bathroom. Not wasting a moment, he then quickly disguised himself as a mirror. Upon seeing a certain sun princess entering a rather large bathtub, he smirked. As the sink turned into his hand, he snapped his faucet-fingers, heating the water to degrees no mortal being could withstand.

However, Celetia seemed not to notice, levitating over the soap and beginning to wash her mane. Frustrated, he snapped his fingers again, heating the water further as bellows of steam continued to emerge from the boiling water. “A few drops of sweat, but still no reaction,” Discord murmured. So you don’t mind a little heat, then how about this. Snapping his fingers again, the steaming water turned into hot-boiling lava, melting the faucet as it oozed into the large tub. Yelping, Celestia leapt out of the pool. Snapping her head around, she instantly looked towards the sink.

“Discord!” the princess shouted, spreading her wings threateningly.

“Oh, come now, Celly. I was sure you would enjoy a little prank in your long, boring life,” Discord’s voice echoed as he emerged from the sink’s mirror.

“Why is it always the sink…” Celestia muttered, shaking her head in disgust. “Do you not have anything better to do with your time?”

“Why Tia, my darling.” Discord pouted. “I am appalled that you would think going out of my way to spice up your life is a waste of time!” Crossing his arms, Discord turned his head, not meeting Celestia’s gaze.

Sighing, Celestia turned to look at her tub filled with molten rock. “True.” Closing her wings, Celestia took a slow, calming breath. “However, lava in a bathtub is much too dangerous for a prank.” She pointed at the boiling substance, though not noticing any signs of melting walls. “At least you were kind enough to use magic to keep the room from being destroyed.” Regretfully, she couldn’t say the same about her scorched fur.

“Too dangerous for a normal pony, but you’re a millennia old alicorn. Surely a grown mare like you can take it,” Discord responded. “Or are you chicken?”

The princess did not have to think long before a smirk appeared on her face. Her horn then lit as she cast a protective spell over herself. “I suppose you have a point, after all, it has been a long time since I’ve taken a hot bath.” She turned towards the bathtub and approached it, carefully sinking her foreleg into the lava. As planned, instead of it burning her fur or feathers, it was nothing more than a bit of heat, certainly nothing to write home about.

She carefully entered the lava and began to bathe, rolling around as she let the molten rock cleanse her, before rolling onto her back and resting her head against the lip of the pool. “I’m expecting this room to return to normal once I am done, unless you want to take a bath in a similar manner.”

Discord grinned. “But wouldn’t it be a fun surprise for the janitor?” Chuckling, he rubbed his hands together. “Imagine him strolling in, bucket in hand, all prepared to clean whatever mess you’ve left for him, only to find lava!”

Glaring at him, Celestia firmly shook her head. “No Discord. You know as well as I do that if Damp Rag got that close, he’d die of shock before heatstroke.”

Discord crossed his arms, teleporting away as his voice echoed through the bathroom. “Oh, you’re just no fun anymore.”

Sighing, Celestia began toweling off, losing five towels to the molten rock that slicked her fur. “I suppose no one ever did teach him to clean up after himself.” As she grabbed a bucket to remove the remaining lava, there was one last snap, as the molten rock transformed into a polar ice cap, complete with penguins, polar bears, and a sea turkey.

“DISCORD!!!”

Slowing down, Silver Spoon caught her breath as she approached the school. Thanks to her encounter with Diamond Tiara, who did not seem to have caught up, she was a few minutes early to class. Smiling at her fortune, she trotted into class and placed her homework on Ms. Cheerilee’s desk, before turning to move towards her desk.

“Silver Spoon.”

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee?”

“Did you have an accident yesterday?” She asked, approaching the filly as she examined the barely visible marks hidden beneath her grey fur.

Silver Spoon shook her forehoof dismissively. “I did, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for us.”

The teacher lowered her head and looked Silver Spoon in the eyes with concern. “Not out of the ordinary for the crusaders, maybe, but certainly for you it is.”

Silver Spoon looked to the side and tapped her forehooves against each other. “I suppose getting covered by tree sap is practically a norm while getting scratched by plant thorns is rare.”

“You fell into a bush with thorns?”

“Yes?”

Cheerilee stood up. “Oh dear, I hope it was nothing serious.” She narrowed her eyes. “You should go visit the doctor immediately and stay home. You are a very diligent student, so nothing will happen if you skip classes for today.”

Silver Spoon shook her head, saying, “Thanks for worrying about me, but I feel perfectly fine.” After watching her teacher walk back to her desk, she herself sat down as her other classmates started to enter the room. That’s odd. I was sure that after all this time, Miss Cheerilee would be used to seeing me like that.

She looked at the fillies and colts filling the room, watching as they began taking seats in front of the wooden desks. “Hm…” Silver Spoon rubbed her chin and thought, Something feels different. She examined her own desk, before checking the ones on both sides. Now that’s rather odd. All these desks have several small marks on them, and I can see a crack from the time when Scootaloo hit the book with her own head.

She closed her eyes and rubbed the top of her head. Think, think. When Diamond Tiara framed us for damaging our desks, my parents personally bought the new ones. More common models for my friends and a bigger, more comfortable one for me. Diamond Tiara got herself an even better one right after. She took a closer look at the top desk near the window. There’s no way Tiara would agree to have a normal desk back, so why did she– Silver’s train of thought was cut off as a small pink filly entered the schoolhouse. Speak of the devil, and she doth appear. She glared at the pink earth pony, who sat in front of her desk and looked back.

“Hey Silver Spoon, why were you in such a hurry?” Tiara asked. “I mean, I know you like the school and all, but still.”

Silver didn’t bother to say a word as she stared back suspiciously, leaving Diamond Tiara with a confused look and and an uncomfortable silence. As everypony took their respective seats, Silver’s attention focused on the teacher.

The commotion and murmurs lasted for several more seconds, but it was quickly replaced by silence.

Diamond Tiara glanced at her friend before looking ahead. Something felt wrong. She may not find learning at school as boring as I do, but she never ran towards it. Pondering this, Tiara frowned and rested her head on her foreleg.

“Apple Bloom,” Miss Cheerilee called.

“Y-yes?” The small filly stuttered, caught off guard.

“Is your presentation ready?”

The farm filly nodded and began to approach the front of the room, waving to her friends as she left. With an encouraging gesture of the teacher’s foreleg, she placed the wooden box with seeds and apple samples under the blackboard before facing the class, awkwardly.

“Good Luck!” Silver Spoon and Scootaloo said in unison. Quickly, the Crusaders shot the rich filly a suspicious glance.

Using the moment when the desk between her and Silver Spoon was empty, Diamond Tiara looked at her friend and whispered, “So, what happened? You can tell me.” Upon not receiving any response, she said a bit louder, “You’re really worrying me, Silver Spoon.”

“Now class, give Apple Bloom an encouraging cheer.”

As Tiara expected, the cheering wasn’t loud, since not many foals looked forwards to any sort of boring presentation, though the fact that Silver Spoon was clapping enthusiastically was difficult to ignore. First cheering for Granny Smith, and now for Apple Bloom. You’re such an egghead sometimes, Silver. She crossed her forelegs and frowned. “I really don’t get you, Silver Spoon. What can you possibly find interesting in the presentation of a blank flank anyways? Apple this, apple that. I bet you that’s the only thing that runs through her brain.”

Scootaloo opened her mouth, but was unable to speak as Silver Spoon beat her to the punch, “Says who? Blank flank this, blank flank that. It’s all you can talk about.”

Tiara looked at her friend in shock, who stared back at her with a bored expression.

“This has been going on for years. It’s really getting old,” Silver pointed out.

Scootaloo chuckled and said, “See. You’re so repetitive that even your sidekick got bored of it.”

“Sidekick?” Silver asked in confusion as she now looked at Scootaloo.

“Enough, class,” Cheerilee interrupted, her annoyed expression attracting everypony’s attention. “I’ll have no bickering in my classroom.” Turning to Apple Bloom, She smiled. “You may start your presentation now.”

“Y-yes, Miss Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom said before clearing her throat, a nervous smile present on her face.

Diamond Tiara once again supported her head on her foreleg as she tuned out the farm filly, her attention was clearly elsewhere. Did Silver Spoon just complain about... me?! I never expected her of all ponies to do that… On the other hoof, maybe she’s right. Calling those crusaders blank flanks stopped being original a year ago.

“And this is the position Ah take before buckin’ a tree,” Apple Bloom said as she stood on her forelegs, her hind legs curled close to her belly. “It’s important to hit the correct spot so apples will fall directly in the baskets.” She sat and pointed at her hind legs. “Best to hit the tree with our hooves, or else yer leg will hurt, and ya may even need a doctor.”

Wrapping up her presentation, Apple Bloom took a deep breath and asked, “A-any questions?” Upon noticing one raised hoof, she said hesitantly, “Y-yeah, Silver Spoon?”

“Do you think the vibrations from the impact are responsible for the apples to fall down, or is it just a reaction between a tree and your innate earth pony magic?”

Apple Bloom tapped her chin. “Umm… I think it’s vibrations. Pegasi and unicorns can get apples to fall from the trees if they kick hard enough.”

“Is that true that unlike other races, if an earth pony kicks the tree, they share their inner pony magic with it?”

“W-what?” Apple Bloom asked.

Silver Spoon cleared her throat and asked slowly, “When you... or your family... kick a tree to get apples, does it make them grow back faster?”

Apple Bloom nodded and responded enthusiastically, “It sure do.”

“What about Zap Apples? Are they filled with powerful magic? Do Timber Wolves feed on those because they are made of magic themselves?”

“Ah suppose they do. It would explain why they appear so numerous when zap apple season is up,” Apple Bloom responded. Ah knew Silver Spoon was interested in Granny Smith’s story, but this is ridiculous.

Silver Spoon once again raised her foreleg. “When you mentioned about relocating some of the trees and seeds to Appleloosa, does this mean that they are adapted to hot environments? Appleloosa is located in a desert after all.”

Apple Bloom tapped her forehooves together nervously. “Ah… dunno.” She bit her lip upon seeing the forehoof raised once again. No more questions, please… Wait a moment, did Ah just got tired of discussing apple related topics? she thought, her expression turning into pure shock.

“If each type of apple trees are located in specific part of the farm, wouldn’t it make them vulnerable to infestations? How do you deal with them?”

“Well… besides askin’ Fluttershy for help… we harvest the apples before the bugs hit the farm,” Apple Bloom responded as she now stared at Silver Spoon with a pleading stare. Mercy…

“Thank you Silver Spoon, but I believe we ran out of time,” Cheerilee said, causing Apple Bloom to sigh in relief and Silver Spoon’s ears to drop in disappointment.

As she walked back to her seat, Apple Bloom noticed that the grey bully kept ginning at her, the very sight sending shivers down her spine. The moment she sat, Silver’s voice reached her ears, “Not bad, Apple Bloom, but why didn’t you use my suggestions in the notes I gave you?”

“Yer what?”

Diamond Tiara chuckled. “Your family runs an apple farm, and you could barely answer Silver Spoon’s questions. Big apple expert you are.”

“Hey, Ah know lots of stuff about apples,” she responded, her pride on the line. She looked at the grey filly with a hint of hostility, “Ya won this round, but next time Ah’ll answer all yer questions.”

“Round?” Silver asked, caught off guard by the hostility.

“Of course you will… not” Diamond Tiara said before chuckling. “Silver Spoon beat you in your own game, and she will do it again.”

“No, she won’t,” Scootaloo said as she poked the grey filly in the shoulder. “You think you’re smart? Huh? Well, you may be an egghead, but you sure are a lazy one. Any filly can beat you in sports with a foreleg tied behind one’s back.”

“That’s not very nice thing to say,” Silver Spoon responded with a sad voice. “Can’t you see that Diamond Tiara is trying to turn us against each other?”

“Well, she’s doing a fine job,” Scootaloo responded.

“Shhh…” Twist said with forehoof raised up to their mouths.

“The clath not over yet, Mith Cheerilee will be angwy,” Twist pointed out.

Silver Spoon turned to the teacher and lowered her head, “I’m sorry.”

Diamond Tiara frowned. “Why should we care about dirtying our hooves with something as insignificant as sports.”

“Shhh…” Silver Spoon silenced Diamond Tiara while shooting her a hostile glare.

Apple Bloom looked at each bully in shock. Do mah eyes deceive me? Did Silver Spoon just tell Diamond Tiara to be quiet? She rubbed her eyes and massaged her head before finally supporting it atop both of her forehooves. First the presentation and now this… This is too much for mah poor head.

Chapter 2 - Spoon the Crusader

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 2

Spoon the Crusader

“Finally, the sweet recess,” Apple Bloom said as she ran outside and took a quick breath of fresh air. A perfect cure for her headache. Her friends quickly joined, flanking her from both sides.

“Four with a plus, great score Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said as she placed her forehoof on her shoulder.

“Agreed,” Scootaloo said before frowning. “Though I think you would’ve gotten a five if not for Silver Spoon’s questions.”

“Ah dunno,” Apple Bloom responded with uncertainty. “Ah could’a got a four or three if nopony asked any questions. Mah presentation wasn’t the most interestin’.”

Sweetie Belle patted her on the back. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Not everypony has the storytelling skills of your granny. Besides, we could ask some questions if nopony else did… probably.”

“Enough talk about school, let’s play,” Scootaloo said before pointing at the playground. “So, what do you want to do?”

Suddenly, Silver Spoon jumped in between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, startling them as they both flinched. “Congratulations Apple Bloom, and sorry for offending you.” She lowered her head slightly and continued in a guilty tone, “I was overwhelmed by curiosity. I didn’t want to embarrass you or hurt your pride.”

Apple Bloom blinked in confusion and shook her head. “Yer sorry… really?”

“And why should we believe you?” Scootaloo asked before stepping away from the bully, “It must be another trick set up by Diamond Tiara.”

Silver Spoon raised her foreleg defensively. “I’m being honest… why would you doubt that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You're sooo trustworthy.”

“Diamond Tiara is being her usual, mean self. I had nothing to do with it.”

Sweetie Belle rounded Apple Bloom and sat in front of Silver Spoon, asking, “Speaking of Tiara, have you both had an argument or something?”

Silver Spoon frowned. “Of course we had an argument. Isn’t that obvious?”

“That explains a thing or two,” Scootaloo said as she crossed her forelegs. “Anyway, my friends and I, we were about to play before the recess is over, and you’re distracting us.”

Silver Spoon stomped before pressing her muzzle against Scootaloo’s. “Oh, I get it. You’re trying to point out that I’m too lazy and weak because of my lifestyle.” She retreated her head and pointed at a pole with rounded ceiling and two ropes attached to it, each holding a ball. “Well, challenge accepted.”

“You, beat me in that? You of all ponies? Don’t make me laugh,” Scootaloo remarked with a chuckle.

First my maid, and now my friends. I need to prove them wrong, Silver Spoon thought as she grit her teeth, her stare filled with determination.

“Wait… you’re not joking… this makes it even funnier,” Scootaloo said before turning towards the pole and raising her head proudly. “I’m so looking forward to it.” She walked with firm steps while the rich filly followed. “This is going to be fun!”

Silver Spoon sat in front of a ball hanging on a rope, her attention focused on a smirking Scootaloo on the other side. Two other crusaders and a school building visible in the background while more fillies and colts approached to watch the competition.

“Silver Spoon, what are you doing?!” Diamond Tiara’s voice reached her ears.

“And what does it looks like?” Silver asked, not bothering to look away from her opponent.

“You’re just going to embarrass yourself. Come back before it’s too late,” Tiara plead.

“And why should I listen to you?” Silver asked, not noticing the shock on the bully’s face caused by her words.

Diamond Tiara shook her head and said hesitantly, “Well… I was just trying…” she sighed. “Fine, do what you want, but don’t run crying to me afterwards.”

Featherweight landed on Silver’s right side, now hovering in mid-air with his rapidly flapping wings. “You both know the rules?” he asked. Upon receiving a nod from both competitors, he continued, “I expect a clean game, and let the best player win!”

Scootaloo stood on her hind legs and slowly raised a ball with her forehoof, not breaking eye contact with Silver even for a moment. “I doubt she’ll play clean, but in the end, I’ll win anyway.”

Featherweight raised his thin foreleg and shouted, “Ready!”

Silver stomped before standing up on her hind legs. One foreleg raised protectively up to her face, ready to protect the glasses.

“Set!”

She could see Scootaloo’s right foreleg moving backward, preparing for a solid swing as she copied her action.

“Go!”

A thudding noise followed as the ball circled around the pole, heading towards the grey filly. With a swing of her own, Silver Spoon punched the ball with all her strength, sending it back with great force.

Scootaloo’s smirk vanished and her pupils shrank. She jumped to the side to evade the ball from striking her as it rounded the pole a few times.

“One point to Silver Spoon!” Featherweight shouted while the small crowd went silent. Each crusader and Diamond Tiara opened their mouths agape.

Scootaloo jumped back to her hooves and said, “What, but how?”

“Stop underestimating me, Scootaloo!” Silver Spoon shouted as she pointed at her. “I had my own share of crusading, and I’m an earth pony. If you keep going easy on me, you will lose.”

“Crusading? What are you talking about?” Scootaloo asked before shaking her head. “Nevermind, I don’t care. I wanted to toy with you, but no more.” With a swift strike, she sent the ball towards Silver, who countered the same way as before. This time more focused, Scootaloo jumped towards the ball and kicked with her rear hoof.

Silver Spoon kept punching the ball, each of her attacks easily countered by her foe’s speed. Her sixth attempt failed as her forehoof missed, and the ball rounded the pole a few times.

“Point to Scootaloo!”

The orange filly grinned. “You got your point because I lowered my guard, but from now on, it will be a winning streak for me.”

“In your dreams,” Silver said before turning back to the ball and placing her forelegs on the ground, hind-legs now curled under her belly.

Apple Bloom half-closed her eyes and looked at the technique suspiciously. “Wait an apple picking minute, Ah recognize it.” She turned to Scootaloo and shouted, “Be careful. That’s mah family apple bucking technique.”

“Yeah, right,” Scootaloo said as she shook her forehoof dismissively at Apple Bloom. Her overconfidence ended up being her undoing the moment Silver kicked the ball with both of her rear hooves. Scootaloo’s attempt to counter with a jump kick resulted in her being pushed backward by the force of the impact, feeling her fur rub against grass and dirt. Before she managed to stand, Silver delivered another punch, sending the ball around the pole.

“Two to one for Silver Spoon,” Featherweight said while the school fillies and colts started to murmur to each other. Diamond Tiara rubbed her eyes in disbelief before clapping her hooves in enthusiasm.

“Nice one, Silver Spoon. Show this flightless filly who's boss.”

“Quiet!” Silver responded, shooting Tiara a disapproving glare. “Don’t call Scootaloo flightless! Not a word more.”

Diamond Tiara grit her teeth and growled in anger. She opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later, unable to yell at her only friend.

Scootaloo massaged her hind-leg before returning to her standing position, somewhat surprised by Silver’s attitude towards the other bully.

The game went on as minutes passed. Silver Spoon gained a few points with strength alone as her foe failed to stop her strongest kicks and two deciding punches. Scootaloo countered each loss with a display speed and agility, not giving her a moment of rest.

Silver Spoon started breathing heavily, slowly getting tired as she couldn’t keep up with the more athletic pegasus.

“Giving up yet?” Scootaloo asked. She continued with a mocking tone, “Unlike you, I can do this all day.”

Silver Spoon wiped sweat from her forehead. “You mean the warm up we had? I’m not even being serious yet,” she lied. Her legs feeling more heavy than usual. Maybe my friends are right after all… Upon seeing incoming ball, she punched it, and a moment later, she repeated her action. This time however, she lost her balance and landed on her four legs.

Before she could stand, Scootaloo had already sent a ball flying with a jump kick; said ball was now going straight at her face. Out of reflex, Silver Spoon turned her head to the side, feeling as the ball hit her cheek and pushed her away. Glasses fell off her face as she landed on her side with a weak thud. Bits of dust and grass spread around her shoulder.

After massaging her cheek, Silver Spoon raised her head, now seeing a slightly blurry image of three crusaders, Featherweight and Diamond Tiara towering over her. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looking at her with worry while Scootaloo showed signs of guilt. The weirdest part being Diamond Tiara’s concerned expression. Both Tiara and Scootaloo stretched their foreleg towards her.

“I’m sorry… I went too far with that one,” Scootaloo said as she tried to help her stand, though her forehoof collided with Tiara’s hoof.

Diamond Tiara growled at the crusader. “Look what you’ve done, fool. You will pay for this.”

“I… I didn’t mean it,” Scootaloo responded as she took a step back and raised her foreleg defensively. “I tried to score a point, not send a ball towards her face on purpose.” She stomped. “Wait a moment, why am I explaining myself to you?”

Tiara poked Scootaloo’s chest. “Because you’re a mere moment away from me kicking your flank.”

Silver Spoon observed both ponies arguing with each other before deciding to stand up. She stared at Tiara suspiciously, her vision slightly blurry.

“I got caught in the moment, and I did apologize.”

“You call that an apology? Typical. I didn’t see you being sorry for all the insults you threw at her.”

“And why should I be sorry about those? You insult us all the time.”

Typical Scootaloo, always so easy to provoke, Silver though before looking around for her missing glasses.

“You lost these,” Featherweight said while showing the glasses he held between his thin hooves. He hovered above the ground thanks to his rapidly flapping wings.

Silver took the glasses and placed them on her muzzle. “Thank you,” she said while smiling warmly before nuzzling Featherweight affectionately.

A weak blush appeared on the colt’s check. “You’re... welcome.”

She looked ahead at the arguing pair and shouted, “Can you both quit it so we can resume the game?”

Tiara was the first to look at her. “But that blan... “ she coughed and corrected herself, “arrogant crusader offended you and hit you in the face.”

Scootaloo was about to say something, but Silver Spoon beat her to it. “And why do you care so much for me all of the sudden?” She could see the bully staring back in confusion.

“What do you mean? I always care.”

“All you're doing is looking for an excuse to pick on crusaders, nothing more,” Silver said.

“That’s not true,” Diamond Tiara said with a stomp, through her determination was replaced with doubt a moment later.

Silver turned to Scootaloo. “Let’s resume our game. The recess isn’t over yet.”

Sweetie Belle took a few steps forward and pointed at the small bruise on Silver’s cheek. “You want to continue after what happened?”

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “My glasses are intact, so I don’t see a reason to stop. I’m not made of glass after all.” She could see a weak nod before Sweetie Belle stepped to the side and sat next to Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara didn’t move an inch from her spot while Scootaloo took a fighting stance on the opposite side, though no longer radiating with determination.

Unbeknownst to the present ponies, Discord observed the scene from his underground hideout with a periscope emerging from the ground, which was well hidden under a carousel. The limited vision being satisfactory as he could see the playing fillies well enough.

His left ear with legs made of matches was listening to the conversations, hiding behind the pole as no filly seemed to notice it.

“And why do you care so much for me all of the sudden?”

“What do you mean? I always care.”

“All you are doing is looking for an excuse to pick up on the crusaders, nothing more.”

Discord chuckled, though his voice didn’t penetrate the sealed wooden walls of his temporary hideout. “Burn,” he said with a grin. “It is going better than I imagined. Each time that annoying Diamond Tiara is trying to even argue with those crusaders, Silver Spoon shuts her down immediately. I had no idea solving those so called… ‘friendship problems’ could be so entertaining.”

“Now, what should my next move be?” Discord said to himself while rubbing his chin. “Should I wait patiently for everything to resolve itself, or should I push Tiara’s button and laugh as she explodes in rage.”

He chuckled and grinned before snapping his fingers. A toy version of Diamond Tiara appeared in mid-air and landed in his claws as he looked at a large button on her belly with ‘self-destruct’ written on it.

The crowd of young ponies ran outside energetically, but not everypony shared their enthusiasm. Three crusaders followed the rest, going outside with hesitant and slow steps before sitting near the entrance to the school, forming a circle while staring at each other.

The silence lasted for several seconds while Silver Spoon was still inside, talking with the teacher.

Diamond Tiara lost her patience and walked outside, stopping next to the crusaders and growling in annoyance. “I have no idea what you did to turn Silver Spoon against me, but I will get her back, blank fl–” She paused and frowned before walking away.

The crusaders glanced at her for a moment before staring at each other once again. Apple Bloom being first to speak, “Congratulation Scootaloo… ya did really well in that game today.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo responded while rubbing her foreleg nervously. “But it was a close one. Almost lost.” She took a deep breath and asked, “Did you teach Silver Spoon your family’s apple-bucking technique?” Upon seeing a shake of the farm’s filly head, she asked, “Was she visiting your farm lately?”

“She didn’t. Ah have no idea where she learned it,” Apple Bloom responded and shrugged. “Ah’m surprised she even managed to keep up with ya. Ah thought rich folks ain’t good at sport.”

Scootaloo nodded. “That wasn’t the only odd thing she did today. Maybe she’s acting, trying to get on our good side and then trick us.” She turned her head to look at the third crusader, who seemed to be lost in thoughts. “You have been very quiet today, is something wrong?” She cleared her throat with a cough. “Well, is something wrong besides Silver Spoon acting weird?”

Sweetie Belle looked to the side and spoke, “I know it may sound weird, but do you girls think that maybe–” She paused while searching for her next words. “Maybe she wanted to befriend us?”

“Befriend us?” Scootaloo said with a hint of anger. “Don’t tell me you bought her acting.”

“And if I did?” Sweetie Belle asked, now staring directly in the eyes of her friend. “I know she was always bullying us, but to be honest, every time she did she was side by side with Diamond Tiara. Have we ever talked to her alone?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Now that Ah think about it, we never saw her alone. Are ya tryin’ to say that she was bein’ mean to us because Tiara was?” she asked, capturing her friend's attention.

“This is a possibility,” Sweetie Belle said with a nod. “What if they had an argument, and now she’s showing her true colors? Each time Diamond Tiara was calling us names, Silver Spoon took our side.” She pointed at Scootaloo and continued, “She nearly yelled at Tiara when she called you flightless.”

Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and said with harsh voice, “And a few months ago she was the one pointing out my disabilities. I don’t buy it.” She looked around, making sure that no pony was listening. “Diamond Tiara accused us for turning her friend against her, while Silver Spoon said that they had an argument. One of them is obviously lying.”

Sweetie Belle raised her foreleg as if ready to answer teacher’s question. “I vote that Tiara was lying.” Upon hearing hoofsteps, she looked at the entrance.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” Silver said, quickly reducing the distance between her and the crusaders. Sweetie Belle stepped to the side and invited her into the circle. “No homework today. Do you have any crusading in mind for today?”

“And why do you want to know?” Scootaloo asked suspiciously, but disapproving stares from the fellow crusaders shifted her tone. “No, we have other plans today.”

“Other plans?” Silver asked before standing side to Scootaloo and poking her in the foreleg, a grin on her face. “Let me guess; Rainbow Dash invited you to watch her and Spitfire’s stunts, or did she want to see the newest scooter trick you came up with.”

Scootaloo pressed her forelegs against her own cheeks as her friends could see stars in her eyes. “That would be so epic.” Her mind returned to reality a moment later as she increased the distance between her and the bully. “And no, that’s not what I’m going to do today.”

Silver Spoon pointed at Apple Bloom and asked, “What about you? Are you going to hang up with Twist? If yes, watch out for your weight. She is always so generous with the sweets she makes.”

“Twist, why?” Apple Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you mean, why? She’s your school friend from before you even met the crusaders.”

Apple Bloom frowned, now speaking with an annoyed voice, “Ya mean she was.” She pointed at her own flank. “Why would she want to be friends with a pony without a cutie-mark?”

Silver Spoon closed her eyes, now deep in thought as she tried to put together gathered information. “Don’t tell me you both had an argument.” Apple Bloom was about to respond, but Silver was first to speak, “The Apple Bloom I know wouldn’t abandon a friend because of petty jealousy.”

“Abandon? Jealousy?” the farm filly said with raised foreleg, her expression showing signs of an old wound resurfacing. “She’s the one who abandoned me!”

Silver Spoon shook her head and stomped. “I don’t believe you. Twist may not be the most eloquent, but she is kind and generous. There’s no way she would leave you unless you pushed her aside.” After taking a deep breath, she continued with a much calmer tone. “Maybe you left her with an impression that you no longer wanted her company.”

Apple Bloom’s mouth was agape as she struggled to say a word. Both of her friends didn’t dare to interfere. “Ya think that… that Ah’m at fault?” Upon seeing a weak nod, she continued, “But she stopped spendin’ time with me. All she cared for was makin’ sweets.” She murmured quietly so nopony could hear her. “And she shared sweets with everypony except me.”

Silver Spoon placed a forehoof on the farm filly’s shoulder and said, “Tell me something. Is Fluttershy still a friend of your older sister?”

“Eeyup, she is. Why wouldn’t she be?”

“If your sister would invite Fluttershy to her farm to camp with your family, would she refuse?”

“Ah think not.”

“Would Fluttershy ever invite Applejack anywhere on her own?” Silver asked with a grin.

“Ah don’t think so. Do ya think that Twist’s shy like Fluttershy?” Upon seeing a nod, she lowered her head in guilt.

“Listen,” Silver Spoon said as she retreated her forehoof and sat in front of Apple Bloom, who raised her head and looked back in confusion. “Twist can get very excited when it comes to her special talent. It may sometimes seem as if she doesn’t care about anything besides that, but that’s how she is. She’s too shy to ask if something is wrong, or if she can play with you. If you avoid her, she will think you don’t like her anymore and step aside.”

Apple Bloom kept staring at the former bully as her mind struggled to puzzle together the newly acquired information. Was she the one who gave up on her friendship with Twist? Was she jealous that her friend got her cutie-mark first? Many more questions sprung up in her mind as she looked to the side and spoke, “Ah think… Ah’ve some apologizing to do.”

“That’s the spirit,” Silver said before she patted Apple Bloom on the back. “I’m sure that whatever happened between you both, a simple apology will fix it.”

“Ah doubt an apology will do… it’s been over a year...”

“A year, what are you talking about?” Silver asked in confusion. “I saw you with Twist two weeks ago, and you both were getting along just fine.”

“What are ya talkin’ about?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah would remember if Ah did somethin’ like that.”

Scootaloo raised a forehoof up to the left side of her head and circled it. “Maybe you hit yourself on the head and now have memory issues. That would explain a lot.”

Silver frowned. “Memory issues? You know what, whatever. You have been mean to me all day. I don’t feel like talking with you right now.” She turned around and sat, her forelegs now crossed, head raised and eyes closed. “That’s just as much rudeness I can take.”

Sweetie Belle walked between them and said, “No need to get angry…” She turned to Silver and said in an apologizing tone, “Sorry for Scootaloo. I know you’ve been trying hard to be nice to us, and I appreciate your efforts, but we need some time before we can overlook the past and accept you as a friend.”

Silver Spoon’s eyes opened wide and her ears dropped as she now looked like a backstabbed puppy. She looked at Sweetie Belle and asked, “What do you mean… accept me as a friend… I thought…” Her throat became dry as she felt sudden urge to cry. “I… I need to go. I think I will hang out with Featherweight today.” She took a few steps away form the circle.

“Featherweight, when did you two become friends?” Sweetie Belle asked, her words stopped Silver in her track.

“Friends? He isn’t my friend, he’s my crush. Don’t tell me that you all forgot already.”

“Crush? You mean you want him to be your very special somepony?” Sweetie asked in a panic while the other crusaders opened their mouths agape and stared at Silver in disbelief.

The rich filly massaged her forehead. “I can’t take it anymore. I feel as if my life was turned upside down…” She walked away with a slightly lowered head, leaving three crusaders even more confused than before.

Sweetie Belle turned towards her friends. “So Silver had an argument with Diamond Tiara, got a crush on Featherweight, and is trying to befriend us while having problems with her memory,” she summarized, waiting for nods from her friends to confirm her words.

“Well, she did nuzzle him today,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “Whatever happened to Silver, she’s being nicer if ya ask me. Though a bit too confusin’ for mah taste.” She sighed. “Ah better go talk with Twist. Ah need to find out if it was mah fault that our friendship fell apart… and apologize if that’s the case.”

Scootaloo rubbed her chin. “I don’t know. I can understand her becoming more bearable after freeing herself from Diamond Tiara, but to get so good at sport in such a short amount of time, this is just too weird. Something doesn’t feels right.”

After saying their farewells, the crusaders split up and went their separate ways with a lot on their minds.

Silver Spoon kept walking with her eyes downcast, her mind a mess after today’s events. “Excuse me,” a familiar voice caught her attention. She turned around and looked up.

“Princess Twilight!” Silver said as she now faced the towering alicorn. Not wasting a moment, she bowed.

“Please, stand,” Twilight said nervously.

Silver Spoon sat and looked at Twilight in admiration. Ever since she had the honor of learning from the princess while asking about her adventures, she learned to respect her. Being in Twilight’s very presence filled her with pride as she wished her bow could last a bit longer. “Is there anything you wish of me, Your Highness?” she asked curiously.

The princess shook her head as her horn lit. “Just call me Twilight, and I wanted to cast a simple scanning spell on you, if you won’t mind.”

“Scanning spell, why?” Silver asked.

Twilight raised her foreleg in a lecturing gesture as she spoke, “Discord informed me that Diamond Tiara was accusing him of using his magic to influence your mind, and asked me if I could clear his name.”

Silver rolled her eyes. Typical. With a firm nod, she said, “I don’t mind at all.”

Diamond Tiara walked back home as she constantly looked to the side, hoping against hope to see Silver Spoon by her side at any moment. “Stupid crusaders,” she muttered to herself. “It wasn’t enough they keep showing how good of friends they are everywhere they go. Now they turned my own friend against me. I’ll make them pay.” She stopped upon seeing a shadow on the ground.

Looking up, she saw a creature she remembered from yesterday, a floating abomination of several different creatures. With a smirk, she spoke, “Well, if this isn’t a reformed backstabber and Tirek's former friend. I have better things to do than seeing your ugly face.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Discord responded as he lowered his head and poked Tiara’s muzzle. “Aren’t we in a bad mood today?”

“None of your business,” Tiara said as she walked forward, but Discord followed, levitating above her head. “Leave me alone, or else I will tell everypony how you were causing trouble. Unless you didn’t have enough of yesterday’s embarrassment, in which case, do go on.”

“Funny you mention it. Because of you, I had to listen to Fluttershy’s boring lecture about not abusing one’s power,” Discord said as his words caused a satisfied smile to grow on the bully’s lips. “But my little revenge totally makes up for it.”

“Revenge?” Tiara asked as she stopped in her track, letting the draconequus bypass her.

Discord sat on the ground and looked at the sky. “Oh, it’s nothing big, and yet enough to make you angry and me happy.”

Diamond Tiara sharpened her glare as she pointed at the spirit of chaos. “What did you do?!”

Discord lowered his head and snapped his fingers as a bowl filled with some sort of vegetable soup appeared in his claws. “My dear Tiara, so clueless.” The bully growled. “I merely borrowed a spoon,” he said before a silver spoon appeared in his claw. Not wasting a moment, he took a sip of the soup from the bowl.

“You… you didn’t,” Tiara said as her mind translated Discord’s words. She yelled, “You were the one who turned Silver Spoon against me?”

“Bingo.”

Tiara grit her teeth and jumped, only to be stopped in mid-air and placed on the ground while one of Discord’s fingers was flashing with magic.

“Watch your temper, young lady.”

“I’ll tell the princess that you cast a spell on my friend, and she’ll turn you into a statue!” Tiara said, to which Discord rolled his eyes.

The spirit of chaos placed a hand on his forehead in dramatic pose. “Oh, whatever the poor me can do.” He snapped his fingers, and in a flash of magic, the princess appeared next to him as she looked around in confusion.

“What, how did I get here?” Twilight asked, quickly noticing Discord and a filly staring at her.

“Princess Twilight!” Tiara shouted before pointing at Discord accusingly. “You need to turn him into a statue for brainwashing my friend.”

“What?!” the alicorn shouted before taking a moment to understand the situation. After taking a quick breath, she said, “First off, I can’t turn him to stone. We returned the Elements to…”

“You can’t?” Tiara cut her off.

Discord smirked. “No, she can’t.”

Twilight looked at the filly with a growing hostility. “Furthermore. I checked Silver Spoon for any signs of magical influence, and I found nothing.”

Diamond Tiara shook her head and cleared her ear, wondering if she heard it right. “What!? But there has to be!”

“Furthermore,” Twilight said, stomping. “Yesterday, Discord asked me if I could prove his innocence. At first, I didn’t believe him, but as I did some detective work and asked a few fillies, they confirmed that you and Silver Spoon were sabotaging him, while giving them candies for saying a lie or two to the teacher.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Discord said, the very look of Tiara’s wide open mouth filling him with satisfaction for a job well done.

Twilight looked away from the filly, now staring at Discord curiously. “Still, there are some things I need to ask you.”

“Later,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, and Twilight disappeared.

Diamond Tiara started stomping the ground as her cheeks turned red while smoke escaped from her ears.

“What’s the matter. Are you angry because I outsmarted you? Not that you were anywhere in my league to begin with.” He chuckled.

Tiara grit her teeth and said while staring at the ground. “What did you do?”

“Oh, you think that I will spoil my plan, do you? I pass, but I can give you a hint or two,” Discord said before lowering himself to the filly’s ear. He whispered, “Your former friend doesn’t like bullies. If you really value her friendship, I would suggest you to be nicer from now on.” He raised his head and crossed his hands. “Though I wouldn’t be surprised if you decided that she isn’t worth the effort. I doubt you two were real friends to begin with.”

“I will win her back,” Tiara said with determination before running away.

Discord watched the dust left behind by the galloping filly. That’s odd. I didn’t expect she would be so determined to get a sidekick back. He smiled. I wonder how far she will go. This will be interesting. He noticed a flash from the corner of his eye and looked at a wet Twilight. Both wings spread while drops of water were falling down her feathers, legs and face. “Oopsy.”

“Oopsy indeed,” Twilight said before turning towards him. Her face radiating in anger as water nearly evaporated from her face as the result. “You teleported me into the stream under the bridge.”

“Sorry. I wanted to teleport you onto the bridge so you could have a pleasant view. It wasn’t intentional,” Discord answered while scratching back of his neck nervously.

Twilight shook her body before flying up to Discord’s face. “Nevermind that. When I talked with Silver Spoon, she said that she wasn’t assisting Diamond Tiara yesterday, and complained that everypony around her was acting crazy.”

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. I was left with the impression that ponies in Ponyville are already crazy. Do you want to deny that?”

The alicorn opened her mouth and closed it immediately. “Well… you are right that many ponies here are far from being normal, but it is the charm of Ponyville.” She shook her head and continued with an aggressive tone, “Don’t change the subject. While I am sure you didn’t cast any spell on Silver Spoon, I get the impression that you did something.”

Discord fixed his bowtie, which appeared out of nowhere, and gulped. “Maybe she was so… so overwhelmed with my performance yesterday that she isn’t thinking clearly. Or maybe she lied to not get into trouble.” He looked around in panic before waving his hand. “I need to go, bye.” He vanished, leaving the princess alone who rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“Something isn’t right. I think that my detective work is still far from over,” Twilight said to herself before rubbing her chin and thinking deeply.

Chapter 3 - Second Side of the Spoon

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 3

Second Side of the Spoon

“Time to wake up, Miss Spoon,” called out a familiar voice.

Silver Spoon yawned before raising herself to a sitting position, her eyes still closed as she waited for the maid to wash her face with a towel as per routine. As seconds passed and nothing happened, she decided to rub her eyes before opening them, now staring at the smiling face of the servant who failed to do her duties. A quick glance at the table filled her with confusion.

A hay sandwich and an apple… that’s it? She blinked in confusion, wondering if she was still dreaming. No strawberries or sweets, no snacks and oranges? Where are all the choices? She looked back at the maid in annoyance and said, “I’m waiting.”

“Waiting? I thought you may need help with taking off the bandages, but I see you took care of it already. Is there anything else?”

“Bandages? I am waiting for you to do your job.” Silver Spoon pointed at the table next to the bed and continued, “I cannot help to notice the lack of towel and water, and low variety of food.”

Soft Rose raised her eyebrow. “With all due respect, Miss Spoon, but wasn't your wish not to be treated like a little filly?”

“My wish?” Silver Spoon asked as she pressed a forehoof against her own chest, her brows knitting together in confusion. “It was always like this. Why would I ask to change it?”

Soft Rose giggled before poking her in the muzzle, much to her surprise. “Because it was embarrassing. I know that your parents want you to live in luxury, but there is just so much humiliation a pony can take.”

Silver Spoon stood on her bed and took a step back, captured off guard by her maid. The usual, ‘yes Lady Spoon’ or ‘Yes Mistress’ replaced by an opened dialogue. She rubbed her foreleg nervously and asked, “Humiliation?”

The maid nodded as she paced back and forth next to the bed. “You’ve been spoiled like a little filly. Just think what others would think of you if they found out,” she said before raising her head upward arrogantly. She continued with a snobbish tone, “My dear daughter cannot burn her tongue by eating a hot soup. She shouldn’t bother with trivial things like eating or washing herself.” She chuckled before adding, “Oh, I have an idea, how about I hire somepony to carry her everywhere, so she wouldn’t need to use her legs.”

The filly blushed. “Now that you say it aloud… it does sounds humiliating.” She looked to the side and muttered to herself quietly, “Not that mom or dad would ever hire somepony for transportation. I can walk just fine.”

Soft Rose nodded. “It was just an example. You rebelled against your mother because of how she was treating you after all. She was killing you with kindness, so in my personal opinion it’s good thing you finally rebelled.”

Silver stomped and shouted, “Hey, I would never dare to rebel against my mom in any way!”

The maid stood on her hind legs and placed forehooves on her hips. “Oh really, because I remember it differently.” She returned to standing on all four and turned around. “Well, you are rather subtle with it, but whatever is the case, I’m on your side.” She gave a quick glance at the clock on the wall. “Oh, look at the time. Your tutor should be here any minute.”

The filly looked at the clock and immediately bit her lip, her expression one of pure shock. “It’s so late, I am too late for school!” She trotted back and forth on the bed in panic. “I was never late to school, never! Miss Cheerilee will be disappointed, my parents will be disappointed. Being late will end up on my permanent record.”

Soft Rose rolled her eyes. “Don’t you remember your mother's decision from yesterday?” Upon seeing the shake of filly’s head who sat and stared at her curiously, she continued, “She sent Fresh Tea to inform your teacher that you won’t attend school today because of your health issues.”

“Health issues?” Silver asked in confusion.

“Weird, I know,” Soft Rose said while pointing at the grey filly on the bed. “Your cuts healed so well that I can’t even see them, yet your mother worries about nothing.”

“Cuts?”

“Anyway, your tutor should be here in around ten minutes, so you better get cleaned up,” Soft Rose said before approaching the door. She gave Silver Spoon one more glance and shot her an encouraging smile before closing the door.

Silver Spoon was so stunned she didn’t dare move a muscle. Her mind one large mess. “What just happened?”

Did something happen yesterday that I forgot? Did she hit herself in the head and lost some of her memories? Her intensive thinking failed to bring any answers as she massaged her forehead.

Ever since her youngest years, she was living in luxury as her mother provided her with everything, no matter if she needed it or not. Even now as a filly the age of nine, she was still used to being fed and spoiled every morning. Each maid and servant followed her or her mother’s instructions without complaint while dad was mostly at work, busy earning bits to keep their life standards as high as possible.

Today however, the maid acted as if she wasn’t herself. She actually chatted.

Silver Spoon rubbed her chin, wondering about her past. Now that she thought about it, none of the numerous servants in the residence ever talked with her. The usual, ‘yes Young Mistress, yes Miss Spon, your manners Young Lady, I will get right to it,’ became commonplace while she lived in in this large residence, but nothing more.

And yet today Miss Soft Rose started a discussion. She even went as far as to accuse her, Mistress Silver Spoon, of daring to rebel against her parents’ wishes. The very thought made her feel butterflies in her belly. To make matters worse, Miss Soft Rose failed to accomplish her duties for the morning.

Silver Spoon climbed down from the bed and approached the mirror on the wall. Her mane was in disarray, her face was not yet clean, her glasses weren’t on her face, and her tutor was only minutes away from arriving. “Come on Silver, it can’t be that hard,” she said to herself before turning on the sink and cleaning her forehooves. She splashed her face with water before trying to grab the towel, an action she found difficult with closed eyes as she accidently pushed a brush to the floor. A weak thud quickly reached her ears. Note to self: First grab the towel, next wash my face… or maybe I should get the towel wet and use it to wash my face?

Silver Spoon picked up a brush from the soft and clean carpet and started to work on her mane. Brushing appeared to be the easiest part, but rolling it into her usual manestyle proved difficult. “How am I supposed to get this done with my hooves?” she asked herself with an annoyed frown as her fifth attempt ended in failure. “Doing it with magic would be so much easier. Why did Miss Rose leave when she could do it in moments?”

Now that I think about it, Miss Rose’s special talent is gardening, and yet she isn’t an earth pony. No wonder she became a maid and gardener in our residence, always focusing on the aesthetic rather than the practical part of growing plants. She shook her head. Why am I even thinking about her in the first place. She’s just a servant like many others.

Silver Spoon grimaced at her struggle, starting to consider telling her mom about Rose’s incompetence. She glanced at the clock and bit her lip as drops of sweat started to run down her face. Her forehoof trembled, desperately trying to tie the third rolled fragment of her mane with a hair tie before her time ran out. She repeated this action with the part of her mane on the left side of her head, only this time for it to end in failure.

Silver Spoon grit her teeth and threw the hair tie at the wall before stomping in anger, her forehoof sinking into the carpet as only a quiet thump followed. She sat and took a few slow, deep breaths, successfully calming herself down. She sighed while opening the shelf where her elegant pearl necklace lay, and quickly placed it on her neck. Not wasting a moment, she opened the shelf with her glasses, only for her eyes to widen in surprise.

“Why in the world would my mom buy me so many?” she said to herself as she examined each model, the increased weight of the glasses she now held in her forehooves somewhat surprising. “Are they reinforced?”

She shrugged and placed the glasses on her muzzle before approaching the wall. After a moment of searching, she picked up the hair tie, only for it to bounce on her forehooves as the noise of the door opening startled her.

“Your tutor has arrived, sweetie.”

The filly turned towards the source of the voice as drops of sweat once again covered her face. Her attention then shifted from her entering mother to a tall stallion wearing a black dress suit and glasses. His cutie-mark was covered by the uniform. Not wasting a moment, she hid the hair tie behind herself and smiled. “Hello Mr…”

“Book,” the stallion said as he placed his telekinetically held suitcase next to the bed and approached. “Pleasure to meet you, young Miss Spoon.”

“P-pleasure is all mine, Mr. Book.”

The tutor looked to the side at the mare and asked, “May I ask you a question, Miss Novel.”

“Of course.”

Silver Spoon took a step back the moment Mr. Book pointed at her. “Your daughter seems uninjured. Are my services still necessary?”

Silver Novel looked at her daughter suspiciously before nodding, “My daughter may try to hide her wounds and act as if she was feeling fine, but I am not a pony who changes her mind easily, Mr. Book. I have already informed Miss Cheerilee about my daughter’s condition and her home tutoring.”

“Understood,” Book said with a firm nod. “Should I start right away?”

“In ten minutes. I wish to talk with my daughter.”

“Of course,” the stallion said before walking outside through the open door, which Silver Novel closed behind him. The tall mare then turned towards the filly and approached.

Silver Spoon rubbed her foreleg nervously as she asked, “Umm… mom… what did you mean when you said that I was hiding my wounds?” She examined herself before looking at her mother in confusion.

Silver Novel frowned. “Don’t play dumb with me, little missy,” she said as her daughter curled a little, clearly shocked. “It doesn’t matter if you heal fast and try to hide your injuries from yesterday with a bit of makeup. You’re not going to school today.” She took a closer look at filly’s mane and continued with annoyed voice, “And finish fixing your mane. It is bad enough that you embarrass our family in front of school fillies and a teacher. I don’t want you to do so in front of a hired tutor. Am I understood?”

The filly gulped quietly and nodded.

“Good,” Silver Novel said before turning around, now standing with her back to her daughter. “I will task Soft Rose with getting you in shape, and I expect you to behave.”

Silver Spoon was speechless as she could do nothing but stare at the closing door.

Did her mother just scold her? Was she displeased? Those two thoughts haunted Silver’s mind as she couldn’t comprehend the situation. The last time her mother was angry at her was… never. Ever since she spoke her first words, to this very day, not a single time Silver Novel showed even the slightest sign of aggression or disappointment.

Her anxiety grew with each passing second as the elegant sanctuary she proudly called her room now felt silent and empty. She closed her eyes and massaged her forehead, trying desperately to remember yesterday’s events, but no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't recall being injured or hitting herself on the head, much less doing or saying something that would anger her mother.

Something was amiss in her predictable life, and she hated it.

The door opened again as Silver could see Soft Rose entering and staring at her with concern. “What’s wrong, is something bothering you?” she asked before sitting next to the bed.

What’s wrong? Is something bothering me? Silver though as she grit her teeth. She shot an angry glare at the maid and shouted, “Of course something is wrong! My mom was displeased with me!” She pointed at Soft Rose and cut her off before she could say anything, “And you! You left me without even helping me with my mane.” She pointed at the top of Rose’s forehead. “If you haven’t noticed, I am not a unicorn. I failed to get my mane done in time before the tutor arrived.”

The maid took a few steps forward and, much to the filly’s surprise, rubbed the top of her head. “Somepony seems to be in a poor mood today.” Upon noticing a hair tie lying on the carpet behind Silver, she lit her horn and began her work, quickly removing any hair ties that were already holding the filly’s mane in order to rearrange them properly. “Done.”

Silver Spoon approached the mirror and examined her mane, which was now much more presentable than before. She turned towards the smiling maid and shot her a raspberry. “It took you several seconds to get this done, so why did you leave me to struggle with it for minutes?” she asked, barely keeping her anger in check.

“Because you said it was a petty service you could handle yourself,” Soft Rose said with a relaxed tone. “Though I must say, you did a very poor job today. Something must really be weighing on your mind to make you so clumsy.”

Balloons grew across Silver’s cheeks as the very sight of the maid’s smug smile irritated her. “You know I can ask my mother to fire you if you keep up this kind of attitude?”

The maid just chuckled. “True, but the Silver Spoon I know would never do such a thing.”

I wouldn’t do such a thing? That’s ridiculous, Silver thought. What’s wrong with her today. No servants ever act so casually around me.

“I know you don’t like missing school, but it’s not the end of the world,” Soft Rose said before rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “It’s nothing compared to when Sombra captured Fluttershy and used her as a hostage against Discord to force him to free Tirek from Tartarus so they could take over Equestria. Now that day was terrifying.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

Soft Rose blinked. “I’m talking about a story you told me some time ago, a story you heard from Princess Twilight herself.”

Silver Spoon shook her head while her tired brain failed to provide her with anything but a headache. The only thing she remembered from Tirek’s attack on Ponyville was sitting quietly in the basement alongside her mother, while her last encounter with the princess didn’t exactly end on the best note. She stomped and said, “Why would the princess tell me this story personally? This makes no sense.”

“But of course. Why would the princess herself ever tell you anything about her adventures,” Soft Rose said before winking with her right eye. “She would never waste her precious time teaching you and your friends various skills, nor would she make you promise her to keep it a secret from your parents.” She glanced at the clock on the wall before saying, “Look at the time, I better leave you alone with your tutor, and don’t worry, I know exactly what to do to make you feel better.” She half-bowed in goodbye and went for the door.

Silver Spoon stared at the leaving maid with her eyes wide and mouth agape. The moment the door closed behind the servant, she groaned, shook her hooves in aggravation and shouted, “What in Celestia’s name is going on!?”

Chapter 4 - Growing Confusion

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Exchange of Spoons

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.”

Chapter 5 - Bugbear's Rampage

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 5

Bugbear’s Rampage

“What do you mean, he’s not coming?” Silver Spoon asked as she lightly slammed her forehooves against the table, causing her dish to bounce. “But today’s his free day.”

“Your father works in Canterlot, and trips to Ponyville take a while,” Silver Novel said from the other side of the dining table. “Leading a luxury ships construction company isn’t enough to keep our living standards as high as now. You should know that.”

Silver pointed at her mother. “What about your work?”

Novel shook her head. “If I spend all day writing, who will take care of you?”

The filly looked to the side, suddenly losing her appetite. As if yesterday wasn’t bad enough, she thought before supporting her head on her forehoof.

“Watch your manners, dear.”

Silver frowned before retreating her foreleg, now looking down at the salad. One bad thing after another. She whimpered quietly, causing her mother to observe her with concern. All hopes she had for a full day spent playing with her father, something she was looking forward to after losing her friends for some bizarre reason, simply turned into even more pain.

I don’t understand. My mom was always working long to earn enough bits… not that I think we need that many to begin with. Now I feel as if my mom and dad switched places.

She glanced at Novel, who took another graceful bite from her salad, most likely trying to give an example. Silver pushed her salad away. “I’m not hungry.” She jumped from her seat and walked towards the exit, bypassing the silently standing servant. Her way was quickly blocked by the worried face of her mother.

“You never minded your father’s absence before, is something bothering you?” Novel asked before lowering herself to her daughter’s face level, now staring her deeply in the eyes.

Silver blinked in confusion as she failed to see a single hint of disapproval or disappointment, only concern and worry, something she hasn’t seen in years. Even if the mare in front of her was still a noble wanna be who thought herself above common ponies and physical labor, she was anything but a bitter pony writing day and night to earn bits. What she saw was a face of an overprotective and concerned mother.

Dad working day and night, mom showing concern and care… My parents switching places seems more and more possible with each passing moment. Silver bit her bottom lip, unsure what to say. But that’s not fair… If either my dad or mom need to always be busy and demanding so the other can have time to spend with me… I want my dad…

She opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later. As much as she wished to complain, to demand for everything to return back to normal, she couldn’t. Should the mare in front of her look at her with her usual disapproval, she would have no trouble saying those hurtful words, telling her mother that she loved her dad way more… but now she couldn’t.

“You’re really starting to worry me,” Novel said before embracing her daughter. She whispered, “Please tell me what’s wrong, and mommy will make it right. You want something, I will buy it, you want to go somewhere, we can go right away, just say the word.”

Silver Spoon grit her teeth in anger. “Why such a change of heart?” she murmured to herself.

“Can you repeat that sweetie? I didn’t hear you.”

“Nothing makes sense anymore,” Silver said, following it with a sad whimper as she rubbed her muzzle against her mother’s chest.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand,” Novel said with confusion in her voice.

“Nevermind,” Silver said before gently pushing herself free from her mother’s embrace. “I need to clear my head. Can I go outside… mom?”

“S-sure sweetie, but just know that you can always talk to me if something is bothering you,” Novel said as she opened the door for her daughter.

“I’ll consider it,” Silver whispered before walking through the hallway, not bothering to look back. With servants acting cold to her and crusaders no longer wanting to be her friends, there was only one pony left she could turn to.

“Oh, do it again, do it again,” Discord, wearing a badge with the number one on it, said as he took a sip from a teacup, a habit he learned from spending time with Fluttershy. Several floating miniature islands and dark endless space was in the background as he sat on a levitating chair.

“If you wish,” Discord number seven said before moving two puppets with strings attached to his claws. One puppet of a miniature Silver Spoon, and another of Featherweight.

“It is getting hot today, would you be so kind, sweetie, and get us some ice cream?” the puppet of Silver Spoon said while rubbing the upper part of Featherweight’s muzzle, before giving miniature bits into his hoof.

The other puppet saluted before vanishing, only to reappear back with four icecreams instead of bits.

“Thank you my fast knight, now, here’s your reward,” Silver’s puppet said before delivering a quick kiss into his check, and next stroking Featherweight’s puppet face with her tail, who blushed in return. Two buttons on his face in shape of hearts replacing the rounded ones. “How about you pick your camera so we can make some memories?”

“On it,” Featherweight’s puppet said before vanishing while three new puppets appeared above Silver Spoon, each crusader having fake wings, bows and arrows with hearts in their forelegs.

Discord number one once again laughed. “I always found romantic situations boring, but this is hilarious. And to think she was doing it all by thinking it to be one big dream. Oh, I would stay trapped in stone for a month only to see her face today after realizing it wasn’t a dream.”

“Be my guest,” Discord number seven said as he pointed a portal far in distance. “While I know you hate following rules, I demand that you don’t interfere with anything in my universe. It is bad enough that your Twilight is suspecting something. I don’t want mine on this train as well.”

“Fine,” Discord said with a frown. “What about you? Are you going to check on Silver from my universe? The last time I saw her, she was giving that pink bully a hard time.”

“Sure, why not. To be honest, I’m curious about how different your world turned out to be,” Discord number seven said before vanishing the puppets. A hat made of hay landed on his head, sunglasses appeared on his nose, and two large bags materialized in his claws. “Time to play tourist. Have fun,” he added before vanishing. Discord number one followed his example.

Silver Spoon galloped while filled with grief. Her attention focused on a large castle on the horizon, barely visible behind the line of homes. If anypony could help her now, it was the princess herself. Her gallop died down upon noticing a crowd of ponies gathered near a bowling alley.

Curious, she approached the crowd, squeezing herself between their legs to get a better view.

“It looks like a friendship problem, or a monster attack,” said a familiar voice.

Silver Spoon turned to the source, quickly recognizing Sweetie Belle before noticing Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Twist. So the gang's all here, nice to see that Apple Bloom and Twist are getting along again… She grit her teeth, suddenly feeling a mental pain by looking at her former friends that rejected her.

“A monster attack, blast. I’m performing at the ceremony this afternoon, and I still haven’t sorted out what to play. How am I meant to practice with a monster invading Ponyville?”

Silver Spoon frowned. This is what you’re worried about? Seriously? In case of a monster attack you should either protect those in danger or assist in defeating it, not complain that it will ruin your daily schedule. And Scootaloo complained that I was the snobby one. She looked ahead and smiled. The princess and her friends were right in front of her.

“Maybe it’s just a friendship problem, then it will all be clear in a half an hour or so.”

“Ugh… I hope so.”

Silver Spoon was about to take a step forward, but stopped herself. Whatever the princess was doing in the middle of Ponyville with her friends, it had to be important. She turned to where the group was looking at, and her pupils shrunk at the sight of a flying beast.

Oh no, this isn’t good, Silver thought as she couldn’t take her eyes from the battle that began in front of her.

“On my wedding day, somepony’s gotta help me!”

Help you… and who will help the princess? Priorities! Silver thought, almost wanting to shout at the panicking Donkey for disregarding the safety of her ruler. Twilight is too busy to organize proper defenses, I need to do something. She turned back to look at the crowd and shouted, “The princess and her friends are…” She paused upon seeing that ponies had already went on their way. Amethyst Star was the one to escort the younger ones. Cowards!

Not wasting a moment, she looked around, her attention quickly focusing on the tallest pony around. “Big Mac!” she shouted before running towards the tall stallion who had started to walk away. She rounded him and turned to face him, standing up on her rear hooves with her forelegs spread as she tried to catch his attention. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Mmm… the farm,” Big Mac said, his voice neutral.

“Farm…? Farm!” Silver Spoon shouted before jumping onto the stallion's muzzle, now anchored against it with her legs as she pointed at the space between his eyes. “Your sister is fighting against a giant monster, and you’re just walking away!?”

“Eeyup.”

Feeling her blood boil as her depressed mood slowly turned into rage, she spoke in a lecturing tone, “So you want to leave your sister when she’s doing her best to protect you and this town as if it was nothing? Terrible brother you out turned to be!” She crossed her forelegs while still supported against the stallion's muzzle.

“Umm…”

“Shame on you,” she added before pointing at Rainbow Dash, who was slammed towards a nearby building. It took only seconds before half of the house crumbled after a quick body slam of the large creature.

“See, this monster nearly destroyed an entire building, now imagine if your sister was slammed into one next and crushed alongside it, how would you feel then, hmn?”

Big Mac blushed from embarrassment and bit his bottom lip as he now looked at Applejack, who pulled the monster to the ground with help of her lasso.

“It is not like you’re four times stronger and tougher than your sister. I’m sure that it’s okay though that she’s helping your ruler fight against a dangerous beast, while her big brother is spectating from a safe distance.”

Big Mac closed his eyes, now deep in thoughts while Silver Spoon jumped back to the ground and looked up at the large stallion impatiently.

“Ah… will help.”

“I’m not hearing you!” Silver shouted.

“Ah’ll help!” Big Mac repeated, this time with more determination.

Silver Spoon walked around the stallion and pushed his hind legs. “Then what are you waiting for? Move!” she shouted. “And don’t you dare to chicken out of this one.”

She watched the large stallion tackle the beast to the ground and jump on it a few times, giving the others a moment of break.

“Big Mac!” Applejack shouted. “What the hay are ya doin’ here. It’s dangerous.”

“That’s why Ah’m helpin’, so ya ain’t gettin’ hurt.”

“Helpin’? Ah don’t need any help,” Applejack responded with a firm stomp, only for Twilight to place a forehoof on her shoulder.

“This is not the time for arguing Applejack, we need any help we can get.”

A pride filled smile formed on Silver Spoon’s face as she observed the fruits of her work.

While she had no doubt that a powerful alicorn like Twilight, the former Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, and Applejack who was in a league of her own would put up a solid fight, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were incapable of doing anything against a beast of such size. Even Fluttershy’s stare and negotiation skills didn’t seem to work, making her a potential hostage for the flying monster. Getting a walking powerhouse like Big Mac in the fight would surely put the advantage in the princess’s favour.

“What have ya done!?”

Silver Spoon turned to Apple Bloom, who stared back at her with clear anger while Twist peeked out from behind the farm filly, a worried look on her face.

“What do you mean?” Silver asked. “I just convinced your brother to help in protecting Ponyville.”

Apple Bloom stomped. “Ya put mah family in danger!”

Silver Spoon raised her foreleg defensively. “I put them in danger? I’m trying to protect them!”

“By making mah brother fight a monster?” Apple Bloom asked.

“By convincing him to protect your sister,” Silver Spoon corrected. “Isn’t Applejack your family too?”

“Mah sister doesn’t need any help,” Apple Bloom said with shake of her head. “She’s dealin’ with that stuff all the time.”

Silver Spoon grit her teeth and advanced against the farm filly, catching her off guard. “Oh, I see how it is.” She pressed her muzzle against Apple Bloom’s. “When your sister is assisting the princess in protecting Ponyville, Canterlot and the Crystal Empire from monsters and invaders, it is fine. Putting her life on the line one or two more times makes no difference, but when Big Mac is taking the risk, then it is a problem.”

“B-but…”

“No buts,” Silver interrupted as she pushed her head against the farm filly, forcing her to walk backward. “Your sister is as important and vulnerable as your brother. Just because she is facing danger often does not mean she is invincible. It is easy to ignore it, saying that being in danger is what she got used to, but I do wonder what you will say if one day she does not return from her adventure?”

She stopped her advance and retreated her head, now gesturing at the battle that was going on in the background, which turned into a wrestle. Bic Mac pushed against one of the beast’s hands, while Twilight’s magic pressed against the other hand and belly, slowly overpowering the larger monster with power and strength alone. Applejack threw her lasso towards the beast’s forehead and pulled with help from her friends. A loud thump followed as the Bugbear was slammed into the ground, now breathing heavily.

“It is as if you were taking the safety of Ponyville for granted, forgetting that the very heroes who keep dangers at bay are still ponies risking their lives. If I did not convince your brother to help, think of how much more dangerous this fight would have been.”

Apple Bloom massaged her muzzle and sighed, now looking down at the ground and poking a pebble with her hoof. “Ah suppose yer right. Ah never thought about it this way…” She raised her head and looked at her sister. “Maybe Ah should help too.”

Silver Spoon smiled slightly and shook her head. “Let’s not get carried away.” She looked at Rarity and next at Fluttershy. “At this point, Princess Twilight need fighters, not more ponies to protect.”

“Excussse me,” said Twist as she caught both fillies’ attention. “May I sssugesst we leave befffore we get in the way?”

“Good idea.” Silver Spoon nodded and followed the retreating filly, Apple Bloom quickly taking her example.

“That’s odd,” Discord said to himself as he observed the situation from behind the volley alley while rubbing his chin. “Twilight I know would send Rarity and Pinkie to get defenseless ponies to safety while gathering all capable to fight to assist her, not rush into a battle with all of her friends while letting others to spectacle.”

He focused his attention on Big Mac, whose assistance seemed enough to push the monster into defense. The fact that ponies now panic over a wedding and ignore the monster is even more weird. Pity I can’t ask Twilight or Fluttershy about past events without blowing my cover.

“Discord!”

“Huh?” The spirit of chaos looked down towards the source of voice, now seeing Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom and Twist staring at him. “Hello there, how can I help?”

“How can you help? Isn’t that obvious?” Silver Spoon asked with a firm stomp and next pointed at Fluttershy. “If you haven’t noticed, your friend failed to negotiate with the beast, and her stare isn’t working on it, which in turn make her very vulnerable.”

Discord looked at Fluttershy, who floated in mid air while keeping a few meters distance from the fight. He could recognize two emotions by looking at her face. One was desire to help while another was fear. He closed his own eyes. His hand trembled as he restrained himself from interfering.

“What are you waiting for? Use your power and protect your friends from danger. You know that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are no match for that thing.”

Discord grit his teeth. Even if those ponies weren’t his friends but their alternative versions, it didn’t made his next decision more easy to make. Great, just great. As a good friend I should help, but if I do, Twilight will no doubt start to bombard me with questions. I better play it safe. He opened his eyes and smiled awkwardly. “I think they don’t need my help.”

“They may not need it for now, but that may change. Just lock that monster in a cage and problem solved,” Silver suggested.

Discord pointed at something behind the fillies and shouted, “Look, a flying dog.”

Silver Spoon raised her eyebrow. “You really think you can distract me with such a cheap trick?”

“Winona!” Apple Bloom shouted before giving Discord a stern glare. “You take away those wings and return Winona back to the farm this instant.”

“Ugh, fine,” Discord said before snapping his fingers, and the dog vanished from the scene. “How about this. I will keep an eye on them from a safe distance so they can play with the Bugbear, and interfere only if it will be too much to handle. Deal?”

Silver Spoon frowned. “Fine. It’s still better than nothing.”

Once alone, Discord wiped sweat from his forehead. I swear. Sometimes I feel as if Silver would be better at being the Element of Loyalty than Dash. She is already as determined. He sighed. At this rate, our little scheme is going to crumble like a set of dominoes. It’s just a matter of time.

Silver Spoon looked around from her sitting spot outside of a cafe, perched against a pile of hay with Apple Bloom and Twist sitting on the opposite side of the table.

“Here are your cocktails, young ladies,” said a waiter with snobbish accent as he levitated three cups filled with mixed juice, foam covering the top.

“Thank you kindly,” Silver said before taking a few bits from her saddlebag and offering to the waiter, adding some extra as a tip.

“Thank you,” the waiter said with a smile appearing on his neutral face before attending to other customers.

Silver Spoon looked around to examine the area. From a distance she saw a crowd had once again gathered to watch the ongoing battle. Several ponies were running around in a desperate attempt to prepare a wedding on a later date, and a few ponies were sitting outside of the cafe, waiting for their dishes to be served.

Her attention shifted to an earth pony named Bon Bon, who was now wearing black glasses, occasionally peeking from behind the menu to look at the battle while wearing a disguise.

“Umm… Silver Spoon…” Apple Bloom said, getting the filly’s attention. She opened her mouth but closed it right after and looked to the side.

“Speak up,” Silver said, her voice slightly bitter.

Apple Bloom massaged her foreleg nervously as she slowly raised her head, now looking the rich filly in the eyes. “Well… Ah wanted to say…” she gulped, “that Ah didn’t know ya from that side.”

“What do you mean?” Silver asked while tilting her head to the side.

“Ah mean how ya talked to mah brother, and then Discord. Ya were so determined to help the princess,” Apple Bloom said before pausing to take a deep breath. “And the way ya talk with me.”

She looked at Twist with applogic look and continued, “First ya make me realize Ah was a poor friend.”

“It’ss okay. I forgave you,” Twist responded before using straw to drink her cocktail, taking a few quick sips. She released a satisfied breath and continued. “It wasss my fault to. I wanted to sshow offf my ssspecial talent and I failed to see how sad you were. When I sssaw you with new friends, I thought you moved on.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Yer so forgivin’. Not long ago Ah feared if gettin’ mah cutie mark would cost me mah friends. Now Ah see what Ah shouldn’t do to lose them.”

Twist looked at Silver and smiled gratefully. “Thank you ssso much. I knew that under your appearance asss a bully you’re a good pony.”

“Bully?” Silver asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. “But ya changed ever since ya stopped bein’ friends with Tiara. Ah dunno what happened, but yer nicer, braver and stronger. No longer a bully.” She half closed her eyes suspiciously. “Which raises a question, how ya learned mah family apple bucking technique?”

Silver massaged her forehead. “First, you taught me it, second, I was never a friend of Diamond Tiara. What’s wrong with everypony?”

Apple Bloom blinked in confusion. “Have ya lost yer memories or what? Ya’ll ain't makin’ a lick of sense.”

Silver Spoon slammed her forehoof against the table and pointed at the farm filly. “You’re the one who makes no sense. Two days ago we were hanging out together as great friends, and yesterday you all told me that we’re not friends anymore.” Her eyes watered. “And now you lie and say that I was a friend of Tiara and a bully.”

“Becaussse you were,” Twist said before lowering herself, now hiding half of her head behind the table as if hiding from Silver’s angered glare. “N-no offenssse.”

“That’s enough!” Silver shouted before slamming both of her hooves against the table, receiving confused stares from other customers while a few drops of cocktails fell onto the tale. “I can’t stand these false accusations a second longer. First you give up on our friendship, and now you try to make me the bad one.”

She jumped from her seat and walked away, though her way was blocked by running Apple Bloom, who stopped her with a hoof and said, “Ah know ya tried hard yesterday to become our friend, and Ah’m ready to give ya a chance. Don’t go.”

“A chance?” Silver said with a frown. She slapped farm filly’s foreleg to the side and walked around her. She rubbed her watery eyes and added, “You can keep it,” before galloping away.

Chapter 6 - Bugbear’s Rampage - Part 2

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 6

Bugbear’s Rampage
-
Part 2

Taking breath after breath, Silver Spoon sat and wiped the sweat from her brow, now sitting near the town hall where Amethyst Star seemed busy preparing everything for the wedding. Why she was doing it with a monster attack still going on was beyond Silver’s comprehension.

Her mind was a mess. The more she thought about everything that happened to her, the more questions she had. Why had her mom and dad switched places? Why were the crusaders calling her a bully? Why was everypony acting so casually when their Princess was risking her life to protect them? Nothing made any sense.

Perhaps… An idea struck her as she looked around. Perhaps there’s a pattern to all of this… think, think… She poked her forehead a few times, desperately trying to make sense of the situation.

“There you are! I was looking everywhere for you.”

Silver growled as she now looked at the last pony she wanted to see today. Diamond Tiara. The very look of her smiling face creeped her out. “Did you?” she asked suspiciously.

“Of course I did. When I heard about a monster attack, I was afraid for your safety.”

“Really?” she asked as Tiara nodded. “And why were you worried about me of all ponies?”

“Because that’s what best friends do,” the bully responded with the most enthusiastic tone she could muster, forelegs spread.

Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow, something being clearly off. “So we are best friends?”

“Of course! The best of the best.”

There’s no way she could arrange all the craziness that’s taking place around me as part of some big scheme. I need more information, Silver thought before looking to the side. “And why are we so called friends?”

“Why? We just are. We are pair of rich fillies hanging out together with common interest,” Tiara responded, though one glance at her was enough to notice small drops of sweat forming on her forehead.

“Oh really… and what kind of common interests do we have?” Silver asked with crossed forelegs.

The bully bit her bottom lip before rubbing her chin, desperately thinking of a proper answer. “Well…” she started. “We both like to... to show how superior we are to others… umm, and to show those blan… crusaders their proper place. We both visit the spa or market together…”

Silver turned back to her so called friend and spoke with annoyed tone, “I think you are talking with the wrong filly, because being a bully isn’t one of my hobbies.” She sighed. “Who am I kidding. You couldn’t talk to a wrong filly, because not a single pony could ever be your friend.”

Diamond Tiara grit her teeth, feeling as if a sharp and hot knife stabbed her back. Her hate for Discord growing with each word she heard. “You… you’re my friend.”

“I don’t think I ever was one.”

“Name the price!”

Silver blinked before turning to Diamond Tiara, nearly flinching at the sight of tears flowing down her face. “Price? What are you talking about?”

Without a warning, the pink filly jumped towards Silver Spoon and pinned her against a wall with her hooves, their muzzles nearly touching. “What gift, how many bits, what kind of favour do you want for your friendship?”

“W-what? You want to bribe me?”

“Yes!” she shouted and grit her teeth once again. “We were friends, and I am not going to lose you. Just tell me what you want in return. My dad can afford it.”

Silver looked back at Tiara with disgust. “You think that bits can solve every problem, buy you whatever you want? If you didn’t know already, I have lots of bits of my own.” She pressed her own forelegs against Tiara’s and easily overpowered her. “And even if I wasn’t rich, I would still refuse.”

Diamond Tiara struggled, but her anger failed to provide her enough strength to do anything against Silver, whose strength nearly rivaled that of Apple Bloom. “Why? What did Discord do to you?”

“Discord?” Silver asked in confusion. “And what does he have to do with this?”

Tiara sat and took a few quick breath from her exhaustion, not being used to physical activities like the one she just performed. “He did something… I don’t know what, but he turned you, my friend, into my enemy.” She wiped tears from her face as her anger turned into sorrow.

Discord, why didn’t I think about that in the first place, Silver thought as her mind slowly started to puzzle all of the events together. “So, what you are trying to say is that I was your friend, and Discord changed it?” Seeing a nod, she sighed and continued, “And you really thought that paying me off was a good idea?” She looked at Tiara, no longer with anger or disgust, but with a pure pity. “If there’s anything I learned from... “ she paused. “Friendship bought by bits is fake and never lasts long. It is wrong.”

“Then what do you want me to do?!” she shouted and stomped.

Silver looked around, making sure that they were still alone. The lack of witnesses meaning that their loud discussion didn’t alert anypony inside. She approached the bully and asked, “Tell me, why do you want my friendship so badly?”

“Because… umm…”

“Be honest,” Silver demanded while giving Tiara a firm stare.

After several seconds of silence, Tiara finally spoke, “Because I don’t want to be lonely.” She grit her teeth and looked to the side. “Every filly around either has friends or family that spends time with them.” She looked at Silver and pressed a forehoof against her own chest. “And what do I have? A father who showers me with bits but is always busy and a mother who is demanding, yet never has time for me.”

The grey filly sat and listened, now even more curious than before.

“And that Apple Bloom.” Tiara raised her head proudly and spoke, “Oh look, I have a family that is always with me. I have the greatest friends in all of Ponyville.” She growled as Silver stood and took a step back. “She is just a cutie markless loser with no bits. How dare she get what I can’t!”

Silver thought for a moment before speaking with disappointment, “So you’re jealous of Apple Bloom, and you need me to show that even a selfish snob like you can have a friend. I am just the means to an end.”

“Jealous? I am not jealous of that loser! I am better than her.” She paused as Silver’s accusation fully sunk into her brain. She shook her head in panic. “You’re not just the means to an end. I swear!”

“Then prove it.”

“W-what?”

Silver Spoon poked Tiara’s chest with a hoof while staring in her eyes with a challenging glare. “If I am more than just a trophy you can display in front of others, then prove it. Be nice to Apple Bloom and her friends, no more bullying or mean words.”

“B-but…”

“Apologize for what you did and be nicer to them. If you do that, I will try to become your friend.” She turned around, now standing with her back to Tiara. “Unless bullying them and showing how superior you are is far more important than a friendship you claim to hold so dear.”

“I can’t do that! Do you even know what you’re asking of me?”

Silver Spoon raised her head. “Then I suppose our discussion is over.” She walked away towards the entrance of town hall, leaving Diamond Tiara alone with her thoughts.

Hundreds of ideas for revenge flashed through Tiara’s mind as she wished for nothing more than to kick Discord’s flank into oblivion. She would jump and kick in anger if not for the fact that it would give him even more satisfaction. She looked around, wondering if the evil spirit was watching her every move.

Apologize, being nice to those losers. Does she have any idea how unbelievably humiliating it will be? It will be like admitting that those lesser beings are actually equal to me. She punched the wall, though failing to leave a single mark on it despite her efforts. Who does she think she is? If she thinks that our pathetic friendship is worth… Her ears dropped as she sat and whimpered, realisation striking her like a sledgehammer. Maybe she’s right. Was our friendship nothing but a trophy to show off in front of others?

She closed her eyes and thought deeply, seeking memories she had with Silver Spoon that didn’t involve harassing crusaders or other fillies. Ever since yesterday, luxuries and objects she bought for bits weren’t as satisfying as they were when she shared them with Silver Spoon. At times she failed to think of what to do when in the past she was making decisions with ease.

She was lost, and without her friend it would only get worse.

Tiara bit her bottom lip. On one hoof, she could vent her frustration on the crusaders and keep her pride at the price of loneliness. On the other hoof, she could get her friend back at the price of humiliation that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Without any means to force Discord to reverse what he did, she was forced to make a decision, and one thing was clear. Whatever she chose, she was going to hate herself for it in the end.

Minutes have passed as Silver Spoon thought, now sitting inside the town hall. She gave the occasional glance towards the crusaders, and they in turn observed her from a distance while talking to each other.

Maybe Discord switched places between ponies. My dad with my mom. Tiara with the crusaders, but it wouldn’t explain why the town is behaving differently. It must be more than just a personalities switch. “Awww…” she groused before massaging her forehead. While it was obvious that Discord did something to the entire town, she still couldn’t figure out what it was. The fact that the princess herself scanned her yesterday and didn’t detect anything was worrying.

“I need some fresh air,” she said to herself before going outside only to notice a chariot with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence

Not wasting a moment, she galloped towards the pair as they stepped down from the chariot and stretched.

“Excuse me.”

Both tall ponies looked down at her curiously. Cadence was the first to speak. “Yes? How can we help you?”

Silver stood on her rear hooves and said, “Ponyville is under attack by a Bugbear, a giant flying monster.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Cadence said as she raised forehoof up to her face.

“What about Twilight, is she aware of this?” Shining asked.

“Princess Twilight and her friends have been fighting against it for an hour already.” Much to her confusion, both ponies sighed in relief.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Shining said before bypassing the filly, now walking towards the entrance.

Silver’s cheeks turned into balloons before she rounded the pair and jumped, capturing their attention. “Aren’t you going to help her!?”

Shining Armor shook his head and knelt to the filly’s face level. “There’s no need for that. My sister and her friends are more than capable of keeping Ponyville safe.”

Blood started to boil in Silver Spoon once again as she felt the urge to give Twilight’s brother a solid lecture, or at least slap his rather attractive face. It seems that Discord turned brothers into jerks, but not on my watch! Not wasting a moment, she placed her forehooves on the stallion's muzzle and looked him right in the eyes. “And what about the safety of your sister and her friends? They are fighting a monster and could get hurt.”

Shining gently took the filly between his hooves and placed her on the ground so her hooves would no longer weigh on his muzzle. He sat and spoke, “My sister and her friends have a lot of experience with this kind of stuff. They’ll be fine.”

Silver grit her teeth before pointing at the stallion accusingly. “I see how it is.” You asked for it. I am bringing out my big guns, no mercy. She took a deep breath and said, “So it is fine when your sister discovers that your wife was replaced by a changeling. It is okay when she and her friends fight against a changeling army because you and your guards are too weak to protect the city. It is okay that she risks her life to protect the Crystal Empire for you, but when she is in trouble, you just sit comfortably and excuse yourself, saying that she can handle it. What kind of brother are you?”

Shining’s mouth opened agape before he blushed. After a moment to gather his thoughts, he asked, “How do you know that?”

Silver Spoon turned her head to the side and responded, “I am always listening diligently when she tells stories about her and her friends’ adventures, and I can’t stand that after everything she has done for you, you’re going to ignore her struggles.” She pointed at the former guard captain accusingly and continued with a sharper tone, “What kind of brother always lets his sister do all the work and never returns the favour? Your special talent is to protect others, and yet you’re the one she needs to protect.”

With growing shame and humiliation, Shining lowered his head and whispered, “You really think… that I’m a bad brother?”

SIlver crossed her forelegs and said firmly, “A good brother would use barriers to protect his sister and her friends, or trap a giant monster in one, not enjoy a wedding while ignoring his sister’s suffering.”

“I… have to go,” Shining said before standing up and turning around. He gave Cadence a glance and said, “Please, keep a free place for me. I will be back as fast as I can.” He delivered a quick kiss on Cadence’s check before galloping away.

The alicorn looked between her husband and the young filly and asked, “Aren’t you a manipulative one?” Which sounded more like a statement than a question.

Silver frowned. “You call it manipulation, I call it loyalty. I’m just making sure that Princess Twilight gets all the help she can get in a time of danger.”

Cadence lowered herself to the filly and stroked her mane. “You seem to really admire her, funny she never mentioned you before. What’s your name?”

She didn’t mention me? Maybe Discord was manipulating ponies’ memories. That would explain a thing or two. “Silver Spoon,” she introduced herself. “Speaking of admiring, do you admire Twilight?”

“Admire?” Cadence asked as she rubbed her chin, her three legs still bend. “I suppose I do. She is an inspiration to us all, and I am really proud to have a sister in law like her.”

“As you should,” Silver said with a nod. “After what she did to help you save your wedding and next the Crystal Empire, I’m sure you owe her a lot.”

Cadence nodded.

“However, your ‘sister in law’ is still a pony. She makes mistakes and is anything but invincible. Don’t you think that sisters should protect each other from dangers?”

“Are you trying to manipulate me as well?” Cadence asked, her cheerful smile replaced with a neutral one.

“You both worked together many times before. It would be a shame if your sister missed a wedding because you left her when she needed you the most,” Silver continued, keeping her poker face. “It is not like she did her best so you wouldn't miss yours.”

“Hey, that isn’t fair!” Cadence said before sitting down and raising a foreleg defensively. “I’m not as talented as Twilight when it comes to using combat magic, there’s not much I can do.”

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and shook her foreleg dismissively. “Oh please. You both already faced a few giant worm-like monsters alongside Discord, so don’t give me that. Besides, weren’t you the one complaining about life in the Crystal Empire being predictable?”

Cadence massaged her forehead. “Fine, you win this round.” She turned around and spread her wings before flying. “Wait for me, Shining, I’m coming!”

Silver Spoon raised her head proudly. Discord zero, Princess’s secondary assistant one. She looked around and quickly noticed another chariot, this one with Celestia and Luna. It seems my job is not over yet. She smirked. Time to send Twilight the big guns.

The moment the chariot pulled by four pegasi landed and two alicorns were about to walk outside, Silver Spoon already positioned herself nearby, now staring up at the large alicorns.

Noticing it, Celestia looked down and asked, “Is something wrong my little pony?”

Silver nodded before jumping onto one of the chariot’s walls to get a better view of the princess, ignoring the glances she was receiving from the pegasi guards. “Something is wrong indeed.” Upon seeing a hint of worry peeking from behind the mask of authority, she continued, “Are you aware that Ponyville is under attack by a Bugbear?”

Luna narrowed her eyes before looking looking around, examining her surroundings, her guard raised.

The princess shook her head. “I was not informed, but I am more than certain that Twilight Sparkle has it under control.”

“And what if she or her friends end up getting hurt? Somepony as powerful as you can easily turn a dangerous battle into a certain victory,” Silver pointed out, doing her best to maintain balance on her four hooves as her body shook a few times.

“True, but I trust my former student. She and her friends can handle any threat and learn from it. I would not dare to take away the experience they would gain from from protecting Ponyville by making it too easy.”

Silver Spoon frowned, which caught both Princesses off guard. So that’s how you want to play, so be it. She cleared her throat with a cough and continued, “And what about your experience, Princess? If you will avoid facing danger and learn for yourself, how will you protect your subjects should a threat arise?” She carefully fixed her glasses. “Don’t you remember how Nightmare Moon nearly killed your student and her friends when they tried to save your sister? Don’t they deserve better?”

“Killed?” Luna asked, now in complete shock. “My memories from that event may be a bit hazy, but I am certain that we didn’t try to kill. Hurt maybe, scare away certainly, but not kill…” She blushed. “Well, maybe sending a manticore was a bit extreme…”

Celestia looked at her sister in surprise. “You… I mean, Nightmare Moon sent a manticore? I was certain that the obstacles she prepared were less lethal.”

Silver Spoon blinked in confusion. From what Twilight told her, Nightmare Moon went on a hunt once she learned that Twilight was Celestia’s student, doing everything in her power to destroy those who wished to unleash the Elements against her. But if Twilight’s story was accurate, Celestia herself did all in her power to keep Nightmare Moon busy. Did Discord influence even the other princesses’ memories?

“... Well, excuse me for trying to keep ponies away from devices that locked us in the moon for a thousand years. It is not like you did anything to stop me. All you did was hide until the Elements were used.”

“I kept my distance because I knew you wanted the worse for me while under the influence of Nightmare Moon, but I was certain that you would show mercy to my… our subjects,” Celestia responded.

“Ex-excuse me,” Silver Spoon interrupted. Now having both alicorn’s attention on herself, she said, “When Discord attacked Equestria, did you assist in searching for the Elements he hid?”

Celestia shook her head, receiving a disapproving glare from her sister.

“I told you we should send guards or assist in searching ourselves, but nooo, you said we should wait for Discord to win, and next restore the morale of your student so she and her friends could capture him off guard.”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Celestia responded, now once again facing her sister.

“What about the changeling invasion?” Silver pointed at Luna and asked, “You assisted against Chrysalis, didn’t you?”

The night princess blushed and shook her head shamefully. “I didn’t to my dishonor. A changeling disguised as a high ranking officer from the guards informed me about enemy activity far away from Canterlot, so I took my guard to investigate.” She grit her teeth and looked at her sister with a hint of hostility. “And after I came back, somepony kept me in the dark for a few weeks.”

“I didn’t want you to worry over minor details, sister. Everything ended well in the end, didn’t it?”

“Little details!” Luna stomped, barely restraining the strength of her voice. “Our capital was nearly taken over by an invasion force, and you call it a minor detail!”

I think I’m just making it worse, Silver thought before noticing a group of ponies from the corner of her eye. Twilight was embraced by Shining Armor who seemed to be crying while Cadence provided medical assistance with bandages and spells. Big Mac sat next to Applejack as they both stared in her direction.

Silver Spoon took a step back, only to lose her balance and fall from the chariot wall she stood on. She was caught in mid-air by a mix between golden and blue magical aura.

“Are you alright my little pony?” Celestia asked with concern, carefully placing the filly on the ground while Luna levitated glasses back onto her muzzle.

Silver Spoon nodded. “Yes, thank you, Your Highnesses.” She bowed. “Princess Twilight is approaching, so I shall take my leave.”

The moment both princesses turned to the source of the crying, Silver galloped inside the town hall and hid behind the wall. Her peace of mind didn't last long as she noticed the crusaders approaching her.

She looked towards the rear exit, only to notice Diamond Tiara coming from that direction with a determined stare.

Silver’s breathing became rapid as she felt trapped. Her wish to talk with Twilight in private out of her reach. How am I going to explain to everypony that Discord tampered with their memories? They will lock me in a white room for the mentally ill! She peeked outside, hoping against hope to see a window of opportunity to retreat.

Her eyes opened widely, eyelids shrunk and ears dropped. Right behind the four princesses, Captain of the Royal Guards, Equestria’s heroes and Big Mac was approaching some sort of musical vehicle filled with numerous ponies and cake. The music becoming louder with each passing second.

Silver slammed her forehoof against a wall, leaving a dent while fragments of wood fell down to the floor. She inhaled air into her lungs and shouted, “Curse you Discord!” while nearly hundred ponies flew over her head into the room. She slammed her forehead against the wall and closed her eyes, wishing it was just a one bad dream.

A group of ponies stood near the entrance, now staring at a grey filly, whose forehead was supported against a wall. None dared to say a word for a while minute as the filly was sitting still the whole time.

Twilight observed the filly with pity as she analyzed the newly acquired informations. Celestia and Luna went towards the table with gifts, Cadence escorted her husband towards free seats while trying to convince him that he wasn’t a failure of a brother. Big Mac and Applejack sighed and walked away silently to take their own spots to sit on.

With the princesses away, Twilight decided to speak, “Silver Spoon… right?” Upon not receiving any reaction, she continued, “I’ve heard that you convinced many ponies to help me today, is that true?”

“Y-yes,” Silver responded.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, causing the filly to look at her in fear. “If you didn’t convince Applejack’s brother to help us, that fight would have lasted much longer. More homes would’ve been ruined, and we would be late for the wedding.”

Silver gulped as she glanced at the other princesses and Twilight’s brother. “You’re… not angry?”

Twilight shook her head. “Of course I’m not, though asking my brother and the other princesses was rather unnecessary. There was no need to bother them.”

“Bother?” Silver asked, her voice hoarse. “You and your friends risked your lives for us. Surely you aren’t trying to say that it wasn’t important enough for the other princesses to lift a hoof and help.”

“Well… kind of.” The alicorn smiled awkwardly.

Silver opened her mouth, but closed it immediately and lowered her head, now staring at the ground with dropped ears.

Twilight looked at her other friends with an awkward smile who shrugged, all besides Rainbow Dash who walked ahead and asked, “Aren’t you one of those bullies who made fun of Scootaloo?”

The orange filly nodded and spoke, “Yeah. She said that my team don’t need a pegasus who can’t even fly…” She rubbed her chin. “Or was it Diamond Tiara… I think they both did.”

“Is that true?” Twilight asked while Dash looked at the filly with hostility. Wings spread.

“It doesn’t matter what I say, you wouldn’t believe me anyway,” Silver said before turning to stare at the wall.

“It was my idea!”

The group turned towards the source of the voice.

“Diamond Tiara,” the crusaders said in unison.

“I came up with the idea to make fun of Scootaloo’s disability so I could win the competition. Silver just followed my instructions like she always did. If you want to blame anypony, blame me,” Tiara said with determination, now staring at each crusader.

Rainbow Dash walked ahead of the crusaders and spread her wings protectively. She lowered her head to Diamond Tiara and spoke, “And why are you here, to bully the crusaders again?”

“I came to apologize!” Tiara shouted. Her voice barely hearable among the talking crowd, but the three fillies heard it clearly.

They walked under Dash’s wing and stared at Tiara in disbelief.

“But you never apologize,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“Even when the teacher asked you too,” Scootaloo said. “You prefered to get yelled at by Miss Cheerilee than apologize.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “It took yer dad to make ya apologize, and Ah doubt that was honest.”

Scootaloo pointed at Tiara and said with an angry voice, “How can we be sure your apology is honest, and why are you doing it in the first place?”

Diamond Tiara grit her teeth before looking around, making sure that everypony in the crowd were now staring ahead at the marrying couple, especially Applejack. She turned to the crusaders and lowered her head. “I apologize for bullying you this whole time. I was a mean pony, and I am sorry for that.” She raised her head and glanced at Scootaloo who was now rubbing her eyes in disbelief. “If my friend wants a ceasefire, I will accept her terms.” She stood up and looked at Silver Spoon, “Happy?” before galloping towards the exit.

“That was… weird,” Dash said. She poked Scootaloo’s back with her wing and pointed at nearby seats. “The wedding is starting, wanna sit next to me?”

“Of course I do!” Scootaloo responded, quickly recovering from her shock as her wings flapped rapidly.

Rarity followed Dash’s example and escorted Sweetie Belle while Apple Bloom decided to join Applejack on the balcony, giving Silver Spoon a grateful glance. Pinkie Pie grabbed the filly and helped her get to her destination with one solid jump, as always ignoring the rules of gravity.

Now being left with only Silver Spoon and Fluttershy, Twilight glanced at the lone changeling having a seat of his own without a care in the world. While a group of fillies and colts seemed terrified of the creature, it didn’t seem dangerous or hostile in any way. I better keep an eye on this unique guest, just in case, but first... She thought before looking back to the filly before her, the one she had wanted to talk with before the monstrous interruption.

“Silver Spoon, we need to talk,” Twilight said firmly while pointing towards the exit.

“Why? You won’t believe me even if I told you the truth.”

“You mean that Discord is involved in messing around?” Twilight said, receiving a curious stare from Fluttershy a moment later, as well as a hopeful look form the filly.

“You know?”

Twilight nodded. “I did some research and I have my theories, but I need to talk with you to confirm them.”

“Are you sure, Twilight? You said yourself that he wasn’t responsible for the mess caused two days ago. What if it is a misunderstanding?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m afraid not. If my theory is correct, he messed with the fabric of space itself.”

Chapter 6 - Bugbear's Rampage Take Two

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 6

Bugbear’s Rampage Take Two
-
Part 1

This can’t be happening! Silver Spoon thought as she followed her cheerful father.

When Crystal Hammer promised to take her to a local water park, she remembered that there was just a small swimming pool in Ponyville, let alone a water park, but she couldn’t care less as it was just a dream. Now it turned out that apparently Ponyville does have a swimming pool.

“So… let’s me get this straight,” she said, matching Hammer's speed. “Discord created a water park as a part of his community service to apologize for all the damage he caused in the past?”

“That’s right. He called it the ‘Disco Pool’ and hired two citizens to run it when he’s busy. It has become a popular tourist attraction ever since,” Crystal Hammer said before looking at his daughter with worry visible on his face. "I hope this amnesia of yours will pass soon. Your recent crusading must have been more extreme than usual." He slowed down, now observing several trotting ponies heading towards the princess’s castle.

I can’t be awake, this can’t be real, Silver thought as she bit her lip, finding it more difficult to deny with each passing second. In any other circumstances, she would be overjoyed to spend more time in the presence of her father. Even exhausting herself in the company of the crusaders was something she could endure. But the idea that what she did with Featherweight was actually real was unbearable.

“Something is wrong.”

“Exactly,” Silver agreed with Hammer before glancing at him. “Why do you look so nervous, Dad?”

“Look.” Crystal Hammer pointed at the gathering ponies before following them, with Silver just a step behind him. “Excuse me!”

A grey pegasus turned around, now staring back with eyes looking in two directions. “Yes?”

“I happened to notice that most of the citizens are heading to see Princess Twilight. Is there some sort of emergency?”

Derpy nodded. “Oh, yes, there is. Rainbow Dash and her weather team flew over Ponyville to inform everypony about some sort of danger, and they asked them to gather at the entrance to the Castle.”

“It does sounds serious, we shall join at once,” Hammer said firmly before looking down at his daughter. “Let’s go.”

Silver Spoon nodded before galloping off to catch up with her parent. “Wait for me!”

Now breathing heavily, Silver Spoon sat next to her father and supported herself against his forelegs before examining her surroundings. Behind her she could see a crowd of ponies, some looking ahead with fear, some with determination, while most just talked with each other. In front was the princess herself alongside a few other mares. Two of them she recognized as the older sisters of the crusaders she always bullied, and the third was an over energetic party pony who Diamond Tiara praised for good parties more than once, which was an impressive feat.

She looked to her left, now staring at her classmates as she noticed the crusaders waving at her with friendly smiles. She waved back, smiling awkwardly. A blush formed on her cheeks in an instant the moment Featherweight joined in and winked at her. Great, just great. The only way he can be less subtle is if he… she bit her lip as her wanna-be special somepony kissed his hoof and then sent the kiss in her direction.

Silver Spoon retreated into the crowd and pressed her head into the ground before covering it with her forelegs in embarrassment. If yesterday and today weren’t a dream, then she would never look at herself in the mirror the same way ever again.

“Listen carefully everypony. Ponyville is in grave danger!” Twilight said with a magically enhanced voice, silencing any murmurs coming from the crowd. “We have only minutes before a family of Bugbears will invade Ponyville. Two fully grown, at least fifteen young ones, and all very hungry.”

Worried muttering came from the crowd as the news sank in.

Bugbears? It doesn’t sound all that scary. I’m sure that the princess can handle it, Silver thought before standing from her lowered position as she wiped dust from her face. “Shouldn’t we go home and hide in the basement?” she asked before looking up. ”Dad, are you listening to me?”

“Ssshhh.”

Silver’s ears dropped as she once again looked at the ground.

“Every pegasus capable of fighting, especially Wonderbolt reservists, please follow the lead of Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said as she pointed at her pegasus friend, who flew into the air. Several pegasi from the crowd quickly joined her.

“Those willing to fight from the ground, especially you Big Macintosh, please join Applejack.”

Much to Silver’s surprise, her father went forward alongside with at least half of the crowd, something she never expected to see with her own eyes. He glanced at her with an encouraging smile, as if trying to say that everything will be alright. How can this be real? How can the princess put us in such danger? Why is my father putting himself in peril? With the fewer ponies around, she noticed a familiar face from the corner of her eye.

“Diamond Tiara!” she shouted, waving her forehoof at her friend energetically, who kept staring ahead with an annoyed expression. “Tiara?”

“Pay attention everypony,” Twilight said, pointing at the remaining crowd. “My castle is the most fortified structure in Ponyville, and big enough to provide shelter for all of you until the fight is over.” She pointed at Sweetie Belle’s older sister, who took a few steps ahead. “Rarity will show you your rooms and give instructions on how to barricade the doors and windows.”

“It will not be the most elegant use of furniture, but it will have to do,” Rarity said with a grimace before gesturing for the crowd to follow her into the castle.

“Wait a moment,” a female donkey said as she forcefully emerged from the crowd. “What about my wedding? There’s only a few hours left. Who will help me with the decorations, food, and music?”

Twilight shook her head and shot Matilda a stern glare. “Priorities please. The last time we had a wedding instead of dealing with a threat, we ended up swarmed by an army of Changelings,” she said before shooting a glare towards a black creature hiding behind a wall of the building, who blushed and quickly retreated. “If it wasn’t for Princess Luna, Cadence, and my brother, Canterlot would have fallen that very day.”

The donkey lowered her head and whimpered. Her future husband slowly walked to her side and attempted to cheer her up.

“We will help with the wedding once this crisis is over, but we can’t take any chances,” Twilight declared, before once again facing the remaining crowd.

“Fluttershy and the doctor will provide medical assistance in case somepony gets hurt, while Pinkie Pie will patrol the castle with part of my Royal Guard to ensure that no monster will sneak inside,” Twilight continued.

“Great, just great,” said a bronze pony with an hourglass as cutie mark as he stomped at the ground angrily. “I had a feeling I should have picked up my advanced medical equipment. I can’t heal anypony without my gadgets.”

“Not you, Time Turner. I was talking about the Ponyville doctor, from the hospital,” Twilight corrected before looking towards the medical staff. “And the nurses of course.”

“You can count on us,” Nurse Redheart said with a salute before trotting towards Fluttershy, her fellow co-workers following.

“Oh,” left Turner’s mouth as he glanced at the medical staff. He looked to the side and rubbed the back of his neck, a weak blush visible on his cheeks. After a moment, he gave the princess an awkward smile and dashed towards Applejack’s group.

After facehoofing, Twilight walked forward, now looking at the fillies and colts. She shot a glance at their teacher and said, “Miss Cheerilee, please take your class into the basement. It is the safest place in the castle.” Upon seeing a nod of confirmation, she added, “Pinkie will show you the way.”

I suppose that the basement in the castle is much safer than in my house. Maybe I’m not giving the princess enough credit, Silver thought before retreating her head and stepping back, seeing as Twilight’s stare was focused on her.

“Silver Spoon.”

“Y-yes, P-Princess,” she responded, now standing still as statue.

“I expect you to keep an eye on your classmates and friends. While the basement is relatively safe, I am sure Miss Cheerilee could use your help to keep everypony calm and organized.”

“W-what?” Silver asked in panic, now looking around nervously. Her father was far away with other ponies alongside Apple Bloom’s older sister. Sweetie Belle’s older sister being busy setting up the grown ups inside the castle. Featherweight’s father was assisting Rainbow Dash, and the other parents were also participating in the defense of Ponyville, leaving only Miss Cheerilee. She looked at the teacher and said, “S-she can’t be serious.”

Cheerilee smiled and patted Silver Spoon on the back encouragingly. “Have more faith in yourself, Silver Spoon. If Princess Twilight has confidence in you, I shall trust her judgement.”

She looked at Diamond Tiara in desperation, who kept staring back at her with hostility, her glare alone stopping any words from leaving her mouth. Silver looked at the crusaders out of desperation, hoping against hope they would protest against this ridiculous idea.

“You heard the Princess, yer the boss,” Apple Bloom said encouragingly.

“Once again stealing the spotlight, eh Silver?” Scootaloo said with crossed forelegs as she turned to the side. The look of jealousy turned into acceptance after a short moment as she added, “On the other hoof, I suppose I can play the secondary role this time around if you’re the leader, though I will be the leading pony next time, mark my words.”

“Yay, congratulations!” Sweetie Belle shouted with a happy jump.

Silver Spoon sighed. I should’ve known better. She looked up at the tall princess nervously. While she didn’t find Twilight as intimidating and impressive as either Celestia or Luna, her serious stare and spread wings made her feel insignificant in the face of such authority. “B-but princess…”

“Just call me Twilight, no need to be formal.”

“Princess Twilight,” Silver continued as she pressed forehoof against her own chest. “W-why did you chose me… out of everypony? Shouldn’t you ask one of the other adults instead?” Drops of sweat started to fall down her forehead.

Twilight chuckled before rubbing top of Silver’s head, who blushed upon receiving such a gesture from the highest authority. “Silver Spoon, you know exactly why I would choose you.” She lowered her head and whispered into filly’s ear, “I have faith in you, my number two assistant.”

Silver was stunned. Every cell in her brain started telling her that this must be a dream, or that she was being delusional, not noticing as the alicorn flew away. Her shock didn’t last long as she felt somepony pulling her.

“Let’s go milady, to the castle!” Featherweight said, holding the grey filly by the sides of her belly as his little wings flapped hastily, pushing them both forward at a walking pace. “I swear as your little knight, I shall follow you even into the fire.”

Silver Spoon fixed her glasses and started walking, her ears and head lowered. She sighed and murmured quietly, “Can somepony please wake me up from this nightmare?”

No matter how much she wished for it to be a delusion or a dream, there was still a chance it was reality. A reality she had to face here and now.

As crazy as it sounded in her mind, she was now leading her entire class by the order of Princess Twilight herself alongside her teacher. A family of monsters was about to invade Ponyville, with her own father fighting them on the frontline. Finally, for some unknown reason, the crusaders were still being friendly towards her to the point of supporting her leadership.

Why they would put so much trust into a bully was beyond her.

Yes, she was a bully, a fact she never tried to deny to herself. It was her role to play, a price to pay for being friends with Diamond Tiara. While she often laughed at other ponies’ misery, she never found any actual enjoyment in it, and even to this day she didn’t understand why Diamond Tiara liked it in the first place. What she did enjoy however was Tiara’s happiness. As long as her friend was happy, she could be happy with her, and that was all that mattered.

Was making a friend happy worth making other ponies sad? Was playing the role of a meanie the only role she was destined to play? She never bothered to answer those questions, or maybe she intentionally avoided thinking about them in the first place.

Everytime she was away from her mother, she needed somepony to guide her, a role Diamond Tiara provided alongside respect and protection. Was it really that bad if she said a few mean words to maintain her comfort zone by Tiara’s side?

She shook off those thoughts for now, and then looked at Diamond Tiara, a pony she would approach right away if not for a group of ponies walking by her side. Cheerilee was now far ahead of the class, busy talking with Pinkie Pie.

It was always so easy to play the role of a bully to make her friend happy, but now that those she bullied were showing her friendship and understanding, how was she going to carry on that role? Making one friend happy at the expense of another didn’t seem right to her.

She wished that the crusaders were faking their supposed friendliness, if only to make her choice easier to make.

I can barely make any decisions by myself, how am I supposed to keep an entire class in check? Tiara is my only hope, Silver thought as she sped up, slowly reducing the distance from her best friend while ignoring the looks of confusion she was receiving from others. I hope she won’t make me choose between her and the crusaders. It would be too much for me. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes as her steps became more hesitant.

“Diamond Tiara,” she called quietly from behind her friend. Upon hearing groaning, she sped up, now walking side by side with her friend. “I know you may be busy, but–”

“What do you want, nerd?”

Silver closed her mouth in an instant. It wasn’t the first time Tiara called her a nerd. Being a diligent student, she sometimes ended up getting called an egghead or smart flank by Tiara, but it was always spoken with a joking tone, never with such malice.

“S-sorry if I am interrupting anything, but I… I need your help,” Silver pled.

“Help?” Tiara asked. “You, the rich, popular filly who’s famous for being a teacher’s pet needs help, that’s a laugh.” Tiara looked at her in amusement. “If you need help, why don’t you ask your blank flank friends or your thin boned coltfriend?”

Silver’s ears dropped as she looked to the side, away from the unbearable glare she was receiving. Did Tiara find out about yesterday’s events and was now angry with her? Can this get any worse? Silver thought as she sought the right words to answer with.

“I understand you may be angry that I was spending time with the crusaders yesterday instead of you–” Silver started, only to be cut off by Diamond Tiara.

“I would care less who you spend time with, but the idea I would want to be anywhere near you for longer than a minute is insulting.”

“Please,” Silver said, her words carrying more sorrow with each passing moment. “Everypony is counting on me for some reason, but I can’t handle that kind of responsibility. I can’t do it without you.”

Tiara chuckled and grinned. She glanced at the teacher, making sure she was out of her voice range before looking once again at Silver Spoon. “You just got a position of leadership, from a Princess of all ponies, and you crack in the first five minutes. What a pathetic loooser.

“However…” She smiled maliciously before raising her head arrogantly. “I feel generous today, and your realization of just how useless you really are puts me in a good mood. If you bow to me and admit in front of the class how inferior you are to me in every way, I may consider showing you how a real leader should behave.”

“W-what…” Silver said, barely managing to release any words from her hoarse throat.

“I’m waiting,” Tiara said as she slowed down and sharpened her glare, straightened ears and half closed eyes displaying her waning patience.

“But I thought… I thought we were equal.”

Tiara grit her teeth and stopped in her tracks before grabbing Silver Spoon by the pearls of her necklace. She pulled them until both her and Silver’s muzzle pressed against each other, fear and shock clear in Silver’s wide eyes. “Equal? You dare to say we are equal. Congratulations are in order, you just ruined my good mood, as well as your slim chance of getting my help.” With a swift action, she released the pearls and pushed the filly away, who landed on her side with a weak thump.

Silver Spoon massaged her neck before raising her head, now staring at Diamond Tiara with a look of betrayal, suddenly feeling an emptiness deep inside. An odd feeling she hasn’t experienced ever since her father failed to keep his promise to spend time with his family during her summer vacation.

“Silver!” Featherweight shouted before flying over, immediately helping the mare stand up. The crusaders joined a moment later and formed a wall between Tiara and Silver. “Are you alright?”

“What do ya think yer doin’, pushin’ our friend like that,” Apple Bloom said.

“I dare you to try and do it again,” Scootaloo said with a double stomp.

“I’ll tell Miss Cheerilee on you,” Sweetie threatened.

Tiara growled, as if an angered wolf ready to jump into a pile of meat. “What’s the matter? Just a moment ago you thought we were equal, and now you’re hiding behind a magicless unicorn, an apple-brained earth pony, and both a flightless and muscleless pegasi.” She turned her head to the side in annoyance. “You can’t do anything by yourself, that’s why you try to hide your weakness behind your so called friends. Silver Incompetence, that’s a name you deserve.”

Silver… Incompetence… Two words echoed through her mind as she could do nothing but stare at her friend from behind the crusaders. Her mouth agape and eyes wide. Her throat became dry as she resisted the urge to cry.

Is this what being bullied feels like? she thought, feeling as if trapped in a nightmare. Should the crusaders insult her, she would understand, if an adult called her incompetent, her mother would cheer her up, but being bullied by Tiara…

“What’s up with the sad smiles!” Pinkie shouted cheerfully while jumping from behind Silver, who flinched at her sudden appearance. “Are you scared of the mean flying bee bears? There’s nothing to fear as long as Pinkie is here!”

“What… how…?” Silver murmured before sighing. It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.

“Is something wrong?” Cheerilee asked as she approached and examined the group, quickly focusing her stare at Tiara. Her mood darkened in an instant. “Let me guess, Diamond Tiara.”

The pink filly frowned, returning the teacher’s glare with one of her own.

“I wanted to talk with Diamond Tiara, and I slowed down the rest of the class,” Silver Spoon said, catching everypony’s attention, including the teacher. “I’m sorry.”

Cheerilee tilted her head to the side before passing by the school’s bully, both looking at Silver in confusion. “Are you sure? You can tell me if something is wrong.”

Sweetie Belle was about to raise her voice, but was silenced by Silver’s hoof. “Ssshhh… don’t say it, please,” Silver whispered before retreating her foreleg. She gave the teacher an awkward smile while rubbing back of her neck. “Nothing’s wrong at all, am I right, Diamond Tiara?”

“Yes, like she said,” The bully said while looking at the teacher with an innocent smile. “We just stopped for a moment to have a little chat.”

Cheerilee looked between the bully and potential victim suspiciously before turning around. “We should resume our walk, we’re almost there.”

With the teacher and Pinkie Pie once again ahead of the group, Tiara looked at Silver and whispered, “I don’t know why you covered for me, but if you expect me to return the favour or thank you, think again.” She slapped her tail against grey filly’s muzzle and raised her head pridefully before increasing the distance between them.

Silver whimpered, not bothering to look at the worried faces of the crusaders, but instead staring at the floor. Now this day literally can't get any worse.

Chapter 6 - Bugbear's Rampage Take Two - Pt.2

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Exchange of Spoons

Chapter 6

Bugbear’s Rampage Take Two
-
Part 2

No more than a minute after entering the large storage filled with a lot of boxes, chests, and crates all over the room, she found a spot in a corner between two large crates. The walls were made of crystals just like the rest of the hallways she saw on the way, but instead of dark-blue, they were pink. The door was made of metal while covered in star shaped runes. Without any windows, illuminating gems on the ceiling served as the sole source of light.

Miss Cheerilee seemed busy, pushing a large crate and whatever was nearby the door to barricade it, just in case the guard on the other side wasn’t enough. Diamond Tiara was sitting comfortably on a pile of multicolored material, right next to a box with ‘old fabrics’ written on it while growling at every single approaching filly as if she was a dog defending her territory.

She knew more than anypony how scary Diamond Tiara could be, and didn’t envy a pony who made her mad in the first place, which is why keeping her in good mood was an important part of their relationship. Outbursts of anger were always rare and short-lived partially thanks to her efforts. Today however… Tiara seemed angry all the time and she was the source. Apologizing didn’t work… maybe if I try bullying the crusaders on my own, she may forgive me.

She looked around, her attention focused on circles formed by fillies and colts who talked with each other, some showing signs of fear, while a few were eating apples or hay sandwiches they brought with them in their saddlebags. She examined each face, but the crusaders were nowhere to be seen.

“Silver!”

She flinched and turned around in mid-air, now staring at the face of a floating orange pegasus. “Sc-Sc-Scootaloo? But… how?”

“Oh, this,” the filly said as she pointed at the device attached to her back, which was surrounded by a lavender aura. “It is one of Twilight’s prototypes she made when she tried to help me and Tank with flying. I found it here,” she said, pointing at the opened box marked ‘prototypes’. “It isn’t as good as the one I have at home, but good enough regardless.”

What? I don’t recall Scootaloo using Tank’s flying device, ever. Silver opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later and lowered her head. Forget it. It isn’t the strangest thing to happen today.

“So, what should we do?” asked a voice from behind as the grey filly turned around to see the smiling face of Sweetie Belle. “You’re in charge, what are your orders?”

Applebloom walked out from behind a crate to Silver’s left. “Eeyup. Yer the boss, ya have responsibility.”

I swear, those three follow my every step, she thought before massaging her forehead. Actually, now is a perfect opportunity, I just need to bully them and... She smiled awkwardly, overwhelmed by the smiling, expectant faces. How am I supposed to bully them without Tiara?

“Come on, give us orders already,” Scootaloo said impatiently and with a firm stomp.

“Orders?” Silver muttered. But I can’t lead, what I’m going to do?

“Come on my lady. Relay orders to your knights,” said Featherweight, now sitting on Silver’s left, who flinched the opposite direction.

“Oh come on! Why is everypony sneaking up on me today?” Silver asked with a hint of annoyance. Upon noticing a rose between colt’s hooves, she asked, “Where did you get that?”

“From a box marked as decorations,” Featherweight said while pointing at it.

Silver frowned and massaged her forehead again. "Do you always take what doesn't belong to you?" she asked, sitting with forelegs on her sides as she shot the colt a judging stare.

"N-not really," Featherweight responded sheepishly.

Not really? Everypony is taking things from the princess's storage as if they owned the place, she thought. If she learned anything from her mother, it was to respect private property. Now that she thought about it, she tried to lecture Babs for damaging property of the apple family, but both Babs and Tiara ignored her. She ended up paying for the damage from her own pocket in the end.

After sighing, she said, "This storage belongs to the princess and other residents of this castle. You can't just take whatever you want from it." She looked around and gestured over the room. "The same goes for everypony."

Featherweight nodded and quickly returned the rose before landing in front of Silver Spoon half a second later.

"So, ya want us to ask everypony to return taken stuff?" Apple Bloom said before saluting, "Consider it done."

"Wait, what?" Silver asked in confusion.

"Now that's the Silver Spoon I know," commented Scootaloo before delivering an encouraging hoof against her back. "I was really worried that you were sick or worse, acting all scared and soft while trying to talk with Tiara. It's good to have you back."

Silver blinked as the crusaders and Featherweight split up, now trying to convince others to not toy with princess's property, the biggest challenge was Diamond Tiara who nearly tore apart the fabric when Sweetie Belle tried to get it back. It resulted in a hoof fight with Applebloom before Cherilee interfered.

Did I just make a decision... on my own? she thought, raising a forehoof up to her face. Not only that, but I told others to do something that isn't related to serving me... it seems this whole craziness must be affecting my mind. She rubbed the top of her forehead.

Furthermore, why did the crusaders want to follow my orders so willingly, it doesn't make any sense. It can't be a large conspiracy, they aren't smart or resourceful enough to pull it off, so why?! She placed forehooves on the sides of her head and whimpered. I am getting a headache out of this.

"Did you hear that?"

Silver turned to the source of the voice, now staring at Snip and Snails who seemed busy examining a wall. Aren't those my favourite school clowns, just great, she thought while slowly approaching. Like it or not, she was tasked with keeping an eye on her class, and both colts needed extra attention. "Is something wrong?" she asked, boredom evident in her tone.

The smaller colt placed his ear against the wall he was looking at and poked it with a hoof.
"I have been hearing weak sounds of a bee, and when I hit this part of the wall, it released a loud thump, as if there was hollow space on the other side."

"And?" Silver asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. She gave the taller silent colt a quick glance, noticing he held a hoof under his chin while being deep in thought.

"Listen closely," Snips said with a serious tone as he hit the wall with his hoof, giving off a thump. He walked a few steps to the side and repeated the action, but the noise seemed muffed.

Silver approached and pressed her own ear to the wall, quickly hearing something like a bee. Calm down, Silver. Just because there seems to be some sort of empty space or hidden passage on the other side of this wall and a noise coming from behind it doesn't mean that we're in danger. Maybe a lone bee ended up stuck there or something.

"Snails, what is your deduction," Snips asked as he and Silver both looked at the taller colt, who kept thinking for a few seconds before opening his mouth.

"I doubt the princess or any of her friends would be responsible for digging up a secret passage, or else they would inform us about it in case we needed to escape from here," Snails took a quick breath and continued while Silver's mouth went agape. "I suspect that someone with evil intentions predicted Twilight's plan and dug a tunnel leading to this storage room before leading the family of Bugbears to Ponyville. And now when the adults are distracted, he lead a few young ones through this tunnel so they can break inside and feast upon our flesh." He pointed at a few cracks in the wall near the floor, and some that were hidden behind two crates. "The structure was weakened on purpose. I would suggest blocking this part of the wall and warn the teacher."

"On it!" Snips said before charging his horn as scissors made of bronze magical aura appeared in mid-air.

“Now please excuse me, but I believe I need to take fifteen deep breaths to calm my growing anxiety,” Snails said before turning around, now taking one deep breath after another as his forelegs started to tremble.

Silver's eyes were wide and mouth nearly hit the floor as she could do nothing but stare at both colts in shock. Did... did Snails just make a very intelligent deduction? And Snips showed initiative? In what kind of dimension am I?" She thought, I swear. A world where those two aren't dumb can't possibly be the one I was born in.

"What are you waiting for? Warn the teacher!" Snips shouted as his scissors were cutting the lower part of a crate which supported a few others. Like a domino, the tower went down and hit the floor with a loud thump, leaving a pile of wood and random objects blocking the way. "Snails is too slow, go!"

"Y-yes, right," Silver struggled out from her throat as her mind returned to reality. She ran towards the teacher while the idea of being ordered around by Snips haunted her.

Silver could see Miss Cheerilee staring in the direction she ran from before looking down at her.

"What was that sound?" the teacher asked with a hint of worry.

Silver took a few panicked breaths before pointing at the mess in the labyrinth of boxes and crates. "We need to run. There is a tunnel behind that wall, and young Bugbears are on the other side!"

"Oh dear," Cheerilee said with a hoof raised to her muzzle. After a moment of gathering her thoughts, she turned towards the entrance and galloped, turning the moment she was nearby the barricaded door and charged it. A loud thump followed as several old chairs fell down onto the floor and rolled, while fragments of wood flew in random directions. The teacher massaged her head while leaving a hole in one of large crates.

More seconds passed as Silver stared at her teacher struggling to remove the barricade, one step at a time, while talking with the guard on the other side. In a large attack of irony, what was supposed to protect them from Bugbears ended up sealing them from their escape route and backup.

"What should we do?" asked Sweetie Belle while standing ahead of the group, all staring in fear. A few had drooped ears and saddened faces, or were looking around nervously.

She took a step back and looked to the side, unable to handle the attention. How am I supposed to know? We're trapped inside a storage room, a barricade is sealing the door and hungry monsters can break inside at any moment. A loud thump reached her ears as she noticed Snip and Snails running away, while dust spread from the location where they placed a blockade. Silver took a deep breath and screamed, "Everypony hide!"

Panic overtook the room as fillies and colts spread in random directions, climbing onto boxes, or hiding inside half empty chests.

Silver looked around in search for a hiding spot, noticing crusaders gesturing for her to join them on top of two crates. I'm not climbing up, she thought to herself before continuing her search, noticing Diamond Tiara from the corner of her eye. Without hesitation, she followed her.

Drops of sweat fell down from both fillies as they stood on their hind legs, backs against a dusty crate. Their breathing was deep but slow.

"Don't any of you dare harm my students, or you will have to answer to me!" The voice of Cheerilee reached Silver's ears while the noise of large wings echoed through the room, similar to the noise of a bee hive.

"Have it your way!" shouted Cheerilee. The sound of wood shattering followed. She didn't dare to look from behind her hiding spot, but the noises of battle suggested that her teacher tackled one of the young Bugbears while fighting against at least three.

"You again?" Diamond Tiara spoke, nearly shouting. "Get lost and find your own hiding spot."

Silver looked to the side at her friend, whose fear was hidden well behind facade of anger. "I know you're angry, but now's not the time."

"Oh really?" Tiara growled. "You, my rival who thinks herself my equal, who is constantly approaching me today, now of all places in this storage room she chose my hiding spot. Coincidence, I think not." She grabbed her by the pearls of her necklace again and pressed against her muzzle. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I am tired of it. Leave me alone, or else!"

"Not so loud," Silver said in panic, not resisting her friend's grip. "You want those monsters to hear us?"

"Don't order me around!"

The clamor of a box falling reached both fillies’ ears as they looked at a young Bugbear now flying in mid-air in front of them, saliva dripping from its mouth while a sharp stinger emerged from its abdomen. Even young, the monster's size was nearly that of Big Mac, if he stood up on his hind legs.

"G-good monster..." Silver said nervously while walking backward, not daring to look away form the predator, when suddenly she felt something grabbing her from behind. She looked at the pink forelegs holding her. "T-Tiara, what are you doing?"

"Surviving," Diamond Tiara responded before raising her voice. "Hey, bear thing, are you hungry?" Silver started to struggle, fighting against her friend's hold, but her lack of athletic skills made it difficult as Tiara seemed stronger than usual. She looked at the beast with a grim stare, trembling, her ears flat against her head. Besides fear of the monster's sharp teeth and stinger, which was more terrifying than any needle, she felt mentally wounded, bleeding from the betrayal of her only friend.

The monster landed and approached with firm steps as Silver's breath became more unstable while her heart tried to escape her chest.

"Catch!" Tiara shouted before pushing Silver towards the beast's grasp, who caught her between his two hands and tightened his hold. She screamed, feeling her bones slowly being crushed while tears went down her face. With a lot of hassle, she looked to the side, now watching her friend running away deeper into the labyrinth, leaving her alone at the mercy of foal-eating monster. Feeling strength leaving her, Silver's eyes became heavy. She blinked slowly a few times before her vision became blurry and was replaced by darkness.

Exchange of Spoons (Revised)

by CommanderX5

Prologue

Chapter 1 - First Impression

Chapter 2 - Spoon the Crusader

Chapter 3 - Second Side of the Spoon

Chapter 4 - Growing Confusion

Chapter 5 - Bugbear's Rampage

Chapter 6 - Bugbear’s Rampage - Part 2

Chapter 6 - Bugbear's Rampage Take Two

Chapter 6 - Bugbear's Rampage Take Two - Pt.2