“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” Diamond Tiara said sadly, “the train is leaving in five minutes.” Silver Spoon wiped away her tears, containing what she could of her sniffles and sobs. Wordlessly, the filly rushed forward and enveloped her friend in her forelegs, hanging onto her for dear life.
“P-please… d-don’t go,” Silver Spoon choked, her entire body deflating into the pink filly’s embrace like a popped balloon, “you’re all I have left here.” Diamond sighed wearily, wrapping a hoof around Silver Spoon and hugging her closer for a moment before pulling back.
“I want to stay, really, I do…” she breathed, turning and tracing a hoof down the brightly-painted train cart, “but I have no choice… daddy can’t be reasoned with, we’re going to Manehattan forever.” Silver Spoon opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden blaring of the train’s whistle. A stallion yelled ‘all aboard’ from the engine.
“It’s time!” Diamond Tiara blurted, climbing into the open doors of the car, “Goodbye, bestie!”
Silver Spoon withheld another tear as the train pulled into motion, the wheels spinning into action. Belching clouds of dark smoke, the train quickly picked up speed and was soon on its way down the horizon.
“Promise you’ll write to me?” Silver Spoon cried to her companion’s silhouette, which was leaning out the window and waving frantically back.
“I promise!”
Releasing a breath the filly hadn’t been aware she was containing, she slumped onto the platform, tears dripping to the ground. She sobbed loudly, hardly caring that several ponies had stopped to watch the saddening spectacle.
She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt a warm hoof rest on her shoulder. Whipping her head around, Silver could just barely make out the figure of a tall, thin mare with long, grey hair like hers and a string of pearls clasped around her neck.
“M-mom?” the filly whimpered, eliciting a gentle nod and a warm smile from her mother.
“Yes, my darling,” the mare cooed, “let’s go home now.” The filly sniffled, but nodded her head. She steadily rose to her hooves, galloping to catch up with the long, quick strides of her mother. As they trotted away from the station, Silver couldn’t help but feel the emptiness in her grow ever so slightly. She didn’t want to leave… not yet. However, it was getting dark out and they’d have to hurry along.
There was a long spell of silence between the two as they navigated the dirt paths. Silver wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the courage to speak. Finally, her mother cleared her throat and began with a soft tone.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sad,” Silver mumbled, “alone… no offense or anything… it’s nice having you here with me, but everything seems so… depressing without her.” Her mother nodded with a quiet ‘mm’ as her response.
“... I know how you feel.”
“I doubt it.” Silver mumbled, her eyes rolling at her mother’s desperate attempt to relate. The mare frowned, glancing back with an almost worried look ablaze in her eyes.
“My best friend moved away when I was just a year older than you, her name was Coco Pommel,” Silver’s mom added wistfully after a few moments had passed in silence, “she moved to Manehattan as well…. it broke my heart, but I’m happy she followed her dreams there.”
“Mom?”
“Mhmm?”
“You took the wrong road,” Silver said, realizing her surroundings were unfamiliar, “we should turn back.” Her mother shook her head, flashing her daughter a mysterious grin as she quickened her pace down the beaten road. To their left, two lights glowed, the sheer sight of them casting a wave of nostalgic warmth into the withered filly’s heart.
“The ice cream place?” Silver queried with a grin, trotting alongside her mother.
“You got me,” the mare laughed, “thought you should have a treat to help you cope.” The two ponies entered the shop through a thin glass door and were instantly greeted by a familiar jingle. Faint ‘oldies’ music crackled through the speakers, a perfect piece to the 1950s diner-themed establishment.
A stout stallion with a mess of shaggy hair contained just barely in a baseball cap stood behind the counter, wiping up a spill of choco-mint. He glanced up and smiled, his face beaming with recognition.
“Well, well, well! If it isn’t our two favorite customers, Silver Spoon and Golden Plate!” he chimed, his elbow leaning on the counter, “how are you two doing?”
“Hey Pistachio,” the mare said with a giggle, “we’re doing alright; Silver here’s going through a bit of a tough time.” The stallion nodded slowly, the upward-curving lines of his lips receding at this revelation.
Silver Spoon and her mother had come to this old place every week years ago. However, their visits to Pistachio’s Ice Cream Emporium had grown less and less frequent over the years. These days, it was a rare but welcome treat that Golden Plate saved for rainy days as such.
“Let me guess,” Pistachio started with a knowing grin, “chocolate and strawberry swirl?”
“You know it!” Silver Spoon giggled, hoisting herself up onto one of the empty stools gathered around the counter in a semi-circle. Her mother joined her in the adjacent seat. The two watched in contented silence as their scoops were prepared and handed to them in thin waffle cones.
“Mom?”
“Yes, dear?” Golden Plate replied between licks.
“Did you and Coco Pommel ever talk after she left?”
Her mother’s brow furrowed as she was unsure how to respond. She was well aware that the truth wouldn’t help her daughter’s situation.
“... No,” she answered finally after several second of thought, “she said she’d write to me, and I waited and waited… but she never did.” Silver Spoon felt a pit form in her stomach and she swallowed audibly. Her head hung low and her voice was barely audible.
“Oh.”
Unbeknownst to the mare beside her, a single tear had slipped from her eye and slowly made its way down the filly’s cheek.
What if Diamond Tiara forgets too?
* * *
Silver Spoon galloped excitedly down the stairs and across the kitchen, an exuberant expression glued on her face. The sheer weight of her anticipation shielded the filly from any other care in the world, including the nip of the cold, autumn breeze.
She flung open her pearly white mail box, her hoof fishing about for one letter in particular.
Nothing.
She sighed defeatedly, stamping a hoof against the ground. How could she? Had Diamond already… replaced me?
“Silver Spoon? Come inside, I have something to show you.” came her mother’s cheery voice from the kitchen window. The filly climbed the stairs slowly and made her way into the house. Her mother sat before her, one foreleg folded behind her back.
“I checked the mail, sweetie… there’s something for you.” The mare brought her hoof forward, revealing a small, pink envelope that smelled unmistakably like Diamond Tiara’s rosy perfume. The filly rushed forward, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She snatched the letter and tore it open without a moment’s hesitation. A piece of sky blue paper slipped from the slit and drifted lazily to the ground.
It read:
Dear Silver Spoon,
Hey bestie! I’m so sorry I took so long to send you this letter, but I’ve been really busy moving in. It’s a bit stressful trying to fit in at my new school, and I feel kinda lonely. There are a few cool fillies in my class, but none of them are like you… I really miss you, Silver.
It’s not the same without you, but I feel better knowing that we can still send each other letters. I’ll tell you more about Manehattan later. Bye!
XOXO
Diamond Tiara
Written on the front of the enveloped was the return address, which the filly quickly copied down for future reference. Grabbing a piece of paper, Silver began to write her response, mumbling the words she wrote beneath her breath.
“Dear… Diamond…. Tiara…”
