Best Friends Forever
Chapter 1
Silver Spoon’s eyes followed the rapidly passing scenery outside her window. The train sped through the region towards its destination, having just recently made its stop at another station. Cross-country travels were always long, and after almost three hours of traveling through the Kingdom, they were sure to have gotten close, though the metallic-gray filly already found herself longing to return to Vanhoover.
She looked forlornly at the passing trees, lost in thought about this new place where her mom was said to have found some work. This was an entirely new location; it would be nothing like her old home or the small amount of ponies she knew of. A new place, new ponies, new life; she wondered how she would possibly survive in such a place.
Her musing was interrupted with a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see her mom sitting across from her. The gray mare looked down at her daughter with bright hazel-green eyes. “Are you alright, Silvy?”
“Yeah, Mom. Just a little homesick,” said Silver Spoon.
The mare, Silver Lining, gave a sympathetic smile. “I know how you feel. But I’m sure Ponyville will be a wonderful place. And who knows, you might even make a few friends while we’re there.”
Silver Spoon was skeptical on it. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on. You have to stop being so shy, Silly.”
The filly couldn’t help but give a laugh at her nickname. Her mom rarely used it nowadays, but Silver became embarrassed whenever it was said. “I told you not to call me that.”
“You’ll never get to know what ponies are like if you don’t give them a chance first,” Silver Lining continued. “You might even find things in common. You just have to work on finding a middle ground.”
“I guess you may have a point.” Silver mused over it. She would try to make some new friends as long as she was living here. Perhaps they would have at least one thing they shared--she hoped.
The train began to slow down, grinding to a halt in front of the Ponyville train station. Silver looked out her window to get a glimpse of the town. It seemed a lot smaller than she thought, but then again, she was looking out a window. There was possibly much more to Ponyville than what she saw already. “Come on, Silvy!”
Silver Spoon grabbed her saddlebags and hopped onto her mom’s back. They headed out amongst the flood of ponies into the sun, the warm afternoon air hitting their coats as they ventured into town. Ponies lined the streets, taking a stroll with their friends or making purchases from the local merchants.
“Hey, Silvy. Are you hungry for a snack?” asked Silver Lining, looking back at her daughter.
Silver Spoon gave a nod. “Sure, if we can find a place.”
“Let’s ask this pony.” Lining and Silver approached an earth pony mare who had just finished making a sale. “Excuse me, do you know where we could get something to eat around here?”
“Preferably, a place that sells cupcakes,” Silver Spoon chimed in.
“If you’re looking for a snack, I suggest you try Sugarcube Corner. They make the best treats in town.” The mare pointed to her right. “It’s in that direction. You can’t miss it; it’s the building that looks like a gingerbread house.”
Silver Lining gave a nod, following the mare’s direction. Soon enough, she and Silver Spoon spotted the confectionary. It indeed looked like a big gingerbread house. The inside was packed when they entered, and they approached a pink earth pony mare behind the front counter.
“Hi There! Haven’t seen you two around town before. Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! My name’s Pinkie Pie.” She pulled a notepad from her poofy, cotton candy mane. “What can I get you?”
“Two chocolate strawberry cupcakes, please,” Lining ordered and placed some bits on the counter.
Pinkie wrote it down on the notepad. “Coming right up, Miss…?”
“Silver Lining.”
“Coming right up, Miss Silver Lining!” Pinkie retreated into the kitchen to fix the order. Lining and Silver Spoon took their seats at a nearby table as they awaited the Pinkie’s return.
“What do you think of Ponyville so far, dear?” asked Lining.
“It’s still too soon to tell. We haven’t actually met anypony yet,” replied Silver Spoon.
“That mare at the counter seemed friendly.”
“She’s supposed to be friendly, Mom. That’s how they have to be.”
“Just give it time. You’ll like it here eventually.”
A plate carrying the cupcakes suddenly landed on their table, startling the two earth ponies. “Here you go! Two delectable strawberry chocolate cupcakes!”
“Thanks.” Lining gave a smile as Pinkie hopped off. She glanced down at the cupcakes in front of her. They were chocolate with vanilla frosting, as well as a strawberry slice placed on top. “These look great, don’t they?”
Silver Spoon had already taken a bite out of her cupcake. Some of the frosting had gotten onto her nose. “They taste great.”
Lining snickered under her breath, grabbing a napkin and wiping the frosting from her daughter’s muzzle. “So, who hired you?” asked Silver Spoon.
“A stallion by the name Filthy Rich. He gave me his address in the last letter he mailed me.” Lining took out a letter from her saddlebag and glanced at it. “His house shouldn’t be too far from here. After we get settled in, though, we have to think about applying you for school.”
Silver Spoon and her Mom finished off their cupcakes, and leaving a tip on the table, continued on through town. Silver Spoon read the address off the letter that was given to her. One pony they asked told them it was near the northern side of town, pointing them in that direction.
They continued on until spotting a house that matched the description. Silver Spoon gazed at it from atop her mom’s back. It was huge, surrounded by what had to be an equally large garden. They trotted past the front gate, heading up the stone path that led to the door. Silver Spoon glanced around at the neatly trimmed hedges that graced the yard. It must have taken a lot to maintain it as well as it was.
They approached the front door. A single string hung next to it; Lining gave it a tug, sending out a booming sound. It startled Silver Spoon with how noisy it was, but she quickly recomposed herself after hearing hoofsteps on the other side.
The door opened to a light brown stallion. He stood a bit taller than her Mom, and judging by his tie and cutie mark, he was the house owner. “You must be Silver Lining,” he said, shaking the mare’s hoof. The tone present in his voice was cheery and inviting, a welcomed sound for Silver Spoon.
Silver Lining returned the favour. “Nice to finally meet you, Mister Filthy.”
“I prefer Mister Rich,” the stallion responded.
“Oops.” Lining gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. It’s… common.”
Silver Spoon snickered to herself as the sound of it. Admittedly, it was a funny name as she repeated it through her mind. “And who’s this?” Her expression changed when she noticed Filthy Rich staring down at her, causing her to hide behind her mother’s leg.
“This is my daughter, Silver Spoon.” Lining looked down at the filly, ushering her to greet the stallion in front of them. “It’s all right, Silver. He’s not going to hurt you.” She managed to coax Silver Spoon to stand in the open, though it was obvious that she was still nervous.
“She’s very timid, I’m afraid. I hope you don’t mind.”
Filthy Rich waved a hoof. “It’s no trouble. I have a daughter, myself. Maybe they can get along while they’re living together. Anyway, why don’t you come you come inside and I’ll give you two the grand tour.”
Lining and Silver Spoon followed Filthy Rich into his home, being led through the foyer and down the marble hallway. Everything around her looked so neat and tidy; Silver could basically see her reflection on the floor. A few paintings hung on the walls. They looked like they were shipped in from other parts of Equestria.
They eventually reached the living room. It was a basic set up; a couple tables were set around and each corner of the room was occupied by exotic plants. A couch sat in the middle of the room in front of a large flat-screen television hanging on the wall.
They noticed a filly sitting on the floor, playing with some toys that’d been set out in front of her. “Here’s my little princess!” The filly looked away from her toys at the sound of Rich’s voice. He motioned her to come over and greet her new guests. “This is my daughter, Diamond Tiara.”
“Very nice to meet you,” said Lining. Diamond gave a nod in return. “Silver Spoon, why don’t stay and get to know Diamond Tiara a little more.”
“That’s an excellent idea!” Filthy Rich agreed, glancing between Diamond and Silver Spoon. “Lining, I can show you the rest of the house while these two play together here.”
Silver Lining nodded and continued on with Filthy Rich. “Have fun, Silvy,” she said, leaving her daughter alone with Diamond Tiara. Neither of the two fillies said a word to each other after they left.
Silver Spoon averted eye contact, looking down at her hooves. She never was a very social pony, always tending to keep to herself instead of socializing with others, especially those at her own age. It was the reason why she never made many friends to begin with. She had no idea how she would possibly befriend this filly.
“So…” Diamond Tiara broke the silence, gaining Silver’s attention. “Haven’t seen you around town before. Where’re you from?”
“V-Vanhoover,” Silver Spoon stuttered. “My mom’s the new maid here.”
“New maid, huh?” Diamond Tiara took a moment to examine the gray filly. “I guess it wouldn’t be very ladylike not to welcome you to Ponyville.” She held out her hoof for a shake. Though hesitant at first, Silver finally complied. This first encounter was going better than she expected.
Diamond Tiara went back to her toys. Silver Spoon, though still nervous about meeting a new pony in this place, followed her over. Her Mom had said before that she needed find some common ground if she planned on making friends; the problem was that she never bothered to engage in such a task. She would not know what to do.
“So, um…” Silver stammered, rubbing the back of her neck. “What’s there to do around here?”
“I’m just waiting for lunch to arrive,” Diamond responded. “Randolph should be back any minute now. While we wait for him, why don’t you sit down.” She motioned Silver have a seat, to which the gray filly complied.
Silver Spoon looked down at the toys set in front of her. It was a playset which included miniature things like trains, mini-carriages, and tiny ponies to act as random pedestrians. It didn’t seem like much to her at first as she looked over them. “What exactly is this?”
“It’s a toy,” Diamond replied. “Haven’t you ever played with toys before?”
“Well, yeah, I mean… I-I was saying that… What I meant to say was-”
“Relax…” Diamond held up a hoof, getting her guest to stop talking. “It was a joke. Geez, you’re really jumpy, aren’t you?”
Silver Spoon blushed lightly and took a breath to calm herself down. She had to remain cool and collected if she wanted this encounter to go well. “Sorry. I guess I’m just nervous. I never made many friends back home, so this is kinda new to me.”
Their exchange was cut short with an elderly pony entering the room, carrying a plate of dandelion sandwiches in his mouth. He set it down on the ground, letting the girls get at them. Diamond Tiara grabbed one, offering the other to her guest.
“Listen, Silver Spoon,” Diamond started. “If you want my advice, start by not acting so scared and timid all the time. Not everypony responds to that sort of stuff. And frankly, all it does is make you look like a doormat.”
Silver took a bite out of her dandelion sandwich, musing over the advice given to her. “You’re probably right.”
“I am right. You gotta toughen up a bit if you wanna make a name for yourself around here. And lucky for you, I’m just the filly to that can help.”
Silver Spoon glanced up at Diamond Tiara, raising a brow in response. “How’re you going to do that?”
“Just stick by me and I’ll show you.”