Matured Silver

Silver Spoon was woken up by her father agonizingly early so that they could make the train to Canterlot in time. The sun had barely risen, and the clock in her room read 5:45. Slow to get out of bed, Silver Spoon did her usual morning ritual of cleaning up, getting her glasses and pearl necklace, and eating breakfast. Once everyone was all set, she and her parents trotted towards Ponyville Train Station, the necessity of walking the only thing keeping Silver Spoon awake.

The three arrived at the train station, which was a small, red building which had the ticket booth on one side and the train on the other end. Waiting for them were Rarity and Sweetie Belle, the latter looking as though she'd rather be doing something else. Rarity politely waved to the three with a smile on her face, and Silver Spoon wondered how anyone could have some energy this early in the morning on a Saturday.

"Glad you could make it," said Rarity. "I'm excited to get this business deal in place."

"Me too," replied Silver Shill. "Say, the youngsters probably wanna do something fun in Canterlot, what with being forcefully dragged here and all, so maybe before or after the business deal, we look for something fun for all of us to do. Sound fair?"

"Sounds marvelous. Let's not waste any more time and board the train."

The five ponies entered the decorative train and once inside, they were greeted with a somewhat luxurious cabin, with cushioned green seats and a green carpet running down the middle. Silver Spoon made sure to get a seat next to the window, as it would give her something to lean on while she slept and give her something to look at while she was awake. Much to her disappointment, however, Sweetie Belle sat next to her, since Rarity, Ruby Riches, and Silver Shill wanted to be as close to each other as possible. Silver Spoon leaned on the window and closed her eyes, hoping that she'd sleep the whole train ride.

"Attention passengers," a voice on the loudspeaker said. "We will depart for Canterlot in one minute, thank you for choosing the Friendship Express as your mode for transportation."

Exactly one minute later, Silver Spoon felt a jerking motion inside the cabin, which made her open her eyes. She noticed the train slowly accelerate out of the station, the familiar sound of steam blowing out into the air as they set off. Once the train was out of the station, she closed her eyes again, this time falling into a deep sleep.

Silver Spoon slowly opened her eyes, and to her disappointment, they were not in Canterlot yet. The train traversed through the steep mountain, going through tunnels that dimmed the cabin's lighting and brightened it up immediately upon exiting. She turned her head and noticed that Sweetie Belle was staring at her with a blank expression for some reason. Silver Spoon adjusted her glasses and a faint smile adorned her face.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you and your friends," muttered Silver Spoon. "I should have thought about your feelings, and I wish I could have realized how bad Diamond Tiara was before everything got too out of hand."

Sweetie Belle's face transformed into a faint smile of her own. "I accept your apology. Ever since I noticed you weren't hanging out with Diamond Tiara, I thought that something bad happened between the two of you."

"Huh? You forgive me?"

"Yeah. I think you're trying to be a good pony for once. When I saw you by Sugarcube Corner, I just knew you'd broken up with Diamond Tiara and were trying to be a better pony."

"Yeah, but in actuality, I've felt this way about Diamond for a while now. I first noticed these feelings during that "Twilight Time" thing a while ago, and looking back, they all started when I realized how cruel I was to poor Scootaloo. I wish I had never said the things I said that day. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick."

"Well next time you see Scootaloo, be sure to apologize to her as well. She's, well, not likely to accept, but it's worth a shot."

"I guess so. By the way, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"Huh?"

"What do you do for fun? What do you like?"

"Well, um, I like singing, and I like going to the arcades. I've kind of formed a friendly, um, what's the word?"

"Rivalry?"

"That's it, a friendly rivalry with a colt named Button Mash, who seems to be in the arcade all the time."

"Hmm, I like games myself. I mostly read novels or comic books when Diamond isn't around, which, since I no longer like her, is what I'll be doing most of the time."

"Makes sense. By the way, I never knew you had such a vocabulary, because you didn't seem like the type that would do that when you were with Diamond Tiara."

"It's, well, I feel as though Diamond Tiara has been holding me back in a way. I must have been afraid to show off my smarts in fear of being called nerdy. I still maintained a B average on the tests Cheerilee gives."

"Yeah, I tend to get a C grade on my tests. Do you think you'll get more A grades without Diamond in the way?"

"Maybe, but having her out of the way has taken the shackles off of my mind."

"Are you sure your special talent is pastry chef? Because you should've gotten a quill or pencil for a cutie mark."

Silver Spoon chuckled briefly. "Thanks, Sweetie Belle."

"No problem." Sweetie Belle paused for a moment and scratched her muzzle before looking back at Silver Spoon. "Say, you're not too bad. I'm still not ready for us to become friends, as there is a lot you still have to show me, but it's nice to see you acting nice for once."

Silver Spoon yawned, which caused Sweetie Belle to yawn in response. "Mind if I rest for a bit? I had to wake up really early."

"No problem. I'm tired myself."

Silver Spoon rested against the window and entered a state of pure thought. Maybe this trip wasn't going to be as horrible as she thought. Sweetie Belle was surprisingly more accepting than she anticipated. Then again, she was always the most outgoing member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, how Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, among others, would react still filled her with a slight dread, knowing how much they hate her, and for good reason. Everything she did with Diamond Tiara gave them every right to loathe her. Silver Spoon noticed that Canterlot was finally within sight, though at the same time it would still take another couple of minutes to get there. Closing her eyes, Silver Spoon slept, curious as to how different Canterlot was to the humble town where she came from.

***

The train arrived at Canterlot, and Silver Spoon was wide awake to see the train pull into the station. The loudspeaker thanked the passengers and when she finally stood up, her legs felt somewhat wobbly, which probably came as a result of sitting down for about three and a half hours. The five exited the train and walked out of the station and into the busy world of Canterlot. Silver Spoon's eyes shone in wonderment as she saw how crowded and complex the city was. Everywhere she looked, roads were filled to the brim with ponies, and the looming castle above her looked heavenly as the sun hung in the sky right behind it.

"Let's get to the hotel," said Silver Shill. "Silver Spoon, Rarity and Sweetie Belle will be staying in the room next to ours."

"Oh, and feel free to visit our room any time, darling," noted Rarity. "We'd always like to have some visitors to, well, spice things up a bit."

"Sounds great."

The five entered the conglomeration of walking ponies, all of them headed to wherever they needed to be, and for Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle, being exposed to a place as busy and crowded was a lot to take in, but they managed to get by. Observing the different shops and banners, Silver Spoon looked around feverishly for something she'd like to do during her time in Canterlot. Shops selling all sorts of luxury goods, perfumes, and collectables ran along the streets. Posters advertising events lined the outer walls, advertising events like Trixie's new magic show, the Wonderbolts, or a jousting tournament. Silver Spoon looked at the poster for the Wonderbolts with a little curiosity, remembering how interested she was in learning about their origins in Cheerilee's class, but because she was unsure if going to a stunt flying show would entertain her, she let it sit in her mind for a moment. Trixie's poster also grabbed her attention, but because it was also showy, she was just as unsure, but magic spells did sound cool to her.

After squeezing through other walking ponies, the five made it to the hotel, which had a huge fountain at the center courtyard, the scent of the water pleasing to the nostrils. The hotel itself was also grand, as it was built out of a smooth, white marble and decorated with gold pieces and had an elegant red roof on the top. Every window had a balcony accompanying it, and it wasn't until they arrived at the front door that Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle realized how large the hotel was, feeling like it would extend into space as they got closer.

The five entered the hotel and once in the lobby, all of them approached the front desk, which was stationed by a green unicorn with a wide grin on his face and a hat on his head that didn't quite fit right.

"Hello there," said the unicorn in an enthusiastic tone. "I guess you want a room, yes?"

"Two, actually," replied Silver Shill. "My wife and my daughter will have one room and these fine associates can have the room next to ours."

"Excellent, let me check, and we can give you Room 318 and Room 319. They're on the third floor, which can be reached by taking the spiral staircase." The unicorn gave two keys to Silver Shill and two keys to Rarity. "Yes, the extra key is just in case you lose one, that is all. Anyways, please enjoy."

"Thank you."

The five trotted towards the stairs and made their way up to the third floor. The red carpet that covered the stairs and the lobby felt good on their hooves, which provided a nice contrast to the cobbled roads they traversed over to get to the hotel, some of the roads as old as 500 years. Rarity was particularly overjoyed at the hotel's luxury, entranced by the gaudy sights, and in the middle of her observations, she tripped on one of the stairs. She would have surely hurt her jaw badly if it wasn't for a familiar yellow pegasus, who was trotting downstairs next to the group, catching her. Rarity regained her composure and looked into the eyes of her savior, gulping upon recognizing who it was.

"Well, um, fancy seeing you here," said Rarity nervously. "What, um, brings you out here?"

"Um, I, um, yeah, I'd rather not talk about—"

"Wait just a second," interrupted Silver Shill. "I know who you are. You're Spitfire, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Can I help you?"

"I just read about how brilliantly you stopped that two headed dragon from destroying Appleoosa. I wasn't expecting you here. Anyways, is there a problem?"

"It's a personal matter, and I'd rather not talk about it, which is what I was going to say. Anyways, it's nice to meet you."

"Well then, I don't want to delay you any longer. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Spitfire continued trotting downstairs, her behavior towards Rarity made both Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle curious, as they did not know the rather controversial history between the two. Putting that encounter behind them, the five made it to the third floor in one piece and split up to go to their respective rooms.

Silver Spoon went with her parents into Room 318, which, upon entering, made her awestruck. The room's floor was covered with glowing white tiles, the furniture all looked exquisite and comfortable to sit on, and the kitchen looked equally impressive. Sitting on the couch and sinking into the cushions, Silver Spoon looked at the outside window to her left and it felt like she could see the whole world below. She was curious as to where Ponyville was in relation to where she was at currently. As Silver Spoon was taking in her surroundings, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Silver Spoon turned around and noticed her father behind her with a smile on his face.

"Say, how about later today we take you to the Wonderbolts' show at Canterlot Stadium?" asked Silver Shill. "You'll have almost nothing to do otherwise. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Okay. Sounds fair to me."

"That's the spirit."

"By the way, how do you know who that pony was?"

"Oh, she's the Captain of the Wonderbolts. I've met her before in the Crystal Empire. She's a bit brash at times, but she almost always means well."

"I see."

"I know. Say, how about we get backstage passes for their show? It should be a lot of fun meeting them."

"Whatever you want, father."

"Excellent. Anyways, I noticed that one of your apologizes was to Sweetie Belle. I'm proud that you're actually doing what we've asked of you."

"Yeah. She was there, and I saw no reason to delay it any longer."

"Well then, how about we get some lunch and we'll head over to Canterlot Stadium in about two hours, since the show starts thirty minutes after we start heading over there."

"Sounds good. Let's get something nice to eat."

***

Over in Room 319, Sweetie Belle gazed at her sister as she was examining her dresses, making sure every stitch and every decoration was in pristine condition. Rarity's awkward encounter with Spitfire was all Sweetie Belle could think of as she watched her sister, and while she'd ask her as soon as possible, she knew that interrupting her sister as she worked would be a mistake. Once Rarity looked over the last dress and sat on the couch next to Sweetie Belle, the latter cleared her throat and felt ready to ask her questions.

"Rarity, what was with you when that mare saved your face?" asked Sweetie Belle in a confused tone.

"Oh, her? It's nothing, really," replied Rarity. Sweetie Belle's raised one of her eyebrows in response. "What? That's all there is to it."

"Rarity, were you mean to that pony?"

Rarity sighed heavily and looked at Sweetie Belle in the eyes. "Okay, since you're going to keep asking about this, I'll tell you. Do you remember what is known as the Best Young Fliers Incident?"

"Hmm." Sweetie Belle searched deep into her brain, and after a few seconds of thinking, she nodded.

"Well, the pony that nearly murdered three of the Wonderbolts, was me."

"What? How could you? You're the Element of Generosity."

"I was too full of myself and I flailed around as though I was trying to kill them. I knew I shouldn't have become a black belt."

"You need to go apologize right away."

"I know, and some day, I will."

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were interrupted by a knock on the door. They had been in their hotel room for about two hours, which made someone already knocking at their door seem unusual to them. Rarity trotted to the door and opened it, and Silver Shill, Ruby Riches, and Silver Spoon were on the other side,

"Hey there," said Silver Shill. "The three of us are headed to the Wonderbolts show right now. Any of you want to come along?"

Rarity looked back at Sweetie Belle, who was nodding her head slowly. She looked back at Silver Shill with an anxious expression on her face. "Yes, we will both join you."

"Great. Let's not waste any time."