Matured Silver

The bell rang in Cheerilee's classroom, indicating that it was time for recess. All of the fillies and colts squeezed out of the door and rushed to the schoolyard as usual, but Silver Spoon decided to take her time. She felt a sense of dread inside of her, growing as she got closer to the schoolyard. She carried a book with her, since she didn't have anyone to play with as far as she knew, and sat down by a tree in the shade, hoping that Diamond Tiara would fail to notice her. But when she heard a cacophonous laugh, she turned around, saw Diamond Tiara's figure approaching her, and quickly realized that an uneventful recess would not be happening.

"Hey there, Silver Spoon," said Diamond with a hint of malice. "What are you doing?"

"Reading," replied Silver Spoon in a deadpanned tone. "Please leave me alone."

"I'm not gonna. You're not gonna get away that easily, so how about I call you what you really are, a dork."

"Whatever." Silver Spoon looked back at her book, trying her best to shut out Diamond's words.

"A dork and a loner. You're never gonna get any friends, and I'm sure of it."

"I know."

Diamond cackled loudly, trying her hardest to get a reaction out of Silver Spoon, but felt disappointed when none appeared on her face. "Well now, looks like somebody has no hope."

"Just go away Diamond. You're just wasting time berating me like this."

Diamond paused and giggled briefly. "I guess I'll also call you a thesaurus. Sound fair?"

"As long as you go away, it's fine by me."

"One more thing, I'm going to be at Vinyl Scratch's concert on Wednesday. I would have invited—"

Silver Spoon turned her head to Diamond Tiara, put her book in her saddlebag, and glared at her. "I'm already going."

Diamond's jaw dropped, which turned into a scowl as she grit her teeth. "Why? You should be in trouble, right?"

"It's because I'm helping Rarity set things up. My special talent can actually be put on display for you to see for once."

"Yeah, well I have a much better talent than you."

"What would that be?"

"It's being rich, that's what."

Silver Spoon's facial expression remained indifferent at Diamond's talent and retorted with sarcasm. "Wow, I totally wasn't expecting that."

"Very funny. You've still got that attitude."

"I'm getting better."

"By what, helping the older sister of a blank flank?"

"If that's what it takes, I'm willing to do so, and Sweetie Belle isn't a bad pony at all. She's actually nice to be around." This was the first time she told Diamond Sweetie's real name, which caused Diamond to growl like a ferocious puppy that wanted a dog treat.

"She's a blank flank."

"So what?"

Diamond winced and brought her face closer to Silver Spoon's. "So what? We always bragged about cutie marks, as that's who we are. Say it again, and you'll be sorry."

"Sweetie Belle is a good pony."

"That's it." Diamond was filled to the brim with rage. She scowled at Silver Spoon and pushed her down with all of her might. Silver Spoon hit the ground hard and tears formed in her eyes as she lay on the grass beneath her. "That's it, cry like a baby."

"Diamond, why would you physically harm someone? You're much worse than I could have ever imagined."

"Because, dorky thesaurus, you were asking for it. Now then, I've got a blank flank or three to tease with you done for."

Diamond left Silver Spoon and as the latter watched her trot towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders, an intense fire burned inside of her heart. She dusted herself off and contemplated revenge, but such feelings were replaced with an idea. Silver Spoon thought about immediately standing in Diamond Tiara's way to stop her from bullying the trio. That way, she might be able to prove she's changed while at the same time getting revenge on Diamond. It was taking out two birds with one stone. While the three fillies would likely be confused by her behavior, she wanted to get back at Diamond in any way she could, and confusing the three, in her viewpoint, was nothing to worry about.

Silver Spoon rushed after Diamond Tiara, who began her berating of the three fillies. As she was bullying them, Silver Spoon slid in between the two sides and scowled intensely at Diamond Tiara. All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped at the sudden turn of events, two of them, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, utterly confused regarding Silver Spoon's intentions.

"I've had it with your nonsense, Diamond Tiara," shouted Silver Spoon with all of her might. "You leave these fillies alone. Understand?"

"Wait, why are ya helpin' us, Silver Spoon?" asked Apple Bloom, her face clearly expressing confusion.

"This bullying has gone on for far too long. It's time to make amends. I'm, I'm sorry for everything I've ever said." As Silver Spoon spoke each word, more tears flowed down her cheeks. It felt as though she was releasing something off of her shoulders that had been on her for far too long, and while it made her cry, it felt good.

Before the conflict could escalate any further, Miss Cheerilee trotted towards the five with a stern expression on her face, breaking up the argument merely with her presence. She glared at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, focusing her attention on Silver Spoon first. "I'm guessing this is part of what you meant by wanting to talk to me." Cheerilee's expression transformed into a slight smile. "I'm not letting you off for what you've done in the past, but I'm proud of how brave you were by protecting these three." Cheerilee turned to Diamond Tiara, her face becoming a fierce glare once again. "As for you, you're in big trouble, and you'll be put in detention after school. Understand?"

Diamond Tiara nodded her head, and with that, Cheerilee returned to the school building. The bell rang, indicating that recess was over, and the five fillies noticed everybody looking at them once they regained their composure. Scootaloo tried to lighten the mood with a cute smile and a wave to the other students, but the tension failed to dissipate. All of the fillies and colts trotted back to class, ready to return to the lesson at hand, but all of them knew they'd be talking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders vs Diamond Tiara vs Silver Spoon.

***

Class ended, and as all of the students rushed out of the classroom and Diamond Tiara was escorted to Detention Hall, Silver Spoon stayed behind to explain herself to Miss Cheerilee. Silver Spoon could feel her heart race. She had no idea how Cheerilee would react to some of the horrible things she did, but there was no backing out. However, she knew that if she was ever going to make any friends, she'd have to confess to her teacher at some point to prove she's trying to change.

Cheerilee sat at the desk directly next to Silver Spoon and smiled at the filly. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "So then, I know that you have a history with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, so let's start with that first," she said, her attitude surprisingly calm and collected. "What were the things that you did with Diamond Tiara to them?"

"Well, we teased them for not having their cutie marks, but it got worse, and by worse, I mean much, much worse," mumbled Silver Spoon, her tone expressing embarrassment.

"Please tell me, what do you mean by worse?"

"Well first, Diamond Tiara and I joined a pony from Manehattan and trashed a project Apple Bloom and her friends worked really hard on. We did get our just desserts when the pony we joined turned on us and made us fall into a mud bath."

"That's a terrible thing you and Diamond did. Please go on."

"Well, the next big thing we did to them was what started my realization of how horrible I had become. I teased Scootaloo with Diamond Tiara for being unable to fly."

Cheerilee gasped, shocked that someone so young had the capacity to be that vile. "That's despicable. Why did you do such a thing?"

"It's, well, I, um, I don't know." Silver Spoon started crying, wishing she could erase that day from history. "I wish I did, because the poor filly never deserved being bullied for that."

"Well then, I'm glad you've confessed. Is there anything else I should know of?"

"That's the extent of it. I know apologizing to the three won't accomplish much, so I have a request. When you have the time, can you oversee my apology to them?"

"I can. I'll still mark you with a warning, so you should be on your best behavior if you want to avoid detention."

Silver Spoon wiped her tears away and stopped crying. She looked up at Miss Cheerilee with a faint smile. "I understand, Miss Cheerilee. It was nice to talk with you."

"Not a problem, but before you go, I noticed that you've become a much better student lately, and while I don't know the full details as to why, seeing you put in so much effort is terrific."

"Thank you. I promise I'll make you proud."

"That's the spirit. Now then, I wish you the best of luck. Goodbye, Silver Spoon."

"Goodbye, Miss Cheerilee. I'll see you same time tomorrow."

***

Silver Spoon reclined on her couch once her homework for the day was completed. During this time, she couldn't stop thinking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and how they perceived her actions. She wondered if it was the right thing to do, as her motivator was to get back at Diamond Tiara, but defending someone filled her with a feeling she had never felt before. It felt heartwarming for some reason, but whenever she thought about that feeling, she couldn't describe what it was.

A loud knock on the door caused Silver Spoon to jolt. She trotted to the door, curious as to who wanted to talk to her, and upon seeing the pony at the other end, her jaw dropped and her pupils dilated. It was Sweetie Belle, and she appeared to be glad to see Silver Spoon. Not knowing what to say, Silver Spoon's eyes darted around for a bit before Sweetie Belle broke the awkward silence.

"Hey there," she said calmly. "I just wanted to say thank you for standing up to Diamond Tiara. I think I'm almost ready for the two of us to become friends."

"R-really?" replied Silver Spoon, never expecting to hear those words in a long time, let alone from Sweetie Belle.

"Really. I know you're gonna help my sister with Vinyl's concert, so I can't wait to see what pastries you bring."

"Yeah. I'm excited to show off my special talent for once."

"Anyways, I told Apple Bloom and Scootaloo about the time we spent together in Canterlot."

"Here it comes," Silver Spoon mumbled under her breath.

"They were surprised to hear how well it went, and with what happened today, they might be willing to give you a chance."

This response shocked Silver Spoon so much that she passed out and landed on the floor, a thud echoing into Sweetie Belle's ears. Sweetie Belle looked concerned for the filly, but Silver Spoon got up as though she merely lost her balance and dusted herself off. The pair started at each other awkwardly and giggled briefly.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," said Silver Spoon. "I was just stunned was all."

"That's good," responded a calmed Sweetie Belle. "Anyways, I hope Wednesday goes well for the both of us. Who knows, we might become friends. I've gotta get going. Bye."

"Goodbye, Sweetie Belle."

Silver Spoon watched Sweetie Belle trot away with a smile on her face. For once in her life, things were looking up for her, though she never imagined it would involve being closer than ever to gaining a friend, and said friend being Sweetie Belle. Closing the door, Silver Spoon returned to her couch and picked up a book on the table. It was about the legendary Private Pansy, whose story of proving to the world that she could become a strong flier grew as an inspiration to many who read her tale. The story reminded Silver Spoon of the Cutie Mark Crusaders somewhat, particularly Scootaloo, who suffered from a similar predicament. Before reading the story, Silver Spoon closed her eyes for a brief moment and wished in her heart. She wished that the Cutie Mark Crusaders would find their cutie marks, that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo could use magic and fly respectively, and that she herself could form a strong friendship. Opening her eyes, Silver Spoon opened the book to Chapter One, and read.