"I'm home," Silver Spoon said as she entered the large entryway of her house. Her voice echoed off the high walls and long hallways of the mansion. She sighed to herself, as she realized once again that declaring her return to an empty house was a pointless habit she had. She had grown accustomed to entering an empty home when she was a filly. Her mother was always working, and the butlers were always off by the time she got home.

She sighed once again as she started trudging her way up the grand staircase to her room.

A wave of peace and moderate comfort filled her as she stepped inside her room and threw her school bag to the side.

Her calm was soon over washed by the almost crushing loneliness that the perpetual silence caused. After her father left when Silver was still a little filly, her mother became a cold workaholic, choosing to stay away and use her money as a substitute for love.

The teen pony flopped onto her bed and pulled out her mane tie, letting her braid unwind and fall like silver water over her cheeks. It was times like these that she often thought of Diamond Tiara, despite her distaste for those memories. Diamond was by no means a "good friend", but she was the only one that Silver had ever known.

A choice she never stopped regretting.

Diamond Tiara on her best day was spiteful and cruel, both traits Silver had adopted so that she could be friends with the prissy snob. Silver was a young pony when they met, and she didn't know what a good friend was at the time. She still didn't. She had just made friends with somepony who she thought was the best fit for her, both of them being from wealthy families.

Sure, she had played along with her unreasonable hatred for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she never actually hated them herself. In truth, she thought that they looked like a nice, fun trio.

Silver huffed in frustration as she rolled onto her side and stared at the wall.

Diamond had been mean to her more times than she could remember, and now she kicked herself for putting up with it for so long. Under her influence, Silver had berated, insulted, demeaned, and been just an all around bully to ponies she honestly didn't hate at all. Ponies whom she could have been friends with today, had she not made such terrible decisions.

It all came to light, the day the only one she had ever called friend left without so much as a 'see ya'.

Silver had made a resolution that day. She would leave everypony alone.

She had been so cruel and bad to them in the past, so she had reasoned that the only way she could make up for her past, was to just leave everypony alone and try not to bother any of them.

It meant that she was always alone now, but she believed that she deserved it.

Some nights she would close her eyes and see all the sad faces and hurt expressions of those she had hurt or bullied, and it would break her heart. She would cry endlessly as she apologized and said aloud to nopony that she was so very sorry.

Her life of self exile was broken briefly one day, the first day of high school. The day she saw Sweetie Belle after the long summer break. Silver felt instant regret at the sight of the now beautiful older unicorn. She remembered all too vividly the mean things she had said and done to her, and for no reason.

Silver lowered her head as she turned and started for the front entrance.

"Silver Spoon," she heard call to her in a familiar voice.

Before she could look, she was caught by Sweetie in a big hug. Silver's heart was pounding in her ears as Sweetie held her, saying how happy she was that they would be in the same class together.

After the hug, Sweetie waved and trotted off, and Silver was left in shock and confusion.

It was then that her anger sparked to life.

"H-how can she just hug me and act like she doesn't remember what I did to her!? Is she…..?"

Silver then came to the conclusion.

She's mocking me.

She knows that Diamond is gone, and she's rubbing the fact that I'm alone in my face.

Wasn't it enough that she was a ghost now? Hadn't she been suffering enough?

Silver stood trembling as she bit her lip, tears starting to pour from her tightly closed eyes.

It wasn't fair.

Yes, she had been a bad pony to her and her friends, but she was paying the price now, and she had accepted it.

But Sweetie, she had to make her feel even worse, acting friendly like that to spite her. She had everything Silver didn't.

EVERYTHING!

"With all her blessings and all her happiness, she couldn't just leave me to my solitude. She had to get back at me in the most cruel way."

"I will live the rest of my life as nopony, to atone for my sins, but before that, I will be the bully they see me as, and make her cry one last time."

Silver felt a twinge in her stomach. She sat up on her bed and groaned in pain. She had been having bad stomach pain for a while. It came and went some days, but it wasn't so painful that she needed to see a doctor. She reasoned that the anger and sadness she felt was a contributing factor in her tummy aches. These days, she tried not to go out or interact with others if she didn't need to, another part of her penance. And when she did, she kept it short.

At a Hay Burger, she just said her order, followed by a 'thank you'. At a store it was much the same.

Small talk made her uncomfortable, and large crowds made her feel small and nervous.

She got up and went to get a glass of milk for her tummy. Some days she wished that she had somepony to help her when she was sick or in pain or sad, but she had learned to cope with solitude.

After all, it was her only friend now.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading.