It wasn't as if she'd asked to be there.
But she was there, and that seemed to be an unforgivable sentiment to the filly sitting across from her at the table. A plate of chocolate chip cookies were set between them, but neither of them made a move to grab one. They just sat there, in silence, looking at one another.
Actually, she was getting glared at, and she was trying her best to pop out of existence, but the point was that nothing was said for a great while.
Sweetie Belle sighed inwardly. Why did Rarity have to accept a commission from her family? And why hadn't she said who she was going to meet with before Sweetie Belle had accepted the offer to tag along? Was it some sort of cruel joke? Maybe it was payback for all the times she and her friends had made it difficult for work to get done at the boutique. She understood that they had messed up, and that she supposed it was right for her to make it up somehow, but this? Why, she'd choose almost anything over this. Like a field-trip to Tartarus.
Okay, that actually sounds pretty cool.
When Rarity had mentioned that she was meeting with a client this morning, Sweetie had wanted nothing more than to go with her. If only she had known... she could be at the clubhouse right now, coming up with a new scheme to acquire a cutiemark. But no, she had to be here.
She had to admit that the place was very nice, though. It was odd that she'd never seen it before. The mansion—though on the small side, for a mansion—sat on the other side of a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville, though, so perhaps it wasn't that strange she'd never seen it. It was a good fifteen minutes out by carriage, so probably thirty minutes walking, at least.
It looked like something that belonged in someplace fantastic, like in the beautiful scenery at Rainbow Falls or among the other financial elite like in Haverely Hills. It really was a pretty mansion, and she was glad she had been able to see it. She had been excited to go inside, too, until she found out who lived there.
"Now, I should've told you this before, but you know my clients' daughter," Rarity had said once they got off the carriage. "I expect you to be on your best behavior, though, so no bickering or anything of the sort. Understood?"
"Yes, Rarity," she had complied. Her first thoughts had been Diamond Tiara. She never really knew how rich she was, so who was to say she didn't have a house in town just to make it easier for her to get to school? Perhaps this was her real home. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure if she could survive stepping into the hornet's nest. Actually, she'd probably prefer a hornet's nest to entering the domain of Diamond Tiara.
To her (not complete) relief, though, the mansion did not belong to Filthy Rich and his family. As soon as she and her sister entered the lavish building they were met by three ponies: a mare dressed in formal business attire, a clipboard levitating in her magic beside her; a younger mare, perhaps in her early twenties, a warm smile on her face; and a grey filly, eyes lit with disgust at the sight of Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie had to suppress a gasp. This was Silver Spoon's house? Well, more than a house, but that was besides the point. She'd never have guessed in a million years that Silver Spoon's family was more well-off than Diamond Tiara's...
"Be good," Rarity had whispered before greeting and following the business mare away from sight.
"Hello there," the younger mare—probably a nanny of some sort—had then said to her in a cheery tone. "My name is Whirl Wind, and I suppose you already know Silver Spoon here." She smiled at them both. "Now if you'll come this way, I'm sure we can all have some fun while your sister and Lord and Lady Silver work."
Sweetie Belle had given her a meek smile in return, and followed the two silently.
And now here they were, sitting in a room that could only be described as an expensive playroom. She could tell it belonged to the bespectacled filly, as countless drawings were hung up all over the walls over wallpaper printed with her cutiemark on it in a pattern. There was a table, which they were sitting at, in the area near the far wall. There was a fridge, a small sink, an oven, and a stove. It was like a tiny kitchen, without a dishwasher.
There was a television against the other wall, and two small reclining chairs. There were shelves all over, filled with board games and all sorts of toys. Upon another, shorter table, sat Silver Spoon's saddle bags and what looked like her homework.
Although it was certain that this was not her bedroom, it did seem like she spent a lot of her time in this room.
Sweetie Belle glanced at the clock that hung on the wall opposite of her, wondering how long she'd been there already. The silence had made it seem like an eternity.
"Only six minutes?" she whispered in exasperation under her breath. She expected that this would take at least an hour. She wasn't sure she could last.
"So, girls," Whirl Wind broke the silence, an awkward smile bracing itself. "What would you like to do?"
"Nothing," Silver Spoon answered in monotone, her mouth in a definite frown.
"Oh, come on, you can't mean that! There's lot's to do—how about Ponyopoly? That's your favorite board game!" She urged her hopefully.
Sweetie Belle noticed that the young nanny was a pegasus. Well, she should have known from the name, but she hadn't really registered the wings until they fluttered nervously a bit.
"I don't feel like it," she sniffed in response.
"Okay, then how about Problem?"
Silver Spoon shook her head side to side.
"Slides and Stairs?"
Another shake of the head.
"Checkers?"
No again.
Whirl Wind tried a few more games, but all were denied by the upset filly. The young mare let out a sigh through a pained smile.
"Alright, Sweetie Belle, what would you like to do?"
That wasn't something she was prepared to answer. She was the guest, sure, but any wrong move could set Silver Spoon off. She didn't know what was alright, or against the rules, or what Silver Spoon even liked to do. Apparently she didn't like to do anything by the looks of it. It would be best to go with a safe, but boring, answer.
"Anything's fine with me, ma'am," she answered as politely as she could. Of course, she wanted nothing more than to get the heck out of here, but that would be a very rude thing to say.
"Okay, then." Whirl Wind looked like she was about to explode behind that smile of hers. Oh, the indecisiveness of children. "Well... why don't you talk for a bit and try some of the cookies Chef made for you, while I go get something for us to do, hm?"
"Yes ma'am," Sweetie Belle said with a nod.
"Do we have to?" Silver Spoon borderline whined.
"Well it'd make me very happy if you did, Silver," Whirl Wind answered. Her calmness now seemed quite forced, though not quite due to exasperation. Perhaps she was just embarrassed?
"Okay," Silver Spoon sighed. She took a cookie into her hoof and nibbled at it.
Whirl Wind left through the door without another word.
Silence reigned once more.
Sweetie Belle decided to try a cookie for herself. They did look quite good, after all. The only reason she hadn't gotten one before was because Silver Spoon hand't touched them. She had a feeling it would have been bad manners—or at least would have made the other filly a little bit angry—if she had eaten one before she had. She chose one for herself and stared at it for a bit.
It really was a good looking cookie. It was nearly perfectly round, and the chocolate chunks—not chips—seemed to be evenly spaced in some impossible manner. She hoped it tasted as good as it looked.
Gingerly, she took a small bite. Her eyes widened considerably. Never before had her taste buds experienced a chocolate chip cookie more delicious than this. It wasn't too sweet or too salty, and it was both chewy and fluffy in a way Sweetie Belle couldn't fully understand. Just one small bite was enough to boost her spirits a bit. This was the sort of thing Silver Spoon had whenever she wanted? She was impressed by the mansion before, but the cookies were starting to make her really envy the filly.
She took another bite, and then another. Soon, the cookie was gone. Sweetie Belle felt sad for a moment—it was over!—but then remembered the plate piled high with the stuff right in front of her. She took a glance at Silver Spoon, who still hadn't finished her first, and grabbed another cookie.
"You like them." It was more of a statement than a question. Silver Spoon was watching her now, but the disgust had disappeared.
"Um, yes, there really very good," Sweetie Belle answered meekly.
"Chef's just trying to impress Ms. Rarity," Silver Spoon said offhoofedly. "He always does that when we have a guest."
"Oh," was all Sweetie Belle could say. She grabbed a third cookie.
"Your older sister is going to make my mother a dress," she said.
"I guessed as much," Sweetie answered once she'd finished chewing. Should she grab a fourth? Silver Spoon was still on her first, so wouldn't it be a little rude of her? Maybe she should-
Oh, who was she kidding? These cookies are amazing, and this could be her only chance to have them ever again!
She grabbed another.
"It's for my aunt's wedding," Silver Spoon continued. She was still watching Sweetie Belle devour cookie after cookie. She had a curious look on her face. "She's getting married to a noble in Canterlot."
"That sounds nice," she commented, trying her best to sound friendly. "Canterlot is one of my sister's favorite places."
"It's okay." She sounded very indifferent on the matter.
A few more minutes of silence passed.
Ten cookies later, Whirl Wind appeared.
"Now you two will have to like this!" It seemed that her cheerful nature had returned in full force. "My favorite game when I was a filly—Pictorials!"
A rectangular blue box was balanced upon the pegasus's back. Whirl Wind slid it onto the table beside the platter of cookies.
Sweetie had never seen this game before. The box had the word "Pictorials" printed in large, blocky letters on the top.
"How do you play?" Sweetie Belle found herself asking. She almost clasped her hooves over her mouth, instantly regretting her question.
"Why it's easy," Whirl Wind chirped. She opened the box and began emptying its contents onto the table. "Everypony gets a pad of paper and a pencil," she said, pushing said objects toward the two fillies. She moved the cookies to the counter and sat next to Silver Spoon. "We have a deck of cards here—a player draws one when it's their turn—and each one has a word on it. The point of the game is to-" Suddenly, she stopped talking, as if remembering something. "Oh drat, we need another player, don't we?"
Nopony answered.
"Well... well there are supposed to be teams," Whirl Wind explained. "You see, when it's one team's turn, one pony draws a card and must draw the word given to them. Then their team member must guess what it is. If guessed correctly, their piece gets to move forward a space on the board." She gestured to the board laid out between them. "Hm, you know what? I think I'll go see if Chef would like to play. I'm sure he'd love to see how much you two like his cookies," she decided with a smile. "I'll be right back."
Once more, the young mare had gone.
"So... ever played this game before?" Sweetie Belle ventured to ask.
"Once," Silver Spoon answered. Apparently that's all she had to say about it.
"Is it any fun?" She pressed on, hoping to start a conversation that would actually last for once. As it seemed that she wasn't dead yet, perhaps Silver Spoon didn't outright hate her guts.
"A little," the filly said with a shrug. She picked her half-eaten cookie off the table and shoved the rest of it into her mouth.
"Um," Sweetie Belle began nervously. A certain question was lodged in the back of her mind, but she wasn't sure if it was safe to ask it. But based on how things were going now, she was beginning to think she might die from awkward boredom. "So uh, I kinda expected Diamond Tiara to be here today," she forced out sheepishly.
"Why's that?" Silver Spoon asked after the last of her cookie had disappeared down her throat. A small frown formed on her face.
"Well I mean you two are best friends, right?" Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.
"You're not always with your friends, are you?" she countered cooly.
"No, I guess not." And... it was over. Another conversation flop. "I'm sorry."
Then something strange happened. Silver Spoon sighed. Not a haughty sigh, not a sigh of annoyance, but a sad sigh.
"No, it's alright. You've only ever seen us together, after all," she said, breaking her steady monotone for a more casual tone. "Diamond is in Vanhoover with her father on a business trip."
"Oh, that's cool." Sweetie Belle wasn't sure what to say to that. She supposed she could relate, as she was always trying to accompany Rarity on her business, but Mr. Rich's job didn't exactly sound fun to her.
"You're right, though. If she weren't out of town, she'd probably be here. Or I'd be over at her house," Silver Spoon said nonchalantly.
Speaking of houses...
"Your home is very pretty," Sweetie Belle said. "I didn't even know it existed."
"That would be my parents' fault. They built this place out here to get away from ponies. They like the quiet," Silver Spoon said. She gave Sweetie a half smile. "I bet you never guessed my house was bigger than Diamond Tiara's."
"I didn't," Sweetie Belle confirmed. It was strange, seeing her like this, she thought. She seemed calmer, more friendly even. "How come you never told anypony?"
"Why does it matter? It's not like it's some big secret."
"It kind of is," she interjected, "because everypony thinks-" This time she really did clamp her hooves over her mouth.
"Everypony thinks what?" Silver Spoon eyed her suspiciously.
"They think... they think that..." Sweetie Belle couldn't bring herself to say it. Silver Spoon may have always been rude to her, but this was beyond rude. This was mean.
"Just tell me. I won't get mad." Silver Spoon gave her this odd look. It wasn't comforting, per se, but perhaps it was soothing.
"Well, it's just that everypony thinks that Diamond Tiara is the rich one," Sweetie Belle said, her face flushing the tiniest bit red.
"But she is rich." Real confusion tinged her voice.
"No, no I mean that-" Oh, what was the best way to go about this? "Ponies at school are always saying that you're just a regular filly who Diamond Tiara pitied enough to let you hang around her." Okay, that was probably one of the worst ways to go about that.
"I- what?" Silver Spoon really did looked confused.
"I mean, they don't think your family is rich at all. They think Diamond Tiara keeps you around because she hasn't any friends, and you-" She was making this worse, wasn't she? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I meant-"
Sweetie was cut off by the sound of laughter. Silver Spoon's laughter. Now it was her turn to look confused.
"Oh, I knew that already," Silver Spoon half laughed half spoke. "It's okay, I know ponies talk about me behind my back. I don't exactly give them a reason not to."
"I- but-" Sweetie Belle couldn't comprehend what was happening. "Isn't that, well, mean of them?"
"Well yeah, but it isn't like I'm not mean to them, right?" She was smiling.
"But," she sputtered. What should she say? What was there to say?
"No, really, it's alright," she assured her. "I think it's kind of funny, actually. That I live in a place like this while they think I'm some sort of pet."
"That's horrible," Sweetie Belle couldn't help saying. The whole situation seemed wrong. Sure, Silver Spoon was a bully, even just by accomplice, but still...
"You're wondering if Diamond and I are really friends?" Silver Spoon asked suddenly.
"A little," Sweetie confessed.
"We are. You can tell 'everypony' that too, if you want," she said. A small smile still rested on her face.
"But why?" Well, she'd already been rude once, so why stop now? Sweetie Belle mentally facehooved. Silver Spoon would finally get angry with her, she'd run up to her parents, and then Rarity would kill her. She should probably start writing her will now. Her third of the clubhouse would be split up between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo-
"You really want to know?" Her voice had more of an edge to it now, though she still held her smile.
Sweetie could only nod in return.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you," she muttered. She glanced at the clock. "It looks like Chef is being finicky again, based on how long Miss Windy is taking to get back. We've got some time."
"Are you sure it's okay?" Sweetie Belle wanted to be absolutely certain that she wasn't prying too hard upon Silver Spoon's life. Even if she already had been quite rude, and the ice did seem to finally be broken, it was still odd to think that she was actually speaking to her. It was like some sort of dream. The kind of dream Sweetie got after eating her mother's day old lasagna too close to bed time.
"Sure, why not?" Silver Spoon shrugged. "It's not like I'll die or anything if you know." She thought for a moment. "But, maybe, you should keep this between us. Or at least just don't let Diamond know I told you, okay?"
"Of course!" Sweetie said a little too loudly, nodding her head with conviction. Her nosey side wanted nothing more than to know this supposed "secret" of hers.
"Hmm." Silver Spoon eyed her for a bit, then let out another sigh. "Well, Diamond Tiara and I weren't always friends, you know."
"Really?" She couldn't imagine a world where the two fillies weren't stuck together like glue.
"Remember when I said that my parents built this place out here? I'm really from Canterlot, even if I was just a little filly when I lived there."
"Canterlot? But you're an-"
"An earthpony?" Silver cut her off, an amused look on her face. "Yes, I know. My mother is a unicorn, and my father is an earthpony. My mother came from a family of lower nobility, and my father is an entrepreneur."
"Like Mr. Rich?" Sweetie Belle asked, wide eyed.
"Mr. Rich is really nice and is a good business stallion, but he isn't an entrepreneur, Sweetie Belle," she corrected her calmly. "You see, my father built his way to the top from the bottom up, and Mr. Rich inherited a successful business." She let the clarification sink in a little. "You know those things that float far out in the water at the beach? Buoys?"
"Yes, I think so," Sweetie answered, wondering why the sudden question was being asked.
"My father invented that," Silver Spoon said proudly.
"Really?" she said in awe. "Your dad must be really smart!"
"He just had an idea and made it real, like any other entrepreneur," Silver said with a shrug. "Anyway, when I was three my parents decided that we should move away from Canterlot. My father was from a small town, and he wanted to go back to something like that again. My mother was growing tired of all the drama and politics, so she didn't argue when my father suggested building a place out here. She said that it was also for me—they didn't want me growing up under the influence of other upper class children." She let out a short laugh. "I guess it couldn't be avoided, though."
"What couldn't be avoided?"
"Well, Diamond Tiara isn't nobility, but her family is quite well off." She turned around in her chair and reached for a cookie off the counter. Once she was seated properly once more, she took a nibble and continued. "I'm going to be frank and admit that she's spoiled."
Sweetie Belle choked back an "Well I'd say" and simply nodded in agreement.
"When I moved here, there wasn't a preschool that my parents were satisfied with. So, my father got in touch with an old friend of his that he knew was in the area, and asked him about any local private tutors he'd recommend."
"And the 'old friend'?"
"Mr. Rich." Silver Spoon nodded. "After he recommended a tutor, they got to catching up. They went to the same college, so they had been pretty close. Mr. Rich brought up that he had a daughter, and my father suggested that we tutor together.
"I didn't like her that much at first. She was mean to our tutor, Mrs. Daisy, and threw fits when she didn't get her way." She shot a stern look at Sweetie Belle. "And before you say that doesn't sound very different from what she does now, let's just say she was worse."
Sweetie Belle's eyes widened more than ever before. One could be worse than Diamond Tiara? Well, she supposed if somepony could, Diamond Tiara would be the one to outdo herself.
"She didn't understand that sometimes ponies were just ponies," Silver Spoon muttered. "Her father brought her up to believe that she was special, that she was loved and adored, and that she deserved everything."
"But why?" Sweetie Belle found herself asking.
"Sweetie Belle, do you love your mother?" Silver Spoon asked suddenly.
"Yeah, of course!" Sweetie answered.
"Well, Diamond never got a chance to love hers. Her mother left Mr. Rich a year after Diamond Tiara was born. He won't tell her why, but Diamond said he always seems really sad about it." She remained silent for a few moments. "I think Mr. Rich though his wife left him because of negligence or something. That would explain why he's always showering Diamond with gifts and stuff. He wants to make sure she knows he loves her."
"Wow, that's—"
"Terrible?"
"I was going to say heart breaking," Sweetie Belle murmured. "I couldn't imagine not knowing my mom."
"Neither could I," Silver Spoon agreed. "But anyway, we tutored together, so we saw each other basically every day. After a while, we just sorta became friends." She took another bite of the cookie still in her hooves. "You know, she really isn't so bad when you get to know her."
"I think I can see that," Sweetie said through a small frown.
"She really is my friend," Silver Spoon insisted. "I'm always telling her not to be so afraid to make more friends, and she'd admitted to wanting to get to know some of the kids at school a little better."
"Then why is she so mean?" Sweetie Belle blurted out. Her frown hardened. "I get that her life hasn't been as perfect as I thought it was, but I don't understand why she has to be so awful."
"Well," Silver Spoon sputtered. It seemed that she hadn't expected such an outburst. "She has been sheltered a bit, and like I said before—"
"Just because she doesn't have a mom doesn't mean she can be a meanie," she stated firmly. She didn't have time to think about how rude she may or may not be coming off as. "Scootaloo doesn't have any parents, and she isn't a bully."
"I, well, I didn't know that." Silver Spoon began to look a little spooked.
"Remember when you two made fun of her because she can't fly yet?" Her words flew off her tongue faster than a rabbit running for its life. "That really messed her up. You can't just make fun of other ponies's insecurities like that just because you can!" She huffed indignantly. "Silver Spoon, you seem like a really nice pony, but I don't understand how anypony could do something like that!"
"I—" Silver Spoon choked on her words. For once, she seemed at a loss.
Sweetie Belle waited for some sort of answer. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, although she wasn't sure why. Why was she this upset? Since when did she care about either of these fillies? She had a right to be angry about what they did to Scootaloo. It was mean, it was unforgivable, it was—
"I'm sorry," Silver Spoon said softly. Her gaze was downcast at the table. Her cookie dropped from her hooves. "I've never really thought about how other ponies might react to her, I mean our, words."
Sweetie stared at the grey filly in front of her. Her mind didn't know how to process what was happening.
"I've been so focused on helping Diamond Tiara, with trying to keep her happy..." Silver Spoon brought her hooves to her face. "I've just been trying to be a good friend."
And then the oddest thing happened.
Silver Spoon began to sob.
It wasn't violent, it wasn't loud, and it wasn't all that messy. It was quiet and soft, but Sweetie Belle could feel the sincerity. This was a filly, at such a young age, that felt lost.
"I... I don't know as much about it as somepony like Princess Twilight," Sweetie Belle began shakily, slowly. "But I don't think friends are supposed to let friends hurt other ponies."
"I just... I just wanted her to feel..." Silver Spoon said through hiccups. "I don't know..."
It was then that Sweetie Belle got up from her chair, walked around to the other side of the table, and did something she had never even dreamed of doing.
She gave Silver Spoon a hug.
"I think I understand now," Sweetie Belle said calmly, still embracing Silver Spoon. "You really do care for her, I see that. You just haven't been going about it the right way."
"Sweetie Belle... am I a bad friend?" Silver Spoon's words were muffled by Sweetie's mane.
"No, you're not. You've just got a little to learn is all." Sweetie Belle pulled back and gave her a warm smile. "Can we be friends?"
"R-really?" Silver Spoon's eyes were filled with disbelief. "You want to be friends with me?"
"Sure, why not?" She laughed. She sat down in the chair next to her and smiled. "It's not like I'm going to die if we become friends, right?"
"Hey!" Silver Spoon cracked a smile, wiping her tears away with a hoof.
"Maybe we can all be friends," Sweetie Belle ventured on, "I'm sure Apple Bloom and Scootaloo will be okay with it once we explain."
"We?" She sounded worried, although she continued to smile. A real, happy smile. "Are you sure that would be okay?"
"Well, you said Diamond Tiara wanted to get to know some of the kids at school better, right?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Well, we happen to be kids from school, so," she broke into more laughter.
"I guess you're right." It seemed like Silver Spoon just couldn't stop smiling. "We could have a sleep over—at my house!"
"That sounds great! I can ask Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to come, and you can get Diamond Tiara to come. How's like... this Friday after school?"
"I think that's okay. I'll have to ask my parents, though," Silver Spoon said with a nod. "Oh. But what will I tell Diamond? I don't think she'll come if she knows Apple Bloom will be there..."
"Just tell her..." Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. "Just tell her that you've got some friends that you'd like her to meet."
"Okay, if you say so," she said. She glanced at the clock. "Wow, what's taking Miss Windy so long? Usually Chef isn't this finicky..."
"Maybe he went home?" Sweetie Belle suggested. "And she went to find somepony else to play?"
"Maybe," Silver Spoon said, but she didn't sound convinced. She got out of her chair, and motioned for Sweetie Belle to stay quiet. She crept over to the door, being careful not to make any noise. As soon as it was within reach, she yanked the door open to reveal one Whirl Wind and one burly stallion with a curly mustache. Whirl Wind face planted, as it seemed that she had her ear up against the door, and the stallion gave the children a sheepish look.
"Miss Windy," Silver Spoon clucked, "how rude of you to eavesdrop."
Sweetie Belle backed her up by making a "tsk tsk" sound and shaking her head slightly from side to side.
"Uh, hello, girls!" Whirl Wind exclaimed, jumping to her hooves. "Chef agreed to a game of pictorials, so here we are!"
"My sincerest apologies," Chef said in what seemed to be a Prench accent. "Miss Whirl Wind insisted on waiting until you two had settled your differences."
"I—I did nothing of the sort!" the pegasus declared, obviously flustered. "Now let's get to playing! I'm sure you two have been waiting long enough."
"Okay, Miss Windy," Silver Spoon said as she rolled her eyes with a knowing smile.
Silver returned to her seat next to Sweetie Belle, and the two adults sat themselves on the opposite side. The two fillies shared a look before breaking into smiles.
Perhaps Diamond Tiara wouldn't be so bad either, Sweetie Belle thought to herself.
Whirl Wind began to read the instructions.
"Okay, so here are the rules..."
