For the Love of Food and Friendship

by Sparkler774

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Other, Silver Spoon, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara, Slice of Life
Length: 5601

My name is Silver Spoon. I never wanted to become a bully, and after last summer, I'm not. But now I'm not sure which is worse- being the bully, or the victim? Sequel to Silver's Decision.

My name is Silver Spoon. I never wanted to become a bully, even by association, and after last summer, I'm not. Me and Diamond Tiara had a big fight, resulting in us parting ways- permanently. Needless to say, she did not take it well.

This year I'm starting 6th grade with my new friends, Boysenberry and Sketch. I've also decided to cultivate my special talent for cooking, instead of hiding it like I used to. Things are starting to look bright.

But Diamond Tiara is starting 6th grade with her new friends too, Aquamarine and Coronet. Long story short, they don't like me.

But now I'm not sure which is worse- being the bully, or being the victim?

Published 2015-12-05 05:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-03-12 18:23:43 UTC

Milkshakes and Movies

Part One

New Beginnings

It was the day we've all been waiting for. All summer long, me, Boysenberry, and Sketch have been itching to see the movie version of our favorite fantasy novel, The Pony Bride. And after seeing trailer after trailer, teaser upon teaser, the big day was finally here.

We decided to go on the last day of summer, as sort of a way to end summer with a bang. So when we all arrived at the Cinema, we couldn't help but gape in awe of the magnificent movie poster we've been starting at all summer.

"This is it," breathed Boysenberry, barely audible.

"The big day," continued Sketch.

"The day we've all been waiting for," I said.

We stared in admiration of the poster bearing a picture of the beautiful princess Buttercup and the dashing pirate-lover Stronghold standing together on a hill, unable to tear our eyes from it.

"Well, why are we standing here???" said Boysenberry suddenly. "Let's go buy our tickets!"

We all trotted up to the zitty counter-pony, purchased our tickets and sprinted into the theatre just in time for the trailers.

"I can't believe this is happening," I murmured. All Boysenberry and Sketch could do was nod. We sat in silence as we watched the previews for a monster movie, a spy movie, and one of those kissy-face rom coms with no plot.

And finally, the Feature Presentation.

***

The blinding light of the late afternoon sun struck us as we walked out of the Cinema an hour later. We had all been struck dumb with the breathtaking magnificence of the movie. I couldn't speak, and apparently neither could my friends until Boysenberry piped up.

"THAT. WAS. AWESOME!!!"

My voice started to work again. "I know, right? I loved the part where Stronghold told Buttercup about him being the Dread-Pirate Robber!"

"Really? I liked the part where Inigo had that sword fight with the guy who killed his father!" said Sketch, grinning.

"Please. The best part was obviously when Fezzik and Inigo take Stronghold to Miracle Max's!" said Boysenberry.

The sky had turned a stunning shade of orange-gold, the clouds around the sun a reddish pink. I love sunsets.

"Come on, guys, let's get a malt at Sugarcube Corner before it gets dark." said Boysenberry. "Last one of the summer and all."

Sketch and I agreed, and we all trotted into the ice cream parlour. I ordered a chocolate, Boysenberry vanilla, and Sketch strawberry.

"Here you go, kids!" said Pinkie Pie, handing us our milkshakes. "On the house. Special occasion, you know, last day of summer!"

"Thanks, Pinkie!" we all said at the same time. We grabbed a booth, and began drinking our treats.

"So, what now?" asked Sketch, staring down at his shake.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, school starts tomorrow. Secondary school. A whole new chapter of our lives. What's gonna happen?"

None of us answered for a while. "Well," I finally said. "I... I really don't know. It's a little hard to see the future, Sketch."

"I guess..." He trailed off, and went back to slurping his strawberry malt.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but this is the year where I am finally going to outshine my siblings at something." said Boysenberry proudly.

"Oh yeah? How?" I asked, curious.

"Well, you see," said Boysen, pausing to take a long drink of her ice cream. "None of my siblings have ever made it past the sixth grade. Even my sisters are only beginning seventh this year. Knowing them, they'll probably try to drop out or something so that they won't have to deal with two more years of school."

"So?"

"So," said Boysenberry, beaming. "With them barely trying in school, and me trying extra hard (along with some extracurriculars here and there), I'll be the golden child in my family for a change. And if I make Honor Roll this semester, my parents promised to take me and me only out to dinner at my favorite restaurant! See what I mean?" Sketch and I nodded.

"What are you guys going to try this year? There'll be a ton of after school clubs and stuff like that here." said Boysen. "I'm going to try out business club, and book club, and technology club, and... oh, I don't know what else. What about you?" Along with our schedules, we received a list of the after and before school clubs that were being offered to sixth graders.

"I think cooking club would be fun." I said. "And book club would be nice to join. I'm really not sure. What about you, Sketch?"

Sketch stared at his hoofs and mumbled something.

"What? I couldn't hear you." said Boysenberry.

"I said, I don't think I'll be doing any of that." he said, still very quiet but just loud enough to hear.

"Aw, why not? You should join art club or cartoon club and show them how to really draw!" said Boysenberry.

Sketch blushed. "N-no. Bad idea. Dad would kill me if I ever joined any kind of art club."

"Well then, don't tell him! He never has to know." said Boysen. "And don't be so afraid to put your stuff out there! Trust me, you're really good!"

I nodded in agreement. Sketch really is a good artist.

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

I shrugged. "Your choice, but there's still no denying you've got skills."

We finished our malts and left a tip on the table for Pinkie Pie. The sun had dipped lower into the sky, and it was starting to get dark. We walked over to the three way street, each road taking us to another's house.

"So stick to the plan, guys- we meet here at 7:45 sharp, and walk in the school together." said Boysenberry.

"Got it." I said, and Sketch nodded.

"Good. See you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

We separated, each of us going to our houses. When I walked in through my front door, the familiar smell of homemade bread and vanilla greeted me.

"Mom, I'm home!" I yelled. "Where are you?"

"In the kitchen, honey! Dinner will ready in a half an hour!"

I ran into my room and flopped on top of my quilt. Today was a good day.

***

Okay. So I'm going to stop right now and tell you a couple of things you'll need to know.

My name is Silver Spoon. Right now, I'm eleven years old and and going to Ponyville Intermediate School- at least I will be, tomorrow. I know what you're thinking- "Oh, Silver Spoon, you mean that filly with the glasses that hangs around Diamond Tiara." Let's get one thing straight about that- I used to hang out with Diamond Tiara, but not anymore. To make a long story short, we had a pretty big falling out and kind of broke it off as friends, permanently. We haven't spoken since the fight, and I've only seen her a few times this summer.

But it hasn't really bothered me, surprisingly. I've been too busy having fun with my new friends, Boysenberry and Sketch. I'm still getting used to the prospect of having more than one best friend, especially one that's a colt, but it's a good kind of different.

Boysen and Sketch are just about as different as you can imagine. Boysenberry is the fourth of seven kids (one older brother, two twin older sisters, two younger brothers, and a baby sister), and you can imagine how that's shaped her personality. She's savvy and headstrong and really tough, and never lets anyone walk all over her. She's already pretty smart on her own, but she tries harder at school than anypony I've ever known. Her cutie mark is three berries, but she doesn't want to work in the fields. No, she's working towards becoming the CEO of the Berry family business. Along with the the Apples, the Pies, and the Lulamoons, the Berry family is one of the largest and most wide spread in Equestria.

But having six brothers and sisters can take a toll on a bank account. Her family moved here to Ponyville last winter because her dad finally got enough money to set up a small cafe and fruit stand in the marketplace. She and all of her siblings work part time there after school and on weekends, except for her older brother Blue, who works there full time.

Boysenberry is a huge overachiever. If she gets an A on a quiz, she'll study all night to make sure that next time it's an A+. Sometimes she stresses herself out and goes absolutely berserk (and believe me, that's when she gets really scary), but will usually calm down after a short freak out session. She plans everything ahead of time, and is good at it too. She's had this back to school thing planned since July. Boysenberry's the kind of person who will never, ever lie to you about anything. If I needed a completely honest opinion about something, she's the pony I turn to.

Sketch, however, is a totally different story. He's very sweet and chivalrous, but painfully shy, especially around adults and teachers. It took him a long time to get used to me, but when he did, he became one of the friendliest and kindest colts I've ever met. He taught me how to play Grand Prix Racers on his Joy Boy, and one time I actually beat him. He even introduced me to his other friends, Featherweight and Button Mash (They were both kind of wary at first, but Button liked me right away when I told him that I like video games. I still don't think Featherweight trusts me all the way yet). But even though he's kind of timid, he's always ready to stand up for his friends.

Sketch is the best artist I know. When he draws, it ends up looking more like a photograph than a sixth-grader's pencil drawing. Me and Boysenberry keep telling him to join art club or something similar, but he never does. It's probably because of his dad.

Sketch's mom died from cancer when he was only seven, and has been living with his dad and older brother ever since. His dad is a huge sports fanatic, and his brother, Puck, is at Vanhoover Tech on a hockey scholarship. Sketch is always being pressured to go out for sports by his dad, even though he's not the least bit athletic. He doesn't approve of Sketch's interest in art because he thinks art is for sissies.

And me? Well... I'm not really sure what you want to know about me. I like reading mystery novels and cooking, particularly desserts. I've spoken fluent Prench for as long as I can remember, and I plan on going to culinary school once I'm older, and then opening my own cafe in Canterlot or Prance.

And that's all you really need to know about me for now. I promise, tomorrow will be more exciting. It's the first day of school, after all.

Good night.

Author's Note

Hello everypony! Welcome back!

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the next chapter in Silver Spoon's adolescence. Will be publishing another one soon. (Just to clarify- in my version of Equestria, Intermediate school goes from 6th to 8th, not 7th to 8th.)

In every chapter, Silver Spoon will either be cooking or eating some sort of food. Here in the author's notes, I will be including the recipe or a link to it. Today, you'll be experiencing Sugar Cube Corner's world-famous chocolate malt, Silver's favorite.

Ingredients
2 cups vanilla ice cream
2/3 cup cold milk
2 tablespoons malted milk powder
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 to 4 tablespoons whipped cream

In a blender, combine the ice cream, milk, malted milk powder and chocolate syrup; cover and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses. Top with a dollop of whipped cream; serve immediately. Enjoy!

Tomato is better than PB&J

BRRRINNNNNGGGG...

Wham.

I look at my alarm clock sleepily, barely keeping my eyes open. The hands read 7:00, and suddenly I remember- IT'S TODAY!

I jolt upright and jump out of bed. Rushing over to my three-mirror vanity, I quickly brush my mane and tail until they shine, then braid my mane into a small plait, tying it with a lilac ribbon instead of my usual pink hair tie. I reach into my jewelry box and pull out a short silver locket with pearls on the sides and in the middle, clasping it around my neck. Inside is a mirror on one side, and a picture of Me, Sketch, and Boysen on the other. It took two months worth of allowance, but I was finally able to buy it in August. I used to have a pearl necklace that Diamond Tiara gave to me, but it got broken the day of me and Diamond's fight, so I bought this as a symbol of my new friendships.

I grab my white saddle bags with the blue-and-purple buckles and sling it over my back. In the bags are my textbooks, notebooks, writing utensils, and class schedule, all of which I packed the day before. Also in there was my brand-new custom lunchbox with my cutie mark on it, but with pictures of different foods surrounding it. I made a tomato-basil sandwich with olive oil and garlic, a small fruit salad with a honey-lemon dressing, and two chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies, all of which I prepared myself. Mother has a plate of chocolate waffles with pear sauce (my favorite!) waiting at the table. I eat it slowly, savoring the delicious taste of chocolate and pear combined. I glance at the clock when I'm finished; it's 7:40, and I've got 5 minutes until I have to meet my friends!

I wolf down the rest of my breakfast, kiss my mother goodbye, and run out the door into the brisk morning air. Summer wrap up was a few weeks ago, and the leaves had begun to change color. In the distance I could see Boysenberry impatiently checking her new watch. I wave to her, and she waves back.

"Hey, Silver Spoon!" she says, grinning.

"Hey, Boysen." I say. "Where's Sketch?"

"Dunno. He should be here in a couple of minutes, though."

We talk for a while before spotting Sketch. He seems a little out of breath, but neither of us ask about it. Boysenberry checks her watch and gives a little yelp.

"Omigosh!" she says. "We've got to get going! It's 7:50!"

We break into a run, careful not to drop any of our books. We make it to the building at 7:56, only a few minutes before the first bell. All of us have the same homeroom in room 137, so we hurry there, grabbing three seats next to each other in the second row. The bell rings, and a tall, pretty unicorn mare with a dark brown mane tied up in a bun walks into the classroom; her cutie mark is a yellow star. She trots over to the blackboard, and picks up a piece of chalk in her light green aura.

"Hello everypony. I am Miss Mocha, and welcome to grade six." She writes her name on the board. "I am the 7th and 8th grade Mathematics teacher, but for now, I am your Homeroom teacher. I am also the faculty adviser for the technology club and the book club, and you can see me after class if you're interested in either."

"Please take out your school handbook and turn to page one. You should have received one in the mail along with your class schedules." I pull a dark blue paperback book out of my saddlebags. Emblazoned on the front in red and gold lettering are the words, 'Ponyville Intermediate Student Manual'. I opened it up, the pages stiff with newness. On the first page was a form.

"Please fill in the blanks with the correct information." said Miss Mocha. I did so, writing in my very best cursive.

The rest of class mostly consisted of the teacher informing us of the rules, which was boring in and of itself, but Miss Mocha made it sound... well, kinda cool. It all went by surprisingly fast, and before I knew it, we had covered the majority of the rule book.

"Okay then, now's the time to ask questions if you have any." said Miss Mocha, closing her book and setting it down on top of her desk. Several hoofs went up, and Miss Mocha chose a gray-colored colt with a red mane.

"Yes, Mister..."

"Train Tracks. And why did Princess Twilight have to go and make us have to do two more grades before we're out of school? And how come we couldn't just do them in our old schoolhouses instead of trying to figure out this place?"

"Well..." began Mocha. "Those are sort of difficult questions to answer. But I'll try to explain them the best I can, alright?"

Train Tracks nodded, and Miss Mocha began.

"About eight to thirteen years ago, there was something that we call a 'national baby boom', meaning that there were a very large amount of babies born in a short period of time all over Equestria. A lot of schools weren't prepared for all the new students, so classrooms became more cramped and even most small towns had to build at least two schoolhouses.

"As you know, by the time most foals graduate sixth grade, they've found their special talent and have either gone to college, trade school, or have entered some kind of apprenticeship until they become legal adults at sixteen. But as of late, most statistics have shown that more and more foals are late bloomers when it comes to earning their cutie marks, leaving them with very few options once they are out of the public school system. Besides that, a boost of crime in some larger cities has occurred, which some officials say it's caused partially by illiteracy and a lack of education and work in young adults and teenagers.

"So a little while after Princess Twilight's coronation, she proposed a new law, lengthening the required years of public school and constructing at least one secondary school building for every two or three elementary schools to share. In Ponyville, this is the only Intermediate school, but in cities like Manehatten and Las Pegasus there are as many as thirty or forty public schools now, with a few private and charter schools thrown in here and there, mostly for the upper class or students who need an academic challenge.

"And I know that doesn't look like very much fun," said Mocha, a crooked smile spreading on her face. "But as I said, part of the reason we even had this law passed was because students needed a longer time to find their special talents and goals in life. So as a result, we have a very large and diverse amount of clubs and electives, all meant to aid you in your quest to find your cutie mark.

"And that's basically it. Any other questions?"

The bell rang. Miss Mocha gave a little chuckle. "Well, that answers that. See you tomorrow!"

I picked up my books and slung them over my back into my saddlebags. Boysen and Sketch did the same, and we all checked our schedules.

"History next, for me." said Boysenberry.

"I got Math." said Sketch.

I brightened. "Oooh, what room number?"

"Two-twenty-two."

"Oh. Darn it. I forgot, I'm in the accelerated program. Sorry."

"No worries."

"Well, see you guys later, I guess." said Boysenberry. We nodded, and parted ways for the moment.

I navigated my way to Room 124 and scoped out the classroom. A few students were already there. I recognized one or two other kids from Cheerilee's class, but everypony else was unfamiliar.

I selected a seat up front, where I could see the board clearly. At the moment, it read: Take out a clean sheet of paper and a pencil, and write your name and the period number at the top right corner. Sit quietly in your seats and be ready to take notes.

Doing as the chalkboard said, I pulled out a fresh piece of lined paper from my bag and one of my new pencils. I wrote my name at the top i cursive, but as I scribbled down the period number, the tip broke. I frowned; this wouldn't do.

In the back of the room was a pencil sharpener, so I walked in the back. I stuck the pencil in and began to turn the crank. The bell rang, and I scurried back up the row of desks to my seat.

Suddenly, a hoof extended out to the aisle, right in front of my front legs. Before I knew it, I was face down on the floor, my muzzle pressing painfully against the bridge of my glasses. Thankfully they hadn't broke.

The room was full now, and everypony in it was laughing. I looked up; a familiar pink face sneered down at me.

"Hope you had a nice trip, Spoony!" Diamond laughed. I got up, slowly, shaking while I put back on my glasses. Diamond's hoof swept back under me again, knocking me to the floor. The laughter around me escalated, a near-deafening noise.

A large, burly stallion walked in, and the room quieted. I hurried back to my seat, not wanting to attract any more attention.

I tried to listen to the teacher, but my smarting muzzle was a constant reminder of the mortifying trip. I watched the clock earnestly, praying for class to be over.

An hour later, my wish came true, and I raced out of that room like my life depended on it. I made it to my English class on time, and gratefully, Boysenberry was there too. I got a seat next to her up front, setting my things down in a huff.

"What's up?" she asked, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay." I said. "You want to know who's in my Math class with me, and who tripped me-twice- in front of everypony?"

"Who?"

"Diamond Tiara Rich, that's who. I mean, I knew that she and I weren't on speaking terms since the pool party in June, but she hates me now!"

"Oh come on, Silv, you're being dramatic. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't hate you. At least not too much."

"You don't know Diamond like I did, Boysen. Once she starts to hold a grudge, she never lets go."

***

We walk out of English together, in a shocked daze. Mr. Arkane... wow. Just wow.

"T-That was... intense." I said.

"Y-yes... intense is a good word." said Boysenberry.

We walked in silence for a while. Thinking was too much work. Arkane, with his at first quiet and mysterious persona, had taken us in as a totally normal pony. Man, were we wrong. By the middle of class, he was holding an actual skull and quoting Shakespony's Hamlet. Very, very loudly.

But we pushed that thought out of our minds when we reached Science. This was one of the only classes me, Sketch, and Boysen all had together. And, being earth ponies, we were all pretty excited to be learning any kind of magic, even if it was only in theory.

Sketch waved us over to the two other seats he had saved for us over by the window. We smiled and waved back, setting our things down.

"Hey, guys." he said. "Check this out- I spent most of third period on this."

He held up a drawing of what appeared to be a caricature of a very familiar filly wearing an enormous tiara and grinning evilly. She stood atop a huge bag spilling over with bits, her father standing next to it, on a leash held by the filly. The caption at the bottom read, 'Daddy's little Angel'.

We gave a little chuckle at the accuracy of the picture. Geez, that was exactly like Diamond.

The bell rang, and we all turned our attention to the front. A dark blue Pegasus stallion walked in front of the board, holding a piece of chalk.

"Hello everypony, and welcome to Earth Science and Magical Theory. I am your teacher, Mr. Nebula. Now, pay attention to the graph next to my desk..."

The class passed seemingly quick; it all turned out to be a very interesting subject (or at least I thought so- I saw a few of my classmates fighting sleep). When it was over, Sketch Boysenberry and I walked into the crowded cafeteria. It was filled to bursting with shrieking, laughing sixth graders. I have to admit, the noise was a bit nerve wracking, and finding an empty table turned out to be a challenge. Eventually, we spotted one in the far corner from the lunch line, and sat down.

"I'm going to go get my lunch," said Sketch, getting up. "You guys go on and eat without me."

I shrugged and started on my sandwich. I had added a little too much salt, and not enough mayonnaise. Oh, well. I'll try again tomorrow. Boysenberry was weird when she ate her lunch. Instead of eating one thing at a time and moving on when she was through, she alphabetized each snack, arranged them in a circle, and ate one bite of each clockwise. I don't understand her sometimes.

"So, what do you think of intermediate school so far?" I asked, finishing my sandwich. Next to her, Sketch had come back with his lunch of salad, fruit and a milk carton.

She grinned. "It's great! For once, all of my classes aren't completely boring! Sure, the other kids are total idiots- not you guys, of course- but besides that, I love it! What about you?"

"I like it well enough." I answered, shrugging. "I really like our Homeroom teacher. But I don't think I'm going to like Math very much, what with Diamond there with me."

"Oooh, talking about me again, Silvy?"

I whipped around, my blood running cold. I was face-to-face with with Diamond Tiara. Behind her, Aquamarine and Coronet stood sneering.

"What do you want, Diamond?" asked I asked her, trying to sound hostile.

"Oh, not much," said Diamond, examining her hooficure with a smirk. "Just wanted to know if you missed me since Math class." I felt my cheeks grow hot, and my muzzle began to sting again. I took a good look at her. She definitely changed quite a bit over the summer. Her mane was up in a wavy ponytail, the tiara clipped to the hair tie. She wore light blue eye shadow, and shiny pink lip gloss. She had gotten her ears pierced with diamond studs, lined with platinum. Her voice had matured some, more condescending and superior. Aqua and Coronet had changed, too. They had both gotten their ears pierced, and wore as much makeup as Diamond. Aqua's mane was clipped back with two pink, pearly barrettes, and she wore a silver chain necklace with a pink pearl. Coronet's hair was still short, part of one eye covered with swept off side bangs. She wore two ruby studs, and a ruby choker to match.

"Leave me alone, okay?" I meant it to sound assertive and strong, but it came out as a sort of a squeak.

Aqua and Coronet burst into girlish giggles. I blushed, and turned back to my lunch.

"Whatcha eating, Spoon?" asked Coronet, picking up my cookies and taking a bite out of one.

"Hey, those are mine!" I cried, trying to snatch them back. Coronet laughed, and held them out of my reach.

Diamond laughed, high and throaty. "Aw, be nice, Silver Spoon! Didn't your mother ever teach you to share?"

"Give them back, Diamond!" shouted Boysenberry angrily. Sketch nodded in agreement, looking more fierce than I had ever seen him before (he's usually very calm).

Diamond shot her and Sketch a disdainful look. "Well, what do we have here? Did wittle Silvy make some friends?"

Coronet snorted. "Doubtful. But hey, birds of feather."

Boysenberry reddened. "What's that supposed to mean???"

"Well, it's not like you have any other options friendship-wise. I mean come on, who'd really want to tarnish their reputation by hanging out with you geeks?" said Coronet, snickering. "Like I said- birds of a feather."

"More like nerds of a feather," giggled Aqua.

"Good one, Aqua!" laughed Diamond. "Cute locket, Silver Spoon. What hobo did you steal it off of?" I clutched my locket defensively.

"You could really use a lesson in accessorizing, Silv. Here, let me help." Diamond grabbed Boysenberry's peanut butter and jelly sandwich and pried apart the pieces of bread, dropping each sticky side onto the top of my mane. She snagged Sketch's milk and ripped open the carton, pouring the whole thing on my head. Rivets of white liquid flowed into my eyes and down my cheeks.

"S-Stop it..." I peeped, feeling tears forming in the corners of my eyes. A small crowd had formed, laughing at my expense.

"Get out of here, Diamond Tiara!" shouted Boysenberry, by now her face red with fury. "Come on guys, let's go." She got up, jerked her lunchbox and mine off the table, and stalked out of the cafeteria, bringing me and Sketch along with her. On the way out, I saw a rectangular purple object whiz through the air, hitting Boysenberry squarely in the back of her head. It was a juice box, and it's contents had squirted out all over her. She stopped walking for a minute, looking like she wanted to kill something. But she composed herself, walking with her head held high.

We made it to the bathroom before noticing that Sketch wasn't there with us. I shrugged it off as Sketch being Sketch, and began to clean myself up with a few paper towels.

"Hey..." said Boysenberry, wiping off her mane with a towel. "Do you hear something?"

"No, what?"

"I hear something. It sounds like yelling."

I strained my ears, and sure enough, I could hear the faint sound of a fight. Boysen and I gave each other a look, then went off running for the cafeteria.

Peeking in, we could see Sketch talking to Diamond and her gang, although we couldn't hear. Doing our best not to be seen, Boysenberry and I snuck in closer, hiding under an empty table. It was cramped, but now we could hear everything almost perfect.

"-quit it! What have we done to you???" said Sketch, stomping his front hoof.

Diamond chuckled. "It's not really what you losers have done, it's more like you just exist. And who could blame me for being a little disgusted with you three? None of you belong here. Face it, no one is ever going to accept you, and why should they? You're freaks, and nothing you do will ever change that."

This seemed to only make Sketch even more angry. "Shut up, Diamond! Just leave my friends alone already!"

She smirked. "Oh, so they're your friends? Funny, even I never thought a wimp like you would have the nerve to call two girls his best friends. Real masculine."

Sketch blushed bright red. "Shut. Up!!!" he shouted, stomping his hoof again.

Diamond only laughed (I'm starting to hate that laugh). "Watch your tone, Sketchy. Or maybe next time I'll be even worse."

Sketch looked as if he wanted to hit her, but somehow he managed to restrain himself. He stalked away, gritting his teeth amidst the humiliating laughter of Diamond and her crew. Boysen and I shared a look that agreed to never talk to Sketch about this. Neither us thought that he deserved to have to go through any of that.

We snuck back out of the cafeteria and back to the bathroom, where we finished cleaning ourselves up. Some juice had dried in Boysenberry's mane, and it took a long time to wash the peanut butter off, but we all made to fifth period in time.

I don't have much to say for the rest of the day. I was alone in Equestrian History, except for the snickers of my classmates who had witnessed the lunch ordeal. Sketch and I had Home Ec. together, but we didn't talk much. As for Phys Ed., Boysen and Sketch and I all had it together, but then all of Diamond's crew was there, too. I was only too happy to get home, and I got the feeling that my friends felt the same.

Author's Note

Well, that was cheerful.

So sorry for the long wait. Here's a longer (if more angsty) chapter to make up for it!

Thanks to Vanilla Mocha, Galaxy Nebula, and All of the Above for use of their OCs.

Ponycodes!

Miss Mocha- 313L000100FEFAE3FFC49D0020100BB96UN1837000000002004C1C00FF7FFF0Q107F3FCC004CB2

Mr. Nebula-
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Mr. Arkane-
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And here's the recipe for a great Tomato sandwich:

Ingredients
1 cup good mayonnaise
10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 slices country loaf bread
1 heirloom or Israeli tomato, sliced

Whisk together the mayonnaise, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the top of 2 slices of bread. Place the sliced tomato on top of one bread slice. Place the remaining slice of bread, mayonnaise side down, on top of the tomato. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

Link is here.