Spike stood ready to go for the photographer. He had a nice tuxedo on, with a bow tie that matched Diamond Tiara's dress. She had her tiara on and looked properly prim and proper for their guest. Her dress was frilly, but not overly so. A white and pink affair that covered her shoulders but showed off quite a bit of her back when she stood tall.

Photo Finish was the name of their pony who would be taking photographs of the two of them together. She came in like a storm. "There you are." She kissed either of Diamond's cheeks. "I am very buzy mare, you are knowing this. Go." She pointed to a spot. "Both of you."

Spike stood beside Diamond Tiara as instructed and Photo Finish started snapping away.

"Zat is good, zat is nice." She snapped shots of them standing. "Now! Move!" She stomped her hooves at them. She put them in front of things, and behind other things, trying to find 'ze magic' that would capture them best. "Yes! Yes!"

She got a shot of Diamond Tiara looking at her tiara while Spike held it in his hands, an inch from putting it on her head. She took one with Diamond leaning over Spike's shoulder. She waved Diamond aside and snapped a few of just Spike in various poses, then a few of just her. "You cannot be sure which of you they will be eating up, bezt to be zure ahead of time."

The shooting had been about an hour when Photo Finish finally took her camera away from her eyes. "Zat is it! I have no more time today. Zome of zese will be perfect. I vill zend you the pictures. If nothing, you can enjoy ze magics on your own! Now, ta ta!" She trotted out the door in a flash, leaving Diamond and Spike alone together again.

Diamond sagged as soon as the door shut. "Glad that's over."

"Was she supposed to be that pushy?" Spike rubbed behind his neck with an awkward laugh. "Still, I guess good? If they come out good that is. They came out good, right?"

Diamond waved him down. "I think so, but we don't get those until tomorrow." She sighed. "She'll be gone all night developing them before sending them off to her other stops." She waved at the door. "Crack that open. I need some air in here." She hurried to her dresser. "I've worn this enough for now, way too stuffy."

Spike hurried to open the door for Diamond, letting cool air from outside into her room. "That does feel good. You did really good there, D. She seemed really pleased with your posing."

Diamond came back in a far simpler dress that let more of her flanks and back breathe. "She barks a lot of orders, but that's Photo Finish for you. She sounded happy enough." She trotted up to Spike and reared up to brush her hooves over his tux. "You can keep this, by the way. It really does look nice on you."

Spike blushed faintly as she put her hooves on him. "Thanks! You looked amazing too. Can I ask you a question?" He waited for her nod before continuing. "Why do you want to be in a fashion magazine?"

She got a funny look and a little laugh. "Spike, I may put on airs, but I am still a filly. What filly doesn't want to be in a fashion magazine, at least once? Right on the cover'd be nice." She sighed with dreams of that happening. "Being told that, yes, you are the hottest thing around and everypony else wishes they were as amazing as you? C'mon, doesn't that sound nice?"

He had to chuckle. "I guess it does, if they think it's true. I think you look great."

Diamond grinned at him. "Well, of course. You have impeccable taste." She hugged him tight. "My cute and wonderful dragon!"

"Yeah." That wasn't Spike. Both looked to the door to see Silver Spoon standing there, watching them both with an expression caught between anger and heart-rending jealousy. "Must be nice."

Diamond blushed. "Silver! You're here!"

Silver nodded. "I am. You said we were going to go shopping today, remember?"

Spike glanced between the mares as he tried to slink away.

Silver caught his tail as he tried to get past, casually stomping it to the ground in a firm pin. "You said we'd go shopping last week, but cancelled at the last minute for some Spike time. The week before that, you had another excuse. The week before that you skipped out on me because of Spike again."

Diamond's blush grew deeper. "Sorry." She didn't know what else to say.

Silver Spoon let go of Spike's tail. "He's replaced me." She glared at him, but it dissolved to misery. "You got a dragon instead of me, and I can't even get a dragon to compete." She gestured vaguely about. "Where does a filly, like, even get one of those? Besides, I bet they wouldn't be nearly as good as this one."

Spike blushed all over again as Silver spoke.

Diamond sighed. "I'm sorry, Silver Spoon." She walked around Spike and pulled her into a hug. "It doesn't feel that way. I mean, I didn't mean for it to feel that way. You're still my best filly."

Silver returned the embrace slowly, then pulled back to look at Diamond Tiara. "It's not that I'm not happy for you." She glanced at Spike, though there was more than a little jealousy in her eyes. "But 'best filly' clearly rates a few steps lower than 'best dragon'." She sniffled gently. "And I can't turn into a dragon for you."

Diamond rolled both ears flat against her head, tail still as she shuffled. "Silver... I bet you would if you could, but I like you just the way you are, not a Silver dragon, even if that would be pretty neat." She gave the mare a little nuzzle. "I'm sorry I cancelled on you so often. That was mean of me, and I promise I'll try to do better." Her expression hardened into a scowl, but it was not aimed at Silver Spoon. "I've gotten spoiled."

That got Silver to jump. "You sure you mean to phrase it like that?"

"Of course I do." Diamond pointed at herself. "I was taking after my mom, focusing on the new thing that could get me seen and recognized and ignoring everything else." She shuddered at the very idea. "I was being spoiled. Yuck." She made a face, then lunged for Silver, hugging her. "Forgive me?"

Spike watched as Silver Spoon hugged Diamond Tiara back with much more vigor. "I guess I can." She looked down at Spike, and he thought she was about to glare again when her head turned away from him. "Um." He worked his hands together, fingers enmeshing. "I don't want to get between you two. You're a nice pony, Silver."

Silver Spoon gave him an awkward look. "It's been a while since anypony said that about me. You... you're not entirely wrong. I'm not going to be your friend, though." She stuck out her tongue at him. "You stole my bestie!" Sinking to her haunches, she adjusted her glasses. "I can't forgive that like a switch, Spike."

Diamond Tiara sighed. "Spike, if you could leave us alone for a few minutes?"

He had no problems doing that.

Diamond turned to Silver. "I'm not saying you have to become his friend, but I do want you two to be on good terms."

Silver huffed softly. "I won't make a scene. But I don't have to like him, especially right now." She took a shivering breath. "Not right now."

Diamond Tiara nodded. "I get that." She pulled Silver Spoon into a hug again. "I'm sorry I didn't see this coming. That was silly of me, right?" She made it as cute and self-deprecating as she felt it was. "You're still my bestie." She brushed down Silver's sides. "Only filly in this town that gets me, I swear."

Silver snorted. "Of course. Nobody gets you like I do. I still can't believe you got a dragon instead of a unicorn."

Diamond shook her head. "I know, but he's not a bad replacement." Diamond suddenly snorted. "I would have used a unicorn for the position, and I can do that just fine with Spike, but he's a better boyfriend. I don't think I did bad on that front."

Silver gave her an eye roll for that. "Okay. So long as we've gotten that part cleared up." She hugged Diamond tight. "So, are we shopping?"

Diamond nodded firmly. "Yes. Let me send Spike home, then we can do just that, okay?"

Silver smiled at that. "Okay." She sniffed but forced a smile. "You've been so busy, you missed out on a few things. We'll catch up properly after our shopping spree, okay?"

Diamond Tiara nodded. "Sounds perfect, Silver Spoon."

***

Pear Butter set down a steaming tray on the table. "You jus' stop be hopin' fer a taste, don't you?"

Velvet grinned, not denying it. "It works more often than not, and you like that more than the experiences."

Pear laughed at that. "Well, yes, but that's because I like livin', you daft unicorn." She bonked Velvet gently. "How you keep on like that is beyond me."

Velvet grinned up at Pear with her big, unassuming eyes. "You aren't living if you aren't worried, at least a little, that you may stop doing that if you mess up."

Pear inhaled sharply. "What a stance." She rolled her eyes. "You have fun. I'll be here, with my good, old friends." She waggled her hoof. "You've met my good friends: safety and common sense."

Velvet snorted at that, then laughed. "Well, they are good friends to have. You should introduce me sometime. But for now, I want to know how you're going to react to this." Her horn glowed as she set down a colorful flyer. "Check this out. They're throwing ponies off the edge of Canterlot."

Pear crashed to her haunches. "Yer jokin'." She looked up towards where Canterlot would be if her roof wasn't in the way. "And ponies want that?! Ah figured half the point of bein' in Canterlot is avoidin' fallin' off the edges!"

Velvet grinned broadly. "I'm not lying, Pear Butter." She gave the other mare an appraising look. "Maybe we should go?"

Pear looked at Velvet with a heavy dose of skepticism. "Oh, sure. Who doesn't dream of going to the high and lofty city of Canterlot, especially if they're gonna be tossed off the side!" She grabbed a serving spatula in her mouth. "Now, I'm gonna cut this, and serve it, and if yer smart, you'll eat it and compliment me on it and leave talk of that kinda nonsense aside fer now."

Velvet nodded slowly. "I mean, you don't have to go, but I think it would be good for you." She held out a fork to Pear. "And you know that food always tastes better with magic."

Pear grumbled into her spatula, but set it down to take the offered fork. "You can't use this against me. I just don't want ta die, or be injured, or otherwise hurl myself down the mountainside jus' to have a new story ta tell!" She rolled her eyes. "An' you take that bake! The only magic in my cookin's love, and that keeps bringin' you back over to try some, so ah must have somethin' goin'."

"You do." Velvet served Pear Butter some of the freshly baked pie. "Your baking is amazing. My compliments. My point is, though, that I don't think it's going to be that dangerous."

Pear raised a brow. "I'm not tryin' to make my treats dangerous."

Velvet burst into laughter. "I meant the falling, not this delicious pie you have here." She took a big bite, apple getting all over her snout, not that she minded. "Mmm."

"Ah get it. You don't think fallin' off a mountain will kill me." Pear gave Velvet a little look as she started serving up a few other slices. "Well, you're half right. Won't die from nothin' ah don't do." She sat with her own plate and ate it in more delicate bites. "Mmm, came out good. Look, if yer so ready to go, why don't you come to the next family reunion? That's a whole mess ah fun."

Author's Note

End one arc, start another? We got good things going on here! Also sudden Silver Spoon. Did you forget her?

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