Romance and the Fate of Equestria

Chapter Ninety

Sweetie Belle pranced down the street, laden with saddlebags. She found herself nearly skipping with glee, humming a little tune and occasionally singing outright.

Abruptly, her cheerful mood vanished. She gasped and hid behind a lamppost, peering out from behind it to make sure she had truly seen what she thought she had seen.

Diamond Tiara was walking along the street, laughing uproariously. Walking alongside her, staring at her and smiling broadly, was Featherweight.

"No…" Sweetie Belle whispered. "No!"

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"Diamond Tiara with Featherweight?" Apple Bloom demanded.

"Yes," Sweetie Belle whined anxiously, pacing the floor of the Crusaders' clubhouse.

Apple Bloom shook her head and shrugged. "I don't even know what to say."

"You don't seem surprised," Sweetie Belle accused.

"I am surprised," Apple Bloom said hastily, gesturing with a shiny black hoof to her heavy-lidded eyes. "It's the eyeshadow, it's very heavy; I can't open my eyes very wide."

"Oh. Okay," Sweetie Belle said lamely. "This… this is devastating. I was certain my eyes were playing a trick on me. But it's real. They were together. Why?"

"I don't know, Sweetie Belle," said Scootaloo, sitting on the loveseat and watching Sweetie as she paced back and forth. "Sometimes two ponies just walk together. Maybe it was about the newspaper?"

"She doesn't work there anymore," Sweetie said, shaking her head. "And what would they even have to talk about? It looked a lot like a date."

Apple Bloom bit her lip. "I'm sorry to hear that. Gosh…"

"Featherweight is… he was my guy," Sweetie Belle said pitifully, sitting down on the floor. "He liked me. He'd never go for a filly like Diamond Tiara. Maybe he doesn't want to be broken up anymore. Maybe…" She brightened up. "Maybe he's trying to be seen with Diamond Tiara to make me jealous and get me to take him back! Boys do that, right?"

"Didn't he break up with you?" Scootaloo pointed out.

"Oh," Sweetie Belle muttered. "Oh, yeah. So it's probably not… not that, then. …So, what is happening?" she cried hysterically. "I… did she ask him? Did he ask her? Was this already happening when we were still together? How—how will I ever—How am I gonna live with the not knowing? I am gonna go crazy, not knowing how this happened or when it started or whyyyyyy Diamond Tiara can be seen walking down the street with MY! BOYFRIEND!" She collapsed, flat on her back. "I just… want to know."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly rushed to her side to hug her. "Sweetie Belle… I'm sorry," Apple Bloom whispered.

"Girls."

They all turned their heads toward Silver Spoon, who sat in her customary spot in the corner of the clubhouse, setting aside the comic book she had been reading, and blowing her loose strands of hair out of her eyes.

"Sweetie Belle," said Silver Spoon, "if you want to find out why this happened, just ask. I'm still on speaking terms with Diamond Tiara, remember? I can ask her what's going on. And I can tell you about it."

"You… you can," Sweetie Belle realized, blinking the tears out of her eyes. "You can do that! Would you? Will you?"

"Of course," she said brightly, strutting over to the Crusaders. "I wanna do things for you guys, be a good friend. This is just a little thing." She joined the other two in hugging Sweetie Belle tightly. "You'll get your answers, Sweetie, I promise. I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Thanks, Silver Spoon," Sweetie Belle said with a tiny, tearful smile.

"I… will be back in a flash," Silver Spoon said grandly, bouncing out of the clubhouse.

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Diamond Tiara lounged in her bedroom, flipping through a magazine, bobbing along to the pop music blaring on the radio, and occasionally winking and nodding flirtatiously at her own reflection.

Silver Spoon knocked on the already-open bedroom door and strolled in. "Hey, DT."

"Oh, hey Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara said, her face brightening as she jumped off of her bed. "Nice to see ya! We never hang out outside of school anymore. What's up with that?"

Silver Spoon winced. "I'm sorry. "I've been doin' my own thing, lately."

"That's cool," Diamond Tiara said absently.

"Um, so…" Silver Spoon said nervously, "word on the street is that you've been out with Featherweight. What can you tell me about that?"

"Oh. Yeah, we're kinda dating," Diamond Tiara said, grinning mischievously. "Just a minor little thing, no big deal, know what I'm saying?"

"…Not really, no," Silver Spoon said blankly.

"Well, okay," Diamond Tiara said, clearly eager to share the story. "Last week, he asks me out. And naturally, I was all, 'No. Like, eww.' I don't care if he is the editor of the paper or the lead in the play, he's still a one-pony geek convention who dates Cutie Mark Crusaders. No thank you. But then I heard the gossip, which apparently, he planted himself: the whole reason he broke up with Squeaky Belle was because—"

"Sweetie Belle," Silver Spoon corrected, offended.

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatevs," she said dismissively. "Anyway, he dumped her because he wanted to ask me out." She giggled. "I mean, there's nothing strange about that. It's pretty much, you know, the natural course of events. But I started thinking… our precious director getting dumped by her leading man, for me? That is funny. Too funny not to see through to its conclusion. So I found him, earlier today, and told him I changed my mind. I can't wait to see that poor girl's face, hee hee. Oh, she'll be a wreck!"

Silver Spoon's lips thinned. "She's a wreck already."

"Is she? What, did I miss her finding out? Aw, that sucks."

Silver Spoon glared at her furiously.

"What are you glaring at?" Diamond Tiara said in amusement.

"Not cool, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon said softly.

"I didn't say it was 'cool', I said it was funny."

"It's not funny either!" she snarled. "And it's extremely, majorly, unequivocally NOT COOL!"

"What is WRONG with you?" Diamond Tiara demanded. "Przewalski! I'm just messing with Apple Bloom and her crew of lame blank flanks, same as we always do. What's gotten into you? I know you'd normally be totally into this, so what's your problem?"

Silver Spoon sighed raggedly and stared angrily at the floor. "Those ponies you're talking about?" she said through gritted teeth. "The ones we both love messing with so much? They're my best friends."

"…WHAT?" Diamond Tiara squawked unpleasantly.

"I've… been hanging out with Apple Bloom and the others behind your back for months," Silver Spoon forced out.

"And why would you do a dumbass thing like that?" Diamond Tiara scoffed.

"Because they're good ponies!" Silver Spoon exploded. "Better ponies than us. And I wanted to be more like them. They helped me become a better pony than I ever thought I could be." She looked to Diamond Tiara plaintively. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. Listen, come with me. You'll learn so much. You'll change like I have. And we can all be friends!"

Diamond Tiara scowled at her for a few seconds. "What a load of crap," she sneered. "You can't have it both ways, Silver Spoon. I'm not gonna start slumming with those unsexy, so-not-special… whatever the hell they are, and neither should you." She lifted a front hoof and shoved Silver Spoon's chest. "What's it gonna be, huh? Me or them?"

"Friends don't make ultimatums," Silver Spoon said promptly.

"Yes they do," said Diamond Tiara, rolling her eyes. "That's what our friendship is all about: you do what I want so I'll keep you around. It's a good system, a beautiful thing. Why mess with it?"

Silver Spoon leaned toward her with a vicious snarl. "Well, here's a choice for you, then: me, and everypony else who comes with me, every one of my friends… or nopony. Take your pick, 'cause I don't know who you think you're fooling with the whole 'most popular filly in school' routine. Nopony likes you except me, and you know it."

Diamond Tiara glared at her darkly. "Get outta my house and never talk to me again," she growled.

"Fine," Silver Spoon said brightly. "Be alone. I'm gonna go be… not alone. And it's pronounced 'Chevalski', not 'Prez-waluski', you bubble-headed dimwit."

"GO!" Diamond Tiara roared.

Silver Spoon turned away, her eyes welling up with tears. "With pleasure," she rasped.

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Silver Spoon slowly dragged her hooves up the ramp leading to the clubhouse, hanging her head in sorrow. She got to the top, breathed deeply, and entered, still stiff and slow.

Sweetie Belle rushed over to her. "So what did you learn?" she said hurriedly.

Silver Spoon blinked slowly and sighed, her voice quivering as she answered. "This might not sound like news to you, but… what I learned is that Diamond Tiara is the world's biggest bitch." Her voice cracked, and she scurried to the loveseat, sitting down and sinking her face into the cushions. "She's not my friend anymore," she said in a choked sob.

Apple Bloom rushed over and gently ran her hoof through Silver Spoon's mane. "Silv, I'm sorry," she whispered.

Silver Spoon lifted her head and looked to Sweetie Belle. "So… they're together," she said. "He asked her out. And if he would want her, he can't be any better than she is. You and me, we're both better off without."

"No I'm not," Sweetie Belle said glumly. "He's a great colt. He's making a mistake, or—or she's tricking him, or… it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. She stole him from me!"

"You really want a guy who can be stolen?" Apple Bloom said solemnly.

"I've just… I've gotta lure him back to me," Sweetie Belle rambled on. "With jealousy! Yeah! I'll get a new boyfriend, and Featherweight will see us and remember how appealing and desirable I am! That's fair to say, right?" she said desperately, looking around at the others and pouting. "That I'm… desirable?"

"I don't like where this is takin' ya, Sweetie," said Apple Bloom. "This is pretty dark for you…"

"Hmm, but how will I get my hooves on a boyfriend on such short notice?" Sweetie Belle pondered. "I don't know anypony who'd definitely say yes to…" She gasped in excitement. "Spike! I'll go out with Spike!"

Scootaloo raised a hoof and cuffed Sweetie Belle on the back of the head.

"OW!" Sweetie Belle cried out, rubbing her head and gaping at Scootaloo. "What was that for?"

"You will not go out with Spike just to make your ex jealous," Scootaloo fumed. "He deserves better. If you're gonna go out with Spike, do it because you want to go out with him!"

Sweetie Belle scowled. "Well, if he's so good, why don't you go out with him?"

"Because I'm not interested in Spike!" Scootaloo snapped. "I want to see you with Spike."

"Well, I'm sorry, but that's never going to happen," Sweetie Belle said plainly. "I want my sweet and adorable Featherweight back."

Apple Bloom sighed. "Is there anything we can say that'll change your mind about this?"

"No! I'm doing whatever it takes to get my boyfriend away from Diamond Tiara and back to me. You can help me or not." Sweetie Belle stalked out of the clubhouse.

"Let her do it," Silver Spoon mumbled from the sofa. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned to her curiously, and she sighed and sat up.

"I heard once," she said exhaustedly, "that the true meaning of 'wisdom'… is what happens when you look back at your life and realize how stupid you actually are, how wrong you've been about everything. I don't know if that's true, but if it is, well, then you can call me a friggin' enlightened sage right now. There's nothing we can do that'll convince Sweetie Belle that what she's doing is a bad idea. Maybe… she needs to find that out for herself."

Apple Bloom nodded thoughtfully. "Ya know, I think you're right."

"I hope so," Silver Spoon muttered. "Once it blows up in her face, she'll feel pretty crummy, but… she'll figure out that we were right, and we'll be there to comfort her, and in the end it'll be a growing experience. Kinda like… kinda like what just happened to me."

Apple Bloom hopped up onto the sofa and embraced Silver Spoon. "Ya done good, Silver Spoon. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"No worries," she said, leaning into Apple Bloom's sleek black hair. "I'm just running a few years behind everypony else on figuring her out. I have good friends now."

Scootaloo was still staring at the door of the clubhouse, watching Sweetie Belle get farther and farther away.

"Sweetie Belle will be fine," Silver Spoon assured her. "She'll go back to being the pony we used to know as soon as she's done with… this."

"She had better," Scootaloo said sadly. "I'd miss her."