"Do you have your homework?"

"Yes."

"Your books?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Sorry your lunch is rather...sparse. I wasn't anticipating having to make two."

"You didn't have to," Silver Spoon said, smiling faintly. "I told you I would be fine."

"Oh, I know, dear," Octavia said. "But I was already in the process of preparing Scootaloo's and so I simply decided to go ahead and make one for you as well. I just didn't realize I was running out of oat butter, or I'd have made something else instead."

"It's no problem, really. I'm still kind of embarrassed you even took the effort to make it for me."

"Nonsense. Now, remember what I said last night, right? Anything at all." She narrowed her eyes meaningfully at Silver Spoon. "Promise me?"

The younger pony nodded. "Yes, Miss Octavia, I promise." She smiled. "Thanks."

The grey mare returned the smile. "You're very welcome, dear. Have a wonderful day." She bent forward and nuzzled the filly's ear.

Silver Spoon blushed as she sheepishly leaned into the caress. "Thanks," she repeated. "Sorry again about having to spend the night last night. I guess I just lost track of time."

"Think nothing of it, sweetheart," Octavia said, waving a hoof. "I completely understand. Vinyl is rather persuasive when it comes to getting other ponies to play her games with her." She smirked. "I hope she wasn't too obnoxious about it."

Silver Spoon shook her head. "No way. I had a great time," she said, grinning broadly. "Honestly, I'm just glad you let me stay after Scootaloo took off."

Octavia shrugged. "Well, as I said, we had more or less expected precisely that reaction from her. Personally, I'm pleased you chose to stay. It was nice, getting a chance to teach and chat with you."

"Yeah, it really was." Silver Spoon agreed. "I suppose I'll be visiting again sometime soonish."

"I should hope so," Octavia said. "At the very least, you and Scootaloo do still have your project to finish."

"True," Silver Spoon said. "I guess we didn't get a whole lot of work done on it last night."

"Well, there were extenuating circumstances. Perhaps next week?"

Silver Spoon shrugged. "Maybe. Anyway, I'll talk to Scootaloo later. I guess...don't be surprised if I show up unannounced again?"

Octavia tittered softly. "No, I won't be. In fact, I don't believe I would be surprised to see you most evenings over the next several months."

Silver Spoon smiled. "I'd like that."

"As would I, dear," Octavia said. "Now, off with you, before your friends see you talking with a fussy old mare and you become 'uncool'."

Silver Spoon laughed. "Yeah, I don't think that would happen."

"Even so. Have a good day."

"Thanks." Silver Spoon walked across the schoolyard, her spirits light and pleasant for once. Most mornings she came to school with a somewhat dull outlook on the day. Sometimes it was just because she was dreading the day's lessons; other times she was simply ashamed to submit homework she knew was subpar, or worse, copied; still other days she feared that Diamond Tiara might be in a sour mood--as she often was--and that she would have to face the brunt of her attitude. Today, none of those things concerned her at all. Her homework was done, the lessons, while daunting, were something she knew Scootaloo could help her with, and Diamond Tiara...well, there wasn't much she could do about Diamond Tiara's mood. The best she could expect was that Di would be pleasant for once.

"Silver Spoon!" Too much to hope for, I guess, Silver Spoon thought as her ears swiveled at the sound of her own name being shrieked at her from across the yard. The voice immediately sent a shock of guilt through her stomach, and she involuntarily shied away as she turned to see Diamond Tiara storming across the grass with a searing glare on her face.

Bolstered by her unusually high spirits, Silver Spoon willed herself to stand up straight and meet Diamond Tiara's gaze. "Good morning, Diamond Tiara," she said as pleasantly as she could. Her stomach tightened as she fought to keep her voice from shaking, despite her confidence.

"Don't you 'good morning' me, Silver Spoon!" Diamond Tiara sneered, stomping up to Silver Spoon and pushing her muzzle within inches of the silver filly's. "Where the buck were you last night?"

Silver Spoon maintained her posture, resisting the urge to fall back on her haunches and flatten her ears. "Out. Why, did you come calling?"

Diamond Tiara sputtered. "Out?! Out! Of course I did, you foal! How else would I have known you weren't there?"

"You could have had your messenger call ours. And don't call me a 'foal' just because you didn't think to check before walking all the way next door." Silver Spoon's heart raced as she heard her mouth saying things she had never dreamed of having the courage to vocalize.

Diamond Tiara blinked, momentarily stunned silent. "You...I...well, where were you, then?" she asked, some of the rage in her voice now translating into bemusement.

Silver Spoon shrugged. "I spent the night at a friend's house."

"You what?" Diamond Tiara boggled at her, falling back on her haunches. "But...but...who?"

"Just a friend," Silver Spoon said, relishing the terror and the thrill of actually speaking freely for once. "Does it matter who?"

"Of course it does!" Diamond Tiara shrieked. "You never spend the night at anypony else's house. Why the buck would you start now?"

Silver Spoon scowled at her. "Because I just made a new friend, and we were hanging out. What's the big deal, anyway? It's not like you've been real keen on sleepovers lately."

Diamond Tiara sneered. "The 'big deal' is that I was trying to take the time to actually talk for once, but if you're too busy with your 'new friend', then I guess you're not interested in talking to me anymore." Diamond Tiara's angry expression slowly faded into a crestfallen pout as she spoke, and by the time she reached the end of the sentence, her lip was trembling, and tears were clinging to her eyelids. "I thought we were supposed to be best friends."

The stab of guilt in her stomach drove deeper, and Silver Spoon's confidence swiftly evaporated. She immediately began to cast about for apologies, words of comfort and remorse. Her heart pounded and her throat tightened as she panicked, watching the only friendship she had been leaning on for years crumbling in front of her. It wasn't too late, she knew. She could still save it. She could admit she was wrong, take all the blame, and everything would be back to normal again. Normal... She swallowed hard and sighed, her ears slowly drooping back against her head. "Di, I..."

Something in the distance caught her eye. A blue and orange blur with a rainbow-colored contrail screaming across the sky. It dove and soared, looping and rolling as it approached, drawing wild, prismatic shapes in the air that dissipated moments later. Soon the blur was near enough that she could make out the two ponies within. Scootaloo... Silver Spoon's heart leaped, and a tiny smile pulled at the edges of her lips as she watched the flying mares soar towards her.

The pair of pegasi came to a screeching landing just outside the schoolyard fence, laughing and grinning at one another as they both ran hooves through their manes, attempting futilely to corral their identically tousled hair. They exchanged a few breathless words before embracing and nuzzling one another affectionately. Then Rainbow gave Scootaloo a little wave and exploded back into the air, leaving behind nothing but a rainbow streak and a shock of wake turbulence. Scootaloo watched the other pegasus fly away, then turned and noticed Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara standing across the yard. To Silver Spoon's pleasant surprise, Scootaloo's face immediately lit up when their eyes met, and the orange filly gave her a tiny wave and a covert wink before trotting off to go find her other friends.

Silver Spoon's heart soared. Scootaloo was happy to see her. How long had it been since she'd felt like somepony actually wanted her around? Like seeing her in the morning was a pleasure, and not a chore? A warm bubble slowly expanded in her chest, and the icy grip of panic and desperation slowly melted away, leaving nothing but determination in its place.

"Hey! Equestria to Silver Spoon!" Silver Spoon blinked and turned to see Diamond Tiara staring angrily at her. "Can you at least focus long enough to tell me why you decided to blow me off?"

Annoyed, Silver Spoon narrowed her eyes at her friend, suddenly determined to stand her ground. "Because I was hanging out with Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, that's why."

"Scootaloo?" the pink pony gasped. "You blew me off to go 'hang out' with Scootaloo?"

"I didn't 'blow you off,' Di, I just decided to go over to Scootaloo's house to do my homework and work on our proj--"

"Wait, wait," Diamond Tiara interrupted her. "You did your homework without me?"

"Uh...yeah," Silver Spoon said, raising an eyebrow at her. "So what? Scootaloo offered--"

"Of course she did! Don't you get it, Silver Spoon?" Diamond Tiara said. "She's only being nice and doing your homework for you because she wants something."

"No!" Silver Spoon said. "That's not how it is at all. She's not doing it for me, she's just helping me out. You know, tutoring me in all the stuff Miss Cheerilee's already taught us, but that I didn't really get the first time around."

"But I can do that, too!" Diamond Tiara protested. "I've been doing it for years!"

"I know, but...it's different with Scootaloo," Silver Spoon said. "Very different, actually..." She trailed off as a glimmer of recognition suddenly ignited deep in her thoughts. "Scootaloo isn't just helping me with my homework, she's...she's actually teaching me everything, so I don't even really need her help as much. I mean, the first day I came back to school after working with her for a while, I actually understood a lot of what Miss Cheerilee was saying a lot better. It's almost like...like she really wants me to...you know, get it. Like she wants me to be able to do it myself."

"I doubt it," Diamond Tiara sneered. "It's a ploy, believe me. Scootaloo just isn't that kind of pony."

"How would you know?" Silver Spoon asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "You barely even speak to her, and when you do, it's always to make fun of her."

"You do, too!" Diamond Tiara said. "Don't act all innocent with me."

"I did," Silver Spoon corrected her. "But ever since we started this project, we've been talking. You know, just...like two ponies hanging out. Like friends," she emphasized.

"So?"

"So..." Silver Spoon felt a nebulous sense of realization swelling within her. "So Scootaloo doesn't care what I do or who I hang out with. She doesn't mind if I have other friends...heck, she even thought I was already friends with, like, half the class. She helps me with my homework, instead of just letting me copy hers, she even came over to my house the other night just to apologize for something. She actually cares about me, and makes sure that I--" Silver Spoon stopped short, cold horror sliding through her midsection. "That I'm...happy. Diamond Tiara, what's the Ponythagorean theorem?"

"Y--What?" Diamond Tiara asked, puzzled by the sudden shift in topic.

"The Ponythagorean theorem. What is it? Just...answer me, please."

The pink earth pony stared at her skeptically. "The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the adjacent legs."

"How long ago did we learn that?"

"Buck, Silver Spoon, I don't remember. Months ago. What's this about?"

"Why didn't I know it?"

"Know what? The theorem?" Diamond Tiara asked. "You did. You even said it out loud the other day in class."

"Scootaloo taught me that the day before. I had no clue what it meant before she explained it, even though we were supposed to learn it months ago."

"So what?"

"So...why didn't you ever explain it to me?" Silver Spoon asked, her voice soft. "We must've done hundreds of problems where we used it. Why didn't you ever notice that I had no idea what you were talking about?"

"Why would I?" Diamond Tiara asked, grunting in exasperation. "Who am I, your teacher?"

"You knew. I know you did, because I asked. I remember asking you what the Ponythagorean theorem was, and you said I didn't need to know it. You said...you said as long as I had you...it didn't matter. Oh, Luna..." Silver Spoon said, her chest tightening horribly. "It's you."

"What?" Diamond Tiara asked, raising an eyebrow.

Silver Spoon stared at her, dumbfounded. "It's you. You're the one who's been making me think I needed you."

"What?" the pink pony said again, her voice cracking in shock. "What the buck are you talking about?"

Silver Spoon sat back on her haunches, not looking at her friend, but instead staring into the distance over her shoulder as the pieces started to fall into place. "Everything you keep saying about Scootaloo...it's you. You're the one who's been doing my homework for me, making me need you. You've been telling me everypony hates us and talks about us behind our back. You're the one who never wants to hang out with other ponies in class, you're the one who always makes me apologize to you, you..." Silver Spoon swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "You've been using me."

"Using you?" Diamond Tiara stared at her open-mouthed. "I...how could you say that? We're best friends, Silver Spoon. We always have been, remember? Why would I want to 'use' you?"

Silver Spoon felt a shiver of anger and hurt run down her spine. "I don't know, Diamond Tiara. We're supposed to be best friends; I don't know why you would do something like that to me but...you know what? I don't even know what we are anymore."

"You...what?"

Silver Spoon shook her head. "Look, Di, once upon a time, we were a team. We worked together, we talked all the time, and we had fun just being around each other, but that's not the case anymore, is it?" Diamond Tiara didn't respond, so Silver Spoon pressed forward, a surge of confidence displacing the stinging betrayal and fueling the speech. The words were flowing easily, as though she'd been practicing them in the mirror for weeks, even though every sentence surprised her as much as it seemed to surprise Diamond Tiara. "I want to be your friend, Di, but I'm sick of being your nag. I'm sick of you always coming to school angry and taking it out on me. I'm tired of you telling me how lucky I am to have you 'helping' me with my schoolwork, how grateful I should be that we're friends, how nopony else even wants to be our friend and that it's just us against Equestria...because honestly, Di, I've actually met a few other ponies besides you, and you know what?" she said, her voice shaking with panic and determination in equal measure, "they want to be my friend after all. They've been kind and honest and understanding, and frankly, I've felt more 'befriended' in the last three days with Scootaloo than in the past three years with you."

Diamond Tiara glowered at her, the name bringing a fresh surge of venom to her voice. "You can not be friends with Scootaloo."

Silver Spoon returned the glare with interest. "I am friends with Scootaloo."

"No you're not," Diamond Tiara sneered. "She doesn't want to be your friend, she just wants to do what you're accusing me of doing, and you're too pathetic and stupid to realize it."

Silver Spoon's eyes burned and her heart ached to hear her former best friend insulting her so openly, but she stood firm, refusing to let her emotions break her resolve. "Sorry, Di, but you don't get it. You don't know anything about Scootaloo except what you want to, and honestly, you don't know a whole lot about me anymore, either. It's taken me years to realize what you were doing to me, and a good friend to show me what friendship is supposed to look like. It doesn't look anything like this," she said, gesturing between Diamond Tiara and herself. "Whatever we have...it's not what it used to be."

Diamond Tiara stepped backwards, reeling. "S...Silver Spoon, what are you saying?"

Silver Spoon sighed heavily, closing her eyes against the tears she could no longer fight. "I'm done. We're done. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to be afraid to speak my mind, or do what I want, or just be myself around you."

"You...you don't have to--"

"Yes I do," Silver Spoon said. "I always have. You don't even know who I am anymore. Honestly, I don't think you care."

"But...I do! I--"

"Prove it, then." Silver Spoon looked up through blurring vision to see Diamond Tiara's eyes swimming in tears as well. This surprised her, but she maintained her composure, determined to see this through. "If you really want to be my friend, then you'll start over. Befriend me for real, and maybe we can try again. Until then..." She swallowed hard, feeling a painful knot rising in the back of her throat. "Goodbye, Diamond Ti--" She couldn't finish. The tightness in her throat cut off the end of her friend's name, and she swallowed again, futilely attempting to find any moisture in her mouth.

Diamond Tiara's eyes glistened, and a pair of tears broke free as she tried to blink them away. "You...you don't mean it." Silver Spoon didn't respond. "Silver Spoon...you...why are you doing this?" The silver pony looked down, avoiding her former friend's gaze and ignoring the hot tracks cutting through the fur of her face. "Why are you saying all this? We...we're a team, remember? Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, together against Equestria, right?" Silver Spoon risked a glance at Diamond Tiara's face. She regretted it immediately. The pink pony's eyes were streaming down her face, her cheeks a dark maroon where the tears had passed. "I...I only wanted the best for you. Why are you...Scootaloo," Diamond Tiara suddenly said, her voice morphing from tremulous to furious. "It's Scootaloo. This is all that bitch's fault! She did this to you! To us! And you let her! I can't believe you could be so stupid as to let her turn you against me like this!"

"Di, she--"

"Shut up!" Diamond Tiara snapped. "Don't even pretend to be in the right here, because you have no bucking clue what you're talking about!"

"I don't--"

"You think you can just take what we've got, all the years we've been there for each other, after all the shit we went through with nopony to lean on except one another, and just throw that away? Scootaloo doesn't care about you! She never has, and this is all some stupid trick to get you on her good side and make you think she's your friend so she can dump you later and laugh about it with her friends!"

"Diamond Tiara, it's not--"

"No, don't even waste your breath! You can just take your stupid bucking lies about 'friendship' and 'caring' and whatever stupid horseshit she's been feeding you and buck off!" With a final two-hoofed stomp of fury, Diamond Tiara whirled around, slapping Silver Spoon in the face with her tail and storming off back towards the road.

Silver Spoon watched her go, stunned into silence by her own courage and by Diamond Tiara's reaction. She wasn't sure how she had expected this conversation to end, but this wasn't it. If anything, she had hoped desperately that Diamond Tiara would back down, agree that she was wrong, and they would reconcile with hugs and tears. Never in her darkest nightmares could she have imagined Diamond Tiara would be so openly hateful, or that she would leave in a rage like this. The gnawing guilt in her stomach intensified to a stabbing regret, and she was suddenly short of breath. Panting and dizzy, she sat down heavily on her haunches, holding her hooves to her temples as the reality of what she'd just done crashed down on her. Gone. Diamond Tiara is gone. My best friend...my only friend for years...gone forever. She retched.

"Silver Spoon!" Another voice called out her name, and the swirling torrent of emotion dissipated almost immediately. She turned to see Scootaloo standing mere hooves away, staring at her. "You...you okay?"

Silver Spoon sat silently for a moment, drinking in the sight. The warmth of Scootaloo's concern washed over her, easing the suffocating grip around her chest and bringing the world slowly back into focus. "Scootaloo...I...yeah, I'm..." She took a long, shuddering breath, still sitting back on her haunches and watching her legs shake beneath her. "Actually, no, I'm not...Scootaloo, I just..." She winced and looked up at the pegasus through a haze of tears. "I just told Diamond Tiara I didn't want to be friends with her anymore."

Scootaloo nodded, sympathy etched in her features. "I know. I heard. Not on purpose," she added, "but...pegasi, you know. Really sharp hearing."

"She...she was using me, Scootaloo." Silver Spoon shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the waves of tears still forcing their way out and trailing down her cheeks. "All this time...I thought she was just looking out for me, that she was doing me a favor, but..." She trailed off as her throat tightened, a harsh sob threatening to tear out from deep in her chest.

"I know," Scootaloo repeated softly, frowning at the dirt in front of her. "I know she was. I'm sorry, Silver Spoon."

"I'm so stupid," Silver Spoon said, her voice shaking. "She wasn't helping me, she was helping herself, and I was so stupid..."

"No, you're not stupid," Scootaloo said, leaning forward and putting a hoof on her shoulder. "You just...she was your friend, right? Who doesn't trust their friends, huh?" She smiled wanly. "I do, even if it's not always a good idea."

"I shouldn't have. I should have noticed. Should have seen--" A sob managed to slip past her lips, and she gritted her teeth to stay any further outbursts.

"No...come on, Spoon, just...chill out, alright? It's okay." Scootaloo stepped towards her now, putting one hoof around her shoulders and gently squeezing them. Silver Spoon resisted the urge to turn and bury her face in Scootaloo's shoulder and start crying again. Instead, she contented herself with tentatively leaning her head until it was resting on the pegasus' shoulder. Scootaloo didn't flinch or pull away. Instead, she simply sat and kept her hoof around Silver Spoon's shoulders, occasionally tightening her grip in a half-hug. After a few moments, Silver Spoon felt the urge to cry slowly fade as she sheepishly relished the physical comfort of Scootaloo's embrace.

Her composure regained, Silver Spoon pulled away from Scootaloo, gently shrugging off her hoof and wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "Yeah, it's...it's okay." She looked back in the direction Diamond Tiara had gone. The pink filly was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. "That was a disaster."

"Yeah, it kind of was," Scootaloo agreed, grimacing. "I'm real sorry about that, Silver Spoon. I know you and Diamond Tiara were pretty close."

Silver Spoon shook her head, slowly getting back to her hooves. "No, we weren't. Not for a while, now." She pursed her lips. "It just took me this long to realize it." She smiled sheepishly at Scootaloo, her cheeks warming slightly. "And a good friend to show me what I was missing out on."

"Geez, Spoon," Scootaloo said, blushing and rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "I dunno if I'm really that good a friend. I mean...hell, I ducked out on you last night to go hang with Rainbow Dash." She looked down at the grass between her hooves and mumbled, "Sorry about that, by the way..."

Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, that was pretty messed up." Scootaloo grimaced, abashed, but Silver Spoon simply smiled at her. "Then again, you did apologize, so I guess I can't stay mad at you for too long."

Scootaloo looked up at her from behind magenta bangs. "Are you sure? You could stay mad for a while if you wanted. I'd totally deserve it."

"Are you kidding?" Silver Spoon snorted. "Diamond Tiara never apologized for anything. Heck, I wasn't even really mad until I got a chance to think about how weird it was that you just...took off."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I guess I just don't think too clearly when Rainbow's around."

Silver Spoon giggled. "Don't worry about it. I know you and Rainbow Dash are really close, and that you don't get to see each other much. It surprised me, but it didn't really upset me. Besides, it gave me a chance to get a viola lesson from your mother...and to have dinner with both of them, actually."

"Really?" Scootaloo said. "I figured you would've left after I bailed on you."

Silver Spoon shrugged. "I would have, probably, if Miss Octavia hadn't suggested I stay and take advantage of her offer for free lessons. I would've left after that, too, if she hadn't basically told me I was staying for dinner." She giggled. "And of course I would've left after that if Miss Vinyl hadn't gotten all excited about showing me her video game collection."

Scootaloo grinned. "Yeah, Mama Vy gets pretty enthusiastic about her games. Did she make you watch her play?"

Silver Spoon shook her head. "No, she actually asked if I wanted to play any of them."

"Did you?"

"Oh, yeah. We played for...Luna, we must've played for like three hours. Miss Octavia eventually came in and made her turn the TV off. Otherwise we'd probably still be playing."

Scootaloo laughed. "That sounds about right. So you like video games, huh?" Silver Spoon nodded. "Crazy. I never would have figured you to be the gaming type."

Silver Spoon shrugged. "Well, I wasn't, really. At least, not with Diamond Tiara. She's not exactly a big fan of games of any type, so we never played them."

"That's too bad. Well...what about board games?" Scootaloo asked, her voice hesitantly hopeful.

She nodded. "Yeah, I like board games, card games...any game, really."

Scootaloo's eyes lit up, and a comical grin spread across her face. "Awesome! Buck, I can't wait to show you my game closet, then. I've got like a hundred different games, like...obviously I've got checkers and chess and stuff, but I've got a bunch of cool new games, too, like 'Curse of Nightmare Night,' and 'Tales from Everfree,' and 'Alicorn Ascension,'" she gushed enthusiastically.

Silver Spoon laughed. "Sounds like fun. We'll have to try them out sometime."

"Definitely. Hey, you wanna come over tonight? The Crusaders and I always have a game night on Friday, and if we had a fourth, we could actually play some of the bigger games."

Silver Spoon blinked. "Uh...really? You want me to come hang out with you and the Crusaders?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"Well, last I heard they weren't exactly fond of me, Scootaloo," Silver Spoon said, furrowing her brow.

The pegasus waved a hoof. "That's just 'cuz they haven't gotten a chance to meet you properly. Tell you what, lemme go talk to them now, and we'll meet up again after class and go from there, alright?"

Silver Spoon sighed and nodded. "Alright, if you think it's a good idea..."

Scootaloo grinned and cuffed her shoulder lightly. "Of course. Don't even worry about it. I like you, right? They're bound to like you, too!"

"No."

Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom, stunned. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Ah thought it was pretty obvious," the earth pony responded dryly. "Ah don't want her comin' to game night."

"Why not?" Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, for one thing, it's supposed to be a Crusader thing, right? Adding somepony who isn't a Crusader just...doesn't feel right."

"Well, yeah, but--"

"Plus," Apple Bloom interrupted, "Ah know you think she's cool an' all, but ya gotta remember Sweetie 'n' Ah haven't really talked to her much without Diamond Tiara around, ya know? 'S far as we're concerned, she's still just the same ol' bully she's always been."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. When was the last time she said anything to or about either one of your that's been the least bit 'bully-ish'?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Takes more'n a day t' plant a whole new orchard, Scootaloo. Just 'cuz she ain't said anything recently doesn' mean she doesn' think it."

"She doesn't," Scootaloo insisted.

"How do you know?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Look, she might be treating you fine now, but what makes you think she's going to treat us the same way? Why should we give up our Crusader Game Night just so she can show up and ruin it?"

"You're being ridiculous, both of you!" Scootaloo said, scowling. "You really think she'd come all the way out to my place for an hour or so, just so she could take a chance at getting a shot in on you two?" The other ponies glanced skeptically at one another. "Okay, how about this? Come over tonight. Let me invite her over, just for a little bit. I'll tell her we decided to cut it really short, and we'll just play...I dunno, 'Gates of Tartarus' or something else quick. Then, you girls can decide if you think she should get to stay or not. If you want her gone, I'll make some excuse and send her on her way. Then we'll do the rest of game night like nothing's changed."

"I dunno, Scootaloo..." Apple Bloom said.

"Seems like a lot of trouble for somepony you didn't even like a week ago," Sweetie Belle observed curiously.

Scootaloo scowled at her. "Well maybe I decided it was worth giving her a real shot for once. I already told you she's actually pretty cool once you get to know her, right? Why don't you two want to see that for yourselves?" The other two ponies contemplated this for a few silent moments. Sensing an opening, Scootaloo said, "Please, girls? Come on, she and Diamond Tiara just had a really nasty fight, and I know she's hurting. She could really use a friend or three right now."

"Wait, she what?" Sweetie Belle said, her eyes widening. "What about her and Diamond Tiara?"

Scootaloo blinked. "Oh, right...you couldn't hear it. Well, she and Diamond Tiara got in a really big fight a few minutes ago. It sounded like Spoon was just fed up with Diamond Tiara's horseshit and told her off for it. DT was pretty spurred, too. That's why she's not here today; she stormed off right after she told Silver Spoon she thought I was just using her. Sounded like Silver Spoon considered their friendship over, honestly."

"Wow," Apple Bloom breathed. "Ah cain't believe that. Ah mean, Ah know Diamond Tiara's a nag an' all, but I didn' think Silver Spoon thought so."

"She didn't," Scootaloo said. "Not until recently, anyway. I guess she's been feeling pretty bad about their 'friendship' for a while, though."

"Why not until recently?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh...well..." Scootaloo blushed and looked away from her friends, glancing across the schoolyard to where Silver Spoon was sitting in the grass, absently leafing through her homework. Homework she and Scootaloo had done together, curled up on her floor, their flanks mere inches apart--sometimes touching, the heat and softness of Silver Spoon's fur lightly caressing--

Scootaloo shook her head to dispel the memory and looked back at her friends. "Okay, so, you know how I spent the night at Silver Spoon's house the other day?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Sure."

"And I told you girls she doesn't really have any other friends, right?" They both nodded. "Well, I told her we could be friends, her and me."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened, and Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh huh. And y'all decided to be friends with her because...?"

Scootaloo sighed in exasperation. "Because she needed one, Apple Bloom. Come on, put yourself in her horseshoes for a sec. Imagine your only friend in the world is bucking Diamond Tiara, and she's just as much a bitch to you as she is to everypony else. How would you feel?"

"Like Ah deserved it fer throwin' in with Diamond Tiara in the first place." Apple Bloom scowled.

"Maybe," Scootaloo said through gritted teeth. "But that doesn't change the fact that it would suck, right? Anyway, I already told you I thought she deserved a second chance, and I still do. She's coming to my place tonight, and we're going to play games. You two can be there and play with us, or you can keep doing your best Diamond Tiara impression and act like Silver Spoon's not just another pony who made some mistakes." Scootaloo sneered as she reprimanded her friends, her patience running thin.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both looked at the ground. Apple Bloom had a mutinous expression, but Sweetie Belle seemed genuinely chastised. After a few moments, the unicorn looked back at Scootaloo and said, "Okay, I'll be there. I don't like it much, but if you say she's cool, then I trust you."

"Thanks, Sweetie," Scootaloo said, smiling. She cut her eyes at Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom?"

The earth pony sighed heavily and glanced up at her from behind crimson bangs. "Alright, alright. Ah guess you know her better 'n we do by now. Ah'll be there too, but don't expect me to hold mah tongue if she gets mean again."

Scootaloo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "If she gets mean, you won't have to. I don't think that'll happen, though. Honestly, when I proposed the idea, she seemed about as nervous about it as you girls. I think she still thinks you two don't like her."

"Imagine that," Apple Bloom intoned.

"Yeah, well, by the end of the evening, I'm sure you'll all be the best of friends!" Scootaloo grinned broadly. They didn't respond.

"And you're sure the other Crusaders said it was okay if I joined you?" Silver Spoon asked. She and Scootaloo were standing at the edge of the dirt road leading away from the schoolhouse. Class had ended a short time ago, and the other two Crusaders had already gone their separate ways before Scootaloo had trotted over to tell Silver Spoon what the plans were.

She nodded, smiling confidently. "Absolutely. No problem at all. I told you not to worry about it, right? Anyway, come by my place around six tonight. We'll have dinner and then play until we pass out for the night. Oh, what kind of pizza do you like?"

"Pizza?" Silver Spoon blinked. "I...don't know. I've never had any."

Scootaloo's mouth fell open in shock. "You what? What do you mean 'you've never had any'?"

Silver Spoon shrugged. "I've never had pizza before, so I don't know what kind I'd like."

"How can you have never had a pizza before?" Scootaloo sputtered. "It's like...a more important part of foalhood than getting your cutie mark!"

"Dunno what to tell you, Scootaloo. I just haven't."

Scootaloo shook her head, dismayed. "That is a bucking tragedy. Never had pizza before...well, we're going to fix that tonight." She frowned. "I'll have my mom order an extra one of my favorites for you."

"Whatever's easiest," Silver Spoon said. "I'm not exactly picky. I was actually thinking I'd have something before I came over, just so your mother didn't have to make anything extra."

"She won't be making it, she'll just have it delivered."

"Still, you really don't have to get me anything. I can just--"

Scootaloo waved a hoof to cut her off. "Forget it. You can't just sit there and watch the rest of us eat. How awkward would that be?"

Silver Spoon giggled and blushed lightly. "Alright, if you insist. Six o'clock, then?"

Scootaloo nodded. "I'd invite you to come over and kill time until then, but I have to clean my room and do some other stuff before you girls get there, or else my mothers won't let me host." She shook her head somberly. "Seriously, I blew my Friday chores off once, and Mama Tavi actually told Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to go home when they got there. It was humiliating."

Silver Spoon smirked. "I bet. Well, I won't distract you, then. I'll be there at six."

"Awesome. See you." Scootaloo flashed her a smile and took off towards home.

After the short walk, laced with nervous anticipation, Scootaloo trotted through the front door of the house. Forgoing her normal announcement, she made her way down the hall and located Octavia in her study. "Hey, mom?" she said, knocking lightly on the doorjamb.

The earth pony looked up from the music she was studying at her desk. "Oh, hello, Scootaloo. I didn't hear you come in." She smiled warmly. "How was school? Did Silver Spoon give you your lunch?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, she did. Thanks, by the way. Rainbow Dash didn't exactly have a lot of...food at her place."

Octavia laughed softly. "No, I imagine when one has been away from home for longer than a year, the larder does tend to become bare."

"Uh...yeah," Scootaloo said. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask if it was alright if Silver Spoon came over tonight for game night."

"Certainly, dear." Octavia smiled. "I presume you've cleared this with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom first, of course?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. They were a little unsure about it, but I told them Silver Spoon's cool, so they gave in eventually."

Octavia raised an eyebrow at her. "They 'gave in', did they? Scootaloo, I hope you're not trying to force Silver Spoon on your other friends. That's not exactly fair to them, you know."

"I'm not!" Scootaloo said, miffed. "I just...I just figured she would like to hang out with other ponies, too, instead of just me. I mean, I know I'm cool and all, but...well, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are awesome too, and I just thought...you know, maybe she could use a few more...friends." She trailed off, a nasty sense of foreboding stealing over her. "Should...should I not have invited her?" Scootaloo looked up at her mother nervously.

Octavia shrugged. "I can't say, sweetheart. I do know that Crusader Game Night has been a fixture for you and your friends for several years. Suddenly adding another party to the group could be very upsetting, especially if it's somepony that the Crusaders haven't exactly gotten along with in the past."

"Well, yeah," Scootaloo agreed, "but Silver Spoon isn't like that anymore. I know she and the girls would get along great if they'd just take the time to get to know each other."

"I'm sure," Octavia said, nodding. "And while I agree that an intimate setting like this is a fairly good opportunity to converse and attempt to mesh, perhaps it would have been better to meet the Crusaders for lunch or a walk in the park before inviting her to a long-standing group activity like this. Regardless," she said, her voice brightening as Scootaloo's ears drooped down on top of her head in shame, "what's done is done. No sense in worrying about whether it was a good decision now. I'm sure it will go fine, dear. Your friends are all very charming and kind, including Silver Spoon. They will get along swimmingly."

"I hope so..." Scootaloo murmured. "Anyway, I did tell the Crusaders just to give Silver Spoon a chance in the beginning. I said that if they just couldn't stand having her around, I'd find a way to..."

"To?" Octavia prompted, raising an eyebrow at her.

Scootaloo blushed. "To...send her away, I guess."

"I see..." the older mare said quietly. "I hate to ask, but if you 'sent her away', I presume you wouldn't also be sending the Crusaders away, would you?" Scootaloo shook her head, and Octavia sighed. "Scootaloo, exactly how much thought did you put into this plan?"

"Not enough, obviously," Scootaloo muttered. "I didn't even think about what Silver Spoon would think if she realized that we went ahead and kept on without her after she left."

"Clearly." Octavia shook her head and sighed in exasperation. "Scootaloo, how is it that you can be so kind and considerate and yet still remain thoroughly oblivious to potentially hurtful actions like this?"

Scootaloo winced at the glancing reprimand. "I dunno, mom. I just...I really want Silver Spoon and the girls to get along, and I just figured...I mean, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to me."

"And in some circumstances, it might be," Octavia said. "But perhaps it would have been better to ask me or your mother for advice first. We could have planned a much less intimate get-together to introduce the three of them, one that wouldn't interfere with your traditional plans quite so much." The older pony smiled kindly and rubbed a hoof through Scootaloo's mane. "You just need to think a little bit, sweetie. It's no problem tonight; I'm sure we can come up with some plausible explanation if you simply must separate them."

"Yeah...I hope we don't have to."

"As do I. Now," Octavia continued, her voice bright and pleasant again, "is Silver Spoon going to join you for supper tonight?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, can you have Mama Vy just order another of my pizzas for her?"

"Of course. I'm surprised that Silver Spoon shares your...unique tastes."

"Honestly, she might not," Scootaloo admitted. "She said she'd never had a pizza before."

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Never?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "Nope. I guess she's just never had the opportunity. Anyway, I figured mine's got the most stuff on it, so if she wanted to choose what to take out and what to leave on, she'd have the most options if she just shared with me."

"That makes sense. I suppose she'll sleep on the large air mattress with you tonight, then?"

Scootaloo's eyes suddenly widened. She hadn't even considered where Silver Spoon was going to sleep. Normally she and the Crusaders each had their own mattress to spend the night on. Scootaloo always slept on the larger mattress because it was her house, and because it didn't make sense to try and decide who had to share when there were enough for them all to have their own. Tonight, though, there would be four ponies, and only three mattresses. Clearly, Silver Spoon would have to share with somepony, and there was really only one candidate. "I...I guess so," Scootaloo said quietly, her heart suddenly racing.

Octavia noticed the change in tone immediately. "Is that alright, dear?"

Scootaloo forced a smile and nodded quickly. "Of course! Yeah, I mean...where else would she sleep, right?" She made a dismissive sound and added, "Besides, I spent the night in her bed the other night. It's no big deal." Except it was a big deal, Scootaloo reminded herself, her stomach tightening anxiously. Silver Spoon's bed was enormous. They might as well have been in different rooms of the manor for how far apart they'd been that night. The air mattress was just barely big enough for two ponies to lie on together without touching each other, and that was only if they managed to balance precariously on the edge all night long. The prospect of spending an evening cuddling up with Silver Spoon was enticing to the point of delirium, but she doubted the silver filly would share her enthusiasm.

Octavia raised an eyebrow at her transparently forced nonchalance. "You know, Scootaloo, if it's a problem, you can simply sleep on the sofa, and your friends can each have one of the mattresses."

Relief and disappointment washed over Scootaloo in equal measure at her mother's suggestion. "Oh yeah, I hadn't even thought about that. Thanks, mom."

Octavia rolled her eyes and smiled. "Of course, dear. Now, don't you have some chores to do before your friends get here?" She gave Scootaloo a meaningful look.

The pegasus nodded. "Yup. Don't worry, mom, I'm on it."

"Glad to hear it."

"I even sent her a scroll the other night just trying to get her to...I dunno, talk to me or something." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes theatrically. "All I got back was some stupid form letter telling me that her messenger had gotten the scroll, and that he'd give it to her."

"Are you surprised?" Apple Bloom asked. "She's probably just hopin' you'll give up an' then she can be all 'Oh, Miss Cheerilee, I don't know why Sweetie Belle doesn' want to work on the project with me.'" She batted her eyes and put a hoof to her chest as she mocked Diamond Tiara's lilting voice. "You know how she is."

"Yeah, but that seems kind of...I dunno. Grasping at straws? I can't imagine she actually thinks it'll work."

"Who cares what she thinks?" Apple Bloom grunted. "Jus' tell Miss Cheerilee what's goin' on an' see what she says."

Sweetie Belle kicked at the ground miserably. "Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to have to do."

Apple Bloom nodded sympathetically. The two ponies were walking together down one of Ponyville's newer streets, out towards the suburbs where Scootaloo's family lived. The houses they were passing now were all modestly sized, differently colored clones of one another, indicative of average income families and hasty construction. These were the apartments and homes that had sprouted practically overnight during one of Ponyville's many population booms. The little town had experienced several startling upticks in tourism and subsequent immigration over the past several years. Being the hometown of Equestria's Elements of Harmony and the new Princess of Friendship had a profound effect, and the population had quickly outstripped the village's accommodations.

This had prompted many preexisting neighborhoods--like the Dressage Quarter, where Levade Lane was located--to branch out and expand, adding new homes and streets wherever they would fit. Other neighborhoods simply cropped up around the borders, pushing outwards from the city center anywhere they found space. The suburb the two fillies were currently trekking through was one such neighborhood, and the one they were heading for was another, although the further subdivision was somewhat more distinguished than this one, with larger-than-average houses and a general air of comfort, if not quite luxury.

Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom a curious look as they walked, fairy lights on either side of the street starting to flicker into life as the night slowly fell around them. "So what do you think about Silver Spoon, then? You think she's actually changed at all?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Ah dunno. She wasn' exactly real friendly the last time we talked to her, was she?"

"No," Sweetie Belle agreed, "but then again, Scootaloo wasn't, either. To her, I mean. It was probably just...I dunno, an act, I guess."

"An act?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

"Think about it," Sweetie Belle said. "Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara are best friends, but no one else really seems to be real close to them, right?" Apple Bloom nodded. "So then we hear from Scootaloo that she and Spoon got pretty friendly when she spent the night at her place, and that Spoon and DT don't actually get along that well. Then you figure DT's really jealous about everything, and that she and Scootaloo bucking hate each other..." Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Maybe she and Silver Spoon were just trying to make it look like they still don't like each other, to keep DT off the scent."

"Why?"

"Well, how do you think Diamond Tiara would react if she thought Silver Spoon and Scootaloo were getting along?"

Apple Bloom considered this for a long moment. "Yeah, okay, Ah get what you're sayin'."

"Anyway, my point is that maybe we should wait to see how she acts before--"

The last word died on Sweetie Belle's lips as the pair turned the corner onto Scootaloo's street and came muzzle to muzzle with Silver Spoon. The filly was sitting on the side of the road, looking down at the dirt between her hooves. When the Crusaders appeared, her momentary glance up at them immediately widened into something akin to panic. She leaped to her hooves. "Oh! Uh...h-hi," she muttered. "I was just...taking a break. It's a long walk." The smile she forced was pathetically disingenuous.

Sweetie Belle cocked her head curiously. "Is it really? I thought you lived in the Dressage Quarter?"

Silver Spoon blushed, coloring her silver cheeks a pale pink. "Oh...I do, but...I don't usually go places too far from home, and when I do, I just...take...a carriage." She tapped her hooves together anxiously.

"Why not take one today, then? Ow!" Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom a scathing look as the earth pony jabbed a hoof into her ribs.

"Ignore her," Apple Bloom said. "So...how're you doin' tonight, Silver Spoon?" she asked, her voice carefully even.

The bespectacled filly smiled shyly. "Pretty well. A little nervous, honestly."

"Why's that?"

"Well, Scootaloo said you guys do this every Friday, like it's a regular thing."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, we do. Have fer years."

"I figured as much, and even though she said it was no big deal, I guess...it just feels a little weird, being invited to something like this on the spur of the moment. You girls are such good friends that...well, I can't help but feel like I'm intruding." She pursed her lips. "Especially since we haven't always...you know...gotten along very well."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes theatrically. "That's an understatement."

A long, awkward silence stretched between the fillies. Somewhere in the distance, the clock tower began to strike the hour, the mellow peal of the bell echoing across the otherwise serene landscape.

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. "So...I guess we should get going, then..." She smiled tightly.

"Yeah..." Silver Spoon agreed. Then she sighed and said, "Hey, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, before we go, I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

Apple Bloom blinked. "Come again?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "For the way Diamond Tiara and I have always treated you. I know we got off on the wrong hoof back when we first met, and...well, Scootaloo was just saying the other day that she thinks we all could have been pretty good friends if we hadn't...you know...made fun of you for not having your cutie marks yet." She blushed and muttered at the ground. "And now I really wish we'd gotten a chance to try."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged surprised looks. Sweetie said, "Um...thanks. I guess...I guess we...well, I'm sorry, too. We...well, Scootaloo and I didn't exactly try to make friends with you at first, either, did we?"

Silver Spoon smiled wanly. "No, not really."

Apple Bloom scowled. "Well, Ah did. And don't think Ah've forgotten how that worked out."

Silver Spoon nodded, folding her ears back on her head. "I know you did. And I'm sorry we brushed you off like we did. I'd say it was all Diamond Tiara's fault, but that wouldn't really be fair. I could've stopped her, or talked to you on my own, or something, and I didn't. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is...I want to try again. Start over." A timid smile crept across her face. "You know...if you want to."

The Crusaders glanced at one another again, a flurry of unspoken communication passing between them in an instant. Then Apple Bloom smiled and nodded at Silver Spoon. "Alrigh'. Let's start over." She held out a hoof and pasted an exaggerated grin on her muzzle. "Hi there! Mah name's Apple Bloom."

Sweetie Belle mirrored her friend's expression almost perfectly. "And I'm Sweetie Belle!" she chirruped, her voice cracking crisply on the first syllable of her name.

Silver Spoon giggled and tapped her hoof against Apple Bloom's. "I'm Silver Spoon. Nice to meet you. For the first time. You know, again."

Apple Bloom chuckled and said, "Nice t' meet you, too. Now we should probably get movin', or Scootaloo's gonna think none of us decided to come tonight."

"There you girls are!" Scootaloo groused as she opened the door. The trio of ponies were still walking up the path and chatting amiably about the upcoming evening when the pegasus greeted them with a stern expression, her sharply tuned ears able to hear them coming through the door. "I was starting to wonder if anyone was coming at all."

Apple Bloom smirked at her. "Yeah, well maybe we shouldn't'a. Maybe then you'd know better than to invite somepony else without askin' next time."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, stepping away from the door and letting the other three fillies in. "Whatever. I heard you talking, so I know you're at least on speaking terms."

"Yeah. Lucky fer you, Silver Spoon's actually pretty neat without DT around, so you get a pass this time."

"Lucky?" Scootaloo scoffed as the four of them traipsed into the living room together. "I knew she was cool already, or don't you remember? Anyway, it all worked out, right? No problem." She winked at Silver Spoon and flashed her a grin. "Told you."

Silver Spoon shook her head, smiling. "I think Apple Bloom's right, Scootaloo; I think you got lucky that your other friends are as nice as they are."

Scootaloo grunted in irritation. "Everypony's a critic." She climbed up onto the sofa and fell heavily against one of the arms as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom clambered into a pair of beanbag chairs situated in front of it. The coffee table had been shifted out of the way, leaving the middle of the room empty. A stack of brightly colored boxes of varying size with exaggerated titles emblazoned across the sides was sitting on the table. Silver Spoon imagined that this must be Scootaloo's vaunted game collection. As she glanced around for somewhere to sit, Scootaloo flipped her tail heavily, thumping it against the sofa next to her. "You can just sit up here, Spoon."

"What if she doesn' want to?" Apple Bloom asked with a wry smirk. "What if she wants to sit down here with us?"

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Scootaloo pulled an exaggerated pout and gave Silver Spoon a wide-eyed look.

Silver Spoon giggled as she climbed up next to the pegasus. "No, I guess not." She grinned and gave Apple Bloom a look. "If what I hear is true, you'd just sulk about it until tomorrow if I did, so it's not really worth it."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laughed as Scootaloo scowled at her, but Silver Spoon recognized the glint of amusement in the orange filly's eyes. Her heart swelled with joy at the sensation of being part of a group of friends who could tease one another like this and not have to apologize later. The icy fear in her throat was slowly thawing as she relaxed into the cushion, her braided tail flipping absently across Scootaloo's svelte rear legs. The pegasus didn't seem to notice.

"So," Scootaloo said, "Mama Vy ordered the pizzas like twenty minutes ago, so they'll probably get here in a little bit. In the meantime we can decide what we wanna do tonight." She glanced at Silver Spoon. "Having a fourth means we can play '1000 Years' or 'Siege of Canterlot,' although 'Siege' is like a three hour commitment, so if we do play that, it'll pretty much have to be the only thing we play."

Silver Spoon blinked at her. "Whoa, three hours?" Scootaloo nodded. "How?"

"Well," Scootaloo said, "it's like fifteen minutes to set up, fifteen minutes to explain the rules, half an hour to get the first round done, and then there are like eight to twelve rounds of actual gameplay, and each one takes like fifteen minutes to plan and execute. So, yeah," she said, looking up at the ceiling as she counted in her head, "about three to four hours."

"Luna...I didn't know games could even go that long."

"Oh, that's not even the longest game I own, either," Scootaloo said. "The longest game we've ever played we aren't even done with."

Silver Spoon gawked at her. "You can't be serious."

Sweetie Belle nodded, glancing over at the stack of games on the table. "Yup. 'Legends of Harmony'." Her mint-green magical aura illuminated a massive box near the bottom of the pile. "We started playing...gosh, must've been two years ago." She caught sight of Silver Spoon's dumbfounded expression and smirked. "It's an epic game."

"Apparently..." Silver Spoon breathed.

"To be fair," Scootaloo said, "it doesn't have to be endless. We played a few normal-length games of it when I first got it, just to try it out, but it includes a set of rules for a 'Legendary' game mode that just doesn't have a victory condition. Every time you play, you just pick a new adventure, do some math to make it work for your characters, and off you go."

"We've probably finished about...what d'y'all think, maybe a hundred of 'em?" Apple Bloom said. Her friends both nodded in agreement, and she turned back to Silver Spoon. "So yeah, every time we get together, we usually start with somethin' else short an' then play LoH for a while." She smiled. "It's a lot of fun."

"Sounds like it," Silver Spoon said.

"So what kind of games do you like, Spoon?" Apple Bloom asked. "I guess you must like 'em, or else you wouldn't'a come along tonight."

"I do," Silver Spoon said, "but I don't really have any preference. I haven't exactly played a lot of them."

"Really? Why not?"

She shrugged. "No one to play with."

"What about Diamond Tiara?"

"What about her?" Silver Spoon said dryly.

"Couldn't you play with her?"

Silver Spoon sighed heavily. "Does Diamond Tiara really seem like the gaming type to you?"

The other three ponies all exchanged knowing looks. Sweetie Belle said, "No, I guess not. Well...what have you played, then?"

Silver Spoon glanced at the table, an embarrassed blush creeping across her cheeks. "Um...just...checkers. And chess. And...that's about it, I think."

There was a long, heavy silence as the Crusaders stared at her in stunned disbelief. Silver Spoon's stomach tightened as the shame of her inexperience pressed in on her, but Scootaloo came to her rescue with the wave of a hoof. "Well, we're gonna fix that. Starting tonight. Take a look at that stack and tell me which one sounds interesting; we'll go from there."

Silver Spoon relaxed and examined the titles scrawled across the sides of the boxes. There must have been thirty different games stacked on the table, each one with a name as enticing and indeterminate as the last. After a moment, she said, "I dunno. They all look interesting. Actually," she said, "that 'Legends of Harmony' game sounds incredible. Too bad we can't play that..." she said sheepishly.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not?"

Silver Spoon blinked. "Be...cause you've got a game in progress already?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "We don' have to stop our game to start a new one. Might be fun to try a four-pony adventure for once."

"Yeah, too bad the rulebook's like a hundred pages long," Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes. "I don't think it's fair to inflict that kind of pain on Silver Spoon on her first game night."

Silver Spoon giggled. "It doesn't sound painful at all. Sounds like fun to me."

"Even so," Scootaloo said, "I think it might be better to play a less...involved game. Especially if you've never played a complex board game before." She glanced back over at the stack. "How about...'Gates of Tartarus'? That one's pretty straightforward."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a look and shrugged. "Alright," Sweetie Belle said, "Sounds good. It's a little short, though, don't you think?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at the unicorn. "Yeah, I know. That's the point. We can play that while we eat and chat, and then we can play something else afterwards."

"Oooh," Apple Bloom said suddenly, "can we play 'Alicorn Ascension' again? That game is amazin'," she gushed, looking at Silver Spoon with wide, excited eyes.

Scootaloo shrugged. "Sure, sounds like a plan. Heck, if we've got time, we can even start a game of 'Siege' and see how far we can get before we all fall asleep."

"Sweet," the ivory unicorn across the room said, smiling at Silver Spoon. "What do you think, Silver Spoon?"

The silver filly shrugged. "Honestly, I'm fine with whatever. I'm just glad to be here."

All three Crusaders smiled warmly, and Apple Bloom drawled, "You know, Spoon, Ah think we're all pretty glad you're here, too."