Diamond Tiara was already gone by the time Silver Spoon came out of the schoolhouse after her meeting with Miss Cheerilee. This was not surprising, because Diamond Tiara's father came after school every day to pick her up and take her home. Occasionally he would take Silver Spoon home as well, since the two families lived in the same neighborhood, but Mr. Rich had a very tight schedule, and couldn't afford to wait an additional twenty minutes for Silver Spoon this afternoon. Even so, he preferred to take Diamond Tiara home alone, as the two rarely got to spend any time together, and Mr. Rich treasured the short carriage ride from the schoolhouse back to their manor, and though Diamond Tiara would never have admitted it, Silver Spoon knew her friend well enough to know the filly secretly loved it as well.

The schoolyard was therefore empty when Silver Spoon glumly pushed the front door open and stepped out into the crisp late winter afternoon. Once upon a time, the fillies and colts of her class would have milled about, conversing and playing while they waited for their parents to come pick them up, but as they had grown older and more self-sufficient, the playing and chatting gave way to other pursuits, most of which couldn't be obtained on a playground. This suited Silver Spoon just fine, as she had never really gotten along very well with any of the other foals, and generally didn't bother hanging around in the schoolyard after class anyway. Instead, she simply started the long walk home, letting her mind wander as she followed the well-worn path out of the gate and towards the town center.

Silver Spoon's mind immediately and predictably jumped back to the distressing conversation she had just completed. It seemed impossible to her that Miss Cheerilee could think that she, of all ponies, could possibly work with a punk like Scootaloo, especially after her foalish outburst after class. "I get it! Thanks a lot, Miss Cheerilee!" Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. How self-centered could a filly be? Did she honestly believe Miss Cheerilee was doing it just to punish her? Silver Spoon wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea, either, perhaps even less than Scootaloo was. Still, she knew a lost cause when she saw one, and Miss Cheerilee's flinty stare had more than guaranteed the futility of further argument. Now, Silver Spoon grumbled to herself, she had to find a way to convince Scootaloo to put her pride aside long enough for them to work together and get the project done with, so they could both pass this final season and then be able to go their separate ways once and for all.

She continued fuming and grumbling for the rest of the walk home, waving absently at the select few ponies who greeted her as she passed, including the only pony in Ponyville who appeared to be friends with everyone. "Hiya, Spoonie!" Pinkie Pie grinned broadly as she waved at Silver Spoon, who giggled at the absurd nickname and waved back. The pink earth pony didn't stop to talk, as she was in the process of carrying several boxes of baked goods on her back and was probably in the middle of a delivery trip. Even so, the greeting cheered Silver Spoon up more than she had expected it would; Pinkie seemed to possess that odd innate ability to buoy the spirits of everyone she interacted with.

It was just as well, because by the time she had gotten all the way home, the temporary boost had dissipated, leaving her with a general sense of foreboding that seemed to have Scootaloo's name written all over it. For once, she mused, it would be a relief to actually settle down to do her homework, if only to take her mind off of other things for a while. She pushed open the front door of her family's manor, just next to the Rich estate, and immediately came muzzle to muzzle with the family butler, a brilliant white unicorn stallion named Intricacy. "Good evening, madam," he intoned, his voice deep and commanding, but nonetheless welcoming. Silver Spoon had apparently been terrified by Intricacy's voice when she had been a young filly, supposedly seeking refuge behind her mother's forelegs whenever he was around, but now she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't smiled happily to hear the stallion's slow, metered speech.

"Evening, Cacy." Silver Spoon was the only pony in the household who could get away with calling the prim, proper butler anything except his full name. This, he assured her, was only because 'Intricacy' had been impossible for the young filly to pronounce when she was learning to speak, and had instead settled on saying 'Cacy' when she wanted his attention. He had wasted some months in years past attempting to break her of the habit, but eventually had given in and learned to tolerate the minor breach of protocol. "Is father home?"

Intricacy sighed very shallowly, enough that only somepony who had lived with him for their entire life would notice. "I'm afraid not, madam. He is still at the factory."

Silver Spoon nodded, neither surprised nor distressed by this news. This exchange had been repeated with only minor variations every day for the better part of her life, and by now it was simply confirmational. "Thanks, Cacy. I'll be up in my room, then."

"Very good, madam. Shall I take your saddlebag?"

Silver Spoon shook her head. "No, I'm just going to go do my homework, and I'll need my books."

"Yes, madam."

"Is Carillon upstairs?"

"I believe so. She was cleaning the upstairs bedrooms when last I saw her."

"Thanks, Cacy." The unicorn nodded in acknowledgement as the grey filly trotted past him on the thick entryway carpeting, intentionally dragging her hooves to remove whatever dirt and water she might have picked up on the trip home. As soon as she was out of sight, she knew, one of the many housekeepers her family employed would appear as if from thin air, clean whatever her hooves left behind, and then disappear again before any member of the family could re-enter the room and see them. The mark of a good housekeeper, her father had once explained, was the ability to do their job quickly and expertly, without ever being seen. If that was true, Silver Spoon mused, then her family employed very, very good housekeepers.

Once she was relatively certain her hooves were clean enough, she made her way to the vast circular atrium of the house, in which hung an elaborate silver chandelier aglow with brilliant fairy lights that glittered on the marble floor and the marble railings of the twin staircases that ringed the room. Silver Spoon was largely inured to the beauty of the room, having spent her entire life trotting across the finely crafted marble floor, tiphoofing up and down the ornate dark mahogany steps of the stairs, and attempting on occasion to catch a glimpse of the housekeepers dusting the chandelier. Today, as always, she simply clopped across the room and up the stairs without a second glance. Once on the second floor, she walked to the far end of the right-hoof hallway and pushed the door open.

Intricacy's guess as to Carillon's whereabouts proved accurate as Silver Spoon opened her bedroom door to find the mint-green mare just putting the finishing touches on the bed, using her magic to pull the sheets and quilt taut on the mattress before swiftly and expertly relocating all of the pillows and stuffed animals from the floor back up onto the bed in a precise and practiced order. Her horn glowed with a faint pink aura that was nearly lost in her similarly hued mane, a wavy, almost curly coiffure with streaks of rose that cascaded down almost to her shoulders. Her tail, poking out from underneath the austere white pinafore she wore as part of her uniform, flowed up and then down in a smooth, thick arc of carefully styled hair that the proper, professional young mare held attentively just above the floor, lest the tip drag on the ground. As soon as she heard the door open, Carillon's eyes darted over and lit up as they fell upon Silver Spoon's face. The unicorn smiled broadly as she sent a final smoothing stroke of magic across the surface of the quilt and let her horn's glow fade. "Good evening, madam!" she chirped, her voice very nearly the opposite of Intricacy's, light and musical.

Silver Spoon smiled back, her spirits lifting again. "Hi, Carillon." She gently kicked her bedroom door closed behind her and trotted over to her vanity, sitting heavily onto the plush stool in front of it.

Carillon came up behind her and started to magically remove all the pins and bands holding Silver Spoon's carefully styled mane in place. "How was school?"

Silver Spoon sighed theatrically as she felt her glasses levitate off the bridge of her nose, hovering in front of her face as the unicorn behind her dutifully wiped them clean. "Awful, as usual. Worse, actually. Last season, Miss Cheerilee said we wouldn't have a math test in the first month back, so we would have time to review and catch back up, but she somehow forgot to mention that she'd be starting on a whole new chapter in the meantime." She hung her head glumly, giving Carillon pause before trying to replace the glasses on her face. "I was just starting to get the hang of these stupid 'functions' and 'polynomials' and whatever, and all of a sudden she starts talking about 'signs' and 'co-signs' and Celestia knows what else." She looked up at Carillon in the vanity mirror through freshly-cleaned glasses with a defeated expression. "The second she said the word 'trigolometry', I knew I was in trouble. I dunno if I'm going to be able to pass this season."

Carillon smiled gently as she picked up a pearl-handled brush from the vanity and started smoothly pulling it through Silver Spoon's mane. "It's 'trigonometry', sweetie, and don't worry. You know you can always ask me for help, and Miss Cheerilee has been good about giving you extra lessons when you need them, right? You'll be alright."

Silver Spoon's shoulders slumped as she sighed again, shaking her head. "That's just it, though, I'm tired of having to ask for help and extra lessons and whatever else. I'm so sick of feeling stupid, but I just can't..." She paused to swallow back tears that were starting to rise in the corners of her eyes. "It's just that I won't be able to rely on you and Miss Cheerilee forever, right? What happens then?" Carillon paused to consider an answer, but Silver Spoon continued anyway. "I just thought I'd, you know...get it by now."

The unicorn behind her sighed and gave her a small smile in the mirror. "Spoon, you do get it. It just takes a little longer, that's all."

"But why?" the filly asked, her voice laced with frustration. "Why doesn't Diamond Tiara have to get Miss Cheerilee's help? Why does that stupid mule Scootaloo just seem to get everything the first time she sees it? You know she doesn't even bother taking notes? She doesn't have to. It just sticks to her." Silver Spoon shook her head. "I don't understand."

Carillon's smile faltered as she tried to come up with something to say to the filly that would ease her frustration, but before she could, the chimes indicating a visitor at the front door suddenly pealed into life, drawing both mares' attentions. Silver Spoon sighed as Carillon said, "I'm guessing that's Miss Tiara, don't you think?"

Silver Spoon didn't respond. After a moment, there was a firm knock at her bedroom door, and Carillon magically opened it from her spot behind her charge. Intricacy stepped halfway across the threshold and announced, "Miss Tiara is here, madam. She would like to speak with you directly."

Silver Spoon sighed. "She always does." The filly slid off her stool and trotted past both servants, who stepped aside and inclined their heads as she passed. With her braid out, the grey earth pony's mane flowed and hung about her head much like Carillon's, the long wavy hair brushing lightly against her shoulders as she trotted down the stairs and into the foyer, where she found Diamond Tiara sitting patiently, examining the exquisitely decorated hall with disinterest.

As Silver Spoon approached, the other filly's face broke into a half-smile. "Hey, Spoon." She got up and came over to give her friend a light brush with her shoulder in greeting. "Sorry we couldn't stick around and take you home. You know how daddy is with his schedule and always wanting to 'bond'." The pink filly made air quotes with her hooves and rolled her eyes theatrically.

Silver Spoon shrugged. "It's no big deal. I knew you wouldn't be able to wait too long, and Miss Cheerilee does tend to go on and on..." The two fillies giggled conspiratorially.

"Speaking of," Diamond Tiara exclaimed, "how did that go? Did you get in trouble?" Her expression hovered somewhere between sympathy and guilty anticipation.

"Nah," Silver Spoon shook her head. "Well, not really. I mean, she didn't give me detention or anything, but...well, what she did give me is kind of worse."

"Oooh..." Diamond Tiara's eyes glinted with scandalous interest. "You'll have to tell me all about it. Come on, let's go to the Parlor and you can give me all the details."

"The Parlor? But I still need to do my homework, and I've got my cello lesson at--"

"Oh, come on, Spoon!" Diamond Tiara groaned. "You can do your homework later; I'll even help you with it."

"Yeah, but--"

"And don't worry, you'll be back in time for your lesson." The rose-colored pony trotted towards the front door.

"But...my mane!" Silver Spoon said desperately.

Diamond Tiara glanced over her shoulder. "You look fine! Come on, Spoon, I can't go by myself."

Silver Spoon sighed and hung her head, defeated. Looking back into the atrium, she saw Carillon and Intricacy standing at the top of the staircase, both looking down at her. Intricacy's face was inscrutable, as always, but Carillon wore a distinctly concerned frown that sent a thrill of guilt through Silver Spoon's stomach. She tried to smile back, to tell Carillon not to worry, but managed only a nervous grimace as she followed her friend out into the falling darkness of early dusk.

"And so daddy told the jackass that if he wanted Barnyard Bargains to sell his stupid junk, he'd have to come up with a price that didn't sound like a joke." Diamond Tiara giggled spitefully. Silver Spoon smirked, but didn't join in, simply stirring her drink with a straw and trying to spear the cherry bobbing around the bottom of the glass. The two fillies were sitting in a softly lit corner of the Piaffe Parlor, a small, high-class drinking establishment that the friends had frequented almost every night since they had come of age. Diamond Tiara had already finished a narrow flute of champagne and was trying with limited success to summon a waitress for a second. Silver Spoon was still working on her first "watermelon slice", a low-strength mixed drink that was as yet the only thing she'd ever ordered.

"Anyway," the other filly said, having finally managed to flag down a server to replace her empty glass, "what did Cheerilee do to you that's worse than just detention?"

"Oh," Silver Spoon said, brightening, "so get this. You know how she's pairing everypony up for this big project thing?" Diamond Tiara nodded. "Well, apparently she decided the best 'punishment' would be to match me up with the only pony in class she knows I can't work with."

Diamond Tiara's eyes widened instantly in recognition. "No way." Silver Spoon nodded. "She didn't! Not..." she lowered her voice to a hoarse, venomous whisper, "Scootaloo?" The silver filly nodded again, gravely. "Oh...my...princess. Is she joking? You have to work with that pathetic excuse for a mare?"

Silver Spoon sighed dramatically. "Worse than that, she didn't even tell us what to do the project on! She said she had plans for every other pair, but she wanted us to come up with something on our own."

Diamond Tiara scoffed. "Typical. How lazy."

"She even said Scootaloo might have some good ideas--"

"As if."

"--that for some reason she thinks I'll be particularly interested in." Silver Spoon was working herself into a proper rant now. "And you should have heard the crybaby whine about it."

"About what, working with you?"

Silver Spoon shook her head. "No, for some reason Miss Cheerilee told her it was going to be pass/fail for her, and that she would fail the whole season if she didn't do a good job. And boy was Scootaloo mad at her..."

"Wait, she's going to fail her for the whole season if she fails this project?" The pink earth pony raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

Silver Spoon shrugged. "Search me. Apparently it's a pretty big deal. Scootaloo was really spurred about it, too. She took off before Miss Cheerilee even gave her the rest of the details."

"So Scootaloo doesn't know she wants you to make up the project on your own?" Silver Spoon shook her head, and Diamond Tiara smiled mischievously. "Well, couldn't you just tell her what you're doing it on, then? I mean, for all she knows, Cheerilee did give you a project topic, and she just didn't stick around to find out what it was, right?"

"Yeah, that would work if I was any good at coming up with ideas," Silver Spoon remarked dryly.

Diamond Tiara waved a hoof dismissively. "I can help you with that. And since you'll be doing the project you want to do, I can help you with the project itself, too."

"Yeah, about that, DT..."

"I wonder who she's going to match me up with," the pink pony continued, ignoring her friend. "Buck, I hope she doesn't saddle me with one of those 'Carpet-Munching Crusaders'," she hissed. "You've got the worst one, no doubt about it, but if she put me with that Apple hick..." She shuddered theatrically. "I think I'd just drop out."

Silver Spoon giggled. "Well, I guess we'll see, won't we?"

"Yeah..." The two sat silently for a few minutes before Diamond Tiara spoke again. "You know...if Scootaloo is really upset about the idea of failing, and she'll fail the whole season if she fails this project...why don't you just, you know, not do the project at all?"

Silver Spoon shook her head vehemently. "No way, DT, I can't do that."

"Why not? Can't you just retake this season?"

The silver filly sighed. "Well, yes, but I don't want to. It's not worth ruining my own grade, just to try and ruin hers. Don't you remember what Miss Cheerilee said? She'll take our partner into consideration if we do poorly...and I don't want to fail if Scootaloo's just going to get a pass anyway."

"Well, just try not to make it obvious. You know, pretend to try really hard, but just...do a bad job. I mean, no offense, but it's not like she's expecting perfection from you."

An icy stab of dejection shot through Silver Spoon's stomach at Diamond Tiara's off-hoof comment. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she looked down at the table, fighting to keep them from collecting enough to fall. She knew that her performance in school was hardly a secret, but it was still hard to hear somepony mention it so bluntly...

Diamond Tiara noticed her sudden change in expression and correctly guessed the cause. "Hey, come on, Spoon. I don't mean it like that. I just mean...well..."

"I know what you meant," Silver Spoon said, angry with herself for letting the lump rising in the back of her throat color her tone. "And I really wish you'd stop mentioning it. It's hard enough to see those grades from Miss Cheerilee, and to hear the Crusaders talk about it." She looked up, unable to stop the tears from breaking free and sliding down her cheeks. "I don't need to hear it from you, too."

Diamond Tiara pursed her lips, a flash of guilt crossing her face for an instant before it disappeared under a facade of nonchalance. "Look, it's no big deal. I'm not saying you're stupid or anything like that. I'm just saying that if you're, like, an 'acceptable' student, she won't be surprised if you turn in 'acceptable' work, right? And if she knows you're having to work with somepony you hate--like Scootaloo--she shouldn't be surprised if you turned in a failure."

"I'm not a failure," Silver Spoon grumbled thickly.

Diamond Tiara sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "And nopony said you are! Look, all I'm saying is you don't have--"

"Buck off, DT!" Silver Spoon suddenly snapped, standing up and shoving the table away, knocking her drink across the table and into Diamond Tiara's lap. The pink earth pony jumped up in a vain attempt to avoid the sticky concoction, sputtering in shock and anger, but Silver Spoon didn't stick around to hear what she had to say. Incensed and hurt, the silver filly stormed away from the table and out of the Parlor, leaving Diamond Tiara fuming in her wake.