Sweetie Belle slowly opened the door and peaked inside. The door slowly sung open on the scene. The two mares inside didn't seem to realize they now had an audience as Sweetie Belle's brain raced to process what her eyes saw.

Absolutely no one was there. Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom were not in the room. A piece of paper on her bed caught Sweetie's eye, and she walked over and picked it up. went ahead to the restaurant. Silver is with me. Meet you there. It was short and simple, but Sweetie breathed a sigh of relief.

Sweetie told the others what the note said. They walked to the restaurant as a huge group. Sweetie noticed Karat kept trying to talk to Dash, but then chicken out at the last minute. Dash, for her part, was oblivious. She was chattering on to Applejack about how she should sell her cider to restaurants. This was mostly due to the fact that cider season was coming up, and Dash wasn't going to be in Ponyville since it was also when the race season started.

They finally joined Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon, who were sitting across the table from each other. They both looked over and waved at the group, and Sweetie was suddenly concerned about whom to sit next to. Of course, neither of the mares would probably think anything of it, but if she sat next to Silver instead of Apple Bloom, the farm pony might think Sweetie liked Silver better. And of course, if Sweetie sat next to Apple Bloom, Silver might think it was like their foalhood again.

She was saved from having to decided though, when Rarity sat and asked Sweetie to sit next to her. She was sandwiched between Apple Bloom and her sister, but she didn't mind. Karat took the seat next to Silver, and Sweetie smiled.

It was a nice place, thought Sweetie hadn't caught the name of it. And it was nice to see her everyone she missed from Ponyville. It had only been a month, but while talking to them, it felt like a lifetime had passed. The meal passed pleasently enough. Sweetie was happy to see nothing even close to unfriendly arguing occurred between Apple Bloom and Silver, and when it was time to leave, everyone had enjoyed a pleasant meal time. If asked specific details about it, Sweetie couldn't have given a single one.

Karat needed to be at a night class, so she left the group as soon as they exited the restaurant. The other nine ponies walked together to the train station.  Rarity, in an uncommonly undramatic mood, simply gave her sister a hug and told her to write more. Sweetie promised to do so, and that she would be in Ponyville in two weeks time.

Then it was only Silver, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle on the platform. "Ah swear," Apple Bloom said, "If Ah knew you were this much fun, Ah'd have quit not liking you sooner, Silver." The farm pony pulled the grey mare into a tight hug. "Ah am glad that we're friends now though. It's like Twi says, friendship is magic." Apple Bloom smiled at Silver. "I guess I'll see ya when you next come to Ponyville."

"Ummm…Yeah." Silver seemed to be in a stage of slight shock, but returned the smile before walking off a ways and looking at a poster, giving Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell time alone. "You need to write me more. I miss ya so much. And Ah ain't even laid eyes on Scoots since she left. And only two letters."

Sweetie nuzzled her friends neck. "I miss you too, Bloom. I Pinkie Promise I'll be there in two weeks."

The pair heard Pinkie Pie say "FOREVER" from inside the train, but ignored it. "And ya need to watch that Karat mare, too. She seems sorta…weird."

"What?" Sweetie asked. "She reminds me of Scoots. Well, Scoots when we were younger, anyway. What's wrong with her?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Ah can't place my hoof on it, but it's just a feeling."

The whistle blew, making the mares jump. "You better get going before you're stuck here," Sweetie said, a sad smile gracing her lips. "Two weeks. Promise."

Apple Bloom ran and jumped into the open door. "Ah better get a letter before then, or no pie or cider, Ah swear."

Sweetie chuckled as she waved goodbye to her family.  "When are you going back to see your parents?" Sweetie asked Silver as they walked back to their dorm. Night was finally approaching, and the street lamps were flickering to life as they walked.

"I don't think I will. Dad is down here enough, making sure my grades are okay and that I'm doing what he expects." Silver couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I just…" she shook her head, letting what she was about to say fall away from her lips.

Sweetie nudged Silvers shoulder. "What? You just what? Wanna tango? Read? Fly?"

The earth pony giggled and shook her head. "Apple Bloom was right. We should have been friends a long time ago."

"Yeah, but at least we're friends now, right?"

It wasn't until they were back at their dorm and in their respective beds that Sweetie thought about what Apple Bloom had said. "Hey Silver? Do you like Karat?"

"Umm…I guess. She's sorta…weird, you know?" Sweetie saw Silver roll over to face her. "I don't mean it to be…well, mean, but she's really not the kind of pony I would choose to be friends with. You might not notice, but she watches what you do a lot. In a not-so-normal way. And it was the same way with Rainbow Dash tonight. It was like…I don't know. Just not right."

Sweetie listened to what Silver said. Had the gray mare said that a month ago, Sweetie would have shouted at her. It's funny, how time can change things. "She seems cool to me. Like Scoots."

Silver shook her head. "No, she isn't like Scootaloo. I mean, she's sorta sporty and they look a little alike, but honestly, that's about where it ends. And of course, there is the Rainbow Dash worship, but that even seems more innocent on Scootaloo. Maybe it's because we grew up with her, though. "

Sweetie tried to think back to all the times she and Karat had hung out, but she couldn’t see anything that Silver was saying. "That may be it. And it's probably something to do with the amount of food I ate. I'm still full."

"I know," Silver agreed. "I'm still grateful to your sister for paying for mine."

Sweetie snorted. "That's Rarity for you. The real reason she's not part of the Canterlot elite or super famous? She is always working on projects for her friends and making coats and stuff for the foals who's parents can't afford them. Not that anyone knows that, of course. She only talks about when ponies like Fancy Pants order from her."

After a few more moments of silence, Silver turned to her other side. "I wouldn't worry about Karat. I mean, I know I don't know her well, but she seems nice enough I guess. I don't think she likes me, though. She mostly just wants to hang out with you."

Next Chapter: VII: First Glimpse Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes