In the Ponyville library was a small baby dragon, sleeping peacefully inside his comfortable bed basket. He twisted and turned as he tried to find comfort in his sleep and a faint murmur of something incoherent could be heard. The sun slowly peeked over the horizon, bathing Ponyville with its warm glow. The sleeping dragon began to squirm in his bed as the sunlight was directed to his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, he groggily stood up and stretched out his arms as high as they could go. He blinked for a couple of seconds and took his first step of the day. “Whoa-” His eyes widened briefly as he misjudged the height of his basket and a loud thud resonated inside the room.
“S-Spike? Is that you?” Twilight said as she sat up on her bed. With her eyes still half-open, she saw Spike face planted firmly onto the floor with his legs sticking up in the air. She rubbed the sleep out from her eyes and slowly got out of bed. “Spike, what are you doing?” she asked groggily, trotting closer to Spike.
Spike got onto his legs and gingerly rubbed his head. “I gave the floor a morning kiss,” he deadpanned.
Twilight cracked a smile and chuckled. “That’s one way to start your day.”
“Yeah. Sure,” Spike replied dryly as he made his bed. Then his stomach grumbled.
Twilight smiled warmly. “Well, Spike. It’s time for us to get some breakfast,” she said as she turned and began trotting downstairs.
Spike quickly ran towards Twilight and jumped onto her back. “Yeah, what’s for breakfast?” he asked enthusiastically.
“Well, we could eat some toast and the leftover muffins from Pinkie’s party last night,” Twilight answered as she looked over her shoulder.
“Muffins sound nice… but would it hurt for me to eat some gems?” Spike asked with a hopeful expression.
Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes. “Like I said before Spike, the gems are for special occasions. You know they're expensive.”
“Rarity could help me find some,” Spike muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms, clearly disappointed.
“What’s that?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at him.
“Uh.. nothing,” Spike answered, as he rubbed the back of his head and look away with a nervous expression.
Moments later Spike and Twilight reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards the kitchen. Both of them already knew the routine for breakfast preparations. Twilight would organize and check if the ingredients if were okay and available. Spike would handle most of the cooking since he was much more efficient in the kitchen than Twilight. The duo created a special dance that would help them make breakfast faster.
After the breakfast dance ritual finished, both of them sat across from each other with a delicious looking breakfast in front of them. Twilight and Spike closed their eyes and gave a moment of silence to thank the two rulers of Equestria for giving them the necessities they had. After they said their thanks, they began eating.
“Mmm-mm, Spike. You make the best toast in Equestria,” Twilight commented as she greedily bit a piece of toast with contentment on her face.
“Well,” Spike began as he stood on the chair, flexing his bicep. “I’m good with mares and I’m good with cooking.”
Twilight stopped eating and looked at Spike with disbelief. Spike sighed in exasperation as he sat back down, munching on a piece of toast. “So, what are you planning to do today?” he asked with his mouth full.
“Spike! Manners, please,” Twilight scolded.
Spike quickly chewed and swallowed. “Sorry,” he replied with a sheepish smile.
“Well,” Twilight began as she cleared her throat. “Today, I’m going to visit Zecora to ask her for some inside knowledge on zebras' medicine recipes. I had this idea to incorporate zebra medicine with magic to enhance its medical properties,” she explained enthusiastically.
Spike nodded in understanding. “I see. You're going to have a fun day talking about medicine and magic,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I think I’m doing my usual chores today. It’s nothing new.” The little purple dragon shrugged casually.
Then a huge smile appeared on Twilight’s face. “No, Spike. Today you’re going to school.”
Spike’s eyes opened in surprise as he spat orange juice onto the table. He then let out a series of coughs. Twilight quickly trotted next to him, gently tapping his back with a concerned look. “W-what?” Spike asked, stammering in surprise.
Twilight sighed in relief and gave him a gentle smile. “I thought that you may want to try to go back to school since you’re always bored taking care the library. So, I talked to Cheerilee last night at Pinkie’s party to get you a day in school. She happily agreed to it,” Twilight explained.
“B-but, who will take care of the library if I’m not here? Owlicious is out today. So, he wouldn’t be back until late tonight.” Spike asked with anxiety in his voice and expression.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight chuckled. “Rainbow Dash can keep this place safe while you are gone. She still has lots of Daring Do novels she wants to read while she’s here,” she answered as she trotted back to her seat.
“But why going back to school? I know I’m educated enough to not get sent back to school,” Spike asked, slightly protesting the idea.
“Because sometimes when I’m off to my friend’s place, I look at you and you look lonesome.. So, I wanted you to go back to school so you could find new friends. I know Apple Bloom and the others would love to have you there for a day,” Twilight explained as she looked at him with a motherly smile.
Spike wanted to protest to the idea even more but he never wanted to disappoint Twilight in any way. So, he let out a defeated sigh. “Fine,” he agreed glumly. Twilight smiled and clapped her hooves in delight.
“Now, remember Spike. Always be kind to the other kids and be respectful to your teacher,” Twilight called out to Spike as he walked towards Ponyville School.
“Okay, Twilight,” Spike called back as he looked over his shoulder. “Tell Zecora that I say ‘hi’.” Twilight responded with a nod and a smile.
“Why am I doing this?” Spike muttered to himself, staring anxiously at the ground.
“Hey, there Spike. Where are you going?” a familiar voice asked. Spike looked up and noticed Apple Bloom was standing in front of him with a friendly smile on her face.
“Hey, Apple Bloom,” Spike greeted her with a smile. “I’m going to school… with you,” he added hesitantly.
“Oh my stars and apples!” Apple Bloom exclaimed happily. “You’re going to our school?” she asked with a wide smile. Spike answered with a single nod and an anxious smile. “That’s great, Spike. That means you could meet new friends and hang out with me and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,” she said with great enthusiasm.
“Yeah…” Spike replied, unsure what to feel at that time as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Hey, don’t you worry about it,” Apple Bloom assured him, nudging him lightly on his side. Spike smiled slightly and nodded. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Apple Bloom slowly trotted towards Ponyville School as Spike walked next to her, chatting idly. That at least made Spike felt a little relaxed as the conversation distracted him from worrying about the day at school.
Spike’s anxiety returned as he found himself standing alone in the class hallway when Apple Bloom went ahead and Cheerilee asked him to wait outside . He could hear Cheerilee’s voice called out to the class. “Now, students. Please calm down.” The class fell into silence. “Today, we have a new student. He will be attending class just for today but remember, be nice and polite,” she reminded the class. “Come on in, Spike,” she gently called out him. Spike opened the door and nervously walked in front of the classroom. He smiled sheepishly and waved.
“Hello there,” Spike greeted, followed by a nervous laugh. He heard faint murmurs break out between the students, which made him even more uncomfortable. He was sweating profusely until Cheerilee came to the rescue.
“Now class, Spike here is an honored guest so treat him politely, okay?” she asked to the whole class with a smile and the class responded with a wave of nods. “Spike, please take a seat next to Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee said as she pointed to an empty seat in the front. Spike nodded and took his place.
He was anxiously tapping his claw lightly on the table until a folded note was thrown in front of him. He looked at the note and unfolded it. The note said, “You’re weird.” He turned his head as he heard giggling on his left side. He saw two of the well-known fillies of Ponyville, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara giggling at him. He turned to look at Apple Bloom as he felt a light nudge on his right side.
“Don’t you worry about them. They couldn’t harm a fly,” Apple Bloom whispered as she nodded towards Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who waved at Spike from the back. He nodded to Apple Bloom and waved back to the other two fillies.
“Apple Bloom!” Cheerilee exclaimed in disappointment. “Are you passing notes?” she asked her with a disapproving stare.
“N-no Miss Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom answered, shaking her head.
Cheerilee’s face softened. “Okay, then.” She turned to look at Spike with a stern expression. “Are you the one who was passing the notes?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Spike replied by shaking his head. “Then, what’s that?” she asked, pointing a hoof to the opened note on his table. He looked at the note, then back to Cheerilee, frantically searching for an explanation. Cheerilee's face softened again and sighed. “Since today is your first day and you're an honored guest, I’ll let you off with a warning.”
Spike nodded and sighed in relief. “Thanks Cheerilee,” he said until he noticed Cheerilee looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I-I mean, Miss Cheerilee,” he added, stammering a little. She smiled and trotted to the teacher’s desk. Spike wiped his forehead and slumped on his chair as he sighed in relief for the second time.
“Now, Class. Today we’re going to learn about pony history,” Cheerilee stated. Then most of the fillies and colts in the class gave exasperated sighs, except for Apple Bloom and surprisingly Silver Spoon. Spike was eager to learn pony, history but he already knew almost all of it since he lived in a library for all of his life... yet, it’s never too late to learn something new. And so, the class began with a lecture on the founding of Equestria with Spike pulling out a quill and a piece of paper. He started to write little notes as Cheerilee began her lecture. His nose scrunched and his eyes squinted in concentration as he listened and jolted down the day's lesson.
“…. And that’s how Equestria was founded,” Cheerilee finished as the school bell rangs. “Class dismissed,” she announced, and all the fillies and colts quickly trotted off into the school yard. Spike slowly got out of his chair as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle approached him.
“Wanna have lunch with us?” Scootaloo invited nonchalantly.
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle chimed in.
“Yeah, sure. It would be fun,” Spike answered as he grinned.
“So, where’s your lunch box?” Apple Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.
Spike noticed he forgot to bring his lunch box and lowered his head. “It seems I left it in the library,” he answered, looking disheartened.
“Don’t you worry, Spike. I’ll share my dandelion sandwich with you,” Apple Bloom offered with a smile.
“Sweetie Belle and I could also give you some of our lunch,” Scootaloo added as she and Sweetie Belle gave Spike a wide smile.
He was touched and felt better. He returned the smiles with a grateful bow. “Thank you, girls,” he said as he hugged three of them.
“Awww… look at that. Four weirdoes hugging each other,” a voice mocked from behind. Spike turned around and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon standing at the door.
“Yeah,” Silver Spoon giggled mockingly.
“We’ll see you later, losers,” Diamond Tiara smirked as she turned around with Silver Spoon following her.
“What’s that all about?” Spike asked in confusion.
“They’re just being themselves,” Sweetie Belle answered, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, they do that all the time,” Scootaloo added.
“Forget them, let’s eat some lunch.” Apple Bloom suggested. Spike, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded in agreement. Then, all of them left the class and walked towards the schoolyard. There, the fillies and colts were playing in the school playground, as well as enjoying their lunch which they brought from home. Laughter filled the air, and it made Spike feel… happier. He never went to a public school before, because he always had been taught by Twilight herself when she was taking care of him since he was a much younger. So the atmosphere at the school felt alien to him. But he tried to enjoy it as much as possible. Now, he and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat in a circle while they enjoying their lunch, chatting idly among each other.
“Well, well, well…” Diamond Tiara began as she approached with Silver Spoon following suit. “It’s so sweet that the losers are having lunch together.” she mocked with a smile on her face.
“Yeah,” Silver Spoon added, snickering.
“Don’t you have other ponies to pick on?” Scootaloo retorted.
“No, because you are the only losers left,” Diamond Tiara replied mockingly.
“You shouldn’t pick on other ponies. My sister said that’s unladylike,” Sweetie Belle spoke up with her brows furrowed.
“Yeah, if you want other ponies to be friends with you, you should respect them first.” Apple Bloom joined, in which made Diamond Tiara step back a little.
“W-well, I don’t wanna be friends with you. You’re just a bunch of blank flanks,” Diamond Tiara retorted as Silver Spoon just stood quietly next to her.
Scootaloo let out an exasperated sigh. “Didn’t we settle this the last time?”
“Yeah, even Twilight said that we are lucky that we are blank flanks. Because of that, our potential is endless,” Sweetie Belle added.
“Besides, don’t you two have other things to do other than bothering us?” Apple Bloom asked as she raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Come on, Diamond Tiara. Let’s just leave them alone. We have like, other more important things to do,” Silver Spoon said as she tugged on Diamond Tiara’s dress.
“Not yet, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara said as she smirked at the circle of sitting friends. “I need to tell them that they won't find their special talent until they're old as Granny Smith,” she continued.
Apple Bloom’s ears perked up and she turned to look at the rude filly with an angry expression which Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle also had on their faces. “Get her!” she yelled, which made Diamond Tiara scream in terror and quickly flee. Silver Spoon ducked with her hooves on top of her head to protect herself. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle galloped off to chase Diamond Tiara.
Spike blinked his eyes for a few seconds with a blank expression, unsure of what just happened. He turned his head when he saw Silver Spoon sit on her haunches and give a sigh of exasperation. Silver Spoon looked at Spike with a sad expression. “Sorry about that,” she said in a soft voice, staring aimlessly at the grassy ground.
“It’s oka-“Wait, what? Spike thought immediately as he heard Silver Spoon apologize. He gave himself a pinch to see if he was dreaming. The sharp pain of reality was evident enough to make him realized that he was not in a dream. His reverie was cut short as he saw a small pearl of a tear forming in the corner of Silver Spoon’s eye. “You okay?” he asked softly as he walked over next to her.
Silver Spoon shook her head, still looking down. “I don’t know,” she answered in a whisper. She slowly frowned and a tear streamed down her cheek.
“H-hey, don’t cry,” Spike said, slightly panicked at the situation. He sat next to her, lowering his head to get a good look at Silver Spoon. “Is there something wrong?” he asked with a concerned look.
Silver Spoon looked into Spike’s eyes with red eyes. “I’m just tired, that’s all,” she answered, her voice getting raspy.
“Tired?” Spike asked with a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“I’m tired of Diamond Tiara’s act,” she answered, closing her eyes, which were brimming with tears, again.
“W-what do you mean by ‘act’?” Spike asked, cringing at his question, afraid that he might touch into a personal matter.
Silver Spoon sniffed and took few deep breaths. She regained her composure a few moments later. She turned to look at Spike with a sad smile on her face. “Do you want to know?” she asked with her voice slightly raspy. Spike only nodded in response, eagerly listening.
“W-well,” she started. “As you already know, everypony is born without a cutie mark, and Diamond Tiara is not an exception. When she was still a blank flank a year ago, she was a lonely pony. She has no friends in school and she always got bullied by the older ponies. The fact that she is one of the richest fillies in town made the bullies pick on her even more. Every day, she always got beaten up, mocked and laughed at.” She looked at the grassy ground with a frown.
“She was a meeker filly before. She often sat at the back of the class, or ate alone during lunch. At the time, I already had my cutie mark, but I never wanted to make fun of her and I… felt sorry for her. One day during lunch, I tried to greet her.” She looked at Spike with a quivering smile on her face. “Do you know what she did next?” she asked Spike. He only shook his head, still listening eagerly.
Silver Spoon looked back at the ground, her eyes streaming with tears. “She curled up into a ball muttering ‘sorry’ and ‘don’t hurt me’. Looking at her made my heart fill with sympathy for her. She was hurt and scared. When I approached her, she silently sobbed, fearing another beating. I convinced her that I was friendly when I hugged her. She was stunned, and she silently cried in the embrace. I… I… also cried at the time. That’s when I became her friend,” she said, looking at Spike. “She sometimes can be rude but…” She looked away. “It’s all just an act. Inside, she’s really just jealous.”
Spike wiped a tear away with his claw. “J-jealous?” he said questioningly. Silver Spoon nodded.
“Yes, jealous. She’s jealous of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootalo. She said to me one time that, she was jealous of her friendship and the fun times she had,” Silver Spoon answered. “The reason she’s being rude is because she's trying to hide the hurt that she had feels.” Her eyes were welling up again. “I wish she could stop her act!” she yelled, stomping the ground. “I wish…” she whispered.
“T-then, why don’t you tell what you are thinking right now? And if you think being rude is wrong, why still do it?” Spike asked with a concerned look.
“Because…” Silver Spoon started, looking at Spike with a small smile that hid a year worth of pain. “She’s not ready. She’s afraid that if she lets her guard down… she’s going to get bullied again. She's had enough and she’s not planning to let it happen again.” Her gaze returned to the ground below. “My reason for being rude to you guys is that… if I don’t, she thinks I’m not her friend anymore. I, for one, don’t want to hurt her. Ever,” she answered with a raspy voice, her cheeks wet with tears.
Spike felt sorry for the filly. He walked close to her and gave the saddened filly an encouraging hug. Silver Spoon broke into tears and sobs in the embrace. Spike could feel warm stream of tears roll down his back and hear her soft whimpers. They embraced for a couple of minutes, and fortunately, the other fillies and colts were already home at the time. If the other fillies saw that, it would be embarrassing, he thought.
Silver Spoon broke the embrace and gazed at the ground. “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered, her cheeks slightly flushing.
“N-no problem,” Spike replied, rubbing the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle with his face flushing as well. Silver Spoon looked at him and gave a smile. He could feel that this smile was new. It was filled with gratitude and warmth. It made him feel… happier. If he was in Diamond Tiara’s place, he knew that was why she befriended with Silver Spoon. It was because of her warmth and kindness. Spike returned the smile.
“Thanks,” Silver Spoon said softly and then looked up into the blue sky with the same smile on her face.
“Can I ask you something?” Spike began as he looked at the sky as well.
“Yes?” Silver Spoon replied softly.
Spike looked at her, blushing brightly. “What’s you cutie mark mean?” he asked, looking everywhere but Silver Spoon.
She looked at him with a surprised expression but then it softened and let out a chuckle. “Well,” she began, as she looked back into the sky. “My talent is making spoons, forks, plates and other cutlery items. The things I make can last for a long time, and are the finest quality. They're also made with…” She looked at Spike with a shy smile. “Love,” she finished with a giggle.
Spike was flushing brightly and laughing nervously. Then, Silver Spoon stood up and Spike followed. “It’s time for me to find Diamond Tiara,” she said with a sad tone. “She’s my friend after all,” she continued, and the smile spread across her face. She turned and slowly walked away.
“W-wait!” Spike called out to her. Silver Spoon turned to look at him. “Will you tell her what you said to me before?” he asked with questioning look.
“When she is ready,” she answered with a smile. “Also, thank you for listening. I… I really needed somepony to listen to me for once,” she continued.
Spike’s blush returned and he nodded in reply. With that, Silver Spoon gave a final smile and trotted off to find her friend. Spike continued to look where she had been for a while, then he heard a familiar voice ask, “Spike, why are you standing there alone?” He turned and saw Twilight Sparkle slowly approaching him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
“I… I was just looking, that’s all,” he answered, rubbing the back of his head, with his face clearly flushing bright red.
“Oh really?” Twilight asked with a grin on her face. “Well, it’s time to go home, Spike,” she said as she slowly trotting back. Spike ran and hopped onto her back. “So, met a new friend?” Twilight asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Yeah…” Spike answered with a smile on his face. “Hey, Twilight…” He began. “Can we visit Silver Spoon’s parents shop tomorrow?” he asked with a smile, looking into the sky.
“Why?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I… want to buy a new silver spoon that’s all,” he answered with a smile. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned. Spike looked at the spot where he and Silver Spoon talked and chuckled. “A new friend… with a golden heart,” he murmured with a warm smile.
(Author's Note: I want to give a giant thanks to The Equestrian Gentlecolt for giving me help on proofreading and editing my story.)
