New Teacher at EUby LaughingDragonChaptersChapter 2: First nightChapter 3: Meeting the class [part 1]Chapter 4: LunchtimeChapter 5: Meeting the Class [Part 2]Chapter 6: Day OneChapter 7: The accidentChapter 8: Spike's 18th birthdayChapter 1: The First MorningChapter 2: First nightAuthor's Note Chapter didn't come out like I had hoped. It feels a little dry and I don't know how to fix that. The next chapter is already being made and feels a bit better. I hope the last section is alright. I had an idea but had issues putting it to paper. Chapter 2: First night A sudden jolt woke Spike from his slumber. Judging from his view being blocked by the copious amounts of carpet, and the taste of said carpet on his tongue, he pieced together that he just rolled off the couch. He didn't want to move, but he had no choice as he had things he needed to do, like paperwork. Why did it have to be paperwork? Spike knew that he would have to deal with paperwork as a teacher, but he didn't know he'd have to read a stack nearly as thick as his head. With a groan spike picked himself up off the floor, the odd woody tasting floor. His body was protesting a bit as he slowly stretched to wake himself up slightly. He made his way over to the desk with all the paper on it and began to look over the papers a bit. He wanted some idea of what he was going to be reading before sitting down, for what he assumed would be hours without moving. "Dress code, Teacher's code of conduct, payment... This all seems like pretty mundane stuff. So why the huge stack?" He asked aloud before heading to the 'kitchen', if it could be called that, for a drink of water. The kitchen was no more than a small counter, a few cabinets, a sink and a couple of electric burners. It could get the basics of cooking done, but nothing major. He would have to see if he could get a toaster oven at least as he did enjoy cooking a bit. With the taste of carpet out of his mouth he looked out the window to take a breather. He was surprised to see that he had only slept so much. He expected to have slept until noon, but he could tell that it would be noon in a hour or two. He could see a few students in the athletic area running along a track, flying through hoops made of clouds in the sky and other activities. He could see in a few windows that class was definitely in session, and it made him smile a bit. With a sigh he moved over to the desk and began to go through the papers. Once he started reading he understood why there was so many sheets. This was written in such a way that it indeed seemed more like a bill rather that paperwork for a teacher, but the subject matters was in fact teacher related. Most of the stuff he was reading about he expected would rather be in a little handbook. He soon began to skim through the materials, to save time, but made sure to read a section carefully if something caught his interest. Had made a small dent in his paperwork when he heard the front door open, making him turn to see who it was. It was, of course, Mrs. Silvermane and she had a tray of food in her hand. "Hey there kid. Brought you some lunch," She said, making Spike look back out the window, surprised to see that it was already noon. "I see you already started on the paperwork, that's good. Well, leave the tray on the coffee table and I'll return it once class is over. I hope you don't mind but a student or two may come here to get a look at you. They know you're here, but they know nothing about you. Not your name, gender or species. Their first reactions are always priceless," She said before she left the tray on the coffee table. Spike took a little break and headed to the couch, to eat his lunch, as Mrs. Silvermane headed back out to class. On it was a hay burger a chocolate milkshake and a side of hay fries. While it wasn't something he hated, he wished there were some gems in it. Oh well. He couldn't help but laugh as the first bite of his hay burger proved him wrong as there were some shredded gems in it. He thought that there wouldn't be anything that would accommodate dragons here, but that line of thought must have been the years he spent in Canterlot with uptight, narrow-minded a-holes speaking. He finished his meal in short order, his hunger making itself known after first tasting the shredded gems, before returning to the paperwork. He powered through the paperwork as the minutes seemed to turn to hours. He soon made a sizable dent in his task, which made him quite happy. Over the course of his task he found several interesting details about the school. While it SEEMED to be female only it was actually co-ed. The dress code did entail a uniform what people wear is entirely up to them, with a few restrictions. Said restrictions were you must wear undergarments and you must wear clothes over them. You may wear kinky (he was a bit surprised to see such a word in a legal document) underwear but your clothes must be considered humble, or a t-shirt and shorts at the very least. The midriff had to be covered and no short shorts basically. This applied to teachers too. The only exception to the rules is if the dean allows it. What really confused him was the missing section of documents that spoke about relationships. The only reason he knew that it should be here is that everything else was here and when he was going for his degree to teach he remembered there being a section about dress code and student to student, student to teacher and teacher to teacher relationships. Mainly that section was short and said don't date students if you want to keep your job. He would have to ask Mrs. Silvermane about this when she got back. He was so focused in getting his paperwork done that he didn't hear the going on of the world around him. So by the time he was done and signed the last document he heard muffled music. ~Well, sounds like somepony is having a party.~ As he got up he saw a tray of food on the coffee table just like before, but the food was different. When he looked outside he was shocked to see that the sun was already setting. ~By Celestia's mane! Just how long was I reading all those documents?!~ he thought to himself. A low growl made him blush slightly as his stomach was making itself known. Returning his attention to the food on the coffee table he sat down, only to find it cold. With a shrug he picked up the metal tray and began to blow a fire gently underneath the tray, trying to heat up the food as there was no microwave in the small apartment. After about a minute the tray was more than a bit warm, and the food warmed up a bit. He waited for the tray to cool a bit before putting it back on the coffee table and digging in. The food was slightly warmer than room temperature, but it didn't make him gag at least. He took the time to look around the apartment from his spot. It had four rooms; bedroom, bathroom, 'kitchen' and living room. He hadn't gone in either the bathroom or bedroom yet as he hadn't the need to. The living room had a few bookshelves, the wooden coffee table, simple couch and a chair. It was quite homely if he did say so. Soon enough the door practically burst open with Mrs. Silvermane laughing her way through the doorway. It looked like she was trying to hold down her laughter as if she was in a library and someone was tickling her with a feather. Her laughter quickly died down when she saw Spike. "You're just eating now!? You're food must be cold! Come on. Pinkie Pie just cooked up some pastries. We're going to get you some," She said as she was practically dragging him out of the couch. "Hang on! I have some questions bout the paperwork!" Spike said as she managed to pull him out of the couch, but couldn't make him budge when he was standing. "You can finish your paperwork later. Let's get you some warm food." "I'm already done with the paperwork. It just seems that a few things are missing." Mrs. Silvermane stopped on a dime at his words, before turning to the desk and went wide-eyed. "Well color me impressed. Not many get through the whole stack in that amount of time," She said before turning back to Spike. "Now you said that it seems to be missing something? What?" "Well, it seemed to be missing a section on intraschool relationships," Spike explained. "Really? Huh, that's odd. Well, after class tomorrow go to the administration office and they can get you a copy." Before the elderly unicorn could try to pull him out of the apartment he held up a claw to stop her. "Ok, but I'd rather wait on meeting the students. I've already warmed the food with my fire, and if what twilight told me about Pinkie's parties are true then it would be a bit much for me right now." Mrs. Silvermane let out a sigh as she started to finally realize that he didn't want to go this time. "Alright, alright. I won't force you to go. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired after her party," She said before she went and closed the door. "So, while you eat, care to give an old mare some company?" Spike smiled softly before sitting on the couch and continued eating. The talked about random events that happened around Equestria and random stories. After some time she asked him a serious question. "So tell me, how do you know Twilight?" Her question had caught him off guard as he wasn't expecting to answer such a question so soon. "Well, before I answer that, may I ask what you know about me?" "Well, I didn't know anything about your past until this morning when I read your file, or what I was allowed to see, during lunch. You're name is Spike Wyvern, you came from Canterlot, you're eighteen in less than a week and you have no previous experience in teaching. What really get's me is the amount of restrictions regarding your file. I've seen more than my fair share of files in the past, and no one has so little in their file," She answered, the last little bit had a tone of suspicion in it. "Well, I met Twilight before she REALLY got into her studies. We knew each other for about ohh... six months before she buried her nose in her books, and when she did that she stopped talking to EVERYPONY." -Spike chuckled at the end-"As for all the restrictions, let's just say I bumped into a royal on accident. If I was a pony he'd probably had just gotten irritated and yelled at me for not watching were i was going and walk off, but being a dragon it didn't end so well. He accused that I attacked him and I was imprisoned. After a week of no trial my folks managed to contact someone with ample power and had the charges dropped and me released. Unfortunately he didn't have enough power to cut through all the red tape and remove the incident from my record, so he just buried the rest of my file in a mountain of more red tape so practically only the princesses can see it," Spike lied through his teeth. Mrs. Silvermane sighed after hearing his false story and nodded. "Normally I'd call your tale a lie if you came from anywhere other than Canterlot. With the sheer amounts of bigots and assholes there I don't doubt your story for a second." "Yeah, don't know how the princesses even deal with being there all the time," Spike said, happy that his well rehearsed lie was successful. "I think the thousand or so years they've been alive might have something to do with that," She answered with an upbeat tone. Spike chuckled at that. "I'll believe that," He said with a sigh before he began to relax. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll wake you up when it's time to go to class, and I hope you have a clean suit," She got up and headed for the bedroom. "Ok, and I do," He said before pushing his tray to the far side of the coffee table. He thought about undressing before falling asleep on the couch, but eventually pushing the thought aside. The suit wasn't exactly in good shape, and it wasn't like he was going to go to work in such a suit, so a little more damage wouldn't really matter. He got a glass of water so he could take his meds before laying on the couch. He couldn't fall asleep until the music died down a little. "Sugarcube, ah've got to ask; are ya feelin' ok?" Asked an orange earth mare. Twilight looked up from her cup and instantly recognized her friend Applejack. "Oh, I'm fine Applejack," She lied. She was far from ok, ever since Spikes arrival. "Twilight, ah can tell something's been bugging ya. In class ya didn't even attempt to answer a question from a teacher. Ah'm sure ah ain't the only one who's noticed. Ya don't look sick, so please talk to us," She said as she placed her hand on twilight's shoulder. Twilight let out a sigh and nodded. "Applejack, we all know that after Mrs. Silvermane's 'incident' that she is too unwell to teach. We all know that we would be getting a new teacher very soon. I was prepared for the teacher and everything, or so I thought." -Applejack opened her mouth to say something but Twilight resumed talking.- "I honestly thought that I would never see him again." The party had already quieted down so her last sentence gathered the attention of a few more mares. "Him? Is it a lover?!" Asked a white unicorn mare rather excitedly. Twilight blushed at her friend's reaction. "Wha... No! I mean no, Rarity. He's not a lover. We haven't spoken in about fifteen years. The last time we spoke was right before I took being Celestia's student seriously. I had actually forgotten about him, but soon after I saw him all those memories came back... Why... Why can't I get him out of my head?" She asked as she was now staring at her cup again. "Well, maybe you loved him back then and just didn't realize it," Came a rather shy voice from behind Applejack. Twilight looked over to her yellow pegasus friend and shrugged. "I don't know Fluttershy. Funny thing is is that he recognized me before I recognized him," She said before letting out a sigh. "Oh come now darling, surely there must have been something between you two! After all if he remembered you as quickly as you say then there must have been something!" Rarity said as she had trouble containing her excitement, wanting her friend to get to the juicy bits of what she assumed was puppy love. "What did you two do during the time you two knew each other?" "Well, I would often help him with his homework... But now that I think about it he did seem to catch on rather quick and... It cant be.. can it?" Twilight asked herself aloud now getting lost in thought. "That's our egghead. Helping out someone older with their homework," A blue pegasus said with a grin as she sipped on her drink. "For your information Rainbow he's younger than me," Twilight said softly. "Wait a second. How much younger?" Applejack asked, being close enough to clearly hear what she said. "... He's three years younger. If I remember correctly his eighteenth birthday should be sometime this week," She answered, not really sure how much info she should give them about spike. "Whoa, hang on!" Rainbow Dash said before getting a little closer to twilight. "He's only seventeen and he already has a teaching degree?!" She asked in disbelief. "I know. What do you think has been bothering me? He's three years younger than me and HE is going to be teaching ME! I thought... I thought I was supposed to teach him.." She trailed off, looking back down into her drink. "Darling, wait a second. You said you helped him with his homework, but he seemed to catch on quickly. Is it possible that he didn't need help but wanted to spend time with you?" Rarity asked with a hopeful grin. Twilight's blush returned as that was the thought that crossed her mind earlier, but she didn't want it to be true. "The thought did cross my mind earlier." Rarity let out squeal as she was getting her thirst for romantic gossip quenched tonight. "Did you two talk about anything other than homework?" Twilight's blush deepened as she realized that they in fact rarely talked about his homework. They spent their time talking about other things and only confronted his homework when he had questions. Rarity let out an even louder squeal when Twilight's blush practically handed her the answer. "I can't wait to meet him tomorrow!" She exclaimed as she now twitching from her level of excitement. She now felt like Pinkie Pie did when she got to organize a party. "What's going on everypony?" A pink earth pony asked as she hopped on over. "Pinkie, I'm tired so I'm going to go to bed," Twilight lied as she made a b-line for the door. "See you later then," Pinkie replied with a smile. After Twilight left Rarity began to explain to Pinkie what had just happened. The night eventually died down and everyone turned in to get some sleep as tomorrow was a new day and they had classes, not to mention to meet a new teacher. Chapter 3: Meeting the class [part 1]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 4: Lunchtime"So, sugarcube, any reason why you didn't tell us why he was a dragon last night?" Applejack asked as they closed in on the cafeteria. "None of you asked. Besides, why does it matter if he's a dragon or a pony?" Twilight asked. "Darling, little things like that matter?" Rarity answered "How so?" "Well, Dragons are known for their aggressive behavior and greed. I don't even want to think about what he'd do to somepony behind closed doors," Rarity replied with a shiver. "Rarity he isn't like that," Twilight said with a sigh. "And how do ya know that he hasn't changed in the years since you saw him last?" Applejack asked. "Well, there is the fact that he was raised by ponies," Twilight said, making her friends stop for a moment. "Wait a minute darling. Are you meaning to tell us that he was raised by ponies and not by his own kind?" Rarity asked in a surprised manner. "If he was really raised by ponies he can't be too bad can he?" Fluttershy asked meekly from behind the three. Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy. "It's not that simple darling. You can't forget that it's a dragon's nature to be greedy." This earned Rarity a nasty glare from Twilight. "Oh, so I suppose that Celestia doesn't know what she's doing then?" Twilight said out of growing anger. It didn't take her a second to realize what she said, and cover her mouth with both her hands. She couldn't understand why she was getting so angry over what Rarity said. Both Rarity and Applejack snapped their heads to look at Twilight. "Excuse me sugarcube, but what was that?" Applejack asked a little confused by Twilight's statement. Thinking quick on her hooves Twilight had to make up a lie. "Celestia found his egg ages ago and entrusted him to a family. She believes that a dragon's behavior is determined on how they are raised. If raised by greedy and aggressive parents then they'll become greedy and aggressive. If raised by kind and understanding parents then they'll become kind and understanding," She lied. After a minute of thought the two relented. "Ok, fair point. So ah take it we should give him a chance?" Applejack said, breaking the silence. "Yes." Twilight was happy that her lie worked. "I don't like the idea but I will give him a chance," Rarity said with a sigh. "You got it sugarcube, besides ah don't believe a greedy or aggressive dragon would become as embarrassed as he did when ah confirmed with him that you did help him with his homework," Applejack said with a grin. "You didn't really talk to him about it. Did you?" Fluttershy asked. "Ah sure did, and ah was given a juicy bit of information," Applejack said, her grin widening into a smile. "Oh? What did he tell you?" Rarity asked becoming a little interested. "Not much, just that he accidentally admitted to nibbling on Twilight's mane," Applejack said, earning an 'Aww' from fluttershy and a giggle from Rarity. Twilight, however was far from pleased. "There's no way he told you about that," Twilight's face was a mix of horror and embarrassment. "Yes he did, and if ah remember right he said he couldn't help it. He said that your mane was so soft and it smelled good. He also said that it didn't help that your mane tasted good to boot," She said, making Twilight blush heavily. "Well, enough teasing. Let's get a move on. Pinkie and Rainbow went on ahead to get good seats. They'll be wasted if we don't hurry," Rarity said, making everypony pick up the pace. Twilight fell behind a tad as her mind was elsewhere. ~Smelled good and tasted good huh?~ Twilight thought to herself as her fingers ran through her mane. Her hair felt soft but nothing special about it. She absentmindedly brought a bit of her mane to her face and sniffed it, but unable to smell anything besides her conditioner, which was already pretty faint. ~What does Spike smell? She asked herself before nibbling slightly on her mane, but was unable to come up with a taste besides a normal hair taste. ~What does Spike taste?~ She asked before realizing what she was thinking about. She shook her head wildly to clear it before realizing just how far behind she had fallen, and ran to catch up. "Hello, is Ms. Cadance around?" Spike asked the receptionist at the front of the administration building. "Hang on one sec," He said before clicking an intercom on. "Pardon my intrusion Ms. Cadance, but Mr. Wyvern is here." "Let him in," Cadance said through the intercom. With a gesture from the receptionist Spike made his way up to Cadance's office. Spike knocked on the door before he heard Cadance. "Enter." When Spike entered the room he saw Cadance going through a small stack of papers, but when she saw him she stood up to greet him. She seemed unusually happy for some reason or another. That point was proven further when she pulled him in a hug with little warning. When hugging someone you haven't seen in years is understandable, but this was odd even for Cadance. "Uhh, Cadance? Are you ok?" He asked slightly confused. "Yep, everything is just fine," She replied with a large grin on her face, before letting go of Spike. "Ok, it's just that the only other time you hugged me twice within a few days was when Shining popped the question. I can assume it's nothing bad since you're grinning like an idiot-" "Hey!" "-so I'm left with it's something very good. So, do you mind filling me in?" Spike asked curiously with a grin. "I won't tell you all the details as I wish to respect their privacy, but I felt a spark today!" Cadance explained excitedly, making Spike smile. "Really that's great!" He said knowing better than to ask he about it, as she can be a bit stubborn when it came to the sparks of love she felt. "I know! Now tell me, why did you come to see me?" "Well, when I was going over the paperwork yesterday the section regarding relationships was missing." "That's not surprising," She said her smile fading a little. "About a week ago some wet blanket up in Canterlot decided that he wanted to be dean and make this an all girls school. Well, apparently he greased some hands and already trying to change the rules regarding the relationships in school. Since the document was changed I am not legally allowed to give you a copy of the old rules until it's changed back. We are right now in the process of changing it back, while he is being brought up on charges of bribery. When it comes to intraschool relationships it's allowed, just so long as it doesn't interfere with your studies or grades in any way, pregnancies and relationships between teachers and students are forbidden. Personally I see nothing wrong with a teacher and student dating, so long as they do actually love each other. The primary reason why we have that rule is so that if any official comes in he doesn't see a student and teacher making out in broad daylight and getting the wrong idea about the school. Now, punishments are rather minor unless there is a pregnancy or a teacher and student are caught by some official from outside of the school. The document is a bit more in depth then that, but that's the rough summary. I may be forgetting a detail here or there as I haven't had to read it in ages. A copy will be brought to you when the rules are finally changed back. Now, was there anything else?" Cadance asked as she returned to her seat. Spike faltered a bit as his other question made him hesitate as he was genuinely afraid of the answer. "Was I hired as a temporary teacher until you find one better?" Cadance's eyes widened a little before she sighed. Her happy expression was gone now. "Originally that was the idea, but now we're having some issues regarding red tape. We want to change you to a full time teacher, but a couple laws are in our way right now. One of them being that you're still a minor, albeit barely but still a minor. The other one is that you must have a least a few years of teaching experience before working at a college, university or academy." Spike became crestfallen at the news, and flopped into a chair. This wouldn't have have been the first time he lost a job, but none of them made him feel like this. He just wanted to be dissolved by the chair he was in, even if it was excruciatingly painful. Part of him knew that Cadance and Celestia wouldn't disobey the law unless the whole of Equestria was in danger. Yet part of him knew that laws were complicated and there had to be a loophole somewhere. Whether or not he could fulfill the requirements was another issue in and of itself. "T-there has to be... There has to be a loophole or something!" He practically begged. He didn't know why losing this job was such an issue to him, but something was telling him to keep it no matter the cost. Cadance could see the desperation in his eyes and could only sigh. "We have found such a loophole, but here's the problem: Only members of the royal family could bypass the years of experience needed." Spike froze as he fully understood her words. He would have to be employed, not as Spike Wyvern, but as Spike Solaris. Now he knew why Cadance didn't just tell him about it first, but waited until he asked; He would have to do the one thing he's been avoiding for years. He would have to abandon the cover that he had been hiding under for so long and show himself as Celestia's adopted son. "Do I have to make the decision now?" He asked plainly as he looked down at the floor. While he sounded ok, one look to his face would tell you otherwise. He was experiencing a complex mix of sadness, anxiety and disbelief. He didn't even notice that Cadance had left her seat. "Yes. Celestia said that she would be able to buy you at least another month if her plan works," Cadance explained before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Spike, please calm down. In the time you have here, become friends with your teachers and your students. So that when news of who you are does get out they'll know you and not prince Spike, ok?" Cadance was able to calm Spike down quite a bit. He was still anxious but he was able to look back up. "You're right. Just one question remains; how do I make friends with them?" "What do you mean?" "Well it's not like I, their teacher, can go to them in their down time and ask if I can join them in their games of grab ass and tiddlywinks," Spike explained, getting a small chuckle from Cadance. "Why not?" She asked, almost innocently. Spike sputtered a bit at her remark. "Why not? Do you realize how creepy it is if I do ask them? 'Hey kids, mind if I join in'?" He asked in raspy voice to try and emphasize the creep factor. Cadance gave a sigh at his response. "Then when class is out, don't be a teacher. Spike, you're younger than them. So if you just be yourself then it shouldn't be a problem," Cadance suggested with a small smile. It was Spike's turn to sigh. "I don't feel good about it... but fine," He said relenting to his cousin. "Good! Now, go to the cafeteria because I highly doubt that you've had lunch yet," She said suddenly in a better mood. "Ok," He said before getting up and heading out the door. He knew that Cadance was his cousin but he couldn't help but feel like a child when she tried to help him with a problem. When the door shut behind Spike Cadance sighed with a grin. "Grab ass and tiddlywinks... You are definitely Celestia's son," She said before going back to her desk and got back to her paperwork. "Ohhhh" Pinkie said with a small blush forming on her face. "I didn't know that that's what everyone thought I meant at first." "Yeah, but it was kind of funny though," Rainbow Dash said as they were finishing up their meals. "Yeah, real humorous," Twilight mumbled with a light blush on her face from the embarrassment of having to remember that, despite the fact that it didn't happen too long ago. "Oh hush darling. No one is poking fun at you," Rarity said with a smile. "Yeah, it's not like you've actually seen each other naked right?" Rainbow Dash Joked. Everyone at least chuckled at what Rainbow Dash said, except for Twilight who sighed as she covered her eyes with her hand. Everyone took noticed and no one said a word, making the whole table awkwardly quiet. Eventually Twilight let out a groan to break the silence. "We were kids, ok? It was an innocent game of I'll show you mine," She said before looking away. "Nothin' wrong with that. Me and my cousin Braeburn played that game once before. Although when his parents found out they were hoppin' mad," Applejack shared as she found nothing wrong with child innocence like that. "Thanks Applejack," Twilight said with a sigh. "No problem sugarcube," Applejack said before spotting a familiar dragon getting in line for the cafeteria. "I wander what our teacher will get since there's no gems on the menu," Fluttershy said, obviously seeing the teacher as well and making those who hadn't seen him turn to the cafeteria line. "Wonder what took him. Lunch is about half over," Twilight stated before returning to her own lunch, or what was left of it. "Well it looks like Mrs. Silvemane just grabbed him," Rarity said causing Twilight to look again. Sure enough there was Mrs. Silvermane pulling Spike along to a table with a few other teachers by his upper arm. "Oh quiet down. There's some teachers I want you to meet," Mrs. Silvermane said as she neared her destination. Spike just sighed as he was practically dragged along to the table where a few teachers were sitting. When they reached the table he was greeted with the sight of Tenderhoof, Hrashwhinny and two mares he had never seen before. One was a light green earth mare with a pale red pink mane, which was done up in what looked like dreadlocks. The other was an exotic looking unicorn mare with a bright orange coat and a mane that had two different shades of dark purple. "Well sit down already," Mrs. Silvermane ordered as she sat down herself. Spike sat down with his tray in front of him. He didn't even get to take a bite before Mr. Harshwhinney spoke up. "Mr. Wyrven, Mrs. Silvermane had made it pointedly clear that I may have offended you during class, and I want to apologize," Ms, Harshwhinny said, but Spike could see that she was forcing it a little bit. "Don't worry about it. It got me thinking about a few personal things and I had to go have a talk with Cadance," Spike said before seeing Ms. Harshwhinny's expression relax a little. "Well, I wanted you to sit with us because I wanted you to meet two other teachers today." "Radical to meet you. I'm Tree Hugger," The earth mare said with a smile. Spike had to slowly turn to her as he was not expecting her to sound so relaxed. "I am here to guide the young ones in how to express their inner creativity." Before Spike could even conjure up a response to Tree Hugger The unicorn reached across the table with her arm outstretched. "Hello Mr. Wyvern, I am Saffron Masala. I teach cooking here." "G-good to meet you Mrs. Masala," Spike said as he shook her hand. "It's Ms. Masala actually," She corrected. "Sorry about that," Spike said before turning to Tree Hugger. "And It's... Radical to meet you too Tree Hugger," Spike forced out, not too sure on how to approach her. "Whoa man, you need to like, mellow out. Don't try to be something your not as your aura will get all messed up and it won't show it's beauty," She said, making Spike nod slowly. "Ok . Is it Ms. or Mrs?" Spike asked, wanting to get it right the first time. "Just call me Tree Hugger. Being tied down with such formalities can limit your mind, man." Spike began to slowly understand what she was saying the more he talked to her. "Ok then, Tree Hugger," Spike said as he began to dig into his lunch. "If you ever need help reaching your inner peace and harmonizing with your students-" "Ms. Hugger must I remind you that Dean Cadance reprimanded you last year for when you 'harmonized' with your students?" Ms. Harshwhinny interrupted, earning a relaxed look from Tree Hugger. "I haven't forgotten. We are all creatures of this planet. We are born from nature, not the government, So why shouldn't we listen to our animal sides?" Tree Hugger responded with a small smile and no regret in her voice. Ms. Harshwhinny sighed and rubbed the bridge between her eyes. "Ugh. While I do understand letting go to unwind and relax, I cannot condone what you did. Giving the students, whatever you gave them, stripping down and grazing on the football field is inexcusable." "I know, but we all felt so at peace after that." "I'm pretty sure the two who had to be rushed to the hospital weren't at peace as they nearly died," Ms. Harshwhinny retorted. Tree Hugger cringed at what what Ms. Harshwhinny said. "That's why I keep the medicine for myself now," She said looking slightly uncomfortable. "That and if you do that again the dean made it very clear that she would fire you." "That too." Just as their conversation finished up Spike let out a loud belch as fire escaped his maw, shocking the table and a few students standing nearby. Confusion was mixed into the fray as a scroll now landed on the table. Several of the teachers, including Mrs. Silvermane, were about to ask about the scroll but were interrupted by Spike. "My fire can send messages between me and my mom. I wasn't expecting her to check up on me so soon," Spike said honestly as he grabbed the scroll. "I understand that writing on paper can feel better, but why doesn't she just send you a text? You have a cellphone, don't you?" Trenderhoof asked. "I do have a cell, but she prefers to do things this way," Spike answered plainly as he resumed eating. It didn't take long before the bell began to ring, making Spike wolf down his food as he hurried to finish his lunch. Thankfully he only had one class after this before the students went to their classes that required specialized tools and classrooms. What Spike didn't tell the teachers was that he was in the middle of chewing when the letter came, so the joke was on Celestia today. "Sister?!" A dark blue alicorn asked in amused shock. She found it quite amusing to see her sister send a letter to her son to, only seconds later, get covered in a half chewed Sapphire and hay burger. "Luna.." Celestia started, after recovering from her shock. "Don't speak about this with anyone," She said calmly before getting up to head to her room so she could clean herself, however the second Celestia left the room Luna instantly began to laugh, which grew louder when she heard one of the guards cover up a chortle. Author's Note I apologize for the delay. I personally don't know any hippies, so writing Tree Hugger was a challenge and a half. If any of you have advice for how she should speak let me know. Chapter 5: Meeting the Class [Part 2]Spike let out a sigh as he looked at the clock. Mrs. Silvermane had told him that it was normal for this next teacher to be a little late. When Spike asked why the teacher was late Mrs. Silvermane acted like she had forgotten something before telling him that it was normal for this teacher to be a little late, and not to get angry. Although Spike was fairly forgiving for someone being a few minutes late it wasn't something to be anxious about, and Mrs. Silvermane seemed like a mare who followed the same line of thought. So why was she anxious and why the advice? Spike got his answer when the next teacher came in. The first thing Spike realized was that the unicorn stallion had a light pale blue coat with a beige mane. The next thing spike noticed was that he wasn't dressed like some Canterlot noble, who more often than not bought clothes with big price tags to show off, but the way he carried himself screamed high-self esteem. In the physical appearance department, it looked like he just got back from the spa or something as he had a light shine on his coat. Spike has seen that shine more than once on his mother and the shine didn't last more than a day. Sure the stallion looked like he may possibly be a little Narcissistic, but everyone is to some degree. That brought up the question again as to why Mrs. Silvermane was so anxious. Spike would soon get his answer as the stallion clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes when he finally noticed Spike. "Mrs. Silvermane, I understand that with your recent heart attack you want to feel more at home, but must you bring your pet lizard here?" Spike froze when he heard the new teacher call him a pet lizard. It was just now that Spike had realized that there was tension in the air, and one could almost cut it with a knife. "Mr. Road, He is not my pet and he is a dragon, not a lizard," Mrs. Silvermane corrected him, with occasional glances to Spike to see how he was fairing. "Lizard, Dragon same thing. What's it doing here anyways?" With that spike pushed his chair back and approached the rude stallion. "Mr. Road is it? My name is Spike Wyvern, And starting tomorrow I'll be taking over as the new homeroom teacher for this class," Spike answered as calmly as he could, with a strained smile on his face. Mr. Road looked like he was smacked in the face by a fish. "Mrs. Silvermane please tell me that this is some form of joke," He asked with an expression of disgust. Mrs. Silvermane let out a sigh at the other teacher's question. "Mr. Road, Dean Cadance had chosen him to be my replacement. If you have any complaints then take it up with her, but don't expect any support here. Personally I'm very satisfied with him being my replacement, and what about you?" She asked as she turned to the students, who've been quiet the entire time. They all gave Mrs. Silvermane a resounding yes, in both meanings. The class's answer even surprised Mrs. Silvermane, who couldn't help but grin at that. "Well there you go," She said as she turned to Mr. Road smugly. All the anger Spike was feeling build up had vanished as he watched Mrs. Silvermane knock the stallion down a peg or two. The stallion was also feeling the sting as he could only clear his throat and adjust his tie before grumbling something. "Whatever. I'm going to start the lecture now. Page three hundred sixty-four!" He called out as he made his way to the blackboard. Mrs. Silvermane grabbed spike's arm and brought him back over to the desk. "I'm surprised you handled that so well." "Another five minutes of that and I wouldn't have," Spike explained as he sat back down in the chair. "Really?" Mrs. Silvermane asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. He reminds me of all those a-holes back in Canterlot, he just seems more down to earth than them," Spike said as Mr. Road continued on with his lesson. "That's probably because he is from Canterlot." This elicitated a sigh from Spike. "I know, but he is one of the few ponies here qualified to teach social science." "Well, I can imagine that there aren't many ponies lining up to learn to teach a subject drier than the Sahara desert." Mrs. Silvermane chuckled slightly at what spike said. "Sounds about right. The reason why Cadance even puts up with him is because he is one of the few willing to teach social science, and that his family is really caught up in the education system and can really fuck the school over if they get mad." "If that's the case then wouldn't they try something since you shot him down pretty hard?" Spike asked a little concerned. "If today wasn't my last day then they'd try to get me fired. They may be childish, but they are somewhat intelligent," Mrs. Silvermane clarified as she sat on the desk and watched the lesson. "I see. So if I tried to talk to him like that they'd try to fire me then?" Spike asked as he turned to watch the lesson. "Without a doubt. This prick believes ponies are above all other species. He is tolerant of gryphons but absolutely hates dragons, obviously. Because of his less than charming demeanor Dean Cadance refuses to give him a homeroom class of his own." "I see." At that both of them just watched the class and the students. While Mr. Road did seem a bit full of himself at times he was good at what he did, as far as Spike could tell. Mr. Road did insult the students when they got a question wrong, but they were only names like idiot and so on. That did aggitate Spike as it not only was very unprofessional, but he was just being a jackass. He would've probably done something if the entire class didn't seem to ignore the insults as they were. Even Mrs. Silvermane was unfazed by his insults. Once the bell was about to ring Spike saw Mr. Road gather his things before quickly heading out of the room, but not before giving everyone an assignment which made everyone groan. Spike could see that even Twilight didn't like him as even she groaned at the assignment and if she was anything like her past self she took any assignment as a challenge, and she liked challenges. "Ok, Now that that unpleasantness is over with, what's next?" Spike asked as he gathered his things from the desk. "Well, now would be your free time. You want to go into town? You can. You want to watch over another class as a teacher's aide? You can. Want to go home and beat yo-" "Don't finish that sentence," Spike spat a little fed up with her rather perverted lines. Mrs. Silvermane only grinned and chuckled. "But you get my point. Do what you want within reason." Spike let out a sigh as he stood up, the last of the students leaving the room. "Ok. Any suggestions on what there is to do around here, or what I should do tonight?" Spike asked. "Well, I know you have some papers to look over so I recommend you head to the athletic part of campus, find some bleachers and read over them. That way you can get some work done and watch some eye candy," She suggested with a giggle. Spike could only give her a dirty look at her remark. "Not funny. Besides, I'd rather not act like a pervert around the students." "All joking aside they won't mind as you won't be the other one. Several other teachers have made it a bit of a thing to watch the various sports as they do some paperwork," She explained with a happy sigh. Spike was silent for a minute before nodding. "Very well. In that case I will do just that. Don't want to spend my entire time up in my room." "That's the spirit. Now If you don't mind I'm going to go talk to someone about a dress," She said before heading out of the door herself, but not before locking the door so when he shut it the room would be locked. Spike stretched as he was left alone in the room. He picked up his things and went for the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. A strong shiver of fear ran up his spine. He turned around in a snap and saw it. The same figure that he saw earlier that day was standing behind the chair he was just sitting in. It just stood there staring at him. This wasn't the first time Spike had seen hallucinations like this, but something about this thing felt so unequivocally wrong. Spike felt like he was being watched, studied, by this shadow. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run for the hills, but he was too frozen in fear to move. However, as quickly as it appeared it had vanished, taking the feeling of fear with it. Spike took a minute as he didn't realize that he was holding his breath. As he panted for a minute he began to wander if he needed to up the dosage of his medications. Once his breathing was under control he headed out of the classroom, trying not to run, and out to the athletic area of the campus. Despite not having been inside all too long, since he was inside for the one class, the fresh air felt relaxing to him. He looked around for a minute before noticing some teachers by some bleachers near the track. When he got closer he noticed a couple of them as they waved him over, but they weren't all teachers. "Hello there, Mr. Wyrven. Looks like Mrs. Silvermane told you about this? Our little get together?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked in a tone slightly softer than during class. "Yeah. She recommended that I come here to read over some papers as the atmosphere was nice," Spike said. "Eyup," Said a light red earth pony with a dirty blonde mane. Spike recognized her from his class. He couldn't see it from her being behind the desk, but she was built like a powerhouse, like you could hit her with a brick wall and she wouldn't be fazed. Now that his attention was on her he could take in what she was wearing. Her plaid shirt had no sleeves, presumably torn off, and her jeans had a few holes in them. It was a simple look but she looked good in it. "Ah don't mind if a pony stares, but any longer and you'll have to buy me dinner," She joked. Spike was thrown out of his mind when Macareina joked about his unintentional staring. "Sorry, but that wasn't my intent," Spike said as he held up his hands defensively. Some of the teachers started to lightly laugh, which prompted Spike to let out a sigh as he came to the conclusion that she was poking fun at him. "Sorry about that, but ah couldn't resist," Macareina said with a slight grin. "It's no problem," Spike replied with a sigh. "So how was your first day Mr. Wyrven?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked as she had picked up some papers, presumably assignments as she looked as though she was grading them. "It was ok. Don't know how I'm going to handle Mr. Road after today," Spike said which made half of the teachers there groan just from hearing the name. "Is he really that bad? Mrs. Silvermane said that he was behaved like an ass in my class because I'm a dragon." "When It comes to teaching the general subject of social science, he is pretty good. When it comes to him as a person however, he is severely lacking. He would be especially bed to you because you are what he hates, a dragon. To everypony else he's just insufferable," Ms. Harshwhinny responded and most ponies there gave some sort of agreement. "Look on the bright side, you only have to deal with him every Mondays and Wednesdays," Macareina explained. Spike gave Macareina a curious look, and she quickly picked up on it. "You do know that the schedule shifts right?" Spike slowly shook his head as he began to think about the classes they had today. They had three core classes, but that number didn't seem right. "No I didn't. I still have some papers to look over, which is why I cam here," He explained, showing her the papers. "Ahhh, ok. Well pick any spot you want and you can do your thing. You're free to stay here afterwards if you want," Macareina said before turning her attention back to the fields. Spike nodded as he did so. Picking a spot, not exactly away from the group but enough to show that he wasn't comfortable in groups. He began to read the papers he had, wishing he would've read this first thing in the morning as it gave a breakdown of class schedules and his seating chart. Monday Literature Mathematics Lunch Social Science Elective Tuesday Physical Science Physical Education Lunch Philosophy Elective Wednesday Literature Mathematics Lunch Social Science Elective Thursday Physical Science Physical Education Lunch Philosophy Elective Friday Conditioning Lunch Elective Spike was confused by Friday's schedule. He has heard of a few schools having block schedules, but Friday was a curveball. It may have been just him but he didn't think academies or universities didn't do half days. What's more, what did it mean by 'Conditioning'? He decided to leave his questions for later. It was Wednesday so he had at least a day to get answers if he didn't get them tonight. He then moved to his Class's seating chart. Fourth Row Maud pie, Pinkie pie, Fluttershy, Zephyr Breeze, Twilight Sparkle Third row Limestone Pie, Marble Pie, Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, Rarity Second row Gilda, Sky Stinger, [Empty], [Empty], Macareina First row [Empty], Gabby, [Empty], Thunderlane, [Empty] Spike smiled as he did his best to memorize the chart so he could call everyone by their name, rather than having to call them something like sport or tiger or something else that made him look like he was trying to hard. After this there was a sheet that explained some of the services around the campus. It mainly dealt with the electives as they needed people to practice on, so the price was cheaper than if done outside of campus. The services were things like massages, tailoring, mane styling and... furniture? "Wait what?" Spike asked aloud as he read the services. ~Furniture? Like couches and coffee tables?~ He asked himself mentally. "What is it?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked over her shoulder. Not wanting to raise his voice he got up and moved towards her, sitting right next to her. "I'm looking these over" -Spike showed her the papers- "And it says here that one of the services is furniture. I'm a little confused at that." Ms. Harshwhinny actually grinned slightly at his confusion, which didn't go unnoticed by spike. "It's as simple as it sounds. There is a construction class and they get extra points if they can make things for clients, such as furniture, jungle gyms and sheds. Now they can make couches and the like but if you want a bed then they can make the frame, but you have to get the mattress," She explained, her grin still on her face. Spike had to admit that she had quite a bit of charm, when she dropped the resting bitch face she seemed to sport. "Sounds interesting. Sounds like you've bought from them before." Ms. Harshwhinny chuckled at spike as she put her clipboard and papers down. "Almost every teacher here has bought from them. Be it just a chair or a bed frame, they do get more than a few orders. I have personally bought a few chairs and a desk from them before." Seeing her relax a bit made Spike smile. "Ok, well..." Spike started. He wanted to continue the conversation but didn't know how. The silence continued for a couple minutes, in which Spike watched the various sports that were going on around them. He soon spotted Rainbow Dash up in the skies doing cloud sprints with other Pegasi. He was surprised by how fast she was. He worked for the Wonderbolts for a time, granted he was just their gofer while they stayed in Canterlot for a few of their events, but in that time he was able to gain some skill in being able to tell who was a good flier or a bad flier. He could tell that she would fit in easily with them. "Your social skills seem to be lacking," Ms. Harshwhinny stated, breaking Spike out of his trance. "I can tell you were searching for something to talk about," she added making spike blush a bit out of embarrassment. "That obvious huh?" Spike asked to which Ms. Harshwhinny nodded. "Sorry about that. I'm not exactly and introvert, but I haven't had much practice with real people." Ms. Harshwhinny nodded along as she listened to him. "Makes a fair bit of sense. If you don't practice you can't get good at it," She said as her grin faded. While she had stopped grinning she didn't exactly return to the look she had before, but a softer variant of it which still held her charm from before. "You seem normal enough when you're talking to others but it seems that when you want to just talk with others then you get awkward. Which brings up the question: Why haven't you had much practice?" Spike let out a sigh as she nailed the nail on the head. She was definitely observant that's for sure. "This is getting old to tell people but I grew up in Canterlot, and the vast majority there are pony supremacists. That coupled with the fact that i'm like the ONLY dragon to be raised IN Equestira, AROUND ponies and NOT in Fillydelphia. Almost everywhere else I would be able to live a normal-ish life, but not in Canterlot. Getting called a racial slur for dragons every time I say 'Hello' is not a very good way to practice," Ms. Harshwhinny sat silently as she listened. "Yes, I can imagine Canterlot not being very good for non-ponies to grow up in." "The only reason why i know as much as I do about my own kind is because I spent a couple months in Dragon Town, Fillydelphia. Good people and nice place," Spike commented as he remembered back to his visit to Dragon Town. "If it was good then why didn't you stay there?" Macareina asked. Spike looked over to Macareina and saw that she was leaning back a little so she could look back at him and Ms. Harshwhinny over her shoulder. "That's because my family is, unfortunately, in Canterlot and they can't exactly move," He responded. Macareina seemed content with that answer and smiled before nodding. "I see. Well-" Ms. Harshwhinny was interrupted by her cellphone ringing. She quickly nabbed it from her pocket before answering it. "Yes? Wait what?" -Ms. Harshwhinny sighed as she rubbed the bridge between her eyes.- "Ok. Give me a minute," She said before hanging up and gathering her things. "Sorry but it looks like we'll have to end our conversation here. I have somewhere to be now," She said before quickly getting off the bleachers and headed towards the school. Spike returned his attention back to the students and let his mind wander. He was a bit calmer than he expected to be this soon after getting hired. He normally would've been anxious a week after getting hired, but here? He was still a bit nervous but compared to the other times he was as calm as a midnight sea. He didn't know if he owed that to having some people he knew here or not, but he did know that his hallucinations sure as heck wasn't helping. The more he thought about his recent hallucinations the more his mind is brought back to the single shadow person he kept seeing. Until a month ago all of his hallucinations were a combination of auditory and visual bombardment of incoherent voices and shadowy figures. Then all of a sudden they all consisted of the single shadow figure and silence, but kept a consistent once a week pattern. Now he has had the hallucination three times in a week and twice in one day. The worst of it is the feeling Spike is getting from the single shadow person. It feels like he has seen it before, years ago, like some forgotten piece of his past that had come back to haunt him. Spike let out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his face. Not wanting to get to think much more and get stuck in his own head he gathered his things and began to make his way to his room. He didn't get too far however. "Look out!" Someone shouted, making spike turn to see who shouted. When spike looked to see who shouted his vision was blocked by grayish blue feathers and turquoise eyes. ~Feathers?~ Spike thought a mere second before he was knocked off his feet and slammed into the ground, blacking out. He didn't know how long he was out but when he came to there was a ring of people around him while a white mare with a pale pinkish mane was kneeling beside him, tending to him. His eyes were quickly drawn to the nurse's cap on her head. That's when the cogs in Spike's mind began to turn. "What happened?" He asked as he tried to sit up, but was quickly overpowered by the nurse, who forced him to lay back down. "Don't move. I'm the school's nurse, Redheart. A couple students collided with each other and fell. Unfortunately one of said students flew right into you. You seem to be in good shape. Don't blink-" She ordered as she shined a small flashlight into his eyes. "-do you feel ok?" She asked as she finally allowed him to sit up. "Other than a slight headache I feel fine," Spike said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The headache was probably caused by your head slamming into a rock when you were hit. Your head seems fine, but the rock is rubble now," She said as she slowly raised him to his feet. "And now?" Spike moved around a little before stumbling slightly. "A little dizzy now but fine. How long was I out?" He asked as Nurse Redheart made sure he was standing up right. "You were out for about twenty minutes. Now If the dizziness gets any worse come down to the infirmary or if you can't send someone to let me know. Now, GABBY!" She half yelled as a grayish blue gryphon appeared from the small crowd, which thankfully was dispersing. "You are to help Mr. Wyrven to his room since you are the one that flew into him. "Ok Nurse Redheart," Gabby said as she felt a bit guilty for slamming into her teacher like that. When Gabby took hold of Spike's shoulder he was able to get a good look at her. Yep, she was definitely the one who hit him as he remembered those grayish blue feathers and those turquoise eyes. He wasn't at all surprised to see her in her gym clothes, which consisted of a blue pair of shorts and a gray t-shirt. Once Nurse Redheart headed off back to the infirmary Gabby and Spike headed off to the dorms, with him holding his things. "I'm in trouble aren't I?" Gabby asked as they neared the dorms. Spike was surprised to see her break the silence that was hanging in the air since they left the sports area. "Why would you assume that?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, I wasn't watching where I was going and I ended up slamming into you and hurting you," She said as her eyes wandered down to the grass as they walked. "Hey, It was an accident. Besides, i'm a bit too dizzy to be peeved at you," He said with a slight chuckle. He was still a tad dizzy, which was no surprise to him as once they started walking he was even dizzier than he first thought. Thankfully the dizziness was tapering off. "Really?" She asked as she turned her head to him, an expression of joy covering her face. "Uh-huh," Spike answered simply. "Thank you!" She exclaimed before pouncing him in a hug. Now spike has never been hugged by a female, except for his mother, Celestia, and Cadance a time or two. So this obviously caught him off guard. He tried to take a step back but due to his current dizziness he fell to his ass, bringing Gabby down with him. "Whoa! Gabby, what's all this about?" Spike asked with a chuckle as he looked to the sky with a grin on his face. "Sorry, it's just that I can't afford another strike," She said with her arms still around him. What she said made Spike drop his grin as he looked at Gabby. Much to his surprise, due to the fall, Gabby went from hugging his shoulders to hugging his stomach. That's when he became conscious of the feeling of two soft mounds pushing into his waist. He had to quickly look away and take a deep breath to clear his mind, to prevent perverted thoughts from entering his mind too soon. "Gabby, Why can't you afford another strike?" He asked sternly. He remembered that this school only allowed you to get two strikes, with the third strike getting you expelled. He could feel Gabby shift uncomfortably before getting off him. She was now on her knees as she fiddled with her claws. "Um well... That's... uhh..." She mumbled as she now look ashamed. "Gabby," Spike said sternly as he sat up straight from his laid back position. "It's not as bad as it sounds... it's just... um..." "Gabby!" Spike nearly growled as he was beginning to get aggitated. Gabby whimpered before letting out a sigh. "Last year during my heat I may have accidentally beat up a few ponies for trying to get into my pants," She said as she gently bit her finger as she looked away. Spike let out a sigh and let his anger vanish. She looked so cute with her finger in her beak like that, so much so it made him smile a bit. "Ok, help me to my room and let's talk about it," He said as he tried to stand up, only to quickly be aided by Gabby. There was a bit of an awkward silence in the air as they made their way to the elevator. It didn't help that more than a few students stared at them. Earlier Spike felt somewhat uncomfortable with all the staring, but now with his arm around Gabby and her arm around him he couldn't help but be embarrassed. He knew why she was doing it and that the act was purely innocent, but to others it may look like the two are rather close. Thankfully that lasted until they were in the elevator and were heading up to their floor. Mrs. Silvermane as standing in the hallway beside the door that lead to the teacher's room when the elevator opened. Her face seemed to drain as she saw Spike, but her expression changed from shock to worry as she saw Gabby helping him walk. "Spike!" She said rather loudly as she began to make her way over to the duo. "Hey Mrs. Silvermane," The two said in unison as Mrs. Silvermane stopped in front of them. "What happened?" She asked with worry in her voice. "I accidentally flew into him and knocked him out. Nurse Redheart told me to help him back to his room," Gabby explained with a nervous smile. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy," Spike added in. Mrs. Silvermane sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "Ok, Gabby,If you can take him to your room. HIS room is still being worked on," She responded. It took Gabby a second to go from a confused expression to a surprised one. "Ok. I'll keep him occupied until the 'workers' leave," She said before guiding spike to her room. Spike was a bit surprised that there were people working on the room. He didn't remember anything in the papers he read about there being a mandatory renovation for each new teacher, and he doubted they would renovate his room for the heck of it. It wasn't until he was standing in front of a door with the name Gabby written in golden letters that he realized that Mrs. Silvermane told Gabby to take him to her room. "Wait, is this appropriate?" He asked as his face flushed a little. He felt really awkward entering a female's room at the moment. "What's wrong? Never been in a girl's room before?" She asked as she opened the door and guided him in. "Well, there's that but I'm your teacher." That made Gabby laugh as the door closed. "If anything that would make this more appropriate, as where would you tutor us if we asked?" That comment made Spike shut his mouth as his mind went to work. "Umm, my room?" He asked somewhat doubting his own answer. "And how would that be more appropriate?" She asked with a grin. Spike thought for a moment before giving a sigh of defeat. "See? Besides, you act as if we were coming in here to do something naughty," She said before setting him on the couch. "Good point. Now, back to what we were discussing before coming up here," He said, obviously wanting to talk about her altercations with those stallions from last year. Gabby let out a sigh as she stood up and began to pace, obviously a bit nervous. "Ok. Well, you see, every female her is given a choice during heat-" Spike held his hand up to stop her. "I already know about the heat suppression pills," He said wanting to get passed the talk about the pills every female here is given whenever they go into heat so they don't become exceedingly horny and try to lay anything with the proper 'equipment'. It did nothing for the female's raised fertility from their heat, but it repressed the urge. It was also only mandatory if one couldn't control themselves during their heat if off the pill. "Ah, ok. Well I was on the pill and some guys here know that some don't use the pills and so they're supposedly an easy lay. Apparently there was a rumor around that I opted out of the pill, and they wanted to have some fun with me. When I said no they began to get forceful. Now they didn't get physical but they did kind of get me to a secluded spot that I couldn't get out of. Since I really didn't feel safe there and they wouldn't let me leave without satisfying them, I took the only option present to me, and beat them up," She explained a light blush on her face, a little embarrassed talking about such a subject with her male teacher. "And that netted you two strikes?" Spike asked in disbelief. "Well... It wasn't just once. it was four times. Each time the dean only gave me half a strike." That didn't sound like Cadance. The Cadance he knew wouldn't have given her a strike to begin with. Something was up. either Gabby wasn't being entirely truthful, or Cadance was dealing with some crap from Canterlot scumbags. "Ok, Gabby. Tomorrow, I will go talk to Cadance about getting your strikes revoked. If something like that happens again then come to me first and I'll accompany you to Cadance's office," He said before watching Gabby's face slowly light up. "Really?" She asked with stars in her eyes. "Yes," Spike said simply before being tackled by a greyish blue blur. The couch actually rocked back but fell back onto it's legs before reaching it's tipping point. Spike could assess what was happening only after the couch returned to it's normal position. Gabby was siting in his lap, breasts pushed up against him and she was rubbing the side of her head against his while saying 'Thank you' over and over again. He knew that if he was in her position he'd be thankful too, but he was highly doubtful that he'd be THIS thankful. He had to get her out of his lap and soon. His mind was saying no, no, no while his body was saying yes, yes, yes. Thankfully before things could possibly escalate the door opened up, making Spike turn his head to the door. He saw Twilight there staring wide eyed at him and Gabby. Whatever arousal Spike's body was building up disappeared in almost an instant as he saw the fires of rage behind Twilight's eyes. "Twilight!" Spike started as his voice cracked "It's not what it looks like I swear!" He said as he felt Gabby continue to rub his cheek with her's. "Oh really?" Twilight asked with a hint of venom in her voice, as she placed her hands on her hips. "Yes really," Spike said as he began to try and pry Gabby off. "Then tell me, what am I looking at if not my underage teacher trying to get it on with one of his students?" She asked bluntly with even more venom than her last sentence. Spike sighed in defeat as he couldn't pry Gabby off him. Sure Dragons were more powerful than other races, but Gabby apparently worked out and he didn't. "Look." He started as he explained the situation to her in detail. Twilight seemed a little on edge after listening to him. She simply nodded before letting her arms drop to her side. "Ok, ok," She said before walking over to Gabby and tapping her on the shoulder. Gabby just now realized that the two weren't alone and got off her teacher. "Question Twilight: Why did you come in here anyways?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, your room is done now. Mrs. Silvermane wanted me to get your opinion on the new bed and new living room," She answered without missing a beat. Spike nodded and got up thinking he was ok to walk by himself. Him nearly falling over after a couple steps said otherwise. It wasn't as bad as before but it was still annoying. Gabby once again was at his side, but this time Twilight took Spike's unattended side. That caught both Spike and Gabby off guard, but they payed it no mind as they guided Spike to his room. "Surprise!" Came the near deafening roar that nearly knocked Spike over as he entered his room. His room was definitely an odd sight to him as he wasn't too used to parties. There was a banner with gold letters that read 'Welcome!', confetti was in the air, there were balloons everywhere and he could see a large cake in the kitchen. It took him a few seconds to take it all in before a pink pony with an equally pink and puffy mane began to bounce in front of him. "Whereyouexcitedthatlookonyourfacesaysthatyouare!MynameisPinkiePieandIjustwantedtosaywelcometoourschoolandIhopeyouhaveagoodtimeteachinghere!" She exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and shook it so vigorously that his whole body was vibrating. He was so caught off guard that he barely noticed that she was wearing a dark pink camisole and a pair of blue shorts that ended halfway down her thighs. She soon left him to quickly grab a drink from a punch bowl that was on the coffee table. Spike took the time to stop his hand from vibrating and turned to Twilight and Gabby, but they beat him before he could utter a word. "That was Pinkie Pie. She has always been, and always will be a bundle of energy," Twilight answered. "Ok, now, you know I'm not much for parties, so what should I do?" He asked before Pinkie Pie grabbed him from behind and began to drag him around. "If you don't know what to do then mingle!" She said with a large grin before placing him on the couch. Spike's mind was still reeling from what pinkie had said, trying to decipher what she had said, before she grabbed him. Now he was on the couch and even more confused. He looked around and saw that everyone was talking with each other, except for Gabby who seemed to be getting one of Twilight's lectures. It wasn't until he felt someone pull on his jacket's arm that he looked to his left to see Fluttershy sitting there, who was dressed in a green turtleneck sweater, and a light brown ankle length straight skirt. "Oh! Hello... Fluttershy, right?" He asked remembering her name from when she was called for a question during the first period. Fluttershy smiled and nodded as she tried to hide behind her mane. Spike found that kind of cute, but if she was as shy as she led on to be then he was surprised that she was able to sit here. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" Spike asked curiously, trying to make some conversation. "No," she practically whispered. Because it was so quiet Spike couldn't tell if there was stress behind her voice or not. "Then why don't you look at me?" Fluttershy froze for a minute before speaking. "I believe you are a good dragon, but mature dragons still scare me," She replied just as quietly before. "I see. No helping that I guess. I can only hope that over the course of the year you'll start to lose that fear with me being your homeroom teacher and all," He said with a smile. He tried to get up, not wanting to make her any more nervous than need be, but was stopped when she put a hand on his shoulder. A small and gentle tug was all that was needed for Spike to sit back down. It was obvious to him that she wanted to talk, but he didn't know what about. "Any questions?" He asked as he tried to get the ball rolling. "Did you really nibble on Twilight's mane?" She asked as she turned her head a little. It wasn't much but it was enough for Spike to see one of her cyan eyes. Her question made Spike groan as he rolled his head back with on of his hands covering his eyes. "Applejack told you, didn't she?" He asked, not moving from his position. "Yes." Spike let out a sigh before regaining his earlier posture. "Yes I did. Why?" He asked not meaning to sound a little aggitated. Fluttershy let out a small 'eep' when he turned to her, waiting for her answer. "I-i th-thought it w-was cute," She answered, obviously getting a bit nervous. Spike did a double take of her answer. Cute? He remembered both Cadance and Celestia laughing when they found out, and both he and Twilight found it embarrassing. Not once had he ever heard the word cute associated with that. "I'm sorry, but cute? How so?" He asked, his tone having softened considerably. Fluttershy almost did a double take herself at how fast his tone seemed to have changed. "Um... I think it's cute because it seems like you two really get along. Like puppy love!" She said in a normal tone. The confidence in how she talked during that sentence made Spike blush out of complete embarrassment. Spike consequently let out an involuntary whimper before speaking. "Don't say puppy love. The act is embarrassing enough, without that label." "What's embarrassing?" Rainbow dash said as she spoke up from behind the two. Fluttershy made a small 'eep' as Spike quickly turned to he could see Rainbow dash standing behind them. Spike instantly knew she was rainbow dash as she was the only pony in his class that had a rainbow mane, and Mrs. Silvermane called her by name during the morning period. The track suit she was wearing didn't surprise him at all, what did catch his interest though was that the colors were inspired by the Wonderbolt's colors. "Oh, it was nothing, right Fluttershy?" Spike asked, his blush betraying his words. "uh-huh," Was all she said as she tried to hide her face again, but from this angle Spike could see a faint blush on her cheeks. Rainbow dash grinned widely as she could easily see through their lies. "Oh I doubt that. Does this have something to do between you and Twilight?" She asked bluntly. Spike wanted to lie and say no, but his brief sputtering only told Rainbow what she wanted to hear. She began to crack up on the spot. Her laughing only fueled both Spike's and Fluttershy's blushes even more. After a few apologies, while still laughing the three got to talking. "You know, I expected you to be a bit more dragon-like," Rainbow dash said bluntly as she hovered in the air above the coffee table. "What's that supposed to mean?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh you know. I expected you to have come here with a horde of gems, have bulging muscles and want to prove you're the top dog around here." Spike gave her quite the dirty look before answering. "You have a very low outlook on dragons don't you?" Spike asked as his agitation was made apparent by his tone. He eventually sighed before waving off his remark. "I can't entirely blame you though. I'm like the only dragon outside of Fillydelphia, and those who come from the badlands aren't exactly good representation. Is that how all dragon used to act? Yes. Is that how all dragons act now? No. Heck, there are even some cities in the badlands that are filled with dragons who don't fit into the dragon stereotype... Well, They still horde gems, but otherwise they don't fit," Spike explained. "Really?" Fluttershy asked. "Yep." "Hey, in class you talked about the three kinds of dragons, can any of them walk on clouds?" Rainbow dash asked. Spike nodded to her answer. "Yes, but it's not what one would think. Sky dragons cannot walk on clouds, like pegasi can. Only us Enchanted dragons can. The weird thing is, is that we don't need a spell or anything. We can walk on clouds naturally and I don't know why." "Well, aren't we getting well acquainted!" Pinkie said while getting quite giddy. "Hey Pinkie!" Rainbow dash said with a smile. "Heya Rainbow dash!" Pinkie returned before hugging Spike from behind, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "Sorry about what I said In class today," She apologized as she brought her head next to Spike's. "That's fine Pinkie, but I think you should apologize to Twilight first," Spike suggested as he leaned his head away slightly as he looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh I did. It was when we were setting up this party for you!" She said as she inched her face closer to his. "Pinkie, if you're going to hold onto me like this much longer then we're going to have to go on a date first," Spike teased with a shaky smile, earning a chuckle from Rainbow dash. Pinkie didn't hesitate to grin ear from ear and giggle. "From what I heard Gabby was much closer than I and you didn't ask a date from her," She teased right back, earning a heavy blush from Spike. "Oh-ho?! Pinkie do tell" Rainbow dashed said with a large grin. "How about I show you?" Pinkie said with a smile. By this point Fluttershy was blushing slightly, which grew massively when Pinkie jumped over the back of the couch and landed in Spike's lap. That action even caught Rainbow dash off guard. "Now I believe she was rubbing the side of your head with hers," She whispered into Spike's ear. He was now sporting a blush that spread from ear to ear. "P-pinkie," Spike started, but was silenced by pinkie placing a finger on his lips. "If it's a date you want first, then it's a date you'll get," She said with a happy smile before hopping off his lap. "Let me know when you want that day by Monday, ok?" She said before heading to chat with some other students. Spike looked at Rainbow dash who was now sporting a hard blush and was now on the ground. When he looked over to Fluttershy she was now sporting a blush somewhere between Rainbow dash's and his. "Is that within the norm for her?" Spike asked as he tried to calm down. Fluttershy didn't move as Rainbow dash slowly shook her head. "This is a first for her. I mean she is pretty crazy, in a good way, but something like this is new to me. I'll catch you two later," She said before leaving. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry but I'm going to hang out on the balcony for a bit," He said before doing just that. Pinkie had really messed with his mind. Whether or not she was kidding about the date he would have to find out, but for now the brisk cooling air out on the balcony would have to work to cool him down. Thankfully his Dizziness had all but disappeared. He was still a little wobbly, but could walk on his own now. "Pinkie, are you serious about that?" Rainbow dash asked with a concerned look. "About what?" She asked as she grabbed a piece of cake. "About that date with our teacher." "Oh that? I sure am!" She said before downing the piece of cake in one bite. "Why?" "Why not?" Pinkie responded as her head cocked to the side. Rainbow was stumped by her friend's response. Sure there was nothing really wrong with it, but it still felt wrong. "Because we just met him!" "So." Rainbow dash was stumped again as she tried to comprehend Pinkie's lack of logic. "What?" "Dashie, you think that we're going on a date, that means we'll end up in the same bed. What's wrong with going on a date to get to know someone better? It doesn't have to end in fun under the sheets," Pinkie explained. Rainbow dash thought for a second before relenting. She was right. It may not end up with them in the same bed, heck it probably won't end with them in the same bed. She was just jumping to conclusions, and felt a bit guilty thinking her friend was that easy. "Sorry Pinkie," Rainbow dash apologized. "No problem. Although I'd be lying I didn't wonder what that would feel like with him. That's assuming the date goes well. Twilight has first dibs though since she's known him the longest," Pinkie said, earning a sigh from Rainbow dash. "Pinkie, you never cease to confuse me." "Then don't think about it," She said happily before skipping into the living room. Rainbow dash could only sigh and back into the living room with her friend. "The cold air is nice, is it not?" Asked a voice from behind spike. He turned to see a unicorn mare with a curly purple mane and a white coat. She was wearing a black waterfall style top with a matching knee-length pencil skirt. He remembered from the classroom and he tried to remember her name from the seating chart. "Rarity, right?" Spike asked. Rarity nodded to his question. "Yes, Darling. I must admit that I had the same thoughts about you as Rainbow dash did," She said but continued before spike could say anything. "But during your conversation you have proven those beliefs wrong, so I must apologize. For my unjust beliefs and for eavesdropping," She said, surprising Spike with not only that she was apologizing but that he was just now noticing her tone. She sounded like upper class, but didn't act like she was from Canterlot which he was thankful for. "No problem," he said before looking out to the sunset before something hit him. "Wait a minute... How much did you hear?" "Well, I know that you have a date with Pinkie Pie sometime within the next week," She said with a smile, making Spike groan and blush. "Is she being serious about that?" "As unpredictable as she Is, I would have to assume that she is being serious about this. I do have to ask: Do you have anything appropriate to wear?" Spike took a second to answer her. "I have A casual outfit, and this is my only suit. The other one I have is a bit run down," He said before turning to Rarity who had a disapproving look on her face. "Meet me in the fashion classroom once the main classes end tomorrow," She practically ordered. "I'm going to make you a few clothes." Spike waved his hands in front of him at her offer. "There's no need to go tha-" "Darling, I insist. A date, no matter how casual must be at a bare minimum a little romantic or fashionable. Nothing from the rack can compare to clothes that are designed with you in mind," She stated strongly. Spike could feel that he wasn't going to win this battle so he simply nodded to her request. He also got the feeling that she was a bit of a romantic at heart. "Ok. I'll go with you during the extra curricular classes," Spike said, earning a smile from Rarity. "Thank you, now if you don't mind I must excuse myself. I have some designs to draw," She said before leaving the balcony and to her room. Spike let out a sigh as he was left on the balcony alone. "Am I going to survive this school?" He asked before pulling the scroll from Celestia out of the internal pocket of his jacket. Dear Spike I am so happy that Cadance had hired you. I wanted to let you know that I am working on a way to get your temporary teacher status extended, but it doesn't look too good. I'm sorry to say that you may have to reveal your true Identity within the month. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. I will see you soon, on your 18th birthday. Until then stay safe, and try not to break any rules. Love, your mother Spike smiled as he read the letter. "A letter from your mom?" Twilight asked as she leaned against the railing next to Spike. "Yep... This sucks," Spike said as he let out a sigh. "Hmm?" Spike said nothing but handed her the letter. After a minute Twilight rolled the letter back up. "Are you going to be ok?" "Yeah, but I can't imagine what everyone'll do when they find out. For what? Ten years? I've used an alias. Not much of an alias, but an alias nonetheless. It's not that I wanted to distance myself from my mom, but I don't want people to think less of her for raising a dragon. You know how the canterlot nobility can be," Spike said as he rubbed his eyes. "I know each of them pretty well, but as for how they'll act... I don't know," She said before hugging him from the side. "But know this; come what may, I won't abandon you. Not again," She said, still holding him close with one arm around his shoulders. "Again?" Spike asked a bit confused. "When did you abandon me before?" "Remember all those years ago when we would work on your homework together? Well, I've been thinking and my actions have not been that of a friend, and you were my first friend. I just simply cut off everyone when I got serious with my studies. I faintly remember receiving a few letters from you, but I just pushed them aside and continued to study. A true friend would've put time aside for friends. I know you couldn't exactly go out to make friends and I knew I was your only friend, but I just pushed you aside like everything else. Could you ever forgive me?" She asked with pleading eyes. Spike couldn't help but to smile warmly at Twilight. "Twilight, my life has not been easy. I try to learn from my mistakes and when mother would drop by to see how I was doing she would teach me a thing or two. One thing I've learned so far is that a true friend can forgive a friend for their mistakes and their faults. So of course I forgive you," He said before receiving another hug from twilight. "Thanks Spike. I needed to hear that. Maybe tomorrow after school we can catch up?" Twilight asked with a hint of hope in her voice. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot Twilight," Spike said with a smile before giving Twilight a hug. "Oh my..." Both Twilight and Spike went wide-eyed as they looked at the balcony door, only to see Fluttershy there blushing furiously. "If I'm interrupting something-" "Not at all Fluttershy," Twilight said with a heavy blush as she pulled away from Spike, who was also heavily blushing. "Was there something you wanted?" "Well, Gilda wanted to thank Spike," "Thank me for what?" "Gabby told her that you intend to talk to the dean and see about getting her strikes revoked," Fluttershy explained. "Making a name for yourself already huh?" Twilight teased, much to Spike's embarrassment. "Oh quiet you," Spike shot back with a grin. "So, where's Gilda?" "About that, she wanted you to come to the classroom early tomorrow so she could thank you. She has some homework to do tonight so she couldn't come right now," Fluttershy explained. "Spike nodded with a sigh. Ok then," Spike said before letting out a yawn. "By Luna's Fetlocks... How long does Pinkie's parties last?" Spike asked aloud. "Oh, most are already leaving," Fluttershy answered. "Ok, thank you Fluttershy," Spike said before watching her leave. Without warning he felt a pair of lips connect with his cheek, making him go wide-eyed. He didn't have time to recover as Twilight embraced him in another hug. He couldn't help but to hug her back. "It's good to see you back Spike," Twilight said as she rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute Twilight broke from the embrace with a blush but smiled. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah, see you tomorrow," He said before watching Twilight leave his balcony. His brain was turning before something hit him. "Cadance. I'm going to hurt you if the spark was between me and Twilight and you didn't tell me," Spike said with a chuckle. Seeing as it was getting late and he needed to wake up early tomorrow he decided to turn in for the night. He took the couch as tonight was Mrs. Silvermane's last night here. Author's Note Sorry that took so long. For some reason the scene with Mrs. Harshwhinny just took it out of me. I'm also sorry for these short author's notes as I don't really know what to put in them and I've never used anything like this before coming here. Lastly, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My longest chapter I have ever written... Well, Published anyways. Chapter 6: Day OneSpike grumbled as his alarm went off. He flailed his arm around in the direction of the noise, agitated that it had disturbed his peaceful sleep. After a minute he managed to find the digital alarm. He was tempted to smash the damn thing but knew better, as he'd have to be the one to clean up the mess and he'd then have to buy a new clock. He begrudgingly got up and headed for the shower. He didn't want to wake up so early, but he remembered that Gilda wanted to thank him for what he was going to do for gabby. After the shower he donned the same classic black suit he wore yesterday. He smiled as he saw Mrs. Silvermane still asleep in the bedroom. He felt an odd sense of pride as he woke up before her. He quickly found the classroom's keys and left a note to the former teacher so she wouldn't panic if the keys went missing. She had spoken to him last night about saying goodbye to the class one last time in the morning before heading off to the train station. ~My word.~ He thought to himself as he made his way accross the campus grounds. Unlike yesterday morning, which was quite alive with activity, it was nearly a graveyard now. The only things awake besides him were a few hoots from owls in the nearby forest and the chefs who are just turning up to the kitchen to get everything ready for the day. Spike wasn't at all too surprised when he found the classroom door was locked. This was the reason why he had grabbed the keys after all. He didn't have to wait long as by the time he sat down in the teacher's chair a knock came from the door. "It's unlocked," Spike called out, only to hear the knocking again. "It's... open..." He started as he looked to the door, only to see it open and nobody was there. The knocking returned, but louder this time. That's when it hit him that the knocking wasn't coming from the door, but from all around. He began to panic, knowing that he was hallucinating the sound. Soon the knocking stopped, but the feeling of a presence took it's place. Spike spun around as he stood up going wide-eyed as he saw the familiar shadow figure standing behind the teacher's chair. Spike backed up until there was a good 2 yards between the two. "Who are you?" Spike asked aloud. He didn't know why he was talking to it as it was a hallucination. The shadow figure simply stood there stock still as if it was analyzing Spike, at least that's what Spike thought it was doing. Spike didn't know why he felt like it was alive. None of the other hallucinations to date had this feeling. "Just go away!" Spike nearly yelled at the figure, his panic starting to take over. "Here I thought I had problems," came a voice from Spike's right. He spun around and saw a female gryphon standing in the doorway. She had white feathers and a tanish coat. What really caught his attention was that the tips of the feathers on her head had a pale purpleish-pink color to them. He didn't know if it was natural or not, but it went well with her black leather jacket, dark red tank top and Jeans that had holes in the knees. She pulled the punk look together well. "Ah, Gilda, sorry you had to see that," Spike said, guessing she was Gilda as he remembered her face from class, and she was the only person who had reason to come here this morning. He doubted student would come to class this early voluntarily... Except for Twilight on exam day. She was the one exception. "Yeah... Want to tell me what that was about?" Gilda asked with a hint of confusion in her voice. Spike sighed as he grabbed one of the desks and brought it over to the teacher's desk. He motioned for her to sit before before seating himself. Spike was not looking forward to this talk, and only expected to talk to Twilight about this. At least he could use this as a bit of a practice run for Twilight. With Twilight he'd go into detail, but for Gilda he'd have to be vague to better protect his identaty... for now. "Several years ago, I was attacked in Canterlot. I don't remember much about the attack as one of them went to town on the back of my head with a metal instrument." -Spike turned around so Gilda could see the back of his head, especially the scarring there.- "You see the scales that are a slight shade lighter than the others? Well, those are the scarred scales. He didn't do too much damage, but it was enough to break the scales and to crack my skull. If I was a pony my head would've been caved in," Spike explained before turning back around to face Gilda, who was now wide-eyed. "Anyways, I survived but I suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI for short. I spent the next year relearning to walk. The other consequences of the TBI was, and still is, Hallucinations and somewhat muted colors. The hallucinations have been declining, but recently they've started back up with a new pattern." Gilda was still a bit wide-eyed as she listened to his story. "Damn. You've been through a lot. I do have a question though. If you were in such a bad state, how'd you get your teaching degree?" Spike smiled at her question. "One; Just because my legs didn't want to work properly doesn't mean I couldn't read a text book. Second; My teaching degree is fairly recent. Almost a year old if i'm being honest," he said with a smug grin. "Ok, so you were hearing a hallucination earlier?" Gilda asked with a smile. "Yeah. Had two yesterday. It's really been amping up this week," Spike said before letting out a sigh. "Oh, yeah? Well, maybe my thank you can help you relax," She said before getting up and closed in on spike. Spike was a little confused by Gilda's words, but quickly smartened up when he saw her closing the distance between them with a somewhat hungry look in her eyes. He tried to get up, but was quickly pushed back into the seat by the female gryphon. Before he could do or say anything Gilda jumped into his lap, in the same position as Gabby and Pinkie pie. Spike was blushing heavily at this point as unlike Gabby who was innocent in her actions and Pinkie who was teasing him, Gilda seemed a bit more lustful. Spike didn't move as he was in a bit of shock. He did not expect this kind of situation to happen when he woke up today. Gilda brought him out of his thoughts when she licked his neck, which made a shiver run down his spine. Spike let out a gasp which made Gilda grin. She didn't stop there as she began to nibble on his ear fins. She was teasing him and his body was responding in a natural way. "Feels like someone is getting into the mood," She teased as she could feel Spike pitching a tent in his pants, which she was grinding against. Spike was doing his damnedest to stem his rising arousal, but was losing the uphill battle. He did his best to stifle a moan, but Gilda heard it loud as day. "Hey Mr. Wyrven, I can satisfy your urges, just give me the word. Afterwards, you must promise me something. Later, when you talk to the dean, you tell her that Gabby assaulted you yesterday. Don't even talk about her past strikes. She's got her hopes up right now and I want to see... her... depressed?" Gilda said in a questioning tone at the end as she felt his tent vanish faster than it appeared. When she looked into his eyes she knew instantly what was wrong; Spike was mad. "Gilda. Off. Now," Spike growled as smoke began to billow out of his nose. Gilda got off Spike as if he was red hot. "What's wr-" "Quiet!" Spike barked. "I am far from perfect. I am greedy sometimes, I can be dense sometimes, I probably lie more than I should and I have even stolen more than a few things in the past. I may have done some things I'm not proud of, but one thing I will NEVER do is go back on my word. I told Gabby that i'll talk to Cadance about getting her strikes revoked, and I will do so," Spike half-growled. "From what I've seen she'd be willing to do anything to get her strikes removed. Just Imagine how you could corrupt her if you give her another strike and give her a chance to remove it," Gilda suggested with a grin. Spike was now furious as flames were now spouting out of the side of his mouth. "Do not insult me Gilda," Spike growled as he stood out of his chair. "I'm doing this because those strikes are bullshit. I know it, you know it and everyone else who fucking knows about them knows it! I'm just doing what's right and I don't expect, nor want, anything in return. And as the Princesses as my witnesses I will not corrupt people in such a fashion, nor will I trade favors for sex." It had been so long since Spike was so damn angry. He could tear Gilda's head off and not think twice. Giggling could be heard from Gilda, but she wasn't laughing. Gilda may have been smiling warmly, which was quite the turn around of her attitude earlier, but she wasn't giggling. His confusion was clearified when Gilda pulled her phone of her pocket and saw from the screen that she was connected with someone. The giggling rang out once more, but this time he began to recognize the voice and noticed that it came from the phone. "So, Gabby. What do you think?" Gilda asked. Spike still couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, but his confusion was putting out his anger. "Looks like I win! I told you he could be trusted," Gabby said through the phone. It only now hit him that Gabby heard him and his past. This realization made him go slack-jawed. "Yeah, yeah. After class we'll talk about my end of the bet," She said before hanging up, but not before Gabby began to laugh. At this point Spike's confusion had nearly wiped out his anger. He tried to talk but all that came out was a string of syllables that each were the beginning of different words, before finally ending with "Huh?" Gilda couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. "Oh your face is hilarious," She laughed, which died down quickly as Spike adopted an agitated glare. "Sorry about this whole thing. Gabby's my cousin, and grandpa gruff has told me to look after her. When she told me what happened I instantly assumed that you were trying to get into her panties, but she said that I was wrong. So we decided to test you." "Something tells me that this isn't the first time you've done this," Spike said, as the realization that he was tricked was slowly coming to a point. "No you're not. You ARE one of the few that haven't taken me up on my offer to stab Gabby in the back," She said as spike soon sat back in his chair. "How badly did you hurt those that who accepted your offer?" Spike asked as Gilda walked to his side. "I'm impressed. Most would assume that I would've done it with them, but you jumped right to I beat them up instead. What made you do that?" She asked partly ignoring his question. "Well, I have a hard time believing that someone would have done it with those people if you were protecting your cousin then as you were now." Gilda was a bit surprised by his answer. "Good guess then. Now for your earlier question, let's just say some people scream quite loudly when you force a square chair leg into their round anus, especially when there's no lube to help them," Gilda said, making Spike squirm uncomfortably in his seat, imagining the pain they must've gone through. Spike let out a sigh as he let his head roll back and let him look at the ceiling. He knew he was just tricked by a student, and he knew he should feel more agitated about this, so why was he so relaxed. Was it because Gilda was looking after Gabby? "Gilda. I would suggest you go back and get your things. Class will be starting in about an hour so you might want to leave now so you won't be late," Spike said wanting to rest his eyes for a bit before class. "Alright, but let me give you my true thank you," She said, and before he could react she nuzzled his neck before kissing his cheek. Spike recoiled, not expecting the kiss or the nuzzling, making Gilda laugh. Spike began to blush a bit as Gilda continued to laugh. Judging by her gestures as she tried to stop laughing Spike took it as she didn't mean to laugh. "You done?" He asked when she finally calmed down. "Yeah, That was priceless. Now, I'll take my leave," She said before heading out of the room. Spike sighed as he put his head on his desk. If this was a precursor to the rest of his interactions today then this is going to be a long day. The memory of Gilda licking his neck while grinding against his waist popped into his head. ~A long day indeed.~ He thought to himself as he did his best to calm down. Spike was woken up by Mrs. Silvermane who tapped him on the shoulder. "Wake up Spike. I'll be here for this class then I'm out," She explained as Spike slowly got up and stretched. "Ok. Well, I hope you have a good time then," Spike said with a smile. Mrs. Silvermane smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks. Well, don't do anything that I wouldn't do." "Why do I feel like that's a very short list?" That made Mrs. Silvermane start laughing. "Now you're getting it!" She said right before students began to enter the classroom. "Well, we'll talk after class, if we both have the time," She said before heading up onto the platform. Once all of the students were seated Mrs. Silvermane cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Everyone! As i'm sure you all know this will be my last class. I just wanted to let you know that I will miss all of you. It has been great teaching here, and I couldn't have asked for a better class to be my last class. Now, please don't give Mr. Wyrven a hard time, and yes Rainbow Dash i'm looking at you," She said making half the class chuckle. The rest of the class was spent with Mrs. Silvermane talking with the students. Spike watched from the teacher's desk as the students talked with their teacher, and he even saw Pinkie Pie break out a board game which a few took part in. Who knew you could play monopoly in teams. Spike didn't get involved as he felt like a third wheel. These girls knew him for what, a day? And they knew her for probably a couple of years. He believed that they shouldn't be interrupted as they had their last day together. At some point Mrs. Silvermane came over to him, after the game finished up. "Why didn't you come and join us?" She asked as she looked to the clock and noticed there was a few minutes left of the class. "It's not my place. Today is your last day, and the mood quickly changed to be about you and your students. I just got here, and I have no place in that circle," He said with a small smile. Mrs. Silvermane sighed before shaking her head. "Your wrong about one thing. They're not my students anymore, they're yours. As their teacher you should involve yourself as much as possible into their lives. Take that advice from somepony who has lived for quite a while as a teacher," She said with a smile before looking at the clock and then to the class. "Everyone, once again thank you for being a great class. I hope the rest of your lives are grand," She said with a smile before heading out of the door. As she left everyone waved goodbye. The bell rang moments after Mrs. Silvermane left, signalling the end of the final class for Mrs. Silvermane. Spike didn't have to wait long for the next teacher to enter the room. The first thing to catch his eye about the teacher was her pale yellow coat and her bright green mane. He felt like those two colors shouldn't mix, but at least it didn't look horrible on her. Her light pink blouse and a matching knee-length pleated skirt seemed to work well for her. "Why hello there. So I take it you're Silvermane's replacement," She said as she walked through the door. "Yes I am. Spike Wyrven," He said as he held out a claw for her. "I'm Ms. Peachbottom," She said as she took his claw and shook it, vigorously. "I'm the physical science teacher." "Nice to meet you Ms. Peachbottom," Spike said before she let go of his claw, which he was now rubbing after that vigorous handshake. "Mhmm," She hummed in agreement before turning her attention to the class. Just like yesterday the class went on like normal. Students getting assignments while raising their hands to answer questions the teacher called out. Spike felt like this would be the run of the mill work from now on, and the monotony of it seemed quite boring. Beggers can't be choosers, but he'd be lying if he said he disliked this job. He got to meet up with an old friend and he possibly had a date, which he had mixed feelings about. Spike was a bit confused when he saw Ms. Peachbottom gathering her things, along with the rest of the class, with fifteen minutes left of class. Confused, Spike walked over to Ms. Peachbottom and cleared his throat. "Um, why is everyone gathering their things? There's still fifteen minutes of class," He asked in a hushed tone. "That's easy. Next is physical education so we let the students go a tad early to change. You can change with the students if you want, or go meet up with their next teacher, she'll be the only female pegasus there with a clipboard," She said with a smile, before giving him a quick one armed hug and leaving. Spike liked the gesture of the one armed hug that she gave him. He gathered his things with a small smile before following the students out of the classroom. He didn't have an outfit for exercising in so he decided to meet up with the next teacher as the students began to head to the changing rooms, which were two separate buildings and each one could hold maybe a hundred ponies at one time. It didn't take a genius to figure out which room belonged to which gender as they each had the respected gender's name on them. Spike could see two pegasi on the field, but at first he thought it was a earth pony and a pegusus until the one turned around to see his tiny wings. The male pegasus with tiny wings looked almost white and his mane was light brown and in the form of a mullet. The only thing that kept him for sighing at the pony's choice in hairstyle, as mullets looked cheesy and have been out of fashion for decades, was the fact that he was built like a brick wall, which his red tracksuit didn't bother hiding. Spike was shocked when he looked at the next pegasus, as he knew her. Then again, so did half of equestria. Her coat was a shade of yellow that was a little darker than normal, and her mane was dark orange with light orange stripes. Nearly anyone could tell you who she was just by looking at her, and her wearing her wonderbolt's outfit only helped nail home who she was. As he approached the two he could tell they were talking, but couldn't hear what they were saying. Before he could get close enough to hear she sped off to the changing rooms, with a clipboard in hand. She didn't see Spike as the changing rooms were off to his right a bit. When Spike got a little closer the beefy pegasus waved over at him. "Ok! it looks like everyone is here. Did your new teacher not change with you guys?" Spitfire asked as she looked at Zephyr and Thunderlane. "No ma'am. I'm guessing that's because he doesn't have an outfit for gym," Thunderlane responded quickly with an intemidated look on his face. "I see. Well then let's go on over to the track. Oh, and Thunderlane do try and relax. I'm only going to punish you again if you break the rules again." She said sternly before turning and began walking with the class. "Aww, I wanted to see him in his gym clothes," Pinkie pouted. "What do you think he'd wear?" Fluttershy asked. "Hopefully something tasteful-" "Like a pair of hot pants and no shirt?" "Darling, please. I said something tasteful, not something from your Playmare magazines," Rarity chided Pinkie pie for interrupting her. "I can't tell his frame properly from the suit he wears as I can tell it hasn't been modified for him." "I want to see if he has any abs," Gabby said, putting her two cents in. "Hey Twilight, can dragons even get abs?" Rainbow dash asked as she hovered above the group, not noticing how Spitfire's ears twitched. "I don't believe so, at least not visibly. Their scales are meant to protect them so they're a bit rigid, and abs would require the scales to bend and that would defeat their purpose," Twilight explained. "Why are you girls so interested in Spike anyways?" Thunderlane asked. Spitfire's ears twitched even more. "Well, ah can only speak for mahself, but he's a friend of Twilight's so ah's like to get to know him. It helps that he has his cute moments, unlike you Thunderlane," Applejack said with a smug grin. Before anyone could say anything else Spitfire spoke up. "Mrs. Silvermane didn't tell us much about the knew teacher, but this Spike the dragon. Is he purple with green frills? used to live in Canterlot a few years ago? Spits green flame?" Everyone nearly stopped when they heard Spitfire's question. Twilight was the first one to speak up. "How do you know he has green flames? He hasn't breathed fire at the school yet." Everyone then looked at Twilight. "So it IS him," Spitfire said as she picked up her pace. "Spike has green flames?!" Gabby asked in shock. "Yes he does," Twilight said before noticing that Spitfire was far ahead of them now. "That's so cool!" Gabby said with an excited glint in her eyes. By the time the rest of the class began to pick up their pace to match Spitfire Spike could be seen talking, or rather getting yelled at, by their other teacher, Snowflake. "HELLO!" Snowflake yelled, despite Spike being well within talking distance. "Hi," Spike said as he covered his ear fins, the sudden and unneeded yelling having hurt. "SORRY!" Snowflake replied with a smile. "I apologize if I offend you, but must you always yell?" Spike asked as he continued to hold his ear fins. "YES! MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME TO PUT MY ALL IN EVERYTHING EVEN MY VOICE!" Snowflake said as he pounded his chest once with his clenched hand. "Then why were you talking, and not yelling at Spitfire?" "BECAUSE SHE SCARES ME!" Snowflake said with an odd look of pride on his face. "Is being scared of her anything to be proud of?" Spike asked curiously. "YES, BECAUSE SHE IS THE ONLY pony that scares me," Snowflake said as he returned to a talking voice mid sentence, confusing Spike. Spike got his answer as to why Snowflake quieted down when an arm wrapped around spike's shoulders, and an all too familiar laugh was heard behind him. He sighed as Spitfire began to messily toy with the fins on top of Spike's head. If he had a mane she'd practically be giving him a noogie. "Yes Spitfire?" Spike asked in a rather unenthused tone. "Aww, what's the matter? Somepony got your panties in a bunch?" She teased as the rest of the class caught up. "No, it's just that I dislike being in headlocks!" Spike spat back as he tried to get out of her grasp, which proved futile. Spitfire laughed as she kept her tight hold on him. "Spike! How are you so close to Spitfire?!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she saw her favorite teacher being all buddy buddy with Spike. "I would like to know that too," Gabby said as she popped up from behind Rainbow Dash. Spitfire grinned at their questions. "Oh, that's easy. A few years ago Spike worked for the Wonderbolts while we were in Canterlot. He was so fun to tease back then," She said before letting Spike go. Spike saw the blank stares on half of the class as they were seemingly trying to process the information. The only ones who weren't in such a state are those who didn't seem to care about it all too much, like Rarity or Twilight. "Yeah, the pay was phenomenal, but I didn't like the constant teasing. Despite all that, it wasn't all bad, being a gofer had it's perks," He finished with a slight grin. "Um, aren't gophers little burrowing rat like things?" Rainbow Dash asked, which caused Spike, Spitfire, Twilight and few others in the class to facepalm. "Rainbow Dash, the gopher you're talking about is spelled with a ph while the gofer I'm talking about is spelled with an f instead. Gofer with a f is someone who runs around getting someone what they want. If it was lunchtime I'd run down to a food place of their choosing and pick up some food. If someone wanted a water bottle, a towel or whatever I went to get them it," Spike explained with a chuckle, finding it slightly amusing that Rainbow Dash didn't know what a gofer was. Spitfire was about to say something when Snowflake tapped her on the shoulder. "Isn't it about time we start class?" He asked. Spitfire nodded before picking her whistle up and blowing through it. "Alright! Everyone gather around the starting line, we're going to test your endurance!" She said before blowing through her whistle again. As everyone ran off to the starting positions Spike saw Spitfire point to the bleachers nearby. It didn't take him any time to know that she was ordering him to sit on the bleachers, not that he would argue. Once seated he watched as Spitfire was supervising the Pegasi and Gryphons while Snowflake was busy overseeing those who couldn't fly. Spike watched as the class did their warm-ups and moved on to competing in activities. Everyone was always moving and having fun and it made Spike smile. He always did like watching people being happy. He wanted to participate, but figured that Spitfire didn't let him join in with his class as he didn't have any clothes fit for gym. That's when it hit him, would it really be okay if he did join in? Spike began to let his eyes wander as he was becoming bored with sitting on the bleachers. His eyes wandered to Twilight, who was in a simple white t-shirt and dark blue shorts that came down to her knees, and then to Gabby. Twilight was busy playing soccer while Gabby was busy playing cloud volleyball. His smile couldn't help but widen a tad as he watched those two specifically having fun. Before he knew it though he heard Spitfire blow her whistle. Almost every pony and gryphon on the field was panting somewhat heavily as they stopped their respective sports. "Alright everyone, that was good. Now, everyone go get changed!" She ordered before making her way over to spike. "So, did you like the show?" She asked with a sly grin on her face. Spike nodded a bit with a smile still on his face. "Yeah. I wish I could've joined them though, but it was fun nonetheless to watch them have fun," He admitted. Spitfire adopted a conflicting look as she listened to spike. "Look, Spike. The dean had requested that you see a doctor before participating in any sports with your class," She explained. "Oh for the love of..." Spike said with a sigh. "I'm going to have to have a talk with her. That aside, next is lunch correct?" "Yes. Indulge me, but what is she worried about?" Spit fire asked out of curiosity. "Sorry, but that's not something I feel like sharing. Suffice it to say that I spent some time in the hospital and when people see that in my medical history they get nervous," Spike explained, earning a smile and a nod from Spitfire. "Well if it's nothing you worry about then I guess I should trust you then and not worry about it," She said with a smile, earning a chuckle from spike. "I'd appreciate it. I get enough mother henning back home from my mom," Spike said with another chuckle. "Yeah, that can be a bit overwhelming. Well, if you're fine here all by yourself then I'm going to go talk to Snowflake. He's been lagging behind in his paperwork. He's got a lot of brawn and no brains, how the hell did he become a teacher?" Spitfire said, asking that last bit more to herself than anyone in particular before heading off. Spike let out a content sigh before an all too familiar presence could be felt behind Spike. He dared not move as once again he was frozen in fear. The seconds seemed to last for minutes and the minutes into hours. Spike was practically screaming in his mind for someone to come to his rescue. He hated this feeling of helplessness, but there was nothing he knew of that he could do about it. Yes, he knew it was a hallucination but that didn't seem to make any difference. It wasn't until Spike force himself to slowly look behind him, and at the shadowy figure, that the hallucination ended. Spike was panting heavily as he returned his attention back to the field. He was now beginning to panic as he felt as if the hallucinations would continue to grow, despite the meds he was taking. His attention was brought to the school as he heard the bell ring. He wasted no time in getting up and heading away from the bleachers. He was a bit hungry, but he had business to attend to first, so he headed for Cadance's office. Spike was quickly allowed entrance to Cadance's office by the receptionist. He figured that he was allowed constant access if Cadance was in. He was greeted with a "Come in." When he knocked on the door. Cadance smiled ear from ear as Spike entered the room. "Spike, to what do... I... What's wrong?" She asked as her smile faded quickly. Spike wasn't aware that his expression was abnormal, but sighed as he didn't feel like hiding it. "Just another hallucination. Going to have to send mom a letter to see if I can get an increased dosage of my meds." Cadance looked a little worried as he told her what has happened. "Have they been getting worse?" Spike nodded. "Yeah. In these last few days I've had more hallucinations than in the last half year, but anyways, that's not why i'm here," Spike said as he waved his problem off with a claw. "Oh? And what is?" Cadance asked, with some worry still on her face. "Gabby. She told me that last year she beat up a few ponies about four times as they tried to forcefully get into her pants. If that is what happened I was wanting to see about getting her strikes revoked," Spike explained, which caused Cadance to let out a deep sigh. "Normally I'd love to, but unfortunately the ringleader is the son of an aristocrat in Canterlot who just so happens to be on the board of education and has a lot of sway. He said that if I don't punish gabby for beating up his son he'd make sure that the school doesn't receive it's funding, and I don't believe I have to tell you what'll happen then," Cadance explained. Spike knew all too well what'll happen if a school doesn't receive it's funding. School can't pay for repairs and while it doesn't seem to be a huge threat immediately, a school like this is so high maintenance that in a year or two the school would be in shambles, more or less. "That's a load of crap!" Spike exclaimed. Cadance nodded sadly. "Yes, and there's nothing I can do about it. The only way to revoke those strikes would be for the son to be suspended or expelled for some reason. Unfortunately he keeps his nose clean as a whistle," She said with a sigh. What she told him about the student made the gears in his mind turn, and form a plan. "Cadance, this kid, was he born and raised in Canterlot?" He asked curiously. "Yes, why?" She asked curiously. "Born and raised as a son of an influential aristocrat of Canterlot," Spike said with a grin on his face. Cadance still wasn't catching on. "He must have a pretty low outlook on dragons huh?" He asked rhetorically, giving Cadance the last hint she needed. "You can't be... If what i'm thinking you're thinking then it won't work. They didn't get physical with Gabby so they know how to keep their noses clean. Even if you were attacked by them they won't do so in an open spot," Cadance objected. Her objection made spike only smile wider. "Well, what if the spot they think is secluded from any spying cameras isn't? And to top it off, what do you think will happen if a rumor goes around that someone is in heat and off the pill and they're with me a dragon?" Spike asked curiously. "Let's say, for the sake of argument that this goes off without a hitch and they guide you two to a secluded spot, surely they'd know you're a teacher. After all you're our first dragon teacher, and news like that gets around." Spike chuckled a bit at Cadance's concern. "Oh trust me Cadance. I know how to ruffle a few Canterlot feathers. All I need to do is get them suspended to revoke Gabby's strikes. If they get expelled that's just a plus," He said with grin. Cadance thought for a minute before sighing. "Ok, now the only problem is the cameras. We can't just rearrange the cameras we have, that'll rise suspicion that we set them up. That means we'll have to get new cameras, and more than one to avoid suspicion. And we don't have the budget for new cameras. We can get it in time, but if you want those strikes gone anytime soon then we'll need the money soon," Cadance said with a sigh. "No problem," Spike said as he brought out his checkbook. "Would this do?" He asked as he handed her the written out check. "Should do and then some," She said with a small grin. "You know, with how low tech you like to be I sometimes forget you're Celestia's son." Spike shrugged and laughed a bit. "Hey, It's harder to leave a trail with low tech stuff in this high tech world. Hence why I've kept my identity a secret for so long," He said with a sly grin. "Ok, well I'll got on this after school lets out, and let you know when everything is set up. In the mean time I want you to find someone to go along with this, and please be discrete," She asked. "You really think I'm going to paint a big banner with 'help me deceive the fuck muppet' and drape it on the side of the building?" He asked, making Cadance laugh. "Fuck muppet? Where in Tartarus did you learn that?" She asked as she wiped away a tear while still giggling. Spike shrugged with a smug grin. "Meh. You learn a thing or two when people don't think you're listening." "Whooo, ok. Well, I think you should get back to lunch." "Ok, see you later Cadance," Spike said as he headed for the door. "See you later Casanova," Cadance said as spike left the room. Spike blinked at what Cadance called him. He let out a sigh as that was probably a slip up on her part. He really hoped that he wasn't making more sparks for her to see. One was bad enough, but more? He was not ready for that. He let out a happy sigh as he made it to the cafeteria and got his food with barely enough time to spare. Some were already leaving but he saw an empty spot next to Twilight. As he approached the table he saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy at the table as well. He didn't want to intrude on their conversation, so he stopped as he hesitated. Twilight, however, spotted him and waved him over. "I don't mean to intrude," Spike said as Twilight made a motion for him to sit down beside her. "Ya don't have to worry about that. It's not like we were speaking about anything private," Applejack stated as spike began to eat. "I see, thanks," Spike said, making sure his mouth was empty first. "Spike, Have you spoken with Cadance yet?" Twilight asked curiously. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Why did you do that for Gabby? Not that I think it's a bad thing," Rainbow Dash said as she leaned back a bit in her chair. "Well, Gabby told me about her strikes and how she got them and I think that it's a load of bull," Spike said bluntly. "I couldn't agree with you more, darling. She was in the right, but those hooligans must have some leverage over the dean," Rarity spat in agreement. "What leverage could they have?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "Probably something like blackmail," Rainbow Dash suggested. "Oh come now Rainbow, he couldn't threaten the dean and you know it," Applejack said before Spike held up a claw. "Actually, Rainbow Dash is closer than you think," Spike said, shocking everyone, including Rainbow Dash. "She is?" Twilight asked as she looked at Spike. "She is?" Rarity asked as she looked at Rainbow Dash. "I am?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she looked at Spike. "Yes. While junior doesn't have the power to threaten Cadance, his father does. His father is a prominent member of the board of education. He can make it so that the school doesn't get it's yearly funding and then in a year or two this school will be in shambles," Spike explained. "Why that rotten no good scoundrel!" Rarity exclaimed, followed by the others around the table with similar remarks. "I know, but don't worry. We have something cooking up to get her strikes revoked," Spike said casually as he continued on with his meal. "Oh? What is it?" Twilight asked with a smile. "I can't say much at this point, but let's just say that if all goes well then junior will suffer some repercussions for his actions," Spike said with a rather malicious smile. Twilight's smile faded when she saw the look on Spike's face. "Spike, what are you planning?" She asked sternly. "Oh no, nu-uh. I'm not saying a thing. Cadance did agree with it after all," Spike said simply. Twilight stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Ok, well, just make sure the whole plan doesn't go overboard. ok?" Twilight asked softly. Spike's smile turned warm as he turned to Twilight. "I can't promise that I won't go overboard, but I promise that I'll try to not go overboard," He said, before Twilight wrapped him in a hug. The hug didn't last long as a uncontrolled "Aww" From both Fluttershy and Rarity was heard. The embarrassing situation made both Spike and Twilight blush. "Hey, now that you two are done hugging, I have a question. Spike, why do you keep calling the dean by her name?" Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight and Spike both visibly froze at the question. Spike, however was able to recover rather quickly. "Well, on occasion when Twilight would help me with my homework Cadance would come by. Wasn't she you're foalsitter?" Spike asked. "Yes. From what I recall you two did talk some but it seemed that you left a lasting impression, despite that," Twilight answered, having recovered from her shocked stated and was slowly recovering from her blushing. "That makes sense," Applejack said with a grin that she adopted when Spike and Twilight hugged. After that everypony began to talk amongst each other, as Spike ate, until the bell sounded for lunch's end. Once everyone was back in class Spike let out a sigh and waited for the next teacher, which he didn't have to wait long. Before the bell even rang a purple-ish pink earth mare walked into the classroom. Her mane was grayish pink with pale pink stripes. She was dressed in a simple white blouse with a black pencil skirt that came down to her knees. "Hello there. You must be Mr. Spike Wyrven. I'm Ms. Cheerilee, I teach philosophy," She said introducing herself with a hand outstretched. "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Cheerilee," Spike said with a smile as he shook her hand. "Likewise. I must say I'm pleasantly surprised that a teacher as young as you are working here," She said as the bell rang. "Oh really? Why's that?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, being a teacher so young means that you must be quite smart. I'd figure that such a teacher would choose to work at a more prestigious school first, like Canterlot U, or Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. Well, more for non magic studies in the latter," She said with a smile. "I will admit, I had received Invitations from them, but It just didn't feel right," Spike explained. "I see. Well, thank you for clearing that up for me," Cheerilee said with a smile. "Now let us begin class," She add before turning back to the class. Spike expected the class to be boring, Celestia knows he found his college Philosophy class boring, But she managed to make it fun and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Spike continued to watch the class as unsurprisingly Twilight tried to participate the most. He always did wander just what drove Twilight to be so gung ho about learning and scoring good grades. Spike wasn't about to say it was a bad trait, just that he was curious about why she was like that. Just as quickly as the class started the bell rang for the class to end. Cheerilee smiled as she waved goodbye to the class before leaving. Soon after she left the rest of the class began to leave to go to their extracurricular classes. Spike would've took this time to go back to his room and write a letter to his mother, but Rarity tapping him on the shoulder told him otherwise. "Yes Rarity?" Spike asked as he looked up at Rarity. "Yesterday I asked if you could come with me to make some clothes for you, correct? Well, you can come now as we're allowed to do that during class since it does help with our grade," Rarity explained with a smile. Spike thought for a moment before nodding and getting up. "Ok then. lead the way Lady Rarity," Spike said with a small grin. The sound of 'lady' Rarity made Rarity giggle slightly. "Flattery will get you nowhere darling," She said before leading him to the room used by the fashion class. Once inside he was greeted with the sight of a catwalk in the center of the room with sewing tables and changing rooms lining the walls. He could see that there were several students working at the sewing machines with bolts of fabric as well as other students taking measurements of what Spike guessed were clients. In the middle of the room a dark gray earth mare with a grayish pink mane. She wore a light pink jacket with a white blouse underneath, which was adorned with a jabot. Her pants were also a light pink and she had a sash that was a tad darker than her jacket and pants. All of her clothes seemed to have a vintage feel to it. He could also tell that she was the teacher as she seemed to be quite a bit older than any of the students here. "Ms. Hemline, I have brought a client today," Rarity said as they got close to the teacher. Ms. Hemline gave Spike a look over before nodding. "Very well then. I await to see what kind of designs you come up with Rarity." Rarity nodded before guiding Spike over to what he assumed was her workstation. "Ok, now i'm going to need to take some measurements so please undress to your undergarments," Rarity requested as she pointed to the dressing room. Spike hesitated as this brought up a subject that he thought he wouldn't have with the fashionista. "Um, Rarity, Small problem with that. Most dragons don't wear underwear." Spike's words made Rarity blush hard. "So.. um.." "Don't worry," Spike said as he held his hands up a bit. "The reason we don't wear anything is because even if we are naked you won't see anything, as everything is internal," He added, making her blush a little harder. "Well, nevertheless, undress to the point to which you are comfortable," She said as she went to her table to grab a few things. Spike nodded as he went into the changing room. He took off his jacket and shirt, but left his pants on as he was uncomfortable with being fully naked in here. Sure she wouldn't see anything, but it seemed that the thought made her uncomfortable. He still didn't like having his shirt off in front of people he didn't know, but he felt as though she wanted to get exact measurements. "Alright darling. Comfortable?" Rarity asked as she stepped into the dressing room with him. She smiled as she saw that he chose to keep his pants on. She didn't know if it was out of modesty or what, but she did appreciate it. Spike turned his head so that he could see rarity behind him, and nodded. "Well, as comfortable as I can be right now," He said while keeping his chest pointed away from Rarity. "Good, now please turn around so I can start taking measurements," She said as she eyed his back. She had always been under the impression that dragons were muscly creatures who were consumed by greed. Her image of a dragon's mind had shattered as she heard about Spike from twilight, and their little talk on the balcony. Her image of dragons being ripped was shattered as she looked at Spike, as he had almost no muscle tone only the faint outline of one. Spike was hesitant to turn around, but with a defeated sigh he turned around. As he expected he saw her eyes dart to his chest, or more specifically his scar. He could see her eyes widen as she saw his scar. This is why he didn't like having his shirt off in front of people, especially ponies. It should go without saying that this was the sole reason why he never got custom clothes. So why was he doing it now? Spike didn't know. "H-how-" "If it's ok with you, I'd rather not talk about it," Spike quickly interrupted Rarity. She chose to respect his privacy and began to take his measurements. It didn't take her very long to get the measurements of his torso once she started. It was almost like she was a totally different pony than before. His lower measurements took a spite longer than they normally would have, but that was because Rarity was careful not to touch anyplace 'inappropriate'. Once she was done with her measurements she smiled and rolled up her tape measure. "Thank you, you may get dressed now," She said, keeping her eyes locked onto his. Spike guessed that she did that to avoid looking at his scar. Spike did as he was told before exiting the dressing room. "Ok, about how long should it take?" Spike asked as he saw Rarity already drawing something down. "I should have the first suit ready in no time. Sit down or talk to MS. Hemline until I call you over for a final fitting," Rarity said before crumpling up the paper and began to draw on a new one. Spike nodded before looking around the room, and at the various students. He wasn't all too surprised to find that there was a cash register here, which made him wander just how much it would cost him to get a suit here. The thought of talking with Ms. Hemline didn't even cross his mind until he saw her staring out him. When their eyes met Ms. Hemline made a motion for him to come over, which he did. "Yes?" Spike asked as he stopped right next to her. "You seem quite differently than what I imagined," Ms. Hemline said rather oddly. "Excuse me?" "When Mrs. Silvermane told me that a dragon was taking her place I was more than a bit surprised. I'm not too surprised though as princess Celestia had made it clear that she was trying to get more non-ponies as teachers, and dean Cadance had always advocated a good mix of species as teachers. So far you seem more mouse than dragon, not that that's a bad thing," Ms. Hemline said with a slight smile. "Thanks Ms. Hemline... I think?" Spike replied a bit confused. "Please, just call me Prim," She said before patting him on the shoulder. "Ok, Prim," Spike said a little uneasy about using her first name since he's been using everyone's last name, as far as fellow teachers go. "Think nothing of it. Tell me, how do you like it here so far?" "I like it so far. A few bad apples, but that's normal isn't it?" "Indeed so," Prim Hemline said with a smile. "Do you-" "Mr. Wyrven, may I please have you try on an outfit?" Rarity asked as she had approach Spike from behind. "Oh! uh sure," Spike replied before being handed an outfit and heading to the changing room. It didn't occur to spike what she had made until he was wearing it. It was a dark blue, almost purple, cloth vest with a matching pair of slacks and a teal long sleeve button up. She had done this so quick he was impressed. When he stepped out he saw Prim Hemline smirking and Rarity was already at his side jotting down some notes on a clipboard. "Ok. You can change back. How did you like it?" She asked as Spike went back to change into his normal suit. "Definitely not what I was expecting, but good. You were also faster than greased lightning to make this so fast," Spike said as he was in the middle of changing. "Thank you darling. I shall have a few outfits made and sent over to you. You may pay at the register," Rarity said before taking the folded clothes from spike, who was holding them up for her. "Ok, and thank you Rarity," Spike said before heading towards the register, which Prim Hemline was already at. "That'll be one hundred bits for the whole order," Prim Hemline said, making Spike's eyes bug out for a second. "Just that? Holy Tartarus. Something like that could easily cost seven times that normally," Spike said bewildered as he handed over the bits. "I know," She said with a smile before handing Spike a receipt. "Well, have a nice day," She said as Spike began to leave. "You too Prim," Spike said a little louder than normal, but nothing like a shout. Spike still heard a gasp or two and felt more than a few eyes on him. Prim Hemline seemed to have noticed that too before she looked around for a second. "What are you staring at? Back to your projects!" She ordered. Spike sighed as he sat down at the desk in his room. He had only a few things left today he needed to do, but unfortunately most of them would have to wait until after the final classes ended. In the meantime Spike grabbed a piece of paper and a pen end began to write his letter to his mom. Dear mom, Things are going good so far, well with my class anyways. Me and Cadance are working together to get the strikes of one of my students removed. She seems rather sweet, so it's a shame that she's badgered by jackwagons. Mentally, however, things are not going so good. My Hallucinations seemed to have changed. They've become more current and now there's only one apparition, but this one has been putting me on edge more so than the crowds from before. It feels like it's stalking me. Can you please ask the doctor to up the dosage of my anti-hallucinogen meds? Sincerely Spike Solaris. P.S. There will be a withdraw from my account. I gave Cadance a check to by some things needed to help with getting Gabby's strikes removed. I know that she has the vast majority of her money tied up in this school, hence the check. Spike looked the letter over again before rolling it up and blowing his magic flame onto it. He smiled as he saw it turn to dust and fly away to Canterlot. Seeing as he had some downtime now he went over to the couch and lay down. He rested his eyes until there was a knocking at the door. "Yes?" Spike called out as he sat back up. "Spike, it's me," Twilight said from the other side of the door. "It's unlocked." Spike smiled as Twilight entered his room. Seeing where he was she moved to sit beside him. "So, how was your day?" Twilight asked with a smile. "It was good," Spike said with a smile. "Really? So how did your thanks with Gilda go?" Spike sighed before groaning. "She and Gabby set me up." Twilight's ears perked up when she heard what happened. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked as she turned her body a little to face him a bit more. Spike sighed before recounting what happened. From the licking and teasing to the deal and even his reaction. Twilight was a bit wide-eyed when she hear what the two had done, but she couldn't fault them for it. "And all that after she saw me yelling at an Hallucination," Spike ended with a groan, not catching his slip-up. Twilight now looked at spike worriedly. "Spike, what do you mean Hallucination?" Spike went silent as Twilight caught his slip up and confronted him about it. "Twilight, you said you wanted to catch up, and I know I want to as well. Twilight, promise me that everything we talk about in here never leaves this room, ok? This is the only way I can be honest," Spike requested. Twilight was really worried about spike. "Spike, you can talk to me about anything. If you don't want me to tell anypony else then I won't. I promise." Spike nodded before sighing. "Twilight, several years ago I was attacked and sustained two injuries," Spike said before turning so she could see the back of his head and the faint scar there. "This one wasn't too bad outwardly, but gave me a TBI," Spike explained before turning back to Twilight. "I spent the next year learning how to walk again. Around that time that's when my hallucinations started. It was, and still is, scary. I'm on meds to help, but even they can only go so far." Twilight was now looking in her lap while fiddling with her fingers. "Spike, you said that your head injury was one of the injuries. What's the second one?" She asked rather quietly. Spike hesitated before he began to unbutton his shirt. "Spike! What are you doing?!" Twilight asked rather quickly, blushing from seeing spike starting to undress in front of her. "The second scar is on my chest," Spike explained before continuing. Whatever embarrassment Twilight was feeling about their situation turned to sadness and sympathy as she saw his scar. She knew dragons were hard to harm, and to leave a scar that would last years on a dragon couldn't be done by accident. Someone wanted him dead. "When did this happen?" Twilight asked as her emotions turned her mind into a mess. She couldn't decide if she wanted to cry for him, be angry at his assailants or to be happy that he survived. "It was on Cadance and Shining's wedding day." Twilight was silent for a moment before speaking. "So the reason why she left was..." "Because I was in the hospital, yes." "I see. What happened to those who attacked you?" Spike shrugged. "I don't know. Mom won't speak to me about it and there was never really an investigation as far as I could tell. I'm guessing they were easily caught or something, otherwise mom would be furious about the halfhearted investigation." Twilight nodded as her emotions were finally starting to calm down a little. "Ok, but back to the hallucinations how bad are they?" Spike sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's hard to say. When they first started there were crowds with disembodied voices, but over time the size of the crowd died down as did the voices and they happened further and further apart. Recently, however, they've began to flare back up. There are no crowds this time, just one figure," Spike said he began to subconsciously twiddle his thumbs. Twilight may not have seen him in years, but she had only seen him actually twiddle his thumbs when he was anxious. "If it's just one figure than it should be easier than a group right?" Twilight asked. Spike slowly shook his head. "You'd think that, but no. Well, it was easier than a group up until a couple days ago. It has gotten to the point where it feels like this figure is hunting me. Before whenever I'd see a figure it would be facing a random direction, but this figure has always been facing me. Once I see it i'm too afraid to move my legs. Heck right near the end of P.E. was my most recent one, and I didn't have to see it to become petrified with fear. It felt like it was breathing down my back and-" He was cutoff when he felt a pair of slender arms around him. When he looked he saw Twilight hugging him. "Oh Spike," Twilight started as she rubbed the side of her muzzle against his shoulder. She was scared for him as his nervous tics became worse. She knew he was scared and wanted him to feel safe so this was the only thing she could think of. "Please, Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Spike smiled softly before reaching out and hugged her, pulling her into his lap in the process. Unlike Gabby, Gilda and Pinkie Pie, Twilight was sitting in his lap sideways. Spike rubbed her back as Twilight began to nuzzle the side of his neck. They both sat there contently before spike began to nibble on her mane. He didn't know why he liked doing that with her, but he just did. It might have something to do with the fact that her hair made his tongue tingle. Twilight on the other hand smiled as she felt Spike begin to nibble on her hair. She didn't know why but she found this a bit comforting. "Mmm Spike, Why do you like nibbling on my hair?" She asked curiously. "I don't know. I just do, and oddly I only like doing it to your hair," Spike said before giving her neck a nibble which made Twilight squeal slightly and giggle. "Tasty, but not as much as your hair," Spike said which made Twilight blush. "Spike, If you're going to do that then we better go on a date first," Twilight teased with a grin. Spike thought for a moment before smiling. "Ok then. How about tomorrow?" Spike suggested, which made Twilight blush harder. "Why tomorrow and not the day after?" Twilight asked nervously. "Well the day after is Saturday and my mom is wanting to spend the day with me since it's been so long since we've spoken face to face," Spike admitted. Celestia made it abundantly clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer this time around. "You can come with if you like, but she'd be here around evening and probably well into the night." Twilight thought for a second before smiling. "Ok, i'll think about joining you and Celestia, but Tomorrow's a date. I know a few good places around the nearby town since I doubt you've been there," She said with a smile. "I'd love that, although I do have one question; Formal wear or casual?" "Casual. Let's leave the Formal dates until later," Twilight responded before a knocking was heard at his door. "Yes?" Spike called out. "Spike it's me. I've got your first suit," Rarity responded. "It's unlocked," He said as Twilight hopped off his lap as Rarity opened the door. Rarity wasn't blind as she saw Spike buttoning up his shirt while Twilight was next to him with a large blush on her cheeks. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "N-no you're not," Twilight responded. "Ok, Spike, I want you to try this on and tell me how it fits," Rarity said as she handed him the clothes. Spike smiled as he got up and took the clothed. "Ok, I'll be right back." As he entered the bedroom he noticed that they were the same clothes as before. When he changed into them he noticed that there were some changes made and it felt better. When he re-entered the living room he got a whistle from Twilight. "So, how does it feel? Does it need any adjustments?" Rarity asked. Spike decided to go through a wide range of movements before smiling at Rarity. "It feels great! I doesn't feel like it need adjustments. Thank you rarity." "No problem Darling. Since you're happy with it I will return tomorrow after classes with the rest of the clothes." "Um Rarity, about that. I won't be here after classes, well at least not for very long. If you want you can leave them on the bed. I'll leave the door unlocked," Spike suggested. Rarity thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright then. I will leave the clothes here. Oh, Twilight, before I forget could you meet me after I bring Mr. Wyrven's clothes? I'd like to chat and have some tea if you wouldn't mind." Twilight blushed a little harder. "Actually Rarity I won't be here either." The blushing gave the date away a bit as Rarity grinned widely. "Oh? Is that so? So tell me darling, who's the lucky stallion?" Rarity asked struggling to contain her excitement. "Rarity," Twilight groaned. "Oh I'm sorry, Is it a mare? I apologize if I've offended you." "Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed as her blush intensified. "That's even more embarrassing and also not true," She said before looking to Spike for help, only to give the answer away. Rarity squealed for a second before regaining her self control. "Say no more," Rarity said as she brought her hands together. "But Twilight, after your date, you must simply tell me how it went. Well then ta-ta for now!" Rarity said as she left the room with a large grin plastered on her face. Spike and Twilight sighed as they were now the only two in the room. "Well, I best go back to my room. I have some things I need to read over before tomorrow. Sorry we couldn't catch up like I had planned for us," Twilight said sadly as she got up. Spike walked over and embraced her in a big hug, "Twilight, you've done more for me this night than you know. For that I thank you," Spike said with a smile. "Oh stop it," Twilight said before partaking in the embrace for a minute, before wiggling out of his arms. "Well, I'll meet you back here after I shower tomorrow," She said before heading for the door. "Ok see you then. Oh! If you see Gabby out there tell her I'd like to speak with her. It's about her strikes," Spike said, getting a nod for Twilight. Spike sat on the couch to wait. He didn't have to wait long after as both Gabby and Gilda entered his room. Gabby had practically blew the door off it's hinges, while Gilda was a lot more calm. Spike was half expecting Gabby's reaction but Gilda's presence was unexpected, but not unwelcome. "Hey. I brought Gilda, along. I hope that's not an issue," Gabby said with a smile "No it's not an issue," Spike said with a wave of his hand. Gabby smiled at his reaction before Gilda spoke up. "So, was it good news?" Gilda asked, cutting right to the point. Spike sighed and shrugged. "It's not purely good new, but it's not bad news. We can't outright remove your strikes else the school will lose it's funding for a year or more. That's the power of the kids father, and even Cadance hates it. Now we have a plan brewing to get your strikes removed," Spike explained. He wasn't at all surprised by their looks of concern. "What's this 'plan'?" Gilda asked suspiciously. "Well. Cadance is going to be getting a new shipments of cameras soon. She'll let me know if any of the very secluded spots are now covered by one of the cameras. Then it's a matter of luring the brats there and getting them to beat the shit out of me on camera. Preferably making it look like I wasn't provoking them," Spike said as he now faced to wide-eyed gryphons. "Wow I didn't know you had it in you," Gilda said with a grin. "Mr. Wyrven, I can't let you get hurt for me!" Gabby said as she was visibly worried for him. "Gabby. Come this upcoming heat season they'll most likely come for you again, and they may get a bit physical because if you beat them up again you may get kicked out. They know this and they'll probably try to use that as leverage against you. I will not stand by as one of my students are harassed in such a fashion," Spike stated, seeing both gryphons adopt a small smile. "Now nothing is finalized at the moment, so for now just know that we are working to remove your strikes Gabby." Gabby tried to launch herself at Spike to hug him, but she was held in place by Gilda. "Thank you. Well, I might as well bring Gabby back to her room," Gilda said as she practically dragged Gabby out of the room. Spike sighed as he got up and headed for bed. He was tired now, and his day was done. He let out a sigh before slipping into the sheets and drifting off to sleep. Celestia let out a yawn as she was in the study with her sister. "Tired sister?" Luna asked with a smile. "A little. Maybe I should turn in," Celestia pondered aloud. "I do believe you should. After all I don't think the public would like to see their beloved princess of the sun looking like the dark side of the moon," Luna said with a grin. Celestia stared at Luna and grinned at her joke. "Oh haha dear sister, but you do have a point. I'll turn-" She was cut off as a letter materialized in front of her from green flames. "Oh! A letter from Spike? Did he laugh about knowing how you got covered in his chewed up food?" Luna asked with a giggle as Celestia gave her the stink eye. "I swear lulu, you're jokes are..." Celestia started before going dead silent. Luna may not have known what was written on the paper, but she knew when something was heavily troubling her sister. "What's wrong Tia?" Luna asked as she moved to her sister's side. Celestia said nothing but instead handed Luna the letter and left the room. Celestia was already white so nopony could tell how pale she had become from reading the letter. She knew exactly what was wrong with Spike, but being an alicorn there was little to nothing she could do now; now that Spike has been found. There was only one person who could help Spike now. Celestia didn't want to ask for her help, but she was out of options. Time was no longer on their side. She let out a sigh as she stood in front of a statue in the garden. A statue of a being that had different parts from different species. "I'd never thought I'd have to do this. I know you can hear me now please listen to my request, Eris." Author's Note Fuck me sideways with a canoe. This took far longer to write. For some reason I get stuck on simple things. The biggest ones this time was how to have Gilda act and Spitfire's 'relationship' with Spike. *I kept losing track what day it was so I edited it so that it'd be correct.* Chapter 7: The accidentAuthor's Note I apologize for the massive delay, this chapter was a nightmare from start to finish. Chapter 7: The accident Spike grumbled as he slowly began to wake up. His mind forced his body to force himself out from underneath the covers. He didn't want to get up as the bed was nice and warm while the room was quite cool. He mumbled some incoherent things as he made his way to the bathroom for a shower, hoping that a warm shower would wake him up. After his shower he made his way to the living room where his new outfit was waiting for him. This was the first time in a long time that he had walked around his 'home' in such a state. It wasn't too inappropriate here as nothing was showing. Once he was in the living room two things caught his eye. One was his suit, which he left there for today. The other thing was a gift wrapped box. His curiosity overcoming him he made his way to the present first. It was small, small enough to fit a cheap headset in it, and the wrapping paper was a different color per side, and had white pokadots. The ribbon was a gradiant of multiple colors with no distinguishable pattern. He looked around to see if any windows were open or the door was unlocked. Seeing as how nothing seemed out of the ordinary spike began to cautiously open the package. However the second he untied the bow the box blew open in a massive cloud of confetti and smoke, sending him onto his rear. "OOOOOHHHH YEEEESSSS!! I'M BAAAAAACK! AHAHAHAHA!" A feminine voice laughed from within the smoke. The smoke was thick enough to act as a smoke screen, but not enough to hide the figure inside. He could tell by the voice alone that the person in question was female, but the feminine figure in the smoke nailed the point home. The silhouette would've boggled a normal pony as it seemed to be a mismatch of parts. What bothered him wasn't the one lion and one gryphon paw, nor was it the one pony and one lizard leg, but it was the fact that he had seen her before. From her one goat and one deer horn, to her dragon-like tail and even her snagglefang. He also highly doubted that anyone with any sanity would willing wear a patchwork dress, with the patches being made of all types of fabrics and colors. The problem lay in the fact that when he saw her last she was a stone statue. "E-eris," Spike stammered. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little scared. From what his mom told him Eris was quite the formidable foe back in the day. Eris grinned widely as it would seem that Spike did indeed remember her, as she had hoped. "Yep that's me! Eris!" She exclaimed with joy as her name appeared in a puff of pink smoke above her head. "Your friendly neighborhood spirit of chaos." "Wh-what are you doing here?" Spike asked somewhat curiously as he tried to find a way out of this predicament. "Your dear mother Celestia made a deal with me," Eris said before summoning a pair of reading glasses and a scroll in a puff of smoke. "By signing this document I hereby agree to the terms below until Spike Solaris and Celestia Solaris agree that I have filled my role to the letter. One; I am to go to Equestria United and serve as a teacher's assistant to one Spike Solaris, A.K.A. Spike Wyrven. Two; I am to help him with any hallucination related scares he may have. And in exchange for complying with these two terms I shall have complete freedom, until I harm anyone pony or otherwise, after the agreement has been fulfilled. During my term as Spike's Assistant I must say within the school grounds or beside at all times. If Spike calls for me or has a hallucination I must be there immediately to assist him," Eris read before giving Spike a grin before poofing the two items away. It took Spike a hot minute to realize what she was saying. "Wait, you're going to be my TA?" Spike asked curiously as continued to look up at Eris. "That's right. Now I would be delighted to see what kind of reaction people would have if the new teacher went to class naked, but I fear what Celly would do to me if I let that happen," She said as she pointed to Spike. When Spike looked down it donned on him that he had yet to get dressed. He embarrassingly covered himself as he made his way to his clothes and began to put them on. "Eris, I have a question: Why did my mom let you free? I highly doubt it's to be my TA and to just be a counselor for my hallucinations," Spike asked, more at ease with this than a normal pony, or dragon in this case, should be. "My my, you are an inquisitive dragon indeed. Such a difference to the young hatchling who'd every Sunday run around my feet drawing things and acting like a child. I did so look forward to when you'd talk to me," Eris said with a teasing tone in her voice. Spike slowly turned to Eris, wide-eyed and a massive blush on his face. "No. There is no way you could remember that, let alone see that," Spike said in a tone that made it seem like the world was about to end. "Oh but It's true. I do remember seeing and hearing you. Celly and lulu may have imprisoned me in stone but that doesn't mean that I was asleep for all those centuries. It was so boring that your regular routine of visiting the gardens and me made it so much more fun. I did so miss you when you suddenly left, but not before sharing that magazine with me," Eris said, punctuating the end of her sentence with a lick of her lips. Spike's pupils turned to pinpricks as embarrassment was now overwhelming him. "I'd appreciate it if you forgot about that," Spike said as he slowly resumed getting dressed. "Oooohhh no. I'm not going to forget about that anyyytime sooon," Eris teased as she hovered around him. "Who knows, maybe I'd like to return the favor, and imitate those girls." Spike turned to face her but she was already on her knees in a begging position with her mouth open as if to catch something. "So, how'd I do?" She asked with a wink as she kept the pose. Spike froze only for a second before he rushed for the door, slamming it behind him. As he began to walk from his room he could hear Eris laughing her tail off. As spike made his way to the elevator Twilight popped out of her room. Spike was thankful that she was fully dressed. He didn't want any company right now, but Twilight could do him a world of good as she was probably the only person here, except Cadance, who knew who Eris was. Once inside the elevator Twilight could tell something was bugging him, if the large fading blush was anything to go by. “Spike, is something wrong? Odd hallucination?” “No,” Spike said deadpan. “I wish it was though, that would make this easy. But because reality is a bitch, it's not,” spike ended with a sigh. Twilight cocked her head to the side as they began their decent. “What do you mean?” “We have a new TA, and her name is Eris,” Spike answered in a mockingly flamboyant fashion. Twilight was excited about there being a new TA, but was put off by Spike's attitude. What also piqued her interest was the name. “Really? What’s Eris like? Have you met her yet?” Spike slowly turned his head to her. “Twilight, you should know her as well. As does Celestia, Luna and Cadance,” Spike said, surprised that Twilight didn't get it the first try. Twilight went to deep thought as she tried to think of who it could be. Her mind was drawing a complete blank. If all of the princesses knew Eris then surely she must be a noble, but that's when something clicked. “Spike what species is she?” She asked as they exited the elevator. Spike grinned slightly as Twilight was catching on. “I believe the proper name for her species is: Draconious.” Twilight froze for second before hurrying next to him. “That Eris!? How is she free?! Does Cadance know?” Twilight asked in a rushed whisper. Spike sighed before nodding. “Yes Cadance does know, at least I assume she does. Apparently Celestia released her under a few conditions. One is being my TA here,” he said opting to not tell her about Eris being his counselor. Twilight was silent for a good bit before speaking up. “It seems Celestia is trying to reform Eris. How'd your first interaction go?” Twilight's rather innocent question, unfortunately, had a not so innocent answer and that made Spike blush. “She was a bit boisterous in her introduction, but it started off good. That ended when she began to get a little suggestive, and I quickly left the room.” Twilight had conflicting emotions about what Spike had told her. “What do you mean she got suggestive?” Twilight asked hoping that he was exaggerating a little. “Well to be put bluntly,” Spike said as he leaned in close so only she could hear. “She was kneeling in front of me with her hands cupped by her chin as if waiting for me to blow my load so she could catch it,” Spike whispered. Spike couldn't help but grin as he saw Twilight's face get swallowed up by a blush. “Y-you didn't-” “Nothing happened Twilight. She was just teasing me,” Spike said trying to reassure Twilight. “In all honesty I don't know if I should introduce her to the class. If she shows up then I will. Otherwise I'm going to clam up, at least for today.” Twilight nodded before freezing to the spot. They were almost to the class and there was Eris right outside the door. Thankfully there weren't any students really going to class this early, they would be in a few minutes but that gave the two time. “Ah! Spike!” Eris said as she spotted Spike and Twilight. “I wanted to inform you that I officially start on Monday. Until then I'll be attending your classes unseen. As per Celestia’s orders,” she said before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, leaving a watch floating where she was. Spike sighed before be reached for the watch. It wasn't half bad but the hands on the clock were Eris’s hands. So in essence Eris was telling the time. “This way I can watch you and the class without causing a disturbance,” The Eris watch said with a grin. “You can't be serious Spike!” Twilight objected beside Spike. “Who knows what kind of mischief she will get herself into, at your expense I might add!” “Twilight, listen. I highly doubted Eris is stupid enough to cause me enough mischief that it becomes unbearable. Mainly because Mom will do more than thrash Eris if any harm, physically or mentally, comes to me because of her actions,” Spike explained as he rubbed the bridge between his eyes. Twilight sighed as she watched Spike put the watch on. “Ok, but just be careful. Ok?” Spike smiled at Twilight before nodding. “Ok.” “Awww what's this? Do I hear wedding bells?” Eris asked mischievously before both Spike and Twilight we're consumed by a flash of light. Once the light was gone Spike was in a tuxedo while Twilight was in a wedding dress. Twilight flushed a bright red as Spike was speechless for a moment. “Eris! Return our clothes to normal!” Spike exclaimed once he got a hold of his mind. “Hahaha ahhhhh your no fun,” Eris pouted before Spike's and Twilight's clothes were returned to normal. “Well, at least she is keeping it tame,” Spike said with a sigh before entering the classroom. Once inside Spike sat at the teacher's desk, as Twilight stood beside him “You going to be alright?” Twilight asked concerned more about his sanity right now than his physical well being, as she highly doubted Celestia would have someone help her son if they meant harm. Spike sighed at Twilight's question. “Yes, I think. All I know for certain is that this is going to be a long day.” “Luckily for you Celly forbade me from possibly publicly embarrassing you as it might trigger a hallucination,” Eris clarified. The dissatisfied tone in her voice made Spike believe that she was telling the truth. “Eris, Could you at least keep the mischief down while we're in class. At least until you start on Monday?" Spike asked in a more of an ordering tone. "Fine fine. If you want me i'll be in your room pleasuring myself until class starts. Being trapped for so long builds up so much tension," Eris commented before poofing away. Spike let out a sigh as he lay his head down on the desk. "A long day indeed," Spike said with a slight blush as Twilight blushed a bit before leaving the room to go get breakfast. Eris had kept her word and returned before class had started, about half an hour after she had left. Spike was thankful that she had the presence of mind to reappear as a watch on his wrist, although she seemed a bit peeved about something. Spike payed her no mind as the class began and he watched the students begin to finish what work they had left for later classes and so on. He did so for about half the class until Gabby rose her claw. "Mister Wyrven, I have a question," Gabby said aloud. "Oh? What is it?" Spike asked as he hopped out of his seat to go by Gabby's side. Spike didn't take two steps before Gabby's question made him freeze. "Can dragons crossbreed?" “Gabby, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just ask if dragons can crossbreed?” Spike asked unsure if he heard her correctly. A few giggles could be heard at his response, even from Gabby herself. “Yep!” Gabby giggled. “Ok, ok. Well the answer would be yes, and more specifically dragons can crossbreed with any species,” Spike replied earning a few shocked replies along with a few positive responses. “How can dragons crossbreed when ponies and gryphons can't?” Thunderlane asked aloud. “Thunderlane, that's because we dragons are inherently magical. Sure unicorns can manipulate magic around them, but we dragons have magic flowing through our bones. But the question does bring up another question-” “Yeah, why the sudden interest Gabby?” Gilda asked interrupting Spike. “Oh well… um…” Gabby stammered, turning red as most of the class stared at her. Some had an expression that showed their disbelief while others were either neutral or had a slight grin. “Teacher, have you had any, bedroom experience with a non-dragon?” Zephyr asked with a grin. Spike, who had turned red from Gilda’s question, gave Zephyr the stink eye. "Zephyr, I don't mind some personal questions but THAT is far too personal." "Sorry." "It's ok. Did you have another question?" Zephyr thought for a second before nodding. "Did you have any friends in Canterlot?" Spike scratched the top of his head for a second as he tried to figure out how to word the answer. "Well... None I would really call friends. If I'm being honest I wouldn't trust them with a bag of wet dog crap. The only reason I even visited them was because it was fun to talk to them. Next." “Mr. Wyrven, do dragons keep pets?” Fluttershy asked meekly changing the subject, but a tad red in the face. “Yes. I can understand where the image of dragons being moronic brutes comes from, not that I approve of it mind you, but dragons are just like any other race out there. We go on dates, hang out with friends, go to work, have pets and have families just like any other sentient race out there. Unfortunately it's the delinquents that are far more outgoing. It doesn't help when fear and scandals sells,” Spike said, ending in more of a mumble to himself. “Mr. Wyrven, what do you mean by fear and scandals sells?” Thunderlane asked a little perplexed. “What that means is that newspapers who print fear, sex and scandals sells more per day than newspapers that sell truth. So you'll see more newspapers saying that a dragoness went on a rampage and killed a group of stallions just outside the border of the Badlands. Despite the fact that that same dragoness killed them because those stallions raped and killed her child. While some papers may print the truth, the vast majority will sell fear as it grabs one's attention better and thus sell more. That is the unfortunate truth,” Spike explained before sitting back down in his seat. Spike knew he used a bit of an extreme example, but he felt as though he wasn't wrong, at least completely so. It didn't help that most newspapers were based in Canterlot, Equestria’s central hub for paranoia and racism. After that the class began to get caught up in conversation, of which Spike was all too happy to join in on. Spike lost track of time and soon enough the bell signalling the end of class rang out throughout the school. Spike was at a bit of a loss when he thought about what class was next, conditioning. He had meant to ask someone, but it slipped his mind yesterday. Thankfully Twilight came down to his desk with a smile. “Hey Spike, come on,” she said, urging Spike out of his seat and to follow the class. “Hey Twilight what's the next class? I know it's called conditioning, but I still don't know what that means,” Spike asked. “Oh, that? It's basically a very large gym class that more than one class takes at the same time. While our normal gym class is meant to help keep us in shape, this class is meant to push us to our limit. It also shows where the school is overall in physical shape. Technically this class is mandatory starting this year, but Cadance made it mandatory last year.” “Mandatory? Why is it mandatory?” “Oh, you didn't know? Princess Celestia passed a law recently about schools having one class to combat Equestria's growing unhealthy living habits, such as sitting on the couch and watching TV. She hopes that with this ponies would be more motivated to continue to exercise without having to be told,” Twilight explained with pride. “That sounds… like a cheap excuse to have everyone get out and bust their flanks,” Spike responded honestly, getting a few chuckles from nearby students. “True, but it does help since not every school has mandatory gym classes. Even then they don't cover everything the conditioning class does. I'm always a bit tired from having to use my horn so much,” Twilight explained as they made it outside. “Twilight, what exactly does the conditioning class contain?” Spike asked curiously as to what she meant about her horn. “Well, there's the standard running, push-ups and sit-ups. Then after that we break off and start working on our species' specific traits. Unicorns work their magic, gryphons and pegasi work out their wings, and Earth ponies work out various other parts of their bodies. We all work until we're run ragged.” Spike gave a whistle as he listened to Twilight. “So it's not like a normal gym class then. Sounds more like an extreme workout program, because a normal gym class forbids the use of magic.” “Correct. Another major difference is is that teachers are encouraged to participate.” “I would if I had anything like workout clothes,” Spike said as they neared the changing rooms, which already had a lot of ponies around them. There were even tents set up to act as outside changing rooms. “Ok, you should find Cadance where you met snowflake yesterday. She is in charge of this class,” Twilight said before leaning close to his ear. “If you do participate then don't overdo it so much that you trigger a hallucination,” Twilight said before breaking away and headed to the changing rooms. Spike headed in the same direction he did when he met snowflake, and was impressed with how many ponies were out in gym clothes. It was the largest gathering of ponies in gym clothes he's ever seen. “Like what you see?” Cadance asked as she approached Spike from behind. “Hm? Oh, yeah I'm kind of Impressed. Haven't seen so many ponies gathered together since I worked for the Wonderbolts during one of their shows,” Spike said as he looked upon the large group of students. “Thank you,” Cadance replied before her tone changed. “Spike, while it is normal for teachers to do this alongside the students, I want you to sit this one out ok?” Spike sighed as Cadance made her request. “First off Cadance, I can't join this time anyways since I don't have any gymwear and I'd rather not work up a sweat in a suit. And secondly, why?” Spike asked as he turned to face the pink alicorn. Cadance sighed before looking around to make sure no one was nearby. “Well, Celestia told me what your doctor found during your last visit a month ago.” That was all that had to be said for Spike's mood to change on a dime. “For the love of… Can't she keep that stuff to herself? I'm a dragon, I'm made of scales and bones, not fine china. I'm made of sterner stuff than most ponies, despite my weakened condition,” Spike practically growled out of annoyance. Cadance was shocked to see Spike behave in such a fashion. In all her time of seeing Spike and hearing of what he has done she had never seen Spike act angry about anything related to Celestia, excluding several royal families who were adopted by Celestia. “Spike, what brought that on?” Spike, seeming to have realized what he did, sighed and rubbed the top part of his snout and looked away. “Sorry. I can see where mom is coming from, but in the past few years she has become a bit overprotective and it has worn my patience down. I still love her but enough is enough, you know? I can handle mom asking me if I'm doing ok, if anything still hurts and things like that. What I can't stand is when she calls my place of work, while changing her voice so her true identity is still secret, to ask my boss or co-workers if I'm doing ok. Or the fact that she keeps calling my doctor after each of my visits to learn if anything new has come up,” Spike explained, making Cadance go slightly wide-eyed with Celestia's behavior. “Good grief.” “I know. Thankfully these last couple of years she's calmed down a bit.” “That's good to hear,” Cadance replied as she looked around, trying to see if the class was ready to begin. After a minute of silence Spike tried to say something but was interrupted by Tree Hugger. “Hey, Dean, Nurse Redheart wanted me to tell you that she's ready," Tree Hugger said in her usually relaxed fashion. "Thank you Tree Hugger. You may attend to your class now." As Tree Hugger nodded and left to go attend to her class Spike turned to Cadance. "Nurse Redheart? Are injuries common enough to warrant that?" Cadance shook her head at Spike's question. "Not really, no. Last year we had mostly sprained muscles. We did have one fractured horn, but it wasn't too bad." "Ouch," Spike said grimacing at the thought of a fractured horn. "I know. Better safe than sorry," she added before Spitfire came flying over to them. "Ma'am. The students seem to be just about ready," Cadance cleared her throat before her horn lit up. "Alright everyone time to line up for attendance!" Cadance shouted, her voiced being magnified by her magic. "Spike. Your class is right over there," Cadance said as she pointed to where his class would be. Spike nodded before heading off to his class. He didn't need to be told to take attendance as one could figure that out just from listening to Cadance's announcement. When he got to his class he noticed that the class to his right was being watched over by Ms. Harshwhinney, who made eye contact with him before turning back to her own class. Spike didn't even need to look to who would be on his left as the snort was enough to give away who was there. "What's your problem this time Road?" Spike asked with zero emotion as he started to take attendance. "You will address me as Sir or Mr., reptile," Mr. Road said with a bit of venom in his voice. "Alright. What's your problem this time, Mr. Reptile?" Spike asked with a small grin, earning a couple chuckles from some of the nearby students. Mr. Road seemed to take offence by Spike's joke as Spike could feel him trying to stare holes through his head. "I am Mr Moonstone Road, but you WILL call me Mr. Road," Mr. Road spat. "Alright then, Mr. Road, what's your problem this time?" Spike asked as his grin faded. "None of your damned business." Silence hang in the air for a minute as the classes finished taking attendance. All the while a question kept gnawing at the back of Spike's mind. It finally got to the point where he couldn't take it any more and had to voice it. "Mr. Road, I am curious. I thought you didn't have a homeclass, so why are you watching over one?" Mr. road turned to Spike with a smug grin. "Try not to overload your inferior reptile brain on this, but I am good enough that when a teacher is sick I'm the first person they go to to replace them. You would probably be the last to be asked, knuckle dragger." ~Wow. This guy is trying so hard to insult me, it's almost pathetic. None of the Canterlot nobles were this outgoing... wait, I take that back. Some where this outgoing, but none of them had a position like this. They were mainly children who were raised in racist households.~ Spike thought to himself as he gave Mr. Road a blank stare. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say," Spike said as he turned back to his students, no longer paying Mr. Road any attention. "You little-" Mr. road was cut off by a loud whistle coming from Cadance's whistle. "Alright eveyone. Now that attendance is done we can begin," She announced as she began to call different classes to the starting line. Three classes started at the same time, and a full minute after the first team would leave another three would line up. They weren't using the normal track for the running, rather there was a course loosely marked out by cones that ran through the campus. Spike was soon tapped on the shoulder by Nurse Redheart, after the classes left. "Hello Spike. The dean asked me during attendance to keep an eye on you as the classes ran. She also asked me to ask you if there was anything you wanted to work out today," she asked as she handed him a paper with several different type of exercises written on it. "Well, I'd work with the earth ponies if I had gym clothes, since I don't, I think I'll work with the unicorns," He said before handing Nurse Readheart the list back. "Ok. The unicorns spend their magical energy lifting very heavy objects. Weight lifting but with magic," She explained as she turned her attention back to the students. "That's fine by me," He said as he headed over to the bleachers and waited for the first part of the class to be finished, which would consist of three laps. As he waited for time to go by he watched the classes run. He couldn't help but notice the large variety of gym clothes everyone was wearing. Some were wearing tracksuits, some were wearing the standard t-shirt and shorts and others were wearing a new style that consisted of a white t-shirt and something called bloomers. All Spike knew about bloomers is that they started in some foreign country and some people really like them. Spike really couldn't care less about them. Once the running segment was completed Cadace enhanced her voice once again. "Alright everyone listen up! Fliers to the clouds, magic users to the field and everyone else to the gym and track." In almost no time at all everyone was already where they were supposed to be or almost there. Spike stayed in the bleachers before he saw Cadance wave for him to come over. "Nurse Redheart told me that you wanted to participate in the magic," Cadance said as Spike got closer. "Yes. It's the only thing I can do right now. Can't really work up a sweat while in my only suit now can I?" Spike asked with a grin. "Cadance nodded with a smile. "True. Well Come along then. The Unicorns are overseen by me and a few others, including Mr. Road." "Can I please get away from him, holy tartarus!" Spike exclaimed getting a slight chuckle from Cadance. "What? Don't you like him?" Cadance asked Spike rhetorically, earning a blank stare from Spike which only made her laugh. "Ok, ok. No need to try and stare me to death. I kind of figured that you wouldn't like him. Despite his shortcomings I do believe that there is hope for him." "Really?" Spike asked in an unbelieving tone. "Yes. I have noticed that he has a similar mindset of the Canterlot royal's, but he is a lot more grounded in reality." "From what I've seen and and heard about him, I have a hard time believing that." "Oh, but it's true Spike. The only reason he I can see he acts the way he does is because of his parents." "Riiight." "Spike, have you ever wanted to impress your mother even if you didn't completely like what you had to do to impress her?" Spike groaned as several embarrassing memories came back into his mind. "Yep. That has definitely happened." "See? It's not that different for him. It's just that his parents are the embodiment of Canterlot bigotry, and they are impressed by social standing and so on." "So... If word got out that he was being kind to a dragon, or being talked down to by one, to them the world would just freaking end?" Cadance nodded as she listened to Spike. "Yes. Now, he does still have some of the Canterlot way of thinking embedded into who he is, but he is still somewhat redeemable. He'll probably never get his own class, but that remains to be seen." Spike nodded along with what Cadance was saying. He did not like the idea of having to tolerate Moonstone, but if Cadance believed that there was a chance to redeem him, then Spike would tolerate him... for now. Before Spike could say anything else they arrived at the large group of unicorns, all of which were already busy trying to lift some rather large weights, which looked like large kettlebells made of concrete. The sight of this made Cadance sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you all not to lift any of the objects until I instruct you to do so?" She asked aloud, causing all of the students to turn around in shock, the weights slamming into the ground with quite a bit of force from just being dropped. "Dean. I told them..." Mr. Road started as he approach Cadance, but stopped when he saw Spike. "Is something wrong Mr. Road? You seem... uncomfortable," Cadance asked after a few moments of odd silence. "It's... nothing," Mr. Road said before clearing his throat. "Anyways, I told the students they could do a few light lifts if they wanted to as we waited." "I see. Well, thank you." She said before turning to the students. "Ok everyone! If you're comfortable with it, i'd like you to increase how much you lift today." Everyone gave a sound of acknowledgement, before they began to line up to each of the weights. Before everyone started several teachers lined up beside the lines with a clipboard and stopwatch in hand. It didn't take long before everyone began to lift the weights for as long as they could before moving to the back of the line. "Spike, the students are timed first on how long they can hold the weight in a stable position. Then they are timed on how many reps they can do. Lastly we see how far they can throw them. The go to the back of the line after each test to let their minds relax and to catch their breath before the next test. Once the students are done then they teachers are free to try it out if they wish," Cadance explained as they watched the students. Spike noticed that there were a few weights not being used off to the side. He figured that no one was willing, or able to use them as they were either smaller or bigger than those in use. "How much does each one weigh?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, the smallest is a couple pounds. The smallest in use is about fifty pounds. The heaviest in use is about five hundred pounds, and the largest period is five tons." Spike let out a small whistle when he heard about the largest weight they had. "Five tones? Good grief. Has anyone ever been able to lift that?" Spike asked curiously. "Once, but they cracked their horn in the process." Spike nodded as he waited for the students to hurry up. He wasn't at all surprised when he saw Twilight was the only one lifting the 500 pound weight. Part of him wandered if she was the one who cracked their horn, but dismissed it as he highly doubted that she would go that far beyond her limits if it wasn't necessary. After a bit one of the teachers blew a whistle and waved to Cadance. "Alright everyone. You may go to the bleachers and rest." Spike raised an eyebrow as he saw all the students going to the bleachers while holding their heads. "If any of you think you may have overdone it please see Nurse Redheart," Cadance added with a smile. Not several seconds after Cadance had finished speaking several unicorns walked over to Nurse Redheart holding their heads, and a couple of them were holding their horns. Spike waited for another teacher to start practicing with the weights before spike went over to the stones to try and exercise his magic. Not wanting to overdo it he picked one of the stones in the middle to practice on, while the majority of the other teachers picked some of the heavier ones. He picked one of the middleweight ones since he wasn't confident in his external use of magic. Spike more than once found Mr. Road giving him a smug grin, like he somehow won a victory over Spike. Spike sat down on the bleachers with a sigh, his body aching a bit. He was surprised when someone patted him on the shoulder. When Spike turned he saw Twilight smiling at him. "Oh hey Twilight. What do you want?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, I just wanted to say that you didn't do half bad with the weight you picked," Twilight said as she sat down beside him. "Thank you Twilight. Wasn't too sure I'd be able to lift it," Spike said with a sheepish smile. "I could tell, and I think everyone else could as well. With all the shaking it did." Spike could only sigh as he listened to Twilight. "Was it really shaking that much?" Twilight nodded. "Oy vey," Spike sighed as he rubbed his eyes slightly out of embarrassment. "I would be embarrassed too if that's all I could lift while being a teacher," Mr. Road said with a grin as he got close to the two. Spike groaned when he looked over and saw Mr. Road nearby. "Oh what do you want?" Spike asked in a bit of a snippy tone. Mr. Road narrowed his eyes a bit at Spike's tone. "Don't take that tone with me lizard or i'll-" "Or you'll what? Try to get me tossed out? Look, if you want to toss idle threats around go do it someplace else. I'm not in the mood to deal with your crap. Unlike you unicorns, whose head and horn hurt after you extensively use your magic, our whole body aches like after a physical workout," Spike barked, interrupting Mr. Road. "You better watch your back lizard." "Bite me," Spike retorted to Mr. Road's back as he was leaving. When Spike looked back to Twilight she had a worried expression on her face. "What?" "Spike, are you sure that was a good idea? He will probably try to get you fired," Twilight explained, getting a shrug in return. "Good idea? Probably not. If he does try to get me fired the process will take what? A week or two? And by then he'll probably change his tune about trying to get me fired," Spike said with a grin. Twilight was silent for a moment before Eris chimed in. ~Oh, because by then you'll be Spike Solaris! And then he'd probably want to suck you off.~ Twilight looked around to see if anyone heard What Eris had said, but Spike didn't as his face was contorted into an expression of disgust. An image of Mr. Road kneeling in front of him in an elevator popped in his mind. ~Don't worry sparkle butt. I'm transmitting my thoughts to you.~ Twilight seemed to calm down but Spike didn't as he flicked the Eris watch. "Eris, That is one image in my brain that I don't need." ~Twilight's butt?~ Eris asked with a slight grin, ignoring the flick Spike gave her. "I wouldn't mind that-- no!" Spike whispered rather loudly. Twilight was already blushing a fair bit with what Eris said, but she blushed even harder with what Spike said. ~I see, so you wouldn't mind the image of Twilight's butt in your head.~ She asked with a large grin, although no one could see it since she was half hidden underneath Spike's cuff. Spike didn't say anything for a moment before sighing a bit in defeat. "No comment." Eris laughed like a madwoman at Spike's answer. She was having a ball with this. Twilight's hard blush only made this situation that much sweeter for Eris. Her fun was getting a bit on Spike's nerves though, despite his defeated sigh. "Eris. Could you be so kind as to piss off for now?" Spike asked in more of a ordering way. "Class is over so I don't think you're going to miss much." Seeing as she was now starting to get on Spike's nerves she let out a sigh. ~Fine, fine. I'll be around until you call for me. Until then ciao!~ Eris said before disappearing in a small puff of smoke. Spike let out a sigh as he tried to relax, but it didn't last more then a minute as Rainbow Dash popped up behind him. "Hey there!" Spike jumped a bit before turning around to see Rainbow Dash hovering there, inches above the seat. "Hello Rainbow Dash," Spike said with a slight sigh. "Hey Twi, Gilda told me that she's going with a horror movie tonight," Rainbow Dash said as she turned her attention to Twilight. "Thank you, but tonight I'm going to be a bit busy," Twilight answered, turning her head so she could see Rainbow Dash. "Busy with..." Rainbow started before seeing the blush still on Twilight's cheeks. "Ooooh, I see," She said with a grin. "I can guess who you're going to be busy with," She added before looking over to Spike, who was watching them. Twilight cleared her throat to get Rainbow's attention. "Rainbow Dash. It's not nice to make assumptions," Twilight said as she tried to act as though she wasn't embarrassed. Rainbow Dash was about to say something when Spike cleared his throat to get Rainbow dash's attention. "So, Rainbow. I've been been watching you fly, and you're surprisingly good," He said changing the subject. Rainbow Dash had a smug smile on as she took the bait. "Yeah, I know I'm pretty awesome." "You're good enough to be a trainee for the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash paused as her mind processed what Spike had just said. "Huh?" "You heard me. You score tops marks in the speed department, but it would seem that your maneuverability is lacking," Spike said with a slight grin. Rainbow Dash's eye twitched as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?!" She practically screamed in anger, alarming Twilight. "What do you mean my maneuverability is lacking?!" She practically growled, gaining the attention of nearby students, and some teachers. "What do you know, you don't even have wings," She added, seeming to calm down a bit. "Oh? You think that just because I don't have wings that I can't tell a good flier from a bad flier? Don't forget Rainbow Dash, I did work for them." Rainbow Dash's wings began to give off erratic flaps as her anger rose. "You were just a gofer for them!" "True, but that just means I was able to watch them and learn what a good flier looks like." Rainbow Dash startled Spike as she actually darted at him, but she was caught by Twilight. "Why you little... Let me at him Twilight!" Rainbow Dash growled as she struggled against Twilight's grip, and was winning. "Rainbow Dash calm down! Spike, that was uncalled for," She scolded. Rainbow Dash didn't calm down and manage to break free of Twilight's grip, only to be encased by Twilight's magical glow. Spike took this time to stand up and couldn't help but smirk a little at Rainbow Dash. That was before Spitfire landed behind him. "What's going on?" Spitfire asked looking at both Spike and Rainbow Dash, with an air of agitation. Spike lost his smirk before Twilight explained what happened to Spitfire. Spitfire gave both Spike and Rainbow Dash a disappointed look. "Rainbow, you need to control that temper a bit. Spike, why did you egg her on?" Spike took a minute to word his response carefully. "First off. Rainbow, I do apologize if-" "If?!" Rainbow interrupted with more than a little anger. "Rainbow!" Spitfire Barked, which grabbed Rainbow Dash's attention. "Calm down right now," Spitfire ordered. Rainbow Dash began to grumble as she crossed her arms before Twilight let go of her. "Alright let me rephrase that. I do apologize for offending you but I do believe what I said to be true. Now I did poke at her a bit because I was still agitated from dealing with Mr. Road, and wanted to see what she'd do," Spike explained. Spitfire sighed for a minute while rubbing the bridge between her eyes. It was quiet before Rainbow Dash Spoke up. "A race." Spike cocked his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "Huh?" "You heard me. Race me. If you win I'll accept your apology," Rainbow said seeming a little less angry now. ~Do I really want to race her? Is racing her really worth it to not have to deal with her anger later?~ Spike thought, comming to no real answer. ~Well, even if I do lose it should call her down some... Who am I kidding, I probably am going to lose. Let's at least make it interesting.~ "What kind of race?" Spike asked. "A hoof race?" Rainbow Dash said in a questioning tone. "Why not a air race?" Spike suggested so nonchalantly that everyone around him was confused, except for Spitfire who was laughing. "Spike, are going to do that? Let's time you did that you lost control and you ended up flying right into High Wind's-" "Don't remind me!" Spike half shouted at Spitfire in attempt to make her stop. "Ms. Spitfire, what are you two talking about?" Twilight asked a bit confused. Spitfire gave spike a gentle push on the shoulder and a 'go on' look. Spike only puffed a few black clouds of soot out of his nose at Spitfire. "Well, to put it simply I make artificial wings using my magic and can fly with them," he explained as Spitfire waved the small clouds away with her hand before nodding. Rainbow was grinning as Spike had finished his explanation. "So wait, you can actually fly?!" She asked excitedly. "Well yes, but it's-" "Oh yeah I'm going to race a dragon!" Rainbow Dash said, her attitude seemingly having done a 180 from a little earlier. Spike let out a sigh as he saw Rainbow Dash start to day dream. "Spitfire, could you decide the course please? I'd ok it with Rainbow Dash first, as she's the other participant, but she seems to be in her own little world," Spike asked. Spitfire nodded before taking to the air to look around. It wasn't very long before Cadance showed up with a smile. "Well everyone, It would seem that today went wonderfully. Only a few sprained joints. You have the rest of the day off." After a minute of the students not moving Cadance adopted a rather confused look. "Cadance, Spike and Rainbow Dash are going to race. So, everyone's staying to watch," Twilight said as she noticed the confused look on Cadance's face. While one might find the race an interesting prospect to watch, Cadance let out a sigh before approaching Spike. "Spike is what Twilight said true?" "Yes." "Do you think you can win?" "If it was a ground race I'd say my chances are pretty good, but since we're taking into the air I'd say my chances of winning is less than five percent." Cadance's brain stopped for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but did you just say that both of you, you and Rainbow Dash, Will be racing in the air?" "Yes." "And how are you going to do that?" "I learned several years ago how to make wings out of magic. They work just as well as real wings, but they're a bit harder to use... Well I believe so anyways." Spike said before looking into the sky to see Rainbow dash whizzing about out of excitement. "Dear Celestia, how does she still have energy?" "She's always been a ball of energy, when excited. Second only to Pinkie Pie," Twilight answered. "Why do I feel like I shouldn't be surprised by that?" Cadance and Twilight chuckled at what he said. "Why did she get so hyped when I said that I could fly?" "Well, there's been a rumor going around that dragons were better fliers than pegasi so she wanted to prove them wrong, but the lack of dragons here made that impossible. There's a large likely hood that if you had wings she'd have challenged you on the first day," Twilight said as Spitfire flew up to them. "Alright. The cloud rings for the air portion should be done in a few minutes. The forest has a ring at both sides so it's pretty much a straight shot, just not flying above the trees. There will be a ring beyond the forest's exit ring and that'll be the finish line." Once she got a nod from Spike Spitfire shot up to speak to Rainbow Dash, after having to catch her that is. After their conversation was finished Rainbow Dash landed right in front of Spike with a large grin. "The track is set, so could you show me your wings now?" She asked, eager to get racing. Spike let out a sigh but was grinning as well. "Ok, ok. Give me a minute," He said before relaxing. It took him a bit to gather the necessary magic in his back. With a slight grunt wings burst forth from his back. They were purple in color and had a transparent glassy look to them. Almost like they were made of glass, and they hadn't damaged his clothes. Spike heard a few whistles and a couple 'holy cows' before Spitfire landed behind Spike. "I see you've enhanced them. They no longer look like they're made of gas," Spitfire said as she poked his wing. As Spitfire and Cadance began to talk Twilight reached over and gently grabbed one of Spike's wings to get a feel for it. Despite the glassy appearance they felt like they were soft yet hard. It was like squeezing a length of PVC pipe covered in a pool noodle, but felt like glass. The membrane felt almost fluid-like as it was incredibly soft. As she was messing around with his wing she began to feel more and more eyes on her. "Ahem" Twilight looked up to see Spike staring at her. "You done?" He asked politely. Twilight looked around quickly, seeing that the vast majority of the present students were looking at her, before looking at Spitfire and Cadance, who had a confused look on their faces. "Yes, sorry," She said as she backed up a couple steps, slightly embarrassed by her actions. "Now, as I was saying-" "Yes, yes I know. Keep a close eye on them like any race. This isn't the first time I've watched over a race," Spitfire said before grabbing the flare gun that one of the nearby teachers handed her. "Come on already! Are we going to race or just talk?" Rainbow Dash asked in slight annoyance. Spike chuckled for a moment before nodding. "Ok, let's get this started," He said before flying up to the starting ring. Spitfire followed shortly and hovered by the circle. "Ok. On your marks, get set. GO!" Unsurprisingly Rainbow Dash took off like a bullet right of the gate, but Spike was right on her tail. He stayed right behind her for about 3 seconds before Rainbow began to pull away, and the gap widened every second. Spike had figured something like this would happen, but not to this extent. The sky portion consisted mainly of straights and wide turns. There were a few sharp turns, and spike was able to catch up a little on those, but not enough to make a significant difference. By the end of the sky portion Rainbow Dash was in the lead by about 200 ft. When they both dove into the forest section Spike lost sight of Rainbow Dash. He did his best to keep flying straight, and to not crash, and soon Spike was able to see Rainbow Dash's hooves. "Best be careful Rainbow!" Spike called out. Rainbow Dash looked behind her with a shocked expression which soon turned into a grin. "Hey, It's about Time you caught up! If I was going any slower I'd probably fall out of the air!" "Oh, That does it!" Spike playfully shouted back before he began to push his wings as hard as he could, trying to catch up with her. After a bit of time had passed Rainbow Dash looked behind her, too see Spike now within talking distance, not shouting. "You're going to have to try harder than that to beat me!" She said as she began to pull away again, clearly adapting to the forest. Spike had thought he had a grasp on how good she was as a flyer, but apparently he was wrong. Not wanting to look like a slouch Spike began to doge the trees and branches by smaller and smaller margins, which made Spike feel like he was going to clip something with every dodge. They were almost done with the forest section and Spike's gamble payed off as he was now almost literally nipping at her hooves. Just as his growing hope of possibly overtaking Rainbow Dash made him grin, it was all dashed against the rocks as an all too familiar feeling came back. Spike's body went on autopilot, feeling as though if he moved just slightly different something would attack him. Spike soon wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and began to focus on the feeling above him. Just as quickly as the feeling appeared it disappeared, but the damage was done. When Spike took in his surroundings once more he quickly saw himself barreling straight at a tree, going to fast to move out of the way in time. ~Oh shi-~ A thunderous roar was heard throughout the forest and the athletic field. Birds in the forest immediately flew away as they were startled by the loud sound. The teachers and students looked out into the forest where part of the race was taking place. It wasn't a second later that a red signal flare was shot into the air. Both Nurse Redheart and Cadance instantly teleported to the forest, while the other teachers stayed behind to keep an eye on the students. The sight that greeted Nurse Redheart and Cadance was shocking, and to Cadance it was also heart-wrenching. Rainbow Dash was standing nearby with a concerned look on her face, not wanting to too close to Spike out of fear of getting clawed. Spitfire still had the flare gun in her hand, but it had heavy claw marks in it showing that Spitfire tried to get close. Spike was on the ground writhing around erratically and occasionally would let out a small fireball or would lash out at nothing with his claws. His roars were erratic as well. Sometimes he'd be loud and other times he'd be barely audible. It was obvious to everyone that he was in a tremendous amounts of pain. As Cadance looked around to see what happened Nurse Redheart pinned Spike down with her magic. Nurse Redheart then proceeded to inject him with a rather powerful sedative, so he could be safely transported to the infirmary. Before Nurse Redheart could move Spike Cadance saw the small crater on the nearby tree. It didn't take much for Cadance to realize what happened. "Redheart, don't let anyone see him until either I see him or he says people can visit him," Cadance told Nurse Redheart before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, can you tell me what happened?" "I-i don't know. One second he was right behind me and the next I heard a crack, then I heard him roar," Rainbow Dash said as she kept looking at Spike as he was levitated away. "Dean, I was watching from above and I saw what happened. He flew straight into the tree like an arrow, but something has me confused. Moments before he hit the tree his body went stock still and his magic was flickering. I've seen him struggle with his magic before and that was not it," Spitfire explained as she patted Rainbow Dash's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Spitfire, tell me, what emotion do you think he was feeling? Anger, sadness-" "Fear. It looked like he was afraid of something. Like a rabbit being cornered by a timberwolf," Spitfire said, interrupting Cadance. "Fear, are you sure about that?" Cadance asked and received a nod from Spitfire. "Thank you. Rainbow Dash, you may return to your class now. I need to go talk to someone," Cadance said before teleporting away, looking for Eris. "There you are!" Cadance exclaimed as she found Eris on the roof of the main school building. "Why weren't you with Spike like you were supposed to be?" "He told me to go away, and since I can't show myself until Monday I couldn't just mingle with the crowd. You three also forbade me from transforming into another pony," Eris responded. Cadance was agitated with Eris, but knew that it wasn't her fault this time. Cadance let out a sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Ok. Well Spike is-" "In the infirmary, I know. I'm guessing he had another hallucination. Why else would you look for me. And don't worry about Spike, he's got maybe a few fractures. His bones are unnaturally tough, even for an 'enchanted' dragon. Seriously, who came up with that name? I much prefer their old name, bishop dragons." "How do you know that he'll only have fractures?" Cadance asked a bit confused. Eris smiled at Cadance's question. "He used to hang out by my petrified body, thinking I was a statue, when he was younger. During that time I was able to learn a lot about his body," Eris said as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm hungry. Could you be a dear and get me something to eat? After that I'll return to Spike's wrist." Cadance sighed be for nodding. "Ok. I'll be back in a second," Cadance said before disappearing in a flash of light. ~You're in deeper water than I thought Spike, but don't fret. I won't let anything truly bad happen to you. I still have to pay you back for making my time as a statue bearable, aaand my freedom is also on the line. I'm in no rush to go back being an oversized garden gnome.~ Eris thought a moment before Cadance returned in a flash if light, with a tray of food. "I'm sorry everyone, but he can't have any visitors right now," Nurse Redheart said as she blocked the door to Spike's room from the small group. "Is he going to be alright?" Gabby asked as Nurse Readheart began to guide them to the lobby. "Yes. He is going to be fine, and that's all I'm allowed to say." "When can we visit him?" Thunderlane asked as they arrived at the lobby. "After the dean speaks with him then you can visit," Nurse Redheart said before returning to the desk on the wall opposite of the main entrance. The students one by one went and grabbed some seats before talking amongst themselves. Gabby and Twilight were worried about Spike, but Twilight wasn't as worried as Gabby and did her best to cheer her up. Rainbow Dash was sitting quietly in one of the chairs with Applejack trying to coax Rainbow Dash to talk. Thunderlane and Gilda were engaged with idle chitchat. It hadn't been half an hour before Cadance entered through the front door. Nurse Redheart got out of her chair and greeted Cadance. "Welcome dean, Spike is right this way," she said before guiding Cadance through the halls to Spike's room, while making sure the students stayed behind. Once they were in the room Cadance saw that Spike was already in a neck and upper back brace. "Nurse Redheart, how bad were his injuries?" Cadance asked In a bit of a whisper. "There were several compression fractures along his spine. Luckily there is no splintering or other threats to his spinal cord. There are also several fractures to his skull, but what's confusing is how shallow they are. They're deep enough to be felt by magic, but not deep enough to go all the way through the bone," Nurse Redheart replied. "That's good," Cadance said with a sigh of relief. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you tell me when I hired you that you're unable to sense damage in a pony's bones short of a broken leg?" Nurse Redheart nodded. "Yes I did say that, but I didn't give him the good look over. That was all Doctor Horse." Cadance grinned widely at the mention of the doctor. "So he DID spend the night huh?" Cadance teased, making Nurse Redheart blush lightly. "That's beside the point. He performed minor magical surgery on Spike before setting up the brace," Nurse Redheart explained, keeping a professional appearance except for the blushing. At the mention of surgery Cadance nodded before looking back at Spike. "What kind of surgery?" "Doctor horse created a magical balloon around the fractures and inflated it until the pressure on the damaged vertebrae is relieved. Normally the bone is then mended with magic, but since Spike is a dragon that didn't work. The balloons were left inside him so the bone can heal. Before you ask, don't worry about them popping. They are quite durable. The only downside is that Spike may be a bit uncomfortable while they are in him." "What about their removal? Will Doctor Horse have to come back out here?" "Yes. Although since this is the first time that such surgery has been performed on a dragon we don't know how his body will react to our magic. We are sure that dragons have their own variation, but we can't reach them. Not in any reasonable amount of time anyways." "So he's going to be fine?" "Yes." Cadance let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. When will he be awake?" "It will be some time. maybe an hour or two, maybe more. He was quite resistant to our anesthesia so we had do use three times the normal to put him under. That was after giving him five times the usual dose of sedatives to calm him down properly." "Wow. Didn't know dragons were so resilient to drugs," Cadance said with a slight air of disbelief. "Dragons are a species of extremes and this proves it, if he is normal for a dragon." Cadance nodded before approaching Spike's side. "Has this injury affected his previous injuries?" "The previous injury on the back of his head had cracked along the same spot as before but they're just surface cracks, amazingly," Nurse Redheart said before looking at her watch. "Dean. Will you allow the students to see him right now?" Cadance nodded with a smile as she headed for the door. "Yes." Nurse Redheart was able to get 'you may’ out before Gabby rushed by her, nearly knocking Nurse Redheart over. Nurse Redheart did stumble a bit but Applejack helped her to stop before joining Gabby. Cadance was a little Startled when Gabby burst through the door. Gabby froze when she saw the neck brace on Spike. She took a step towards him before Cadance cleared her throat to get her attention. Realizing that she was being a bit rash she began to blush slightly. “Go any faster and people might think that you're late for a date,” Applejack teased as the rest of the group entered the room. “A date?” Gabby repeated with a slight blush. “What are you thinking about Gabby?” Gilda asked as she noticed Gabby's blush. “N-nothing.” Gilda chuckled slightly before pushing Gabby a little. “Oh really? Then why are you blushing? No one blushes over nothing,” she teased, making Gabby's blush bigger. “Gilda, that is enough,” Cadance said with an ever so slight smirk. “Dean, why is Spike wearing a neck brace?” Gabby asked causing everyone to look at Spike. “The brace is just a precaution. He has already been… patched up, but the brace is there just to make sure he doesn't overdue it as his body heals,” Cadance explained, not wanting to use the word 'surgery’ as two or three of them might worry more than necessary. “So, when will he be able to be up and about?” Twilight asked. “Well, he should be up later today, but I don't know when he'll be about. He should be able to go to class Monday,” Cadance explained. “Sorry about ruining your date Twi,” Rainbow Dash apologized, making Cadance’s ears perk up. “There's nothing to be sorry about. It was an accident, there was nothing you could've done,” Twilight said. “But-” “I couldn't have said it better myself.” Everyone's head snapped to Spike, who was now awake. “Spike!? You're not supposed to be awake for another few hours!” Cadance said in surprise. “Yeah, well I learned that dragons are, in general, resilient to most medication. We enchanted dragons however are heavily resilient to medication of any kind. It has to do with the innate magic that permeates our bodies. You see-” “I'm sorry to interrupt, but could we please have the lesson during school instead?” Thunderlane interrupt. Spike began to chuckle a bit before nodding. “Ok, ok.” “Spike, when do you think you might be able to walk around?” Twilight asked with a glint of Hope in her eyes. Spike let out a sigh as he saw the glint in her eyes. “I'm sorry Twilight, but I'll probably be walking sometime tomorrow at the earliest, I repeat: the earliest." "I see," Twilight said, the slightly crestfallen tone not escaping Cadence or Spike. "Are you sure you're ok Mr. Wyrven?" Gabby asked. Spike nodded, or would if his head wasn't immobilized. "I'm fine Gabby. Now, I do appreciate you all for coming, but I'm tired and want to get some rest. Ok?" Spike said, letting out a large yawn as if to punctuate his sentence. One by one the students left after saying good bye, but Spike held Twilight back. "Hey, Twilight, in my room are a couple of pill bottles. could you get them?" He whispered to her. "Sure thing." "Thanks, and I'm sorry about all this. Because of me we can't go our date tonight." "Don't worry about it, it was an accident. I'm just happy that you're ok." "Thanks." Twilight smiled before leaving the room, the last student to do so. Once Cadance had shut the door Eris poofed into the room. Eris was grinning ear to ear as she looked at Spike. "Wow. Head butted a tree and you're already awake. wan't to go for round two?" She asked as a tree began to grow inside the room, but not leaving it. "I think one round was enough, besides if I did go for round two I think it'd kill me." "You know I could fix your neck so that you could go again." "Thanks but no thanks. I have the feeling that my neck would wind up being turned into a hockey stick or something similar." "Fair enough. If you ever-" "Eris! Get rid of this tree already!" Cadance ordered as the tree was beginning to push the tables and beds around. "Fine, fine," Eris huffed before snapping her fingers making the tree vanish into thin air. "Just take the fun out of everything," Eris finished before turning to Spike who was chuckling. "What's so funny Spike?" Cadance asked as she looked at Spike as well, but grew immediately worried. Spike's laugh was a bit monotone and his face, or rather his eyes, showed absolute fear. Both Cadance and Eris soon began to put to gather what was happening to Spike: he was having a hallucination. What they didn't know was how bad it was. Not only was he seeing his hallucination, but his hallucination was so very different than before. Before the hallucinations would be shadow people, bipedal creatures of unknown species that was seemingly made up of a black mist. But right now standing by the door, next to Eris, was a figure that was a solid black mass and it was smiling. Not 'spike could feeling it smiling' but actually smiling with a set of VERY draconian teeth showing. It's eyes were also Draconian in nature. "☟︎♏︎●︎●︎□︎📪︎ ♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ♌︎♏︎♏︎■︎ ♐︎♋︎❒︎ ⧫︎□︎□︎ ●︎□︎■︎♑︎📬︎" Spike had no idea what the creature said, or even if what was said was even a language at all. If Spike were to pay closer attention to his surroundings he would've seen Eris puff up like a frightened cat. Before Cadance could ask what was up with Eris, Eris swiftly moved over to spike and covered his eyes. Soon she began to hum, infusing her chaotic magic into her voice. Cadance soon began to feel off balance and ill, like she was having motion sickness. She had to lean onto a nearby chair so that she wouldn't fall over. Spike's laughing, however, was seeming to calm down. Spike didn't know fully what was going on but the humming was beginning to drown out his other senses. In no time Spike could only hear, see, taste and feel the humming. Even though it made absolutely no sense to be able to see or taste humming, at the moment Spike didn't care. He began to calm down rapidly, only for a low growl to raise Spike's fear a bit. The shadow figure was pushed to the forefront of Spike's mind as he could feel as though it was now frowning in an angry manner. It felt like it said something but it was muffled by the humming. Soon enough the presence totally disappeared. A few moments later Eris let go of spike and stopped humming. Cadance who was leaning on the chair, was now sitting in it. "Eris, what was that about?" Cadance asked as she got out of the chair, still a little wobbly. “Spike was having a panic attack so I calmed him down, just as per Celly’s orders.” Cadance let out a sigh as she looked at Spike, who was now laying down with his eyes half open. “Fine. Just try to limit the effects of your chaotic magic to the surrounding area.” “Awww now where's the fun in that?” Eris asked with a mischievous grin. “Eris, I don't know what you're thinking, but no!” “Oh come now, you're no fun,” Eris pouted. As Eris and Cadance began to go back and forth Spike reached up and grabbed Eris’s dress to get her attention. “Eris… when Twilight gets back with my meds, could you duplicate them?” Spike asked a little shaky. “Yeah, sure,” Eris said before grabbing his hand. “You ok Spike?” Cadance asked with a bit of worry in her voice from hearing the slight shakiness in his voice. Spike nodded as he tried to gather his words. “I'm… fine. This time was so much worse than before. It was a solid mass, and it had a mouth and eyes. It was smiling at me before it spoke. I-i don't know what It was s-saying, b-but i-it-” Spike started, but was cut off by Eris who put her hand over his mouth and began to him again as he was getting worked up again. Spike was once again lost to Eris’s humming. As much as Spike wanted to stay awake he felt his eyelids grow heavy and his body soon felt the same. He tried to protest, wanting to tell them what happened, but his body was having none of it. His words only comming out as low grunts or moans, and any movement was reduced to large twitches. Soon enough Spike was sound asleep, his dreams overtaken by the humming. “Cadance, will you allow me to go see Celestia?” Eris asked as she pulled away from Spike. “No, but she will be here tomorrow. If it's about the hallucination he just had Spike will probably tell her tomorrow so you don't have to worry about it. I'm more worried what she'll do when she finds out that Spike was injured today.” “I see. Well, I guess I should wait until Twilight comes back with Spike's meds as per his request. Until then, want to watch a movie?” Eris asked as she pulled a movie projector, a couple lawn cahirs and a massive bucket of popcorn out of then air. Cadance was a little confused why Spike wanted his meds duplicated, but pushed those thoughts aside for now. “Very well. Since you're going to be working here I might as well try to get used to your antics,” Cadance said as she sat in one of the chairs. “That's the spirit!” Eris said before laughing and starting the reel. As the day was winding down Twilight had entered Spike's room, in search of his meds. The search was rather quick as his pills we're on the coffee table. When she grabbed them she couldn't help but to read the labels. Part of her knew that she shouldn't but curiosity got the better of her. She quickly identified one as Naproxen, and a high dose at that, but the other one made her do a double take. “Maxnul? Spike… why do you need a magical suppressant?” Twilight asked aloud, before making one more sweep to make sure she didn't miss any other bottles. Satisfied that she didn't miss any she headed back to Spike's room. Chapter 8: Spike's 18th birthdaySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 1: The First MorningThe plains were zipping by the window as a train ran full tilt along the tracks. It was so bound and determined to get there as fast as it could that the train, on several occasions, tilted slightly during a curve. The tilt wasn't severe enough to lift the train off the inside track but it was enough that the passengers, well passenger, of the train could feel it. The reason for the train going so fast was that it was running late, or so it believed. The conductor knew that it couldn't run late today. Not only were there much needed supplies in the train, but they were transporting the brand new teacher for the school. He knew that in order to make it on time he'd have to push both the engine and tracks rather hard. As the train thundered along the tracks, giving a slightly bumpy ride on the straightaways, the sole passenger lazily looked out the window as the scenery flew by. He had stayed up as he couldn't sleep from the bumps and occasional tilting of the train. Just a few hours ago he couldn't see much as it was the new moon, but now the sky was lighting up. With a loud whistle the train signaled that it was getting close to their destination; Equestria United, or EU for short. Spike didn't know much about this school. It had been built about 16 years ago, around his first birthday, and any degree from here is high respected by employers. When the first rays of light appeared in the sky the train began to slow down. Seeing this he grabbed his trunk and headed for the door. He had leaned into the wall before the train lurched forward as it's brakes were fully applied. Once he was in no danger of falling over from the train slowing down he stepped out of the train, and onto the platform. He put the trunk down and stretched as he was happy to finally be off the train and into the crisp morning air. He took a deep breath as he relaxed a bit. He was told that somepony would be there when he got off the train to escort him to the dean, but he was alone on the platform, save the ponies that were unloading the freight cars. With a sigh he went and sat on a nearby bench as he waited for this mystery pony to show up. As he waited he looked into a full length mirror that was on a nearby stone pillar. He felt slightly disgusted in himself at his current state. While the spikes on his head were still looking good his purple and green scales had lost a bit of it's shine from a thin layer of dirt. What really got his goat was that his dark blue suit, which he thought looked good when he put it on in his apartment, had obviously seen some wear. There weren't any holes yet but he could definitely see some spots were a hole would soon be appearing. He was so lost in his own thoughts that it took the pony that was standing behind him to clear their throat to grab his attention. Upon hearing the voice he spun around like greased lightning, his heart pounding a bit from start he was just given. "Oh, sorry, did I startle you?" Asked a pegasus mare. "Sorry, but are you perchance Spike?" She asked, eliciting a nod from the dragon in question. He was too in shock to really register anything after she asked his name. He knew she was talking, but couldn't really hear her as he tried to calm down. After a solid minute he let out a sigh and cleared his throat. "Sorry about jumping like that. I was a bit deep in my thoughts when you got my attention," He apologized. "But yes, I am Spike." "I could tell you were thinking, judging by how long you've been looking into the mirror," She said with a smile. "Well, anyways, as I'm sure you were told I am to escort you to the campus. There you'll meet the dean and then you'll be given a short tour." Spike nodded and followed the mare, lifting his trunk onto his shoulder before they left. As they were making their way out of the train station Spike's eyes couldn't help but wander over the mare walking in front of him. He couldn't but help her clothes first. She wore a tan circle skirt that came down to her knees. He couldn't tell what the her front looked like as by the time he properly regained his senses she had already turned around, but he could tell that she was wearing a jacket of sorts which was burgundy. Then his mind shifted to her body. Her coat and feathers were a light cornflower blue and her mane was moderate orange. She walked with a small sway in her hips, which showcased her rump. Sure there was a skirt in the way but he wanted to reach over and squeeze her juicy plot. Her sudden stop almost made him run right into her. Now snapped out of his pervy thoughts he looked up at her face. "You first," She said pointing to her side as she turned around. It took him a hot second to realize that she was telling him to get into the carriage next to them. The carriage that was right outside the station. "Oh, uh, thank you," He said before entering the carriage, placing his trunk on top of the carriage first. The second he sat down in the four person carriage the mare joined him and sat directly across from him. From this angle he could tell that she was wearing a tan blouse underneath her jacket. As he was staring he couldn't help but stare at her decently sized breasts. "Is it ok if I call you Mr. Spike, or do you have a last name? Normally they give me the new teacher's full name but the dean only called you Spike," She asked curiously with a small grin. Fearing that he was caught staring he cleared his throat and looked away. "My name is Spike Wyrven. Mr. Wyrven is fine or if you want to call me Spike that's fine too." "Well then, Spike, I guess I won't tell the dean that you were staring at my backside and my breasts," She teased with a grin. Spike could only sigh in defeat as he was already caught. "So, Is there anything I should know about the school?" Spike asked, wanting to change the subject as the carriage started moving by itself. She had to think for a second before responding. "Well, the campus is divided into four zones. You've got the administration zone, which is mainly one building that has offices for anything you need permission for. Larger budget for a club, replacement uniform, changing a schedule, the list goes on. Then there's the academic zone; It has several buildings. The main building contains all of the homeroom classes where all students will be taught core subjects, but they will go to the other buildings for science, home ec you get the picture. There's the athletic zone, and that one is the largest zone. There is a track, basketball court, football or soccer or whatever you call it, a pool and so on. Then lastly there is the residential zone. The residential zone holds two large buildings. The teachers and students live in the same building, supposedly to help the teachers watch over their students. In the center of campus are two buildings. One is the infirmary and the other is the cafeteria," She explained. "Ok, is there anyplace to buy stuff like clothes or food?" "Yes. There is a town practically next door to the campus." Spike nodded before they began to talk about random stuff to kill time. The ride took about five minutes and it stopped right in front of the front gate. He was surprised to see the twenty foot tall brick wall. He followed his escort from the carriage, taking his trunk with him, and through the front gate. From there one could see the entire campus. He could easily Identify each zone from what she had told him. The front gate wasn't higher than any other part of the campus, but each zone was distinctive. He could see that the administration building was the closest to the gate, with the residential buildings to the left and the academic building to the right while the athletic part of the campus was at the far end. When he turned to look back at the gate he was surprised to see that the brick walls that surrounded the campus was covered with odd writings and markings, like an enchantment. "Spike, this is where we part ways. The students have yet to wake up and I need to return to my room and get ready for the day ahead. The dean's office is in the administration building. Catch you later," She said before waving her hand as she jogged away. That's when it hit spike, he hadn't asked for her name. With a shrug Spike headed off to the Administration office. He let out a yawn as he approached the administration building, as the sun was getting higher and higher and he hadn't had any sleep. As he made his way into the building he found it mostly empty except for a few ponies here or there filling out paperwork. As he followed the signs to the dean's office he saw a few ponies look at him, but quickly returned to their work. When he was standing outside the dean's office he gave it a few solid knocks, hoping that the dean would be awake right now. "Enter," Came a tired and annoyed female voice from the other side, but it was a voice that gave him deja vu. Spike grinned widely as he definitely recognized the pony sitting behind the desk going through a stack of papers. "Cadance!" Spike said as he closed the door behind himself. He couldn't hold back a chuckle as he saw Cadance's head snap up. "Spike!" She half-shouted as her mood brightened. "It has been too long. I thought you didn't arrive for another hour or two!" -before he had time to reply she held up a hand to stop him.- "Well, it doesn't matter now. Tell me, how's Aunt Celestia doing?" She asked as she got up from behind her desk to properly greet Spike. Now that she wasn't behind the desk Spike could see just how much she had changed in the years since he'd seen her last. Unlike the mare from earlier Cadance was wearing a pink and red dress that hugged her curves, and the pale cerise alicorn had grown to an impressive 7 feet, which was 2 feet taller than him. Her multi-colored mane was now waist length. He could almost always tell her apart from the crowd as she was the only pony he knew to have mane comprised of violet, light rose and pale gold streaks. He thought she was beautiful before but with her now E-cup breasts she was irresistible. Hell, his dragonic hormones we're screaming at him to hurry over to her and fondle her, but he wouldn't for three simple reasons. One: That was very clearly sexual assault. Two: She was married and her husband would kick his ass, if his mother didn't beat Cadance's husband to the punch. And three: He just didn't see her in that kind of light. "Mom's been doing great, or as great one can be when having to hear the royals bitch and moan about every little thing," He said eliciting a laugh from Cadance. " Ahh yes, I do remember her sour face at the end of the day court once all the royals left," "I know. Speaking of mom, I'm guessing she had something to do with me getting a job here huh?" "Actually not. Since the degree was signed as Spike Wyvern, Wyvern being a quite common name for a dragon, No one thought anything of it. Until I got a letter from aunt Celestia, I had no Idea it would be you to turn up. I can also surmise that since you didn't sign the degree with your REAL name you don't want anyone to know just who your mother is, correct?" She asked with a sly grin. Spike nodded while scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, it still makes me uncomfortable when people know i'm the adopted son of the solar princess, and thus treat me differently." "I understand, but there may be someone here who already knows your relationship with the princess." Spike froze at what she just said. There has always been two main reactions to the fact that he was Celestia's adopted son; Intrigue and disgust. If one was intrigued then they would hound him with questions, but if they were disgusted then they would try to kill him as dragons still weren't very well liked in Equestria and seeing one so close to the princess oh no! "R-really? Who?" He asked, now visibly tense. "You know the captain of the guard, my husband, Shining Armor? Well It's his little sister," She said with a smile. It took Spike a minute to think. He had met Shining Armor before as Spike was Celestia's son, and he remembered being introduced to Shining's little sister but he couldn't remember her. He could remember the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair, but he couldn't for the life of him remember her looks or name. All he could remember was the color purple. Wait, purple? That's when Spikes mind clicked and his eyes widened. "Wait, you mean Twilight Sparkle is here?" He asked a bit excited and started to bounce slightly. "Man, I haven't spoken to her in years. Not since she became so involved with her studies and devoted her entire time with being the best student Celestia could hope for. How's she doing?" He asked with the excitement equal to a dog who found it's favorite bone. Cadance could only laugh at his antics. He may be almost an adult but he still acted like a kid. "Yes, she's here and she's the top of her class. Not that that should be too surprising. What's even better is that she's in your class." Spike's excitement faded away quickly when he heard Cadance. "Um Cadance, about my job, I know I'm a teacher and all but what am I teaching? The job offer left that bit empty. I did find it odd, but I didn't question it." "Well, One of our homeroom teachers have become too sick to continue working. She will be leaving the day after tomorrow. I wanted you here a couple days before she left so you could get some on the job training. Pretty much what your job entails is to help the students with unfinished assignments and the like. Mrs. Silvermane will teach you the more in depth parts. Class doesn't start for a few more hours, I can tell by the look on your face that you haven't had much sleep. Mrs. Silvermane should be awake, and may have already sent a student here to meet you and escort you to your room," She said before she began to walk over to spike. "Thanks. Um Cadance?" "Hm?" She hummed as she embraced spike, pulling his snout into her cleavage, which he didn't fight. "Sorry for missing your wedding," He said having to look up to her, prying his snout from between her breasts. The memory of why he missed the wedding bringing his spirits down. "It's no problem Spike. We both understood, and are saddened by what happened to you. I've never seen Aunt Celestia so upset before. Twilight still doesn't know why she left the celebration so early, and blamed her dancing of all things to have caused her to leave." Spike's eyes widened and let out a hollow chuckle."Oh no, please tell me you're joking. Please don't tell me Twilight actually tried to dance that night." Cadance could only laugh and nod to his question. "By the name of the princesses, what was she thinking?" He asked, his mood lightened quite a bit. That was thing he loved about cadance, she knew exactly how to cheer him up. "I honestly don't know," She said before releasing him from the hug. "So, how have you been holding up?" She asked nervously. "I'm doing fine. The hallucinations aren't a deal anymore, well, a big deal anyways," He said with a smile before someone knocked on the door, preventing Cadance from replying to him. "Enter," She said trying to seem like she did before he walked into the room. Spike couldn't help but grin as he saw Twilight enter the room. "Hello Cadance. You wanted me to meet the new teacher today?" She asked before she had even fully entered the room. Spike couldn't help but admire how Twilight had developed since he last saw her. Her coat had retained it's mulberry color, and her mane now reached to the small of her back but she still had those bangs. He more than once found himself fiddling with the light purple and light raspberry streaks in her dark purple mane. Spike wasn’t at all surprised by her choice of clothing as she was wearing a blue sweater vest, a light purple button up T-shirt underneath that and she wore a pink and brown plaid A-line skirt. A pink and brown plaid A-line skirt and a light purple button up t-shirt and dark blue sweater vest combo, which did a decent job completing her librarian look. He was so caught up in giving her a look over that he didn't notice that Twilight had said something to make Cadance laugh, which snapped him out of his daze. "Twilight, this isn't another student, he's your new homeroom teacher," Cadance replied with a laugh. "Really?" Twilight asked before looking spike over. "Why do I get the feeling that we've met before?" This made Cadance laugh even harder. Spike let out a sigh and looked down. He hadn't changed THAT much... has he? Sure he was bigger but he still had the same fins, spikes and colored scales as before. "Really Twi? I mean it has been years since we spoke last, but how many dragons do you know that are allowed into the Canterlot castle? And furthermore they are allowed to be near Princess Celestia so much?" He asked somewhat crestfallen that his first friend seemingly forgot him. Although he couldn't complain as he almost forgot about her. Her eyes went as wide as dinner plates as the memory of who he was seemed to have hit her like a ton of bricks. "Spike!?" She asked with a hint of wonder in her voice. "You're the new teacher?" It didn't take long before she held up her hands in a stop motion. "Wait, hang on. How are a teacher? I'm older than you, by three years!" "What can I say Twilight, I guess you rubbed off on me a bit during the little time we knew each other," Spike replied with a chuckle. Twilight let out a sigh as she slowly came to terms with Spike, her junior of 3 years and friend from long ago, was going to be her new homeroom teacher. Needless to say that she didn't like it but she knew that Cadance wouldn't hire somepony who wasn't legally qualified for the job, family or not. "Spike, are you going to be teaching a subject or tutor?" She asked with a sigh. "Tutor maybe, but I'm not going to be teaching an actual subject, at least for a year or two. I may be good, but I'm not that good." Twilight could easily accept his answer, and nodded. "Ok. Well, when you're ready I'll take you to see Mrs. Silvermane," she said before taking a step back. "Spike, listen, before you go take today to rest up and go over the materials waiting in your room. Tomorrow you will attend the class as her assistant, so you can get see how the class is run. Wouldn't want to throw you into the shark tank without the knowledge to take the vest of meat off, now would we," Cadance said before giving him a gentle push towards the door. Their walk across the campus was filled with some awkwardness. Spike was the first to break the silence as he wanted to rekindle their friendship, at least he thought themselves as friends all those years ago. "So, Twilight, how have you been these last... What? Fifteen years?" Twilight slowly turned to Spike. "Well, I graduated from the top of my class and then Princess Celestia suggested I enroll here. I was already going to enroll here, but hearing Princess Celestia suggest it made me a bit giddy." "That's good and all Twilight, but I'm asking if you ever took my advice and opened up a bit more and got some friends?" "Since we last spoke? No, well, not since I came here. If it wasn't for one party pony then I wouldn't even have friends here, I mean what kind of pony is that forceful to have you mingle?" Twilight asked rhetorically. Spike had to stifle a laugh as he could already see her going into 'rant mode'. The rest of their walk was filled with Twilight talking about her various friends she had acquired here from the one called Pinkie Pie. Even if Twilight only had five friends right now he was happy as it was a start. She then turned her attention to menial things like certain incidents that happened when she was enrolled in high school. It would seem that after so long of no contact they could still easily be friends. "Sorry, to have talked your ear off, but it does a bit of good to unwind like that," Twilight apologized as they reached the entrance to one of the residential buildings. Up close the building looked a simple, but tall, apartment building. It was rectangular in shape, made of brick and it looked like each room had a small balcony. It was certainly one hell of an upgrade from a standard college dorm, at least from the outside. The inside was quite nice as well. The first floor consisted of a common room for the students. Twilight then explained that each floor belonged to a class along with the teachers. Despite it being so early Spike had expect to have at least seen one student from the time he stepped foot on campus to entering the dorms, but he hasn't seen a soul. "Each floor belongs to a class. Our class has floor seven," She said as she approached the two elevators. "The teacher's have their own room on the same floor as their class." Spike could only nod and follow Twilight as he let out a yawn. Twilight remained silent on the elevator, and only spoke up once they reached their floor. "So, how have you been since we last spoke?" She asked as she led him through the hallway. "Oh you know. Aced the advanced placement tests and then went on to get my teaching degree. I mainly got the degree because mom practically ordered me to. Then I tried to get some part time work in Canterlot, but none of those lasted for more than a month for one reason or another," He replied. If he had been paying attention to the doors he would see the doors had either a name or a cutie mark on it, and some had two names. "Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anyone know I'm Celestia's adopted son. There's a reason I signed my teaching degree as Spike Wyvern," He added in a hurried whisper. "I understand," She told him. She knew that being related to the royal family in a predominately female school was not a good mix, especially if said teacher was male. "In any case, we're here," She said before knocking on the door at the end of the hallway. "Hang on, hang on," came a feminine elderly voice from the other side. If the nameplate was anything to go by it was Mrs. Silvermane that was talking. Twilight and spike waited for several minutes before they heard the door unlock and open. Spike was a bit shocked to see the unicorn mare in front of him. He was shocked because how old she looked and was still teaching. She must have been in her early 80s, and the average retirement for teachers in Equestria is about 60. Almost like she was reading his thoughts she cleared her throat to grab his attention. "Now don't go and start day dreaming. I know I'm hot stuff for my age, but no need to drool," She joked with a laugh as she motioned for him to enter. "Well Mr. Wyvern, this is where we must part ways. I have class to get ready for," Twilight said before heading back down the hall, presumably to her own room. Mrs. Silvermane brought him over to the couch for him to sit down. "Today and tomorrow you'll staying in the same room as I. As for where you will sleep, if you can find a spot to get comfortable in you can take it. We can even share the bed if you like," She suggested with a playful wink. Spike's complex expression of horror and embarrassment must have been apparent on his face as the elderly teacher just laughed. "I was just joking. Kids nowadays are so fun to tease. Hey, take a look at me and take a swing at my age," She asked as she turned around for him like she was showing off an outfit on a catwalk. Spike looked her over as he was told and was a bit impressed. Despite her age her coat was a vibrant blue while her mane looked almost like liquid silver. She was dressed in a simple dress with a pair of crescent moon glasses on her face and she had a modest C-cup. The only downside to her figure would be the many wrinkles she had. There was no nice way to put it, but spike couldn't find her sexually attractive. Then again why was he thinking like this when he should be guessing her age? Spike shook his head to clear it of thoughts before answering. "Eighty-seven?" He asked, unsure by his own answer. She chuckled and shook her head. "You're about seventy years short," She stated oddly proudly. Hearing that she was around 150 made Spike's eyes go wide. "Seriously? How?" He asked. He knew that the average lifespan of a pony was about 90, but she lived 60 years past it. "I'm a unicorn kid. I've found a few spells to slow my aging. Unfortunately it has led me to live longer than my husband, but that's how life is sometimes." "I'm sorry about your husband." "It's ok kid. These things happen. I've had fifty years to mourn his passing, and if my estimates are correct then I've got about a year or two left. That's if I don't die from a heart attack or something," She said before laughing. "If you have that little time left then why didn't you leave to enjoy retirement earlier?" Asked spike a little worried about her wanting to stay so close to her final days. "Kid, I love teaching others. Sure some of them can be a royal pain in the plot, but to me it's well worth it. That and if I did retire I'd have absolutely nothing to do but sit on my rear and twiddle my thumbs," She said with a smile. "It is good to know that the girls will be in good hands, or claws as the case may be. If someone's resume caught Cadance's eye at such a young age then they must have a gift." "I see," Spike said, not really sure how to move the conversation forward, especially since he felt her logic in the latter half of her statement was flawed. "Well, Anyways, I'm sure you're gonna want to get the paperwork out of the way today then meet the students tomorrow, huh?" She asked before pointing to a desk that had a good foot tall stack of paperwork on it. He knew he had to read some stuff, but this was insane. He was becoming a teacher, not reading over a bill to become a law. His attention was turned back to Mrs. Silvermane as she laughed, seeing his crestfallen expression. "Don't worry kid. This may be a lot of paperwork, but it is by far the most you'll do in one go during your time here... Unless you say, informally punish a student." "Well, that's one good thing at least," Spike said with sigh before yawning for the second time that morning. "Ok, well, I'm going to let you get some shut eye. When you wake you can start on the paperwork. Don't worry about food, as I'll bring you something from the cafeteria during mealtimes. Try to stay in this room if you can. If you leave you might be assualted by some of the students then you'll never get you paperwork done, and you're gonna want to finish that paperwork by tonight," She said before heading back into her bedroom to get ready for the day. As she went back to do whatever spike sighed and lay on the couch, tired from the uncomfortable train ride that lasted several hours and he was tired before he got on. He made sure his trunk was still locked and on the floor next to him before he got into a somewhat comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. At last, some darn sleep... Author's Note Well, this is my first attempt at a MLP fanfic. I hope you all like it. If i'm missing any type of term that should be used instead (Ex. Plot instead of butt and hooves instead of hands.), don't be afraid to call me out. PS. If you all have any suggestions on how this RP should go don't be afraid to voice it. PPS. Sorry about if it doesn't exactly flow. Due to my schedule the first half was written while I was tired. *Edit* I changed the descriptions of Cadance and Twilight.
Chapter 2: First nightAuthor's Note Chapter didn't come out like I had hoped. It feels a little dry and I don't know how to fix that. The next chapter is already being made and feels a bit better. I hope the last section is alright. I had an idea but had issues putting it to paper. Chapter 2: First night A sudden jolt woke Spike from his slumber. Judging from his view being blocked by the copious amounts of carpet, and the taste of said carpet on his tongue, he pieced together that he just rolled off the couch. He didn't want to move, but he had no choice as he had things he needed to do, like paperwork. Why did it have to be paperwork? Spike knew that he would have to deal with paperwork as a teacher, but he didn't know he'd have to read a stack nearly as thick as his head. With a groan spike picked himself up off the floor, the odd woody tasting floor. His body was protesting a bit as he slowly stretched to wake himself up slightly. He made his way over to the desk with all the paper on it and began to look over the papers a bit. He wanted some idea of what he was going to be reading before sitting down, for what he assumed would be hours without moving. "Dress code, Teacher's code of conduct, payment... This all seems like pretty mundane stuff. So why the huge stack?" He asked aloud before heading to the 'kitchen', if it could be called that, for a drink of water. The kitchen was no more than a small counter, a few cabinets, a sink and a couple of electric burners. It could get the basics of cooking done, but nothing major. He would have to see if he could get a toaster oven at least as he did enjoy cooking a bit. With the taste of carpet out of his mouth he looked out the window to take a breather. He was surprised to see that he had only slept so much. He expected to have slept until noon, but he could tell that it would be noon in a hour or two. He could see a few students in the athletic area running along a track, flying through hoops made of clouds in the sky and other activities. He could see in a few windows that class was definitely in session, and it made him smile a bit. With a sigh he moved over to the desk and began to go through the papers. Once he started reading he understood why there was so many sheets. This was written in such a way that it indeed seemed more like a bill rather that paperwork for a teacher, but the subject matters was in fact teacher related. Most of the stuff he was reading about he expected would rather be in a little handbook. He soon began to skim through the materials, to save time, but made sure to read a section carefully if something caught his interest. Had made a small dent in his paperwork when he heard the front door open, making him turn to see who it was. It was, of course, Mrs. Silvermane and she had a tray of food in her hand. "Hey there kid. Brought you some lunch," She said, making Spike look back out the window, surprised to see that it was already noon. "I see you already started on the paperwork, that's good. Well, leave the tray on the coffee table and I'll return it once class is over. I hope you don't mind but a student or two may come here to get a look at you. They know you're here, but they know nothing about you. Not your name, gender or species. Their first reactions are always priceless," She said before she left the tray on the coffee table. Spike took a little break and headed to the couch, to eat his lunch, as Mrs. Silvermane headed back out to class. On it was a hay burger a chocolate milkshake and a side of hay fries. While it wasn't something he hated, he wished there were some gems in it. Oh well. He couldn't help but laugh as the first bite of his hay burger proved him wrong as there were some shredded gems in it. He thought that there wouldn't be anything that would accommodate dragons here, but that line of thought must have been the years he spent in Canterlot with uptight, narrow-minded a-holes speaking. He finished his meal in short order, his hunger making itself known after first tasting the shredded gems, before returning to the paperwork. He powered through the paperwork as the minutes seemed to turn to hours. He soon made a sizable dent in his task, which made him quite happy. Over the course of his task he found several interesting details about the school. While it SEEMED to be female only it was actually co-ed. The dress code did entail a uniform what people wear is entirely up to them, with a few restrictions. Said restrictions were you must wear undergarments and you must wear clothes over them. You may wear kinky (he was a bit surprised to see such a word in a legal document) underwear but your clothes must be considered humble, or a t-shirt and shorts at the very least. The midriff had to be covered and no short shorts basically. This applied to teachers too. The only exception to the rules is if the dean allows it. What really confused him was the missing section of documents that spoke about relationships. The only reason he knew that it should be here is that everything else was here and when he was going for his degree to teach he remembered there being a section about dress code and student to student, student to teacher and teacher to teacher relationships. Mainly that section was short and said don't date students if you want to keep your job. He would have to ask Mrs. Silvermane about this when she got back. He was so focused in getting his paperwork done that he didn't hear the going on of the world around him. So by the time he was done and signed the last document he heard muffled music. ~Well, sounds like somepony is having a party.~ As he got up he saw a tray of food on the coffee table just like before, but the food was different. When he looked outside he was shocked to see that the sun was already setting. ~By Celestia's mane! Just how long was I reading all those documents?!~ he thought to himself. A low growl made him blush slightly as his stomach was making itself known. Returning his attention to the food on the coffee table he sat down, only to find it cold. With a shrug he picked up the metal tray and began to blow a fire gently underneath the tray, trying to heat up the food as there was no microwave in the small apartment. After about a minute the tray was more than a bit warm, and the food warmed up a bit. He waited for the tray to cool a bit before putting it back on the coffee table and digging in. The food was slightly warmer than room temperature, but it didn't make him gag at least. He took the time to look around the apartment from his spot. It had four rooms; bedroom, bathroom, 'kitchen' and living room. He hadn't gone in either the bathroom or bedroom yet as he hadn't the need to. The living room had a few bookshelves, the wooden coffee table, simple couch and a chair. It was quite homely if he did say so. Soon enough the door practically burst open with Mrs. Silvermane laughing her way through the doorway. It looked like she was trying to hold down her laughter as if she was in a library and someone was tickling her with a feather. Her laughter quickly died down when she saw Spike. "You're just eating now!? You're food must be cold! Come on. Pinkie Pie just cooked up some pastries. We're going to get you some," She said as she was practically dragging him out of the couch. "Hang on! I have some questions bout the paperwork!" Spike said as she managed to pull him out of the couch, but couldn't make him budge when he was standing. "You can finish your paperwork later. Let's get you some warm food." "I'm already done with the paperwork. It just seems that a few things are missing." Mrs. Silvermane stopped on a dime at his words, before turning to the desk and went wide-eyed. "Well color me impressed. Not many get through the whole stack in that amount of time," She said before turning back to Spike. "Now you said that it seems to be missing something? What?" "Well, it seemed to be missing a section on intraschool relationships," Spike explained. "Really? Huh, that's odd. Well, after class tomorrow go to the administration office and they can get you a copy." Before the elderly unicorn could try to pull him out of the apartment he held up a claw to stop her. "Ok, but I'd rather wait on meeting the students. I've already warmed the food with my fire, and if what twilight told me about Pinkie's parties are true then it would be a bit much for me right now." Mrs. Silvermane let out a sigh as she started to finally realize that he didn't want to go this time. "Alright, alright. I won't force you to go. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired after her party," She said before she went and closed the door. "So, while you eat, care to give an old mare some company?" Spike smiled softly before sitting on the couch and continued eating. The talked about random events that happened around Equestria and random stories. After some time she asked him a serious question. "So tell me, how do you know Twilight?" Her question had caught him off guard as he wasn't expecting to answer such a question so soon. "Well, before I answer that, may I ask what you know about me?" "Well, I didn't know anything about your past until this morning when I read your file, or what I was allowed to see, during lunch. You're name is Spike Wyvern, you came from Canterlot, you're eighteen in less than a week and you have no previous experience in teaching. What really get's me is the amount of restrictions regarding your file. I've seen more than my fair share of files in the past, and no one has so little in their file," She answered, the last little bit had a tone of suspicion in it. "Well, I met Twilight before she REALLY got into her studies. We knew each other for about ohh... six months before she buried her nose in her books, and when she did that she stopped talking to EVERYPONY." -Spike chuckled at the end-"As for all the restrictions, let's just say I bumped into a royal on accident. If I was a pony he'd probably had just gotten irritated and yelled at me for not watching were i was going and walk off, but being a dragon it didn't end so well. He accused that I attacked him and I was imprisoned. After a week of no trial my folks managed to contact someone with ample power and had the charges dropped and me released. Unfortunately he didn't have enough power to cut through all the red tape and remove the incident from my record, so he just buried the rest of my file in a mountain of more red tape so practically only the princesses can see it," Spike lied through his teeth. Mrs. Silvermane sighed after hearing his false story and nodded. "Normally I'd call your tale a lie if you came from anywhere other than Canterlot. With the sheer amounts of bigots and assholes there I don't doubt your story for a second." "Yeah, don't know how the princesses even deal with being there all the time," Spike said, happy that his well rehearsed lie was successful. "I think the thousand or so years they've been alive might have something to do with that," She answered with an upbeat tone. Spike chuckled at that. "I'll believe that," He said with a sigh before he began to relax. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll wake you up when it's time to go to class, and I hope you have a clean suit," She got up and headed for the bedroom. "Ok, and I do," He said before pushing his tray to the far side of the coffee table. He thought about undressing before falling asleep on the couch, but eventually pushing the thought aside. The suit wasn't exactly in good shape, and it wasn't like he was going to go to work in such a suit, so a little more damage wouldn't really matter. He got a glass of water so he could take his meds before laying on the couch. He couldn't fall asleep until the music died down a little. "Sugarcube, ah've got to ask; are ya feelin' ok?" Asked an orange earth mare. Twilight looked up from her cup and instantly recognized her friend Applejack. "Oh, I'm fine Applejack," She lied. She was far from ok, ever since Spikes arrival. "Twilight, ah can tell something's been bugging ya. In class ya didn't even attempt to answer a question from a teacher. Ah'm sure ah ain't the only one who's noticed. Ya don't look sick, so please talk to us," She said as she placed her hand on twilight's shoulder. Twilight let out a sigh and nodded. "Applejack, we all know that after Mrs. Silvermane's 'incident' that she is too unwell to teach. We all know that we would be getting a new teacher very soon. I was prepared for the teacher and everything, or so I thought." -Applejack opened her mouth to say something but Twilight resumed talking.- "I honestly thought that I would never see him again." The party had already quieted down so her last sentence gathered the attention of a few more mares. "Him? Is it a lover?!" Asked a white unicorn mare rather excitedly. Twilight blushed at her friend's reaction. "Wha... No! I mean no, Rarity. He's not a lover. We haven't spoken in about fifteen years. The last time we spoke was right before I took being Celestia's student seriously. I had actually forgotten about him, but soon after I saw him all those memories came back... Why... Why can't I get him out of my head?" She asked as she was now staring at her cup again. "Well, maybe you loved him back then and just didn't realize it," Came a rather shy voice from behind Applejack. Twilight looked over to her yellow pegasus friend and shrugged. "I don't know Fluttershy. Funny thing is is that he recognized me before I recognized him," She said before letting out a sigh. "Oh come now darling, surely there must have been something between you two! After all if he remembered you as quickly as you say then there must have been something!" Rarity said as she had trouble containing her excitement, wanting her friend to get to the juicy bits of what she assumed was puppy love. "What did you two do during the time you two knew each other?" "Well, I would often help him with his homework... But now that I think about it he did seem to catch on rather quick and... It cant be.. can it?" Twilight asked herself aloud now getting lost in thought. "That's our egghead. Helping out someone older with their homework," A blue pegasus said with a grin as she sipped on her drink. "For your information Rainbow he's younger than me," Twilight said softly. "Wait a second. How much younger?" Applejack asked, being close enough to clearly hear what she said. "... He's three years younger. If I remember correctly his eighteenth birthday should be sometime this week," She answered, not really sure how much info she should give them about spike. "Whoa, hang on!" Rainbow Dash said before getting a little closer to twilight. "He's only seventeen and he already has a teaching degree?!" She asked in disbelief. "I know. What do you think has been bothering me? He's three years younger than me and HE is going to be teaching ME! I thought... I thought I was supposed to teach him.." She trailed off, looking back down into her drink. "Darling, wait a second. You said you helped him with his homework, but he seemed to catch on quickly. Is it possible that he didn't need help but wanted to spend time with you?" Rarity asked with a hopeful grin. Twilight's blush returned as that was the thought that crossed her mind earlier, but she didn't want it to be true. "The thought did cross my mind earlier." Rarity let out squeal as she was getting her thirst for romantic gossip quenched tonight. "Did you two talk about anything other than homework?" Twilight's blush deepened as she realized that they in fact rarely talked about his homework. They spent their time talking about other things and only confronted his homework when he had questions. Rarity let out an even louder squeal when Twilight's blush practically handed her the answer. "I can't wait to meet him tomorrow!" She exclaimed as she now twitching from her level of excitement. She now felt like Pinkie Pie did when she got to organize a party. "What's going on everypony?" A pink earth pony asked as she hopped on over. "Pinkie, I'm tired so I'm going to go to bed," Twilight lied as she made a b-line for the door. "See you later then," Pinkie replied with a smile. After Twilight left Rarity began to explain to Pinkie what had just happened. The night eventually died down and everyone turned in to get some sleep as tomorrow was a new day and they had classes, not to mention to meet a new teacher.
Chapter 3: Meeting the class [part 1]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 4: Lunchtime"So, sugarcube, any reason why you didn't tell us why he was a dragon last night?" Applejack asked as they closed in on the cafeteria. "None of you asked. Besides, why does it matter if he's a dragon or a pony?" Twilight asked. "Darling, little things like that matter?" Rarity answered "How so?" "Well, Dragons are known for their aggressive behavior and greed. I don't even want to think about what he'd do to somepony behind closed doors," Rarity replied with a shiver. "Rarity he isn't like that," Twilight said with a sigh. "And how do ya know that he hasn't changed in the years since you saw him last?" Applejack asked. "Well, there is the fact that he was raised by ponies," Twilight said, making her friends stop for a moment. "Wait a minute darling. Are you meaning to tell us that he was raised by ponies and not by his own kind?" Rarity asked in a surprised manner. "If he was really raised by ponies he can't be too bad can he?" Fluttershy asked meekly from behind the three. Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy. "It's not that simple darling. You can't forget that it's a dragon's nature to be greedy." This earned Rarity a nasty glare from Twilight. "Oh, so I suppose that Celestia doesn't know what she's doing then?" Twilight said out of growing anger. It didn't take her a second to realize what she said, and cover her mouth with both her hands. She couldn't understand why she was getting so angry over what Rarity said. Both Rarity and Applejack snapped their heads to look at Twilight. "Excuse me sugarcube, but what was that?" Applejack asked a little confused by Twilight's statement. Thinking quick on her hooves Twilight had to make up a lie. "Celestia found his egg ages ago and entrusted him to a family. She believes that a dragon's behavior is determined on how they are raised. If raised by greedy and aggressive parents then they'll become greedy and aggressive. If raised by kind and understanding parents then they'll become kind and understanding," She lied. After a minute of thought the two relented. "Ok, fair point. So ah take it we should give him a chance?" Applejack said, breaking the silence. "Yes." Twilight was happy that her lie worked. "I don't like the idea but I will give him a chance," Rarity said with a sigh. "You got it sugarcube, besides ah don't believe a greedy or aggressive dragon would become as embarrassed as he did when ah confirmed with him that you did help him with his homework," Applejack said with a grin. "You didn't really talk to him about it. Did you?" Fluttershy asked. "Ah sure did, and ah was given a juicy bit of information," Applejack said, her grin widening into a smile. "Oh? What did he tell you?" Rarity asked becoming a little interested. "Not much, just that he accidentally admitted to nibbling on Twilight's mane," Applejack said, earning an 'Aww' from fluttershy and a giggle from Rarity. Twilight, however was far from pleased. "There's no way he told you about that," Twilight's face was a mix of horror and embarrassment. "Yes he did, and if ah remember right he said he couldn't help it. He said that your mane was so soft and it smelled good. He also said that it didn't help that your mane tasted good to boot," She said, making Twilight blush heavily. "Well, enough teasing. Let's get a move on. Pinkie and Rainbow went on ahead to get good seats. They'll be wasted if we don't hurry," Rarity said, making everypony pick up the pace. Twilight fell behind a tad as her mind was elsewhere. ~Smelled good and tasted good huh?~ Twilight thought to herself as her fingers ran through her mane. Her hair felt soft but nothing special about it. She absentmindedly brought a bit of her mane to her face and sniffed it, but unable to smell anything besides her conditioner, which was already pretty faint. ~What does Spike smell? She asked herself before nibbling slightly on her mane, but was unable to come up with a taste besides a normal hair taste. ~What does Spike taste?~ She asked before realizing what she was thinking about. She shook her head wildly to clear it before realizing just how far behind she had fallen, and ran to catch up. "Hello, is Ms. Cadance around?" Spike asked the receptionist at the front of the administration building. "Hang on one sec," He said before clicking an intercom on. "Pardon my intrusion Ms. Cadance, but Mr. Wyvern is here." "Let him in," Cadance said through the intercom. With a gesture from the receptionist Spike made his way up to Cadance's office. Spike knocked on the door before he heard Cadance. "Enter." When Spike entered the room he saw Cadance going through a small stack of papers, but when she saw him she stood up to greet him. She seemed unusually happy for some reason or another. That point was proven further when she pulled him in a hug with little warning. When hugging someone you haven't seen in years is understandable, but this was odd even for Cadance. "Uhh, Cadance? Are you ok?" He asked slightly confused. "Yep, everything is just fine," She replied with a large grin on her face, before letting go of Spike. "Ok, it's just that the only other time you hugged me twice within a few days was when Shining popped the question. I can assume it's nothing bad since you're grinning like an idiot-" "Hey!" "-so I'm left with it's something very good. So, do you mind filling me in?" Spike asked curiously with a grin. "I won't tell you all the details as I wish to respect their privacy, but I felt a spark today!" Cadance explained excitedly, making Spike smile. "Really that's great!" He said knowing better than to ask he about it, as she can be a bit stubborn when it came to the sparks of love she felt. "I know! Now tell me, why did you come to see me?" "Well, when I was going over the paperwork yesterday the section regarding relationships was missing." "That's not surprising," She said her smile fading a little. "About a week ago some wet blanket up in Canterlot decided that he wanted to be dean and make this an all girls school. Well, apparently he greased some hands and already trying to change the rules regarding the relationships in school. Since the document was changed I am not legally allowed to give you a copy of the old rules until it's changed back. We are right now in the process of changing it back, while he is being brought up on charges of bribery. When it comes to intraschool relationships it's allowed, just so long as it doesn't interfere with your studies or grades in any way, pregnancies and relationships between teachers and students are forbidden. Personally I see nothing wrong with a teacher and student dating, so long as they do actually love each other. The primary reason why we have that rule is so that if any official comes in he doesn't see a student and teacher making out in broad daylight and getting the wrong idea about the school. Now, punishments are rather minor unless there is a pregnancy or a teacher and student are caught by some official from outside of the school. The document is a bit more in depth then that, but that's the rough summary. I may be forgetting a detail here or there as I haven't had to read it in ages. A copy will be brought to you when the rules are finally changed back. Now, was there anything else?" Cadance asked as she returned to her seat. Spike faltered a bit as his other question made him hesitate as he was genuinely afraid of the answer. "Was I hired as a temporary teacher until you find one better?" Cadance's eyes widened a little before she sighed. Her happy expression was gone now. "Originally that was the idea, but now we're having some issues regarding red tape. We want to change you to a full time teacher, but a couple laws are in our way right now. One of them being that you're still a minor, albeit barely but still a minor. The other one is that you must have a least a few years of teaching experience before working at a college, university or academy." Spike became crestfallen at the news, and flopped into a chair. This wouldn't have have been the first time he lost a job, but none of them made him feel like this. He just wanted to be dissolved by the chair he was in, even if it was excruciatingly painful. Part of him knew that Cadance and Celestia wouldn't disobey the law unless the whole of Equestria was in danger. Yet part of him knew that laws were complicated and there had to be a loophole somewhere. Whether or not he could fulfill the requirements was another issue in and of itself. "T-there has to be... There has to be a loophole or something!" He practically begged. He didn't know why losing this job was such an issue to him, but something was telling him to keep it no matter the cost. Cadance could see the desperation in his eyes and could only sigh. "We have found such a loophole, but here's the problem: Only members of the royal family could bypass the years of experience needed." Spike froze as he fully understood her words. He would have to be employed, not as Spike Wyvern, but as Spike Solaris. Now he knew why Cadance didn't just tell him about it first, but waited until he asked; He would have to do the one thing he's been avoiding for years. He would have to abandon the cover that he had been hiding under for so long and show himself as Celestia's adopted son. "Do I have to make the decision now?" He asked plainly as he looked down at the floor. While he sounded ok, one look to his face would tell you otherwise. He was experiencing a complex mix of sadness, anxiety and disbelief. He didn't even notice that Cadance had left her seat. "Yes. Celestia said that she would be able to buy you at least another month if her plan works," Cadance explained before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Spike, please calm down. In the time you have here, become friends with your teachers and your students. So that when news of who you are does get out they'll know you and not prince Spike, ok?" Cadance was able to calm Spike down quite a bit. He was still anxious but he was able to look back up. "You're right. Just one question remains; how do I make friends with them?" "What do you mean?" "Well it's not like I, their teacher, can go to them in their down time and ask if I can join them in their games of grab ass and tiddlywinks," Spike explained, getting a small chuckle from Cadance. "Why not?" She asked, almost innocently. Spike sputtered a bit at her remark. "Why not? Do you realize how creepy it is if I do ask them? 'Hey kids, mind if I join in'?" He asked in raspy voice to try and emphasize the creep factor. Cadance gave a sigh at his response. "Then when class is out, don't be a teacher. Spike, you're younger than them. So if you just be yourself then it shouldn't be a problem," Cadance suggested with a small smile. It was Spike's turn to sigh. "I don't feel good about it... but fine," He said relenting to his cousin. "Good! Now, go to the cafeteria because I highly doubt that you've had lunch yet," She said suddenly in a better mood. "Ok," He said before getting up and heading out the door. He knew that Cadance was his cousin but he couldn't help but feel like a child when she tried to help him with a problem. When the door shut behind Spike Cadance sighed with a grin. "Grab ass and tiddlywinks... You are definitely Celestia's son," She said before going back to her desk and got back to her paperwork. "Ohhhh" Pinkie said with a small blush forming on her face. "I didn't know that that's what everyone thought I meant at first." "Yeah, but it was kind of funny though," Rainbow Dash said as they were finishing up their meals. "Yeah, real humorous," Twilight mumbled with a light blush on her face from the embarrassment of having to remember that, despite the fact that it didn't happen too long ago. "Oh hush darling. No one is poking fun at you," Rarity said with a smile. "Yeah, it's not like you've actually seen each other naked right?" Rainbow Dash Joked. Everyone at least chuckled at what Rainbow Dash said, except for Twilight who sighed as she covered her eyes with her hand. Everyone took noticed and no one said a word, making the whole table awkwardly quiet. Eventually Twilight let out a groan to break the silence. "We were kids, ok? It was an innocent game of I'll show you mine," She said before looking away. "Nothin' wrong with that. Me and my cousin Braeburn played that game once before. Although when his parents found out they were hoppin' mad," Applejack shared as she found nothing wrong with child innocence like that. "Thanks Applejack," Twilight said with a sigh. "No problem sugarcube," Applejack said before spotting a familiar dragon getting in line for the cafeteria. "I wander what our teacher will get since there's no gems on the menu," Fluttershy said, obviously seeing the teacher as well and making those who hadn't seen him turn to the cafeteria line. "Wonder what took him. Lunch is about half over," Twilight stated before returning to her own lunch, or what was left of it. "Well it looks like Mrs. Silvemane just grabbed him," Rarity said causing Twilight to look again. Sure enough there was Mrs. Silvermane pulling Spike along to a table with a few other teachers by his upper arm. "Oh quiet down. There's some teachers I want you to meet," Mrs. Silvermane said as she neared her destination. Spike just sighed as he was practically dragged along to the table where a few teachers were sitting. When they reached the table he was greeted with the sight of Tenderhoof, Hrashwhinny and two mares he had never seen before. One was a light green earth mare with a pale red pink mane, which was done up in what looked like dreadlocks. The other was an exotic looking unicorn mare with a bright orange coat and a mane that had two different shades of dark purple. "Well sit down already," Mrs. Silvermane ordered as she sat down herself. Spike sat down with his tray in front of him. He didn't even get to take a bite before Mr. Harshwhinney spoke up. "Mr. Wyrven, Mrs. Silvermane had made it pointedly clear that I may have offended you during class, and I want to apologize," Ms, Harshwhinny said, but Spike could see that she was forcing it a little bit. "Don't worry about it. It got me thinking about a few personal things and I had to go have a talk with Cadance," Spike said before seeing Ms. Harshwhinny's expression relax a little. "Well, I wanted you to sit with us because I wanted you to meet two other teachers today." "Radical to meet you. I'm Tree Hugger," The earth mare said with a smile. Spike had to slowly turn to her as he was not expecting her to sound so relaxed. "I am here to guide the young ones in how to express their inner creativity." Before Spike could even conjure up a response to Tree Hugger The unicorn reached across the table with her arm outstretched. "Hello Mr. Wyvern, I am Saffron Masala. I teach cooking here." "G-good to meet you Mrs. Masala," Spike said as he shook her hand. "It's Ms. Masala actually," She corrected. "Sorry about that," Spike said before turning to Tree Hugger. "And It's... Radical to meet you too Tree Hugger," Spike forced out, not too sure on how to approach her. "Whoa man, you need to like, mellow out. Don't try to be something your not as your aura will get all messed up and it won't show it's beauty," She said, making Spike nod slowly. "Ok . Is it Ms. or Mrs?" Spike asked, wanting to get it right the first time. "Just call me Tree Hugger. Being tied down with such formalities can limit your mind, man." Spike began to slowly understand what she was saying the more he talked to her. "Ok then, Tree Hugger," Spike said as he began to dig into his lunch. "If you ever need help reaching your inner peace and harmonizing with your students-" "Ms. Hugger must I remind you that Dean Cadance reprimanded you last year for when you 'harmonized' with your students?" Ms. Harshwhinny interrupted, earning a relaxed look from Tree Hugger. "I haven't forgotten. We are all creatures of this planet. We are born from nature, not the government, So why shouldn't we listen to our animal sides?" Tree Hugger responded with a small smile and no regret in her voice. Ms. Harshwhinny sighed and rubbed the bridge between her eyes. "Ugh. While I do understand letting go to unwind and relax, I cannot condone what you did. Giving the students, whatever you gave them, stripping down and grazing on the football field is inexcusable." "I know, but we all felt so at peace after that." "I'm pretty sure the two who had to be rushed to the hospital weren't at peace as they nearly died," Ms. Harshwhinny retorted. Tree Hugger cringed at what what Ms. Harshwhinny said. "That's why I keep the medicine for myself now," She said looking slightly uncomfortable. "That and if you do that again the dean made it very clear that she would fire you." "That too." Just as their conversation finished up Spike let out a loud belch as fire escaped his maw, shocking the table and a few students standing nearby. Confusion was mixed into the fray as a scroll now landed on the table. Several of the teachers, including Mrs. Silvermane, were about to ask about the scroll but were interrupted by Spike. "My fire can send messages between me and my mom. I wasn't expecting her to check up on me so soon," Spike said honestly as he grabbed the scroll. "I understand that writing on paper can feel better, but why doesn't she just send you a text? You have a cellphone, don't you?" Trenderhoof asked. "I do have a cell, but she prefers to do things this way," Spike answered plainly as he resumed eating. It didn't take long before the bell began to ring, making Spike wolf down his food as he hurried to finish his lunch. Thankfully he only had one class after this before the students went to their classes that required specialized tools and classrooms. What Spike didn't tell the teachers was that he was in the middle of chewing when the letter came, so the joke was on Celestia today. "Sister?!" A dark blue alicorn asked in amused shock. She found it quite amusing to see her sister send a letter to her son to, only seconds later, get covered in a half chewed Sapphire and hay burger. "Luna.." Celestia started, after recovering from her shock. "Don't speak about this with anyone," She said calmly before getting up to head to her room so she could clean herself, however the second Celestia left the room Luna instantly began to laugh, which grew louder when she heard one of the guards cover up a chortle. Author's Note I apologize for the delay. I personally don't know any hippies, so writing Tree Hugger was a challenge and a half. If any of you have advice for how she should speak let me know.
Chapter 5: Meeting the Class [Part 2]Spike let out a sigh as he looked at the clock. Mrs. Silvermane had told him that it was normal for this next teacher to be a little late. When Spike asked why the teacher was late Mrs. Silvermane acted like she had forgotten something before telling him that it was normal for this teacher to be a little late, and not to get angry. Although Spike was fairly forgiving for someone being a few minutes late it wasn't something to be anxious about, and Mrs. Silvermane seemed like a mare who followed the same line of thought. So why was she anxious and why the advice? Spike got his answer when the next teacher came in. The first thing Spike realized was that the unicorn stallion had a light pale blue coat with a beige mane. The next thing spike noticed was that he wasn't dressed like some Canterlot noble, who more often than not bought clothes with big price tags to show off, but the way he carried himself screamed high-self esteem. In the physical appearance department, it looked like he just got back from the spa or something as he had a light shine on his coat. Spike has seen that shine more than once on his mother and the shine didn't last more than a day. Sure the stallion looked like he may possibly be a little Narcissistic, but everyone is to some degree. That brought up the question again as to why Mrs. Silvermane was so anxious. Spike would soon get his answer as the stallion clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes when he finally noticed Spike. "Mrs. Silvermane, I understand that with your recent heart attack you want to feel more at home, but must you bring your pet lizard here?" Spike froze when he heard the new teacher call him a pet lizard. It was just now that Spike had realized that there was tension in the air, and one could almost cut it with a knife. "Mr. Road, He is not my pet and he is a dragon, not a lizard," Mrs. Silvermane corrected him, with occasional glances to Spike to see how he was fairing. "Lizard, Dragon same thing. What's it doing here anyways?" With that spike pushed his chair back and approached the rude stallion. "Mr. Road is it? My name is Spike Wyvern, And starting tomorrow I'll be taking over as the new homeroom teacher for this class," Spike answered as calmly as he could, with a strained smile on his face. Mr. Road looked like he was smacked in the face by a fish. "Mrs. Silvermane please tell me that this is some form of joke," He asked with an expression of disgust. Mrs. Silvermane let out a sigh at the other teacher's question. "Mr. Road, Dean Cadance had chosen him to be my replacement. If you have any complaints then take it up with her, but don't expect any support here. Personally I'm very satisfied with him being my replacement, and what about you?" She asked as she turned to the students, who've been quiet the entire time. They all gave Mrs. Silvermane a resounding yes, in both meanings. The class's answer even surprised Mrs. Silvermane, who couldn't help but grin at that. "Well there you go," She said as she turned to Mr. Road smugly. All the anger Spike was feeling build up had vanished as he watched Mrs. Silvermane knock the stallion down a peg or two. The stallion was also feeling the sting as he could only clear his throat and adjust his tie before grumbling something. "Whatever. I'm going to start the lecture now. Page three hundred sixty-four!" He called out as he made his way to the blackboard. Mrs. Silvermane grabbed spike's arm and brought him back over to the desk. "I'm surprised you handled that so well." "Another five minutes of that and I wouldn't have," Spike explained as he sat back down in the chair. "Really?" Mrs. Silvermane asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. He reminds me of all those a-holes back in Canterlot, he just seems more down to earth than them," Spike said as Mr. Road continued on with his lesson. "That's probably because he is from Canterlot." This elicitated a sigh from Spike. "I know, but he is one of the few ponies here qualified to teach social science." "Well, I can imagine that there aren't many ponies lining up to learn to teach a subject drier than the Sahara desert." Mrs. Silvermane chuckled slightly at what spike said. "Sounds about right. The reason why Cadance even puts up with him is because he is one of the few willing to teach social science, and that his family is really caught up in the education system and can really fuck the school over if they get mad." "If that's the case then wouldn't they try something since you shot him down pretty hard?" Spike asked a little concerned. "If today wasn't my last day then they'd try to get me fired. They may be childish, but they are somewhat intelligent," Mrs. Silvermane clarified as she sat on the desk and watched the lesson. "I see. So if I tried to talk to him like that they'd try to fire me then?" Spike asked as he turned to watch the lesson. "Without a doubt. This prick believes ponies are above all other species. He is tolerant of gryphons but absolutely hates dragons, obviously. Because of his less than charming demeanor Dean Cadance refuses to give him a homeroom class of his own." "I see." At that both of them just watched the class and the students. While Mr. Road did seem a bit full of himself at times he was good at what he did, as far as Spike could tell. Mr. Road did insult the students when they got a question wrong, but they were only names like idiot and so on. That did aggitate Spike as it not only was very unprofessional, but he was just being a jackass. He would've probably done something if the entire class didn't seem to ignore the insults as they were. Even Mrs. Silvermane was unfazed by his insults. Once the bell was about to ring Spike saw Mr. Road gather his things before quickly heading out of the room, but not before giving everyone an assignment which made everyone groan. Spike could see that even Twilight didn't like him as even she groaned at the assignment and if she was anything like her past self she took any assignment as a challenge, and she liked challenges. "Ok, Now that that unpleasantness is over with, what's next?" Spike asked as he gathered his things from the desk. "Well, now would be your free time. You want to go into town? You can. You want to watch over another class as a teacher's aide? You can. Want to go home and beat yo-" "Don't finish that sentence," Spike spat a little fed up with her rather perverted lines. Mrs. Silvermane only grinned and chuckled. "But you get my point. Do what you want within reason." Spike let out a sigh as he stood up, the last of the students leaving the room. "Ok. Any suggestions on what there is to do around here, or what I should do tonight?" Spike asked. "Well, I know you have some papers to look over so I recommend you head to the athletic part of campus, find some bleachers and read over them. That way you can get some work done and watch some eye candy," She suggested with a giggle. Spike could only give her a dirty look at her remark. "Not funny. Besides, I'd rather not act like a pervert around the students." "All joking aside they won't mind as you won't be the other one. Several other teachers have made it a bit of a thing to watch the various sports as they do some paperwork," She explained with a happy sigh. Spike was silent for a minute before nodding. "Very well. In that case I will do just that. Don't want to spend my entire time up in my room." "That's the spirit. Now If you don't mind I'm going to go talk to someone about a dress," She said before heading out of the door herself, but not before locking the door so when he shut it the room would be locked. Spike stretched as he was left alone in the room. He picked up his things and went for the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. A strong shiver of fear ran up his spine. He turned around in a snap and saw it. The same figure that he saw earlier that day was standing behind the chair he was just sitting in. It just stood there staring at him. This wasn't the first time Spike had seen hallucinations like this, but something about this thing felt so unequivocally wrong. Spike felt like he was being watched, studied, by this shadow. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run for the hills, but he was too frozen in fear to move. However, as quickly as it appeared it had vanished, taking the feeling of fear with it. Spike took a minute as he didn't realize that he was holding his breath. As he panted for a minute he began to wander if he needed to up the dosage of his medications. Once his breathing was under control he headed out of the classroom, trying not to run, and out to the athletic area of the campus. Despite not having been inside all too long, since he was inside for the one class, the fresh air felt relaxing to him. He looked around for a minute before noticing some teachers by some bleachers near the track. When he got closer he noticed a couple of them as they waved him over, but they weren't all teachers. "Hello there, Mr. Wyrven. Looks like Mrs. Silvermane told you about this? Our little get together?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked in a tone slightly softer than during class. "Yeah. She recommended that I come here to read over some papers as the atmosphere was nice," Spike said. "Eyup," Said a light red earth pony with a dirty blonde mane. Spike recognized her from his class. He couldn't see it from her being behind the desk, but she was built like a powerhouse, like you could hit her with a brick wall and she wouldn't be fazed. Now that his attention was on her he could take in what she was wearing. Her plaid shirt had no sleeves, presumably torn off, and her jeans had a few holes in them. It was a simple look but she looked good in it. "Ah don't mind if a pony stares, but any longer and you'll have to buy me dinner," She joked. Spike was thrown out of his mind when Macareina joked about his unintentional staring. "Sorry, but that wasn't my intent," Spike said as he held up his hands defensively. Some of the teachers started to lightly laugh, which prompted Spike to let out a sigh as he came to the conclusion that she was poking fun at him. "Sorry about that, but ah couldn't resist," Macareina said with a slight grin. "It's no problem," Spike replied with a sigh. "So how was your first day Mr. Wyrven?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked as she had picked up some papers, presumably assignments as she looked as though she was grading them. "It was ok. Don't know how I'm going to handle Mr. Road after today," Spike said which made half of the teachers there groan just from hearing the name. "Is he really that bad? Mrs. Silvermane said that he was behaved like an ass in my class because I'm a dragon." "When It comes to teaching the general subject of social science, he is pretty good. When it comes to him as a person however, he is severely lacking. He would be especially bed to you because you are what he hates, a dragon. To everypony else he's just insufferable," Ms. Harshwhinny responded and most ponies there gave some sort of agreement. "Look on the bright side, you only have to deal with him every Mondays and Wednesdays," Macareina explained. Spike gave Macareina a curious look, and she quickly picked up on it. "You do know that the schedule shifts right?" Spike slowly shook his head as he began to think about the classes they had today. They had three core classes, but that number didn't seem right. "No I didn't. I still have some papers to look over, which is why I cam here," He explained, showing her the papers. "Ahhh, ok. Well pick any spot you want and you can do your thing. You're free to stay here afterwards if you want," Macareina said before turning her attention back to the fields. Spike nodded as he did so. Picking a spot, not exactly away from the group but enough to show that he wasn't comfortable in groups. He began to read the papers he had, wishing he would've read this first thing in the morning as it gave a breakdown of class schedules and his seating chart. Monday Literature Mathematics Lunch Social Science Elective Tuesday Physical Science Physical Education Lunch Philosophy Elective Wednesday Literature Mathematics Lunch Social Science Elective Thursday Physical Science Physical Education Lunch Philosophy Elective Friday Conditioning Lunch Elective Spike was confused by Friday's schedule. He has heard of a few schools having block schedules, but Friday was a curveball. It may have been just him but he didn't think academies or universities didn't do half days. What's more, what did it mean by 'Conditioning'? He decided to leave his questions for later. It was Wednesday so he had at least a day to get answers if he didn't get them tonight. He then moved to his Class's seating chart. Fourth Row Maud pie, Pinkie pie, Fluttershy, Zephyr Breeze, Twilight Sparkle Third row Limestone Pie, Marble Pie, Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, Rarity Second row Gilda, Sky Stinger, [Empty], [Empty], Macareina First row [Empty], Gabby, [Empty], Thunderlane, [Empty] Spike smiled as he did his best to memorize the chart so he could call everyone by their name, rather than having to call them something like sport or tiger or something else that made him look like he was trying to hard. After this there was a sheet that explained some of the services around the campus. It mainly dealt with the electives as they needed people to practice on, so the price was cheaper than if done outside of campus. The services were things like massages, tailoring, mane styling and... furniture? "Wait what?" Spike asked aloud as he read the services. ~Furniture? Like couches and coffee tables?~ He asked himself mentally. "What is it?" Ms. Harshwhinny asked over her shoulder. Not wanting to raise his voice he got up and moved towards her, sitting right next to her. "I'm looking these over" -Spike showed her the papers- "And it says here that one of the services is furniture. I'm a little confused at that." Ms. Harshwhinny actually grinned slightly at his confusion, which didn't go unnoticed by spike. "It's as simple as it sounds. There is a construction class and they get extra points if they can make things for clients, such as furniture, jungle gyms and sheds. Now they can make couches and the like but if you want a bed then they can make the frame, but you have to get the mattress," She explained, her grin still on her face. Spike had to admit that she had quite a bit of charm, when she dropped the resting bitch face she seemed to sport. "Sounds interesting. Sounds like you've bought from them before." Ms. Harshwhinny chuckled at spike as she put her clipboard and papers down. "Almost every teacher here has bought from them. Be it just a chair or a bed frame, they do get more than a few orders. I have personally bought a few chairs and a desk from them before." Seeing her relax a bit made Spike smile. "Ok, well..." Spike started. He wanted to continue the conversation but didn't know how. The silence continued for a couple minutes, in which Spike watched the various sports that were going on around them. He soon spotted Rainbow Dash up in the skies doing cloud sprints with other Pegasi. He was surprised by how fast she was. He worked for the Wonderbolts for a time, granted he was just their gofer while they stayed in Canterlot for a few of their events, but in that time he was able to gain some skill in being able to tell who was a good flier or a bad flier. He could tell that she would fit in easily with them. "Your social skills seem to be lacking," Ms. Harshwhinny stated, breaking Spike out of his trance. "I can tell you were searching for something to talk about," she added making spike blush a bit out of embarrassment. "That obvious huh?" Spike asked to which Ms. Harshwhinny nodded. "Sorry about that. I'm not exactly and introvert, but I haven't had much practice with real people." Ms. Harshwhinny nodded along as she listened to him. "Makes a fair bit of sense. If you don't practice you can't get good at it," She said as her grin faded. While she had stopped grinning she didn't exactly return to the look she had before, but a softer variant of it which still held her charm from before. "You seem normal enough when you're talking to others but it seems that when you want to just talk with others then you get awkward. Which brings up the question: Why haven't you had much practice?" Spike let out a sigh as she nailed the nail on the head. She was definitely observant that's for sure. "This is getting old to tell people but I grew up in Canterlot, and the vast majority there are pony supremacists. That coupled with the fact that i'm like the ONLY dragon to be raised IN Equestira, AROUND ponies and NOT in Fillydelphia. Almost everywhere else I would be able to live a normal-ish life, but not in Canterlot. Getting called a racial slur for dragons every time I say 'Hello' is not a very good way to practice," Ms. Harshwhinny sat silently as she listened. "Yes, I can imagine Canterlot not being very good for non-ponies to grow up in." "The only reason why i know as much as I do about my own kind is because I spent a couple months in Dragon Town, Fillydelphia. Good people and nice place," Spike commented as he remembered back to his visit to Dragon Town. "If it was good then why didn't you stay there?" Macareina asked. Spike looked over to Macareina and saw that she was leaning back a little so she could look back at him and Ms. Harshwhinny over her shoulder. "That's because my family is, unfortunately, in Canterlot and they can't exactly move," He responded. Macareina seemed content with that answer and smiled before nodding. "I see. Well-" Ms. Harshwhinny was interrupted by her cellphone ringing. She quickly nabbed it from her pocket before answering it. "Yes? Wait what?" -Ms. Harshwhinny sighed as she rubbed the bridge between her eyes.- "Ok. Give me a minute," She said before hanging up and gathering her things. "Sorry but it looks like we'll have to end our conversation here. I have somewhere to be now," She said before quickly getting off the bleachers and headed towards the school. Spike returned his attention back to the students and let his mind wander. He was a bit calmer than he expected to be this soon after getting hired. He normally would've been anxious a week after getting hired, but here? He was still a bit nervous but compared to the other times he was as calm as a midnight sea. He didn't know if he owed that to having some people he knew here or not, but he did know that his hallucinations sure as heck wasn't helping. The more he thought about his recent hallucinations the more his mind is brought back to the single shadow person he kept seeing. Until a month ago all of his hallucinations were a combination of auditory and visual bombardment of incoherent voices and shadowy figures. Then all of a sudden they all consisted of the single shadow figure and silence, but kept a consistent once a week pattern. Now he has had the hallucination three times in a week and twice in one day. The worst of it is the feeling Spike is getting from the single shadow person. It feels like he has seen it before, years ago, like some forgotten piece of his past that had come back to haunt him. Spike let out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his face. Not wanting to get to think much more and get stuck in his own head he gathered his things and began to make his way to his room. He didn't get too far however. "Look out!" Someone shouted, making spike turn to see who shouted. When spike looked to see who shouted his vision was blocked by grayish blue feathers and turquoise eyes. ~Feathers?~ Spike thought a mere second before he was knocked off his feet and slammed into the ground, blacking out. He didn't know how long he was out but when he came to there was a ring of people around him while a white mare with a pale pinkish mane was kneeling beside him, tending to him. His eyes were quickly drawn to the nurse's cap on her head. That's when the cogs in Spike's mind began to turn. "What happened?" He asked as he tried to sit up, but was quickly overpowered by the nurse, who forced him to lay back down. "Don't move. I'm the school's nurse, Redheart. A couple students collided with each other and fell. Unfortunately one of said students flew right into you. You seem to be in good shape. Don't blink-" She ordered as she shined a small flashlight into his eyes. "-do you feel ok?" She asked as she finally allowed him to sit up. "Other than a slight headache I feel fine," Spike said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The headache was probably caused by your head slamming into a rock when you were hit. Your head seems fine, but the rock is rubble now," She said as she slowly raised him to his feet. "And now?" Spike moved around a little before stumbling slightly. "A little dizzy now but fine. How long was I out?" He asked as Nurse Redheart made sure he was standing up right. "You were out for about twenty minutes. Now If the dizziness gets any worse come down to the infirmary or if you can't send someone to let me know. Now, GABBY!" She half yelled as a grayish blue gryphon appeared from the small crowd, which thankfully was dispersing. "You are to help Mr. Wyrven to his room since you are the one that flew into him. "Ok Nurse Redheart," Gabby said as she felt a bit guilty for slamming into her teacher like that. When Gabby took hold of Spike's shoulder he was able to get a good look at her. Yep, she was definitely the one who hit him as he remembered those grayish blue feathers and those turquoise eyes. He wasn't at all surprised to see her in her gym clothes, which consisted of a blue pair of shorts and a gray t-shirt. Once Nurse Redheart headed off back to the infirmary Gabby and Spike headed off to the dorms, with him holding his things. "I'm in trouble aren't I?" Gabby asked as they neared the dorms. Spike was surprised to see her break the silence that was hanging in the air since they left the sports area. "Why would you assume that?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, I wasn't watching where I was going and I ended up slamming into you and hurting you," She said as her eyes wandered down to the grass as they walked. "Hey, It was an accident. Besides, i'm a bit too dizzy to be peeved at you," He said with a slight chuckle. He was still a tad dizzy, which was no surprise to him as once they started walking he was even dizzier than he first thought. Thankfully the dizziness was tapering off. "Really?" She asked as she turned her head to him, an expression of joy covering her face. "Uh-huh," Spike answered simply. "Thank you!" She exclaimed before pouncing him in a hug. Now spike has never been hugged by a female, except for his mother, Celestia, and Cadance a time or two. So this obviously caught him off guard. He tried to take a step back but due to his current dizziness he fell to his ass, bringing Gabby down with him. "Whoa! Gabby, what's all this about?" Spike asked with a chuckle as he looked to the sky with a grin on his face. "Sorry, it's just that I can't afford another strike," She said with her arms still around him. What she said made Spike drop his grin as he looked at Gabby. Much to his surprise, due to the fall, Gabby went from hugging his shoulders to hugging his stomach. That's when he became conscious of the feeling of two soft mounds pushing into his waist. He had to quickly look away and take a deep breath to clear his mind, to prevent perverted thoughts from entering his mind too soon. "Gabby, Why can't you afford another strike?" He asked sternly. He remembered that this school only allowed you to get two strikes, with the third strike getting you expelled. He could feel Gabby shift uncomfortably before getting off him. She was now on her knees as she fiddled with her claws. "Um well... That's... uhh..." She mumbled as she now look ashamed. "Gabby," Spike said sternly as he sat up straight from his laid back position. "It's not as bad as it sounds... it's just... um..." "Gabby!" Spike nearly growled as he was beginning to get aggitated. Gabby whimpered before letting out a sigh. "Last year during my heat I may have accidentally beat up a few ponies for trying to get into my pants," She said as she gently bit her finger as she looked away. Spike let out a sigh and let his anger vanish. She looked so cute with her finger in her beak like that, so much so it made him smile a bit. "Ok, help me to my room and let's talk about it," He said as he tried to stand up, only to quickly be aided by Gabby. There was a bit of an awkward silence in the air as they made their way to the elevator. It didn't help that more than a few students stared at them. Earlier Spike felt somewhat uncomfortable with all the staring, but now with his arm around Gabby and her arm around him he couldn't help but be embarrassed. He knew why she was doing it and that the act was purely innocent, but to others it may look like the two are rather close. Thankfully that lasted until they were in the elevator and were heading up to their floor. Mrs. Silvermane as standing in the hallway beside the door that lead to the teacher's room when the elevator opened. Her face seemed to drain as she saw Spike, but her expression changed from shock to worry as she saw Gabby helping him walk. "Spike!" She said rather loudly as she began to make her way over to the duo. "Hey Mrs. Silvermane," The two said in unison as Mrs. Silvermane stopped in front of them. "What happened?" She asked with worry in her voice. "I accidentally flew into him and knocked him out. Nurse Redheart told me to help him back to his room," Gabby explained with a nervous smile. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy," Spike added in. Mrs. Silvermane sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "Ok, Gabby,If you can take him to your room. HIS room is still being worked on," She responded. It took Gabby a second to go from a confused expression to a surprised one. "Ok. I'll keep him occupied until the 'workers' leave," She said before guiding spike to her room. Spike was a bit surprised that there were people working on the room. He didn't remember anything in the papers he read about there being a mandatory renovation for each new teacher, and he doubted they would renovate his room for the heck of it. It wasn't until he was standing in front of a door with the name Gabby written in golden letters that he realized that Mrs. Silvermane told Gabby to take him to her room. "Wait, is this appropriate?" He asked as his face flushed a little. He felt really awkward entering a female's room at the moment. "What's wrong? Never been in a girl's room before?" She asked as she opened the door and guided him in. "Well, there's that but I'm your teacher." That made Gabby laugh as the door closed. "If anything that would make this more appropriate, as where would you tutor us if we asked?" That comment made Spike shut his mouth as his mind went to work. "Umm, my room?" He asked somewhat doubting his own answer. "And how would that be more appropriate?" She asked with a grin. Spike thought for a moment before giving a sigh of defeat. "See? Besides, you act as if we were coming in here to do something naughty," She said before setting him on the couch. "Good point. Now, back to what we were discussing before coming up here," He said, obviously wanting to talk about her altercations with those stallions from last year. Gabby let out a sigh as she stood up and began to pace, obviously a bit nervous. "Ok. Well, you see, every female her is given a choice during heat-" Spike held his hand up to stop her. "I already know about the heat suppression pills," He said wanting to get passed the talk about the pills every female here is given whenever they go into heat so they don't become exceedingly horny and try to lay anything with the proper 'equipment'. It did nothing for the female's raised fertility from their heat, but it repressed the urge. It was also only mandatory if one couldn't control themselves during their heat if off the pill. "Ah, ok. Well I was on the pill and some guys here know that some don't use the pills and so they're supposedly an easy lay. Apparently there was a rumor around that I opted out of the pill, and they wanted to have some fun with me. When I said no they began to get forceful. Now they didn't get physical but they did kind of get me to a secluded spot that I couldn't get out of. Since I really didn't feel safe there and they wouldn't let me leave without satisfying them, I took the only option present to me, and beat them up," She explained a light blush on her face, a little embarrassed talking about such a subject with her male teacher. "And that netted you two strikes?" Spike asked in disbelief. "Well... It wasn't just once. it was four times. Each time the dean only gave me half a strike." That didn't sound like Cadance. The Cadance he knew wouldn't have given her a strike to begin with. Something was up. either Gabby wasn't being entirely truthful, or Cadance was dealing with some crap from Canterlot scumbags. "Ok, Gabby. Tomorrow, I will go talk to Cadance about getting your strikes revoked. If something like that happens again then come to me first and I'll accompany you to Cadance's office," He said before watching Gabby's face slowly light up. "Really?" She asked with stars in her eyes. "Yes," Spike said simply before being tackled by a greyish blue blur. The couch actually rocked back but fell back onto it's legs before reaching it's tipping point. Spike could assess what was happening only after the couch returned to it's normal position. Gabby was siting in his lap, breasts pushed up against him and she was rubbing the side of her head against his while saying 'Thank you' over and over again. He knew that if he was in her position he'd be thankful too, but he was highly doubtful that he'd be THIS thankful. He had to get her out of his lap and soon. His mind was saying no, no, no while his body was saying yes, yes, yes. Thankfully before things could possibly escalate the door opened up, making Spike turn his head to the door. He saw Twilight there staring wide eyed at him and Gabby. Whatever arousal Spike's body was building up disappeared in almost an instant as he saw the fires of rage behind Twilight's eyes. "Twilight!" Spike started as his voice cracked "It's not what it looks like I swear!" He said as he felt Gabby continue to rub his cheek with her's. "Oh really?" Twilight asked with a hint of venom in her voice, as she placed her hands on her hips. "Yes really," Spike said as he began to try and pry Gabby off. "Then tell me, what am I looking at if not my underage teacher trying to get it on with one of his students?" She asked bluntly with even more venom than her last sentence. Spike sighed in defeat as he couldn't pry Gabby off him. Sure Dragons were more powerful than other races, but Gabby apparently worked out and he didn't. "Look." He started as he explained the situation to her in detail. Twilight seemed a little on edge after listening to him. She simply nodded before letting her arms drop to her side. "Ok, ok," She said before walking over to Gabby and tapping her on the shoulder. Gabby just now realized that the two weren't alone and got off her teacher. "Question Twilight: Why did you come in here anyways?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, your room is done now. Mrs. Silvermane wanted me to get your opinion on the new bed and new living room," She answered without missing a beat. Spike nodded and got up thinking he was ok to walk by himself. Him nearly falling over after a couple steps said otherwise. It wasn't as bad as before but it was still annoying. Gabby once again was at his side, but this time Twilight took Spike's unattended side. That caught both Spike and Gabby off guard, but they payed it no mind as they guided Spike to his room. "Surprise!" Came the near deafening roar that nearly knocked Spike over as he entered his room. His room was definitely an odd sight to him as he wasn't too used to parties. There was a banner with gold letters that read 'Welcome!', confetti was in the air, there were balloons everywhere and he could see a large cake in the kitchen. It took him a few seconds to take it all in before a pink pony with an equally pink and puffy mane began to bounce in front of him. "Whereyouexcitedthatlookonyourfacesaysthatyouare!MynameisPinkiePieandIjustwantedtosaywelcometoourschoolandIhopeyouhaveagoodtimeteachinghere!" She exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and shook it so vigorously that his whole body was vibrating. He was so caught off guard that he barely noticed that she was wearing a dark pink camisole and a pair of blue shorts that ended halfway down her thighs. She soon left him to quickly grab a drink from a punch bowl that was on the coffee table. Spike took the time to stop his hand from vibrating and turned to Twilight and Gabby, but they beat him before he could utter a word. "That was Pinkie Pie. She has always been, and always will be a bundle of energy," Twilight answered. "Ok, now, you know I'm not much for parties, so what should I do?" He asked before Pinkie Pie grabbed him from behind and began to drag him around. "If you don't know what to do then mingle!" She said with a large grin before placing him on the couch. Spike's mind was still reeling from what pinkie had said, trying to decipher what she had said, before she grabbed him. Now he was on the couch and even more confused. He looked around and saw that everyone was talking with each other, except for Gabby who seemed to be getting one of Twilight's lectures. It wasn't until he felt someone pull on his jacket's arm that he looked to his left to see Fluttershy sitting there, who was dressed in a green turtleneck sweater, and a light brown ankle length straight skirt. "Oh! Hello... Fluttershy, right?" He asked remembering her name from when she was called for a question during the first period. Fluttershy smiled and nodded as she tried to hide behind her mane. Spike found that kind of cute, but if she was as shy as she led on to be then he was surprised that she was able to sit here. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" Spike asked curiously, trying to make some conversation. "No," she practically whispered. Because it was so quiet Spike couldn't tell if there was stress behind her voice or not. "Then why don't you look at me?" Fluttershy froze for a minute before speaking. "I believe you are a good dragon, but mature dragons still scare me," She replied just as quietly before. "I see. No helping that I guess. I can only hope that over the course of the year you'll start to lose that fear with me being your homeroom teacher and all," He said with a smile. He tried to get up, not wanting to make her any more nervous than need be, but was stopped when she put a hand on his shoulder. A small and gentle tug was all that was needed for Spike to sit back down. It was obvious to him that she wanted to talk, but he didn't know what about. "Any questions?" He asked as he tried to get the ball rolling. "Did you really nibble on Twilight's mane?" She asked as she turned her head a little. It wasn't much but it was enough for Spike to see one of her cyan eyes. Her question made Spike groan as he rolled his head back with on of his hands covering his eyes. "Applejack told you, didn't she?" He asked, not moving from his position. "Yes." Spike let out a sigh before regaining his earlier posture. "Yes I did. Why?" He asked not meaning to sound a little aggitated. Fluttershy let out a small 'eep' when he turned to her, waiting for her answer. "I-i th-thought it w-was cute," She answered, obviously getting a bit nervous. Spike did a double take of her answer. Cute? He remembered both Cadance and Celestia laughing when they found out, and both he and Twilight found it embarrassing. Not once had he ever heard the word cute associated with that. "I'm sorry, but cute? How so?" He asked, his tone having softened considerably. Fluttershy almost did a double take herself at how fast his tone seemed to have changed. "Um... I think it's cute because it seems like you two really get along. Like puppy love!" She said in a normal tone. The confidence in how she talked during that sentence made Spike blush out of complete embarrassment. Spike consequently let out an involuntary whimper before speaking. "Don't say puppy love. The act is embarrassing enough, without that label." "What's embarrassing?" Rainbow dash said as she spoke up from behind the two. Fluttershy made a small 'eep' as Spike quickly turned to he could see Rainbow dash standing behind them. Spike instantly knew she was rainbow dash as she was the only pony in his class that had a rainbow mane, and Mrs. Silvermane called her by name during the morning period. The track suit she was wearing didn't surprise him at all, what did catch his interest though was that the colors were inspired by the Wonderbolt's colors. "Oh, it was nothing, right Fluttershy?" Spike asked, his blush betraying his words. "uh-huh," Was all she said as she tried to hide her face again, but from this angle Spike could see a faint blush on her cheeks. Rainbow dash grinned widely as she could easily see through their lies. "Oh I doubt that. Does this have something to do between you and Twilight?" She asked bluntly. Spike wanted to lie and say no, but his brief sputtering only told Rainbow what she wanted to hear. She began to crack up on the spot. Her laughing only fueled both Spike's and Fluttershy's blushes even more. After a few apologies, while still laughing the three got to talking. "You know, I expected you to be a bit more dragon-like," Rainbow dash said bluntly as she hovered in the air above the coffee table. "What's that supposed to mean?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh you know. I expected you to have come here with a horde of gems, have bulging muscles and want to prove you're the top dog around here." Spike gave her quite the dirty look before answering. "You have a very low outlook on dragons don't you?" Spike asked as his agitation was made apparent by his tone. He eventually sighed before waving off his remark. "I can't entirely blame you though. I'm like the only dragon outside of Fillydelphia, and those who come from the badlands aren't exactly good representation. Is that how all dragon used to act? Yes. Is that how all dragons act now? No. Heck, there are even some cities in the badlands that are filled with dragons who don't fit into the dragon stereotype... Well, They still horde gems, but otherwise they don't fit," Spike explained. "Really?" Fluttershy asked. "Yep." "Hey, in class you talked about the three kinds of dragons, can any of them walk on clouds?" Rainbow dash asked. Spike nodded to her answer. "Yes, but it's not what one would think. Sky dragons cannot walk on clouds, like pegasi can. Only us Enchanted dragons can. The weird thing is, is that we don't need a spell or anything. We can walk on clouds naturally and I don't know why." "Well, aren't we getting well acquainted!" Pinkie said while getting quite giddy. "Hey Pinkie!" Rainbow dash said with a smile. "Heya Rainbow dash!" Pinkie returned before hugging Spike from behind, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "Sorry about what I said In class today," She apologized as she brought her head next to Spike's. "That's fine Pinkie, but I think you should apologize to Twilight first," Spike suggested as he leaned his head away slightly as he looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh I did. It was when we were setting up this party for you!" She said as she inched her face closer to his. "Pinkie, if you're going to hold onto me like this much longer then we're going to have to go on a date first," Spike teased with a shaky smile, earning a chuckle from Rainbow dash. Pinkie didn't hesitate to grin ear from ear and giggle. "From what I heard Gabby was much closer than I and you didn't ask a date from her," She teased right back, earning a heavy blush from Spike. "Oh-ho?! Pinkie do tell" Rainbow dashed said with a large grin. "How about I show you?" Pinkie said with a smile. By this point Fluttershy was blushing slightly, which grew massively when Pinkie jumped over the back of the couch and landed in Spike's lap. That action even caught Rainbow dash off guard. "Now I believe she was rubbing the side of your head with hers," She whispered into Spike's ear. He was now sporting a blush that spread from ear to ear. "P-pinkie," Spike started, but was silenced by pinkie placing a finger on his lips. "If it's a date you want first, then it's a date you'll get," She said with a happy smile before hopping off his lap. "Let me know when you want that day by Monday, ok?" She said before heading to chat with some other students. Spike looked at Rainbow dash who was now sporting a hard blush and was now on the ground. When he looked over to Fluttershy she was now sporting a blush somewhere between Rainbow dash's and his. "Is that within the norm for her?" Spike asked as he tried to calm down. Fluttershy didn't move as Rainbow dash slowly shook her head. "This is a first for her. I mean she is pretty crazy, in a good way, but something like this is new to me. I'll catch you two later," She said before leaving. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry but I'm going to hang out on the balcony for a bit," He said before doing just that. Pinkie had really messed with his mind. Whether or not she was kidding about the date he would have to find out, but for now the brisk cooling air out on the balcony would have to work to cool him down. Thankfully his Dizziness had all but disappeared. He was still a little wobbly, but could walk on his own now. "Pinkie, are you serious about that?" Rainbow dash asked with a concerned look. "About what?" She asked as she grabbed a piece of cake. "About that date with our teacher." "Oh that? I sure am!" She said before downing the piece of cake in one bite. "Why?" "Why not?" Pinkie responded as her head cocked to the side. Rainbow was stumped by her friend's response. Sure there was nothing really wrong with it, but it still felt wrong. "Because we just met him!" "So." Rainbow dash was stumped again as she tried to comprehend Pinkie's lack of logic. "What?" "Dashie, you think that we're going on a date, that means we'll end up in the same bed. What's wrong with going on a date to get to know someone better? It doesn't have to end in fun under the sheets," Pinkie explained. Rainbow dash thought for a second before relenting. She was right. It may not end up with them in the same bed, heck it probably won't end with them in the same bed. She was just jumping to conclusions, and felt a bit guilty thinking her friend was that easy. "Sorry Pinkie," Rainbow dash apologized. "No problem. Although I'd be lying I didn't wonder what that would feel like with him. That's assuming the date goes well. Twilight has first dibs though since she's known him the longest," Pinkie said, earning a sigh from Rainbow dash. "Pinkie, you never cease to confuse me." "Then don't think about it," She said happily before skipping into the living room. Rainbow dash could only sigh and back into the living room with her friend. "The cold air is nice, is it not?" Asked a voice from behind spike. He turned to see a unicorn mare with a curly purple mane and a white coat. She was wearing a black waterfall style top with a matching knee-length pencil skirt. He remembered from the classroom and he tried to remember her name from the seating chart. "Rarity, right?" Spike asked. Rarity nodded to his question. "Yes, Darling. I must admit that I had the same thoughts about you as Rainbow dash did," She said but continued before spike could say anything. "But during your conversation you have proven those beliefs wrong, so I must apologize. For my unjust beliefs and for eavesdropping," She said, surprising Spike with not only that she was apologizing but that he was just now noticing her tone. She sounded like upper class, but didn't act like she was from Canterlot which he was thankful for. "No problem," he said before looking out to the sunset before something hit him. "Wait a minute... How much did you hear?" "Well, I know that you have a date with Pinkie Pie sometime within the next week," She said with a smile, making Spike groan and blush. "Is she being serious about that?" "As unpredictable as she Is, I would have to assume that she is being serious about this. I do have to ask: Do you have anything appropriate to wear?" Spike took a second to answer her. "I have A casual outfit, and this is my only suit. The other one I have is a bit run down," He said before turning to Rarity who had a disapproving look on her face. "Meet me in the fashion classroom once the main classes end tomorrow," She practically ordered. "I'm going to make you a few clothes." Spike waved his hands in front of him at her offer. "There's no need to go tha-" "Darling, I insist. A date, no matter how casual must be at a bare minimum a little romantic or fashionable. Nothing from the rack can compare to clothes that are designed with you in mind," She stated strongly. Spike could feel that he wasn't going to win this battle so he simply nodded to her request. He also got the feeling that she was a bit of a romantic at heart. "Ok. I'll go with you during the extra curricular classes," Spike said, earning a smile from Rarity. "Thank you, now if you don't mind I must excuse myself. I have some designs to draw," She said before leaving the balcony and to her room. Spike let out a sigh as he was left on the balcony alone. "Am I going to survive this school?" He asked before pulling the scroll from Celestia out of the internal pocket of his jacket. Dear Spike I am so happy that Cadance had hired you. I wanted to let you know that I am working on a way to get your temporary teacher status extended, but it doesn't look too good. I'm sorry to say that you may have to reveal your true Identity within the month. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. I will see you soon, on your 18th birthday. Until then stay safe, and try not to break any rules. Love, your mother Spike smiled as he read the letter. "A letter from your mom?" Twilight asked as she leaned against the railing next to Spike. "Yep... This sucks," Spike said as he let out a sigh. "Hmm?" Spike said nothing but handed her the letter. After a minute Twilight rolled the letter back up. "Are you going to be ok?" "Yeah, but I can't imagine what everyone'll do when they find out. For what? Ten years? I've used an alias. Not much of an alias, but an alias nonetheless. It's not that I wanted to distance myself from my mom, but I don't want people to think less of her for raising a dragon. You know how the canterlot nobility can be," Spike said as he rubbed his eyes. "I know each of them pretty well, but as for how they'll act... I don't know," She said before hugging him from the side. "But know this; come what may, I won't abandon you. Not again," She said, still holding him close with one arm around his shoulders. "Again?" Spike asked a bit confused. "When did you abandon me before?" "Remember all those years ago when we would work on your homework together? Well, I've been thinking and my actions have not been that of a friend, and you were my first friend. I just simply cut off everyone when I got serious with my studies. I faintly remember receiving a few letters from you, but I just pushed them aside and continued to study. A true friend would've put time aside for friends. I know you couldn't exactly go out to make friends and I knew I was your only friend, but I just pushed you aside like everything else. Could you ever forgive me?" She asked with pleading eyes. Spike couldn't help but to smile warmly at Twilight. "Twilight, my life has not been easy. I try to learn from my mistakes and when mother would drop by to see how I was doing she would teach me a thing or two. One thing I've learned so far is that a true friend can forgive a friend for their mistakes and their faults. So of course I forgive you," He said before receiving another hug from twilight. "Thanks Spike. I needed to hear that. Maybe tomorrow after school we can catch up?" Twilight asked with a hint of hope in her voice. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot Twilight," Spike said with a smile before giving Twilight a hug. "Oh my..." Both Twilight and Spike went wide-eyed as they looked at the balcony door, only to see Fluttershy there blushing furiously. "If I'm interrupting something-" "Not at all Fluttershy," Twilight said with a heavy blush as she pulled away from Spike, who was also heavily blushing. "Was there something you wanted?" "Well, Gilda wanted to thank Spike," "Thank me for what?" "Gabby told her that you intend to talk to the dean and see about getting her strikes revoked," Fluttershy explained. "Making a name for yourself already huh?" Twilight teased, much to Spike's embarrassment. "Oh quiet you," Spike shot back with a grin. "So, where's Gilda?" "About that, she wanted you to come to the classroom early tomorrow so she could thank you. She has some homework to do tonight so she couldn't come right now," Fluttershy explained. "Spike nodded with a sigh. Ok then," Spike said before letting out a yawn. "By Luna's Fetlocks... How long does Pinkie's parties last?" Spike asked aloud. "Oh, most are already leaving," Fluttershy answered. "Ok, thank you Fluttershy," Spike said before watching her leave. Without warning he felt a pair of lips connect with his cheek, making him go wide-eyed. He didn't have time to recover as Twilight embraced him in another hug. He couldn't help but to hug her back. "It's good to see you back Spike," Twilight said as she rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute Twilight broke from the embrace with a blush but smiled. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah, see you tomorrow," He said before watching Twilight leave his balcony. His brain was turning before something hit him. "Cadance. I'm going to hurt you if the spark was between me and Twilight and you didn't tell me," Spike said with a chuckle. Seeing as it was getting late and he needed to wake up early tomorrow he decided to turn in for the night. He took the couch as tonight was Mrs. Silvermane's last night here. Author's Note Sorry that took so long. For some reason the scene with Mrs. Harshwhinny just took it out of me. I'm also sorry for these short author's notes as I don't really know what to put in them and I've never used anything like this before coming here. Lastly, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My longest chapter I have ever written... Well, Published anyways.
Chapter 6: Day OneSpike grumbled as his alarm went off. He flailed his arm around in the direction of the noise, agitated that it had disturbed his peaceful sleep. After a minute he managed to find the digital alarm. He was tempted to smash the damn thing but knew better, as he'd have to be the one to clean up the mess and he'd then have to buy a new clock. He begrudgingly got up and headed for the shower. He didn't want to wake up so early, but he remembered that Gilda wanted to thank him for what he was going to do for gabby. After the shower he donned the same classic black suit he wore yesterday. He smiled as he saw Mrs. Silvermane still asleep in the bedroom. He felt an odd sense of pride as he woke up before her. He quickly found the classroom's keys and left a note to the former teacher so she wouldn't panic if the keys went missing. She had spoken to him last night about saying goodbye to the class one last time in the morning before heading off to the train station. ~My word.~ He thought to himself as he made his way accross the campus grounds. Unlike yesterday morning, which was quite alive with activity, it was nearly a graveyard now. The only things awake besides him were a few hoots from owls in the nearby forest and the chefs who are just turning up to the kitchen to get everything ready for the day. Spike wasn't at all too surprised when he found the classroom door was locked. This was the reason why he had grabbed the keys after all. He didn't have to wait long as by the time he sat down in the teacher's chair a knock came from the door. "It's unlocked," Spike called out, only to hear the knocking again. "It's... open..." He started as he looked to the door, only to see it open and nobody was there. The knocking returned, but louder this time. That's when it hit him that the knocking wasn't coming from the door, but from all around. He began to panic, knowing that he was hallucinating the sound. Soon the knocking stopped, but the feeling of a presence took it's place. Spike spun around as he stood up going wide-eyed as he saw the familiar shadow figure standing behind the teacher's chair. Spike backed up until there was a good 2 yards between the two. "Who are you?" Spike asked aloud. He didn't know why he was talking to it as it was a hallucination. The shadow figure simply stood there stock still as if it was analyzing Spike, at least that's what Spike thought it was doing. Spike didn't know why he felt like it was alive. None of the other hallucinations to date had this feeling. "Just go away!" Spike nearly yelled at the figure, his panic starting to take over. "Here I thought I had problems," came a voice from Spike's right. He spun around and saw a female gryphon standing in the doorway. She had white feathers and a tanish coat. What really caught his attention was that the tips of the feathers on her head had a pale purpleish-pink color to them. He didn't know if it was natural or not, but it went well with her black leather jacket, dark red tank top and Jeans that had holes in the knees. She pulled the punk look together well. "Ah, Gilda, sorry you had to see that," Spike said, guessing she was Gilda as he remembered her face from class, and she was the only person who had reason to come here this morning. He doubted student would come to class this early voluntarily... Except for Twilight on exam day. She was the one exception. "Yeah... Want to tell me what that was about?" Gilda asked with a hint of confusion in her voice. Spike sighed as he grabbed one of the desks and brought it over to the teacher's desk. He motioned for her to sit before before seating himself. Spike was not looking forward to this talk, and only expected to talk to Twilight about this. At least he could use this as a bit of a practice run for Twilight. With Twilight he'd go into detail, but for Gilda he'd have to be vague to better protect his identaty... for now. "Several years ago, I was attacked in Canterlot. I don't remember much about the attack as one of them went to town on the back of my head with a metal instrument." -Spike turned around so Gilda could see the back of his head, especially the scarring there.- "You see the scales that are a slight shade lighter than the others? Well, those are the scarred scales. He didn't do too much damage, but it was enough to break the scales and to crack my skull. If I was a pony my head would've been caved in," Spike explained before turning back around to face Gilda, who was now wide-eyed. "Anyways, I survived but I suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI for short. I spent the next year relearning to walk. The other consequences of the TBI was, and still is, Hallucinations and somewhat muted colors. The hallucinations have been declining, but recently they've started back up with a new pattern." Gilda was still a bit wide-eyed as she listened to his story. "Damn. You've been through a lot. I do have a question though. If you were in such a bad state, how'd you get your teaching degree?" Spike smiled at her question. "One; Just because my legs didn't want to work properly doesn't mean I couldn't read a text book. Second; My teaching degree is fairly recent. Almost a year old if i'm being honest," he said with a smug grin. "Ok, so you were hearing a hallucination earlier?" Gilda asked with a smile. "Yeah. Had two yesterday. It's really been amping up this week," Spike said before letting out a sigh. "Oh, yeah? Well, maybe my thank you can help you relax," She said before getting up and closed in on spike. Spike was a little confused by Gilda's words, but quickly smartened up when he saw her closing the distance between them with a somewhat hungry look in her eyes. He tried to get up, but was quickly pushed back into the seat by the female gryphon. Before he could do or say anything Gilda jumped into his lap, in the same position as Gabby and Pinkie pie. Spike was blushing heavily at this point as unlike Gabby who was innocent in her actions and Pinkie who was teasing him, Gilda seemed a bit more lustful. Spike didn't move as he was in a bit of shock. He did not expect this kind of situation to happen when he woke up today. Gilda brought him out of his thoughts when she licked his neck, which made a shiver run down his spine. Spike let out a gasp which made Gilda grin. She didn't stop there as she began to nibble on his ear fins. She was teasing him and his body was responding in a natural way. "Feels like someone is getting into the mood," She teased as she could feel Spike pitching a tent in his pants, which she was grinding against. Spike was doing his damnedest to stem his rising arousal, but was losing the uphill battle. He did his best to stifle a moan, but Gilda heard it loud as day. "Hey Mr. Wyrven, I can satisfy your urges, just give me the word. Afterwards, you must promise me something. Later, when you talk to the dean, you tell her that Gabby assaulted you yesterday. Don't even talk about her past strikes. She's got her hopes up right now and I want to see... her... depressed?" Gilda said in a questioning tone at the end as she felt his tent vanish faster than it appeared. When she looked into his eyes she knew instantly what was wrong; Spike was mad. "Gilda. Off. Now," Spike growled as smoke began to billow out of his nose. Gilda got off Spike as if he was red hot. "What's wr-" "Quiet!" Spike barked. "I am far from perfect. I am greedy sometimes, I can be dense sometimes, I probably lie more than I should and I have even stolen more than a few things in the past. I may have done some things I'm not proud of, but one thing I will NEVER do is go back on my word. I told Gabby that i'll talk to Cadance about getting her strikes revoked, and I will do so," Spike half-growled. "From what I've seen she'd be willing to do anything to get her strikes removed. Just Imagine how you could corrupt her if you give her another strike and give her a chance to remove it," Gilda suggested with a grin. Spike was now furious as flames were now spouting out of the side of his mouth. "Do not insult me Gilda," Spike growled as he stood out of his chair. "I'm doing this because those strikes are bullshit. I know it, you know it and everyone else who fucking knows about them knows it! I'm just doing what's right and I don't expect, nor want, anything in return. And as the Princesses as my witnesses I will not corrupt people in such a fashion, nor will I trade favors for sex." It had been so long since Spike was so damn angry. He could tear Gilda's head off and not think twice. Giggling could be heard from Gilda, but she wasn't laughing. Gilda may have been smiling warmly, which was quite the turn around of her attitude earlier, but she wasn't giggling. His confusion was clearified when Gilda pulled her phone of her pocket and saw from the screen that she was connected with someone. The giggling rang out once more, but this time he began to recognize the voice and noticed that it came from the phone. "So, Gabby. What do you think?" Gilda asked. Spike still couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, but his confusion was putting out his anger. "Looks like I win! I told you he could be trusted," Gabby said through the phone. It only now hit him that Gabby heard him and his past. This realization made him go slack-jawed. "Yeah, yeah. After class we'll talk about my end of the bet," She said before hanging up, but not before Gabby began to laugh. At this point Spike's confusion had nearly wiped out his anger. He tried to talk but all that came out was a string of syllables that each were the beginning of different words, before finally ending with "Huh?" Gilda couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. "Oh your face is hilarious," She laughed, which died down quickly as Spike adopted an agitated glare. "Sorry about this whole thing. Gabby's my cousin, and grandpa gruff has told me to look after her. When she told me what happened I instantly assumed that you were trying to get into her panties, but she said that I was wrong. So we decided to test you." "Something tells me that this isn't the first time you've done this," Spike said, as the realization that he was tricked was slowly coming to a point. "No you're not. You ARE one of the few that haven't taken me up on my offer to stab Gabby in the back," She said as spike soon sat back in his chair. "How badly did you hurt those that who accepted your offer?" Spike asked as Gilda walked to his side. "I'm impressed. Most would assume that I would've done it with them, but you jumped right to I beat them up instead. What made you do that?" She asked partly ignoring his question. "Well, I have a hard time believing that someone would have done it with those people if you were protecting your cousin then as you were now." Gilda was a bit surprised by his answer. "Good guess then. Now for your earlier question, let's just say some people scream quite loudly when you force a square chair leg into their round anus, especially when there's no lube to help them," Gilda said, making Spike squirm uncomfortably in his seat, imagining the pain they must've gone through. Spike let out a sigh as he let his head roll back and let him look at the ceiling. He knew he was just tricked by a student, and he knew he should feel more agitated about this, so why was he so relaxed. Was it because Gilda was looking after Gabby? "Gilda. I would suggest you go back and get your things. Class will be starting in about an hour so you might want to leave now so you won't be late," Spike said wanting to rest his eyes for a bit before class. "Alright, but let me give you my true thank you," She said, and before he could react she nuzzled his neck before kissing his cheek. Spike recoiled, not expecting the kiss or the nuzzling, making Gilda laugh. Spike began to blush a bit as Gilda continued to laugh. Judging by her gestures as she tried to stop laughing Spike took it as she didn't mean to laugh. "You done?" He asked when she finally calmed down. "Yeah, That was priceless. Now, I'll take my leave," She said before heading out of the room. Spike sighed as he put his head on his desk. If this was a precursor to the rest of his interactions today then this is going to be a long day. The memory of Gilda licking his neck while grinding against his waist popped into his head. ~A long day indeed.~ He thought to himself as he did his best to calm down. Spike was woken up by Mrs. Silvermane who tapped him on the shoulder. "Wake up Spike. I'll be here for this class then I'm out," She explained as Spike slowly got up and stretched. "Ok. Well, I hope you have a good time then," Spike said with a smile. Mrs. Silvermane smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks. Well, don't do anything that I wouldn't do." "Why do I feel like that's a very short list?" That made Mrs. Silvermane start laughing. "Now you're getting it!" She said right before students began to enter the classroom. "Well, we'll talk after class, if we both have the time," She said before heading up onto the platform. Once all of the students were seated Mrs. Silvermane cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Everyone! As i'm sure you all know this will be my last class. I just wanted to let you know that I will miss all of you. It has been great teaching here, and I couldn't have asked for a better class to be my last class. Now, please don't give Mr. Wyrven a hard time, and yes Rainbow Dash i'm looking at you," She said making half the class chuckle. The rest of the class was spent with Mrs. Silvermane talking with the students. Spike watched from the teacher's desk as the students talked with their teacher, and he even saw Pinkie Pie break out a board game which a few took part in. Who knew you could play monopoly in teams. Spike didn't get involved as he felt like a third wheel. These girls knew him for what, a day? And they knew her for probably a couple of years. He believed that they shouldn't be interrupted as they had their last day together. At some point Mrs. Silvermane came over to him, after the game finished up. "Why didn't you come and join us?" She asked as she looked to the clock and noticed there was a few minutes left of the class. "It's not my place. Today is your last day, and the mood quickly changed to be about you and your students. I just got here, and I have no place in that circle," He said with a small smile. Mrs. Silvermane sighed before shaking her head. "Your wrong about one thing. They're not my students anymore, they're yours. As their teacher you should involve yourself as much as possible into their lives. Take that advice from somepony who has lived for quite a while as a teacher," She said with a smile before looking at the clock and then to the class. "Everyone, once again thank you for being a great class. I hope the rest of your lives are grand," She said with a smile before heading out of the door. As she left everyone waved goodbye. The bell rang moments after Mrs. Silvermane left, signalling the end of the final class for Mrs. Silvermane. Spike didn't have to wait long for the next teacher to enter the room. The first thing to catch his eye about the teacher was her pale yellow coat and her bright green mane. He felt like those two colors shouldn't mix, but at least it didn't look horrible on her. Her light pink blouse and a matching knee-length pleated skirt seemed to work well for her. "Why hello there. So I take it you're Silvermane's replacement," She said as she walked through the door. "Yes I am. Spike Wyrven," He said as he held out a claw for her. "I'm Ms. Peachbottom," She said as she took his claw and shook it, vigorously. "I'm the physical science teacher." "Nice to meet you Ms. Peachbottom," Spike said before she let go of his claw, which he was now rubbing after that vigorous handshake. "Mhmm," She hummed in agreement before turning her attention to the class. Just like yesterday the class went on like normal. Students getting assignments while raising their hands to answer questions the teacher called out. Spike felt like this would be the run of the mill work from now on, and the monotony of it seemed quite boring. Beggers can't be choosers, but he'd be lying if he said he disliked this job. He got to meet up with an old friend and he possibly had a date, which he had mixed feelings about. Spike was a bit confused when he saw Ms. Peachbottom gathering her things, along with the rest of the class, with fifteen minutes left of class. Confused, Spike walked over to Ms. Peachbottom and cleared his throat. "Um, why is everyone gathering their things? There's still fifteen minutes of class," He asked in a hushed tone. "That's easy. Next is physical education so we let the students go a tad early to change. You can change with the students if you want, or go meet up with their next teacher, she'll be the only female pegasus there with a clipboard," She said with a smile, before giving him a quick one armed hug and leaving. Spike liked the gesture of the one armed hug that she gave him. He gathered his things with a small smile before following the students out of the classroom. He didn't have an outfit for exercising in so he decided to meet up with the next teacher as the students began to head to the changing rooms, which were two separate buildings and each one could hold maybe a hundred ponies at one time. It didn't take a genius to figure out which room belonged to which gender as they each had the respected gender's name on them. Spike could see two pegasi on the field, but at first he thought it was a earth pony and a pegusus until the one turned around to see his tiny wings. The male pegasus with tiny wings looked almost white and his mane was light brown and in the form of a mullet. The only thing that kept him for sighing at the pony's choice in hairstyle, as mullets looked cheesy and have been out of fashion for decades, was the fact that he was built like a brick wall, which his red tracksuit didn't bother hiding. Spike was shocked when he looked at the next pegasus, as he knew her. Then again, so did half of equestria. Her coat was a shade of yellow that was a little darker than normal, and her mane was dark orange with light orange stripes. Nearly anyone could tell you who she was just by looking at her, and her wearing her wonderbolt's outfit only helped nail home who she was. As he approached the two he could tell they were talking, but couldn't hear what they were saying. Before he could get close enough to hear she sped off to the changing rooms, with a clipboard in hand. She didn't see Spike as the changing rooms were off to his right a bit. When Spike got a little closer the beefy pegasus waved over at him. "Ok! it looks like everyone is here. Did your new teacher not change with you guys?" Spitfire asked as she looked at Zephyr and Thunderlane. "No ma'am. I'm guessing that's because he doesn't have an outfit for gym," Thunderlane responded quickly with an intemidated look on his face. "I see. Well then let's go on over to the track. Oh, and Thunderlane do try and relax. I'm only going to punish you again if you break the rules again." She said sternly before turning and began walking with the class. "Aww, I wanted to see him in his gym clothes," Pinkie pouted. "What do you think he'd wear?" Fluttershy asked. "Hopefully something tasteful-" "Like a pair of hot pants and no shirt?" "Darling, please. I said something tasteful, not something from your Playmare magazines," Rarity chided Pinkie pie for interrupting her. "I can't tell his frame properly from the suit he wears as I can tell it hasn't been modified for him." "I want to see if he has any abs," Gabby said, putting her two cents in. "Hey Twilight, can dragons even get abs?" Rainbow dash asked as she hovered above the group, not noticing how Spitfire's ears twitched. "I don't believe so, at least not visibly. Their scales are meant to protect them so they're a bit rigid, and abs would require the scales to bend and that would defeat their purpose," Twilight explained. "Why are you girls so interested in Spike anyways?" Thunderlane asked. Spitfire's ears twitched even more. "Well, ah can only speak for mahself, but he's a friend of Twilight's so ah's like to get to know him. It helps that he has his cute moments, unlike you Thunderlane," Applejack said with a smug grin. Before anyone could say anything else Spitfire spoke up. "Mrs. Silvermane didn't tell us much about the knew teacher, but this Spike the dragon. Is he purple with green frills? used to live in Canterlot a few years ago? Spits green flame?" Everyone nearly stopped when they heard Spitfire's question. Twilight was the first one to speak up. "How do you know he has green flames? He hasn't breathed fire at the school yet." Everyone then looked at Twilight. "So it IS him," Spitfire said as she picked up her pace. "Spike has green flames?!" Gabby asked in shock. "Yes he does," Twilight said before noticing that Spitfire was far ahead of them now. "That's so cool!" Gabby said with an excited glint in her eyes. By the time the rest of the class began to pick up their pace to match Spitfire Spike could be seen talking, or rather getting yelled at, by their other teacher, Snowflake. "HELLO!" Snowflake yelled, despite Spike being well within talking distance. "Hi," Spike said as he covered his ear fins, the sudden and unneeded yelling having hurt. "SORRY!" Snowflake replied with a smile. "I apologize if I offend you, but must you always yell?" Spike asked as he continued to hold his ear fins. "YES! MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME TO PUT MY ALL IN EVERYTHING EVEN MY VOICE!" Snowflake said as he pounded his chest once with his clenched hand. "Then why were you talking, and not yelling at Spitfire?" "BECAUSE SHE SCARES ME!" Snowflake said with an odd look of pride on his face. "Is being scared of her anything to be proud of?" Spike asked curiously. "YES, BECAUSE SHE IS THE ONLY pony that scares me," Snowflake said as he returned to a talking voice mid sentence, confusing Spike. Spike got his answer as to why Snowflake quieted down when an arm wrapped around spike's shoulders, and an all too familiar laugh was heard behind him. He sighed as Spitfire began to messily toy with the fins on top of Spike's head. If he had a mane she'd practically be giving him a noogie. "Yes Spitfire?" Spike asked in a rather unenthused tone. "Aww, what's the matter? Somepony got your panties in a bunch?" She teased as the rest of the class caught up. "No, it's just that I dislike being in headlocks!" Spike spat back as he tried to get out of her grasp, which proved futile. Spitfire laughed as she kept her tight hold on him. "Spike! How are you so close to Spitfire?!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she saw her favorite teacher being all buddy buddy with Spike. "I would like to know that too," Gabby said as she popped up from behind Rainbow Dash. Spitfire grinned at their questions. "Oh, that's easy. A few years ago Spike worked for the Wonderbolts while we were in Canterlot. He was so fun to tease back then," She said before letting Spike go. Spike saw the blank stares on half of the class as they were seemingly trying to process the information. The only ones who weren't in such a state are those who didn't seem to care about it all too much, like Rarity or Twilight. "Yeah, the pay was phenomenal, but I didn't like the constant teasing. Despite all that, it wasn't all bad, being a gofer had it's perks," He finished with a slight grin. "Um, aren't gophers little burrowing rat like things?" Rainbow Dash asked, which caused Spike, Spitfire, Twilight and few others in the class to facepalm. "Rainbow Dash, the gopher you're talking about is spelled with a ph while the gofer I'm talking about is spelled with an f instead. Gofer with a f is someone who runs around getting someone what they want. If it was lunchtime I'd run down to a food place of their choosing and pick up some food. If someone wanted a water bottle, a towel or whatever I went to get them it," Spike explained with a chuckle, finding it slightly amusing that Rainbow Dash didn't know what a gofer was. Spitfire was about to say something when Snowflake tapped her on the shoulder. "Isn't it about time we start class?" He asked. Spitfire nodded before picking her whistle up and blowing through it. "Alright! Everyone gather around the starting line, we're going to test your endurance!" She said before blowing through her whistle again. As everyone ran off to the starting positions Spike saw Spitfire point to the bleachers nearby. It didn't take him any time to know that she was ordering him to sit on the bleachers, not that he would argue. Once seated he watched as Spitfire was supervising the Pegasi and Gryphons while Snowflake was busy overseeing those who couldn't fly. Spike watched as the class did their warm-ups and moved on to competing in activities. Everyone was always moving and having fun and it made Spike smile. He always did like watching people being happy. He wanted to participate, but figured that Spitfire didn't let him join in with his class as he didn't have any clothes fit for gym. That's when it hit him, would it really be okay if he did join in? Spike began to let his eyes wander as he was becoming bored with sitting on the bleachers. His eyes wandered to Twilight, who was in a simple white t-shirt and dark blue shorts that came down to her knees, and then to Gabby. Twilight was busy playing soccer while Gabby was busy playing cloud volleyball. His smile couldn't help but widen a tad as he watched those two specifically having fun. Before he knew it though he heard Spitfire blow her whistle. Almost every pony and gryphon on the field was panting somewhat heavily as they stopped their respective sports. "Alright everyone, that was good. Now, everyone go get changed!" She ordered before making her way over to spike. "So, did you like the show?" She asked with a sly grin on her face. Spike nodded a bit with a smile still on his face. "Yeah. I wish I could've joined them though, but it was fun nonetheless to watch them have fun," He admitted. Spitfire adopted a conflicting look as she listened to spike. "Look, Spike. The dean had requested that you see a doctor before participating in any sports with your class," She explained. "Oh for the love of..." Spike said with a sigh. "I'm going to have to have a talk with her. That aside, next is lunch correct?" "Yes. Indulge me, but what is she worried about?" Spit fire asked out of curiosity. "Sorry, but that's not something I feel like sharing. Suffice it to say that I spent some time in the hospital and when people see that in my medical history they get nervous," Spike explained, earning a smile and a nod from Spitfire. "Well if it's nothing you worry about then I guess I should trust you then and not worry about it," She said with a smile, earning a chuckle from spike. "I'd appreciate it. I get enough mother henning back home from my mom," Spike said with another chuckle. "Yeah, that can be a bit overwhelming. Well, if you're fine here all by yourself then I'm going to go talk to Snowflake. He's been lagging behind in his paperwork. He's got a lot of brawn and no brains, how the hell did he become a teacher?" Spitfire said, asking that last bit more to herself than anyone in particular before heading off. Spike let out a content sigh before an all too familiar presence could be felt behind Spike. He dared not move as once again he was frozen in fear. The seconds seemed to last for minutes and the minutes into hours. Spike was practically screaming in his mind for someone to come to his rescue. He hated this feeling of helplessness, but there was nothing he knew of that he could do about it. Yes, he knew it was a hallucination but that didn't seem to make any difference. It wasn't until Spike force himself to slowly look behind him, and at the shadowy figure, that the hallucination ended. Spike was panting heavily as he returned his attention back to the field. He was now beginning to panic as he felt as if the hallucinations would continue to grow, despite the meds he was taking. His attention was brought to the school as he heard the bell ring. He wasted no time in getting up and heading away from the bleachers. He was a bit hungry, but he had business to attend to first, so he headed for Cadance's office. Spike was quickly allowed entrance to Cadance's office by the receptionist. He figured that he was allowed constant access if Cadance was in. He was greeted with a "Come in." When he knocked on the door. Cadance smiled ear from ear as Spike entered the room. "Spike, to what do... I... What's wrong?" She asked as her smile faded quickly. Spike wasn't aware that his expression was abnormal, but sighed as he didn't feel like hiding it. "Just another hallucination. Going to have to send mom a letter to see if I can get an increased dosage of my meds." Cadance looked a little worried as he told her what has happened. "Have they been getting worse?" Spike nodded. "Yeah. In these last few days I've had more hallucinations than in the last half year, but anyways, that's not why i'm here," Spike said as he waved his problem off with a claw. "Oh? And what is?" Cadance asked, with some worry still on her face. "Gabby. She told me that last year she beat up a few ponies about four times as they tried to forcefully get into her pants. If that is what happened I was wanting to see about getting her strikes revoked," Spike explained, which caused Cadance to let out a deep sigh. "Normally I'd love to, but unfortunately the ringleader is the son of an aristocrat in Canterlot who just so happens to be on the board of education and has a lot of sway. He said that if I don't punish gabby for beating up his son he'd make sure that the school doesn't receive it's funding, and I don't believe I have to tell you what'll happen then," Cadance explained. Spike knew all too well what'll happen if a school doesn't receive it's funding. School can't pay for repairs and while it doesn't seem to be a huge threat immediately, a school like this is so high maintenance that in a year or two the school would be in shambles, more or less. "That's a load of crap!" Spike exclaimed. Cadance nodded sadly. "Yes, and there's nothing I can do about it. The only way to revoke those strikes would be for the son to be suspended or expelled for some reason. Unfortunately he keeps his nose clean as a whistle," She said with a sigh. What she told him about the student made the gears in his mind turn, and form a plan. "Cadance, this kid, was he born and raised in Canterlot?" He asked curiously. "Yes, why?" She asked curiously. "Born and raised as a son of an influential aristocrat of Canterlot," Spike said with a grin on his face. Cadance still wasn't catching on. "He must have a pretty low outlook on dragons huh?" He asked rhetorically, giving Cadance the last hint she needed. "You can't be... If what i'm thinking you're thinking then it won't work. They didn't get physical with Gabby so they know how to keep their noses clean. Even if you were attacked by them they won't do so in an open spot," Cadance objected. Her objection made spike only smile wider. "Well, what if the spot they think is secluded from any spying cameras isn't? And to top it off, what do you think will happen if a rumor goes around that someone is in heat and off the pill and they're with me a dragon?" Spike asked curiously. "Let's say, for the sake of argument that this goes off without a hitch and they guide you two to a secluded spot, surely they'd know you're a teacher. After all you're our first dragon teacher, and news like that gets around." Spike chuckled a bit at Cadance's concern. "Oh trust me Cadance. I know how to ruffle a few Canterlot feathers. All I need to do is get them suspended to revoke Gabby's strikes. If they get expelled that's just a plus," He said with grin. Cadance thought for a minute before sighing. "Ok, now the only problem is the cameras. We can't just rearrange the cameras we have, that'll rise suspicion that we set them up. That means we'll have to get new cameras, and more than one to avoid suspicion. And we don't have the budget for new cameras. We can get it in time, but if you want those strikes gone anytime soon then we'll need the money soon," Cadance said with a sigh. "No problem," Spike said as he brought out his checkbook. "Would this do?" He asked as he handed her the written out check. "Should do and then some," She said with a small grin. "You know, with how low tech you like to be I sometimes forget you're Celestia's son." Spike shrugged and laughed a bit. "Hey, It's harder to leave a trail with low tech stuff in this high tech world. Hence why I've kept my identity a secret for so long," He said with a sly grin. "Ok, well I'll got on this after school lets out, and let you know when everything is set up. In the mean time I want you to find someone to go along with this, and please be discrete," She asked. "You really think I'm going to paint a big banner with 'help me deceive the fuck muppet' and drape it on the side of the building?" He asked, making Cadance laugh. "Fuck muppet? Where in Tartarus did you learn that?" She asked as she wiped away a tear while still giggling. Spike shrugged with a smug grin. "Meh. You learn a thing or two when people don't think you're listening." "Whooo, ok. Well, I think you should get back to lunch." "Ok, see you later Cadance," Spike said as he headed for the door. "See you later Casanova," Cadance said as spike left the room. Spike blinked at what Cadance called him. He let out a sigh as that was probably a slip up on her part. He really hoped that he wasn't making more sparks for her to see. One was bad enough, but more? He was not ready for that. He let out a happy sigh as he made it to the cafeteria and got his food with barely enough time to spare. Some were already leaving but he saw an empty spot next to Twilight. As he approached the table he saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy at the table as well. He didn't want to intrude on their conversation, so he stopped as he hesitated. Twilight, however, spotted him and waved him over. "I don't mean to intrude," Spike said as Twilight made a motion for him to sit down beside her. "Ya don't have to worry about that. It's not like we were speaking about anything private," Applejack stated as spike began to eat. "I see, thanks," Spike said, making sure his mouth was empty first. "Spike, Have you spoken with Cadance yet?" Twilight asked curiously. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Why did you do that for Gabby? Not that I think it's a bad thing," Rainbow Dash said as she leaned back a bit in her chair. "Well, Gabby told me about her strikes and how she got them and I think that it's a load of bull," Spike said bluntly. "I couldn't agree with you more, darling. She was in the right, but those hooligans must have some leverage over the dean," Rarity spat in agreement. "What leverage could they have?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "Probably something like blackmail," Rainbow Dash suggested. "Oh come now Rainbow, he couldn't threaten the dean and you know it," Applejack said before Spike held up a claw. "Actually, Rainbow Dash is closer than you think," Spike said, shocking everyone, including Rainbow Dash. "She is?" Twilight asked as she looked at Spike. "She is?" Rarity asked as she looked at Rainbow Dash. "I am?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she looked at Spike. "Yes. While junior doesn't have the power to threaten Cadance, his father does. His father is a prominent member of the board of education. He can make it so that the school doesn't get it's yearly funding and then in a year or two this school will be in shambles," Spike explained. "Why that rotten no good scoundrel!" Rarity exclaimed, followed by the others around the table with similar remarks. "I know, but don't worry. We have something cooking up to get her strikes revoked," Spike said casually as he continued on with his meal. "Oh? What is it?" Twilight asked with a smile. "I can't say much at this point, but let's just say that if all goes well then junior will suffer some repercussions for his actions," Spike said with a rather malicious smile. Twilight's smile faded when she saw the look on Spike's face. "Spike, what are you planning?" She asked sternly. "Oh no, nu-uh. I'm not saying a thing. Cadance did agree with it after all," Spike said simply. Twilight stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Ok, well, just make sure the whole plan doesn't go overboard. ok?" Twilight asked softly. Spike's smile turned warm as he turned to Twilight. "I can't promise that I won't go overboard, but I promise that I'll try to not go overboard," He said, before Twilight wrapped him in a hug. The hug didn't last long as a uncontrolled "Aww" From both Fluttershy and Rarity was heard. The embarrassing situation made both Spike and Twilight blush. "Hey, now that you two are done hugging, I have a question. Spike, why do you keep calling the dean by her name?" Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight and Spike both visibly froze at the question. Spike, however was able to recover rather quickly. "Well, on occasion when Twilight would help me with my homework Cadance would come by. Wasn't she you're foalsitter?" Spike asked. "Yes. From what I recall you two did talk some but it seemed that you left a lasting impression, despite that," Twilight answered, having recovered from her shocked stated and was slowly recovering from her blushing. "That makes sense," Applejack said with a grin that she adopted when Spike and Twilight hugged. After that everypony began to talk amongst each other, as Spike ate, until the bell sounded for lunch's end. Once everyone was back in class Spike let out a sigh and waited for the next teacher, which he didn't have to wait long. Before the bell even rang a purple-ish pink earth mare walked into the classroom. Her mane was grayish pink with pale pink stripes. She was dressed in a simple white blouse with a black pencil skirt that came down to her knees. "Hello there. You must be Mr. Spike Wyrven. I'm Ms. Cheerilee, I teach philosophy," She said introducing herself with a hand outstretched. "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Cheerilee," Spike said with a smile as he shook her hand. "Likewise. I must say I'm pleasantly surprised that a teacher as young as you are working here," She said as the bell rang. "Oh really? Why's that?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, being a teacher so young means that you must be quite smart. I'd figure that such a teacher would choose to work at a more prestigious school first, like Canterlot U, or Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. Well, more for non magic studies in the latter," She said with a smile. "I will admit, I had received Invitations from them, but It just didn't feel right," Spike explained. "I see. Well, thank you for clearing that up for me," Cheerilee said with a smile. "Now let us begin class," She add before turning back to the class. Spike expected the class to be boring, Celestia knows he found his college Philosophy class boring, But she managed to make it fun and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Spike continued to watch the class as unsurprisingly Twilight tried to participate the most. He always did wander just what drove Twilight to be so gung ho about learning and scoring good grades. Spike wasn't about to say it was a bad trait, just that he was curious about why she was like that. Just as quickly as the class started the bell rang for the class to end. Cheerilee smiled as she waved goodbye to the class before leaving. Soon after she left the rest of the class began to leave to go to their extracurricular classes. Spike would've took this time to go back to his room and write a letter to his mother, but Rarity tapping him on the shoulder told him otherwise. "Yes Rarity?" Spike asked as he looked up at Rarity. "Yesterday I asked if you could come with me to make some clothes for you, correct? Well, you can come now as we're allowed to do that during class since it does help with our grade," Rarity explained with a smile. Spike thought for a moment before nodding and getting up. "Ok then. lead the way Lady Rarity," Spike said with a small grin. The sound of 'lady' Rarity made Rarity giggle slightly. "Flattery will get you nowhere darling," She said before leading him to the room used by the fashion class. Once inside he was greeted with the sight of a catwalk in the center of the room with sewing tables and changing rooms lining the walls. He could see that there were several students working at the sewing machines with bolts of fabric as well as other students taking measurements of what Spike guessed were clients. In the middle of the room a dark gray earth mare with a grayish pink mane. She wore a light pink jacket with a white blouse underneath, which was adorned with a jabot. Her pants were also a light pink and she had a sash that was a tad darker than her jacket and pants. All of her clothes seemed to have a vintage feel to it. He could also tell that she was the teacher as she seemed to be quite a bit older than any of the students here. "Ms. Hemline, I have brought a client today," Rarity said as they got close to the teacher. Ms. Hemline gave Spike a look over before nodding. "Very well then. I await to see what kind of designs you come up with Rarity." Rarity nodded before guiding Spike over to what he assumed was her workstation. "Ok, now i'm going to need to take some measurements so please undress to your undergarments," Rarity requested as she pointed to the dressing room. Spike hesitated as this brought up a subject that he thought he wouldn't have with the fashionista. "Um, Rarity, Small problem with that. Most dragons don't wear underwear." Spike's words made Rarity blush hard. "So.. um.." "Don't worry," Spike said as he held his hands up a bit. "The reason we don't wear anything is because even if we are naked you won't see anything, as everything is internal," He added, making her blush a little harder. "Well, nevertheless, undress to the point to which you are comfortable," She said as she went to her table to grab a few things. Spike nodded as he went into the changing room. He took off his jacket and shirt, but left his pants on as he was uncomfortable with being fully naked in here. Sure she wouldn't see anything, but it seemed that the thought made her uncomfortable. He still didn't like having his shirt off in front of people he didn't know, but he felt as though she wanted to get exact measurements. "Alright darling. Comfortable?" Rarity asked as she stepped into the dressing room with him. She smiled as she saw that he chose to keep his pants on. She didn't know if it was out of modesty or what, but she did appreciate it. Spike turned his head so that he could see rarity behind him, and nodded. "Well, as comfortable as I can be right now," He said while keeping his chest pointed away from Rarity. "Good, now please turn around so I can start taking measurements," She said as she eyed his back. She had always been under the impression that dragons were muscly creatures who were consumed by greed. Her image of a dragon's mind had shattered as she heard about Spike from twilight, and their little talk on the balcony. Her image of dragons being ripped was shattered as she looked at Spike, as he had almost no muscle tone only the faint outline of one. Spike was hesitant to turn around, but with a defeated sigh he turned around. As he expected he saw her eyes dart to his chest, or more specifically his scar. He could see her eyes widen as she saw his scar. This is why he didn't like having his shirt off in front of people, especially ponies. It should go without saying that this was the sole reason why he never got custom clothes. So why was he doing it now? Spike didn't know. "H-how-" "If it's ok with you, I'd rather not talk about it," Spike quickly interrupted Rarity. She chose to respect his privacy and began to take his measurements. It didn't take her very long to get the measurements of his torso once she started. It was almost like she was a totally different pony than before. His lower measurements took a spite longer than they normally would have, but that was because Rarity was careful not to touch anyplace 'inappropriate'. Once she was done with her measurements she smiled and rolled up her tape measure. "Thank you, you may get dressed now," She said, keeping her eyes locked onto his. Spike guessed that she did that to avoid looking at his scar. Spike did as he was told before exiting the dressing room. "Ok, about how long should it take?" Spike asked as he saw Rarity already drawing something down. "I should have the first suit ready in no time. Sit down or talk to MS. Hemline until I call you over for a final fitting," Rarity said before crumpling up the paper and began to draw on a new one. Spike nodded before looking around the room, and at the various students. He wasn't all too surprised to find that there was a cash register here, which made him wander just how much it would cost him to get a suit here. The thought of talking with Ms. Hemline didn't even cross his mind until he saw her staring out him. When their eyes met Ms. Hemline made a motion for him to come over, which he did. "Yes?" Spike asked as he stopped right next to her. "You seem quite differently than what I imagined," Ms. Hemline said rather oddly. "Excuse me?" "When Mrs. Silvermane told me that a dragon was taking her place I was more than a bit surprised. I'm not too surprised though as princess Celestia had made it clear that she was trying to get more non-ponies as teachers, and dean Cadance had always advocated a good mix of species as teachers. So far you seem more mouse than dragon, not that that's a bad thing," Ms. Hemline said with a slight smile. "Thanks Ms. Hemline... I think?" Spike replied a bit confused. "Please, just call me Prim," She said before patting him on the shoulder. "Ok, Prim," Spike said a little uneasy about using her first name since he's been using everyone's last name, as far as fellow teachers go. "Think nothing of it. Tell me, how do you like it here so far?" "I like it so far. A few bad apples, but that's normal isn't it?" "Indeed so," Prim Hemline said with a smile. "Do you-" "Mr. Wyrven, may I please have you try on an outfit?" Rarity asked as she had approach Spike from behind. "Oh! uh sure," Spike replied before being handed an outfit and heading to the changing room. It didn't occur to spike what she had made until he was wearing it. It was a dark blue, almost purple, cloth vest with a matching pair of slacks and a teal long sleeve button up. She had done this so quick he was impressed. When he stepped out he saw Prim Hemline smirking and Rarity was already at his side jotting down some notes on a clipboard. "Ok. You can change back. How did you like it?" She asked as Spike went back to change into his normal suit. "Definitely not what I was expecting, but good. You were also faster than greased lightning to make this so fast," Spike said as he was in the middle of changing. "Thank you darling. I shall have a few outfits made and sent over to you. You may pay at the register," Rarity said before taking the folded clothes from spike, who was holding them up for her. "Ok, and thank you Rarity," Spike said before heading towards the register, which Prim Hemline was already at. "That'll be one hundred bits for the whole order," Prim Hemline said, making Spike's eyes bug out for a second. "Just that? Holy Tartarus. Something like that could easily cost seven times that normally," Spike said bewildered as he handed over the bits. "I know," She said with a smile before handing Spike a receipt. "Well, have a nice day," She said as Spike began to leave. "You too Prim," Spike said a little louder than normal, but nothing like a shout. Spike still heard a gasp or two and felt more than a few eyes on him. Prim Hemline seemed to have noticed that too before she looked around for a second. "What are you staring at? Back to your projects!" She ordered. Spike sighed as he sat down at the desk in his room. He had only a few things left today he needed to do, but unfortunately most of them would have to wait until after the final classes ended. In the meantime Spike grabbed a piece of paper and a pen end began to write his letter to his mom. Dear mom, Things are going good so far, well with my class anyways. Me and Cadance are working together to get the strikes of one of my students removed. She seems rather sweet, so it's a shame that she's badgered by jackwagons. Mentally, however, things are not going so good. My Hallucinations seemed to have changed. They've become more current and now there's only one apparition, but this one has been putting me on edge more so than the crowds from before. It feels like it's stalking me. Can you please ask the doctor to up the dosage of my anti-hallucinogen meds? Sincerely Spike Solaris. P.S. There will be a withdraw from my account. I gave Cadance a check to by some things needed to help with getting Gabby's strikes removed. I know that she has the vast majority of her money tied up in this school, hence the check. Spike looked the letter over again before rolling it up and blowing his magic flame onto it. He smiled as he saw it turn to dust and fly away to Canterlot. Seeing as he had some downtime now he went over to the couch and lay down. He rested his eyes until there was a knocking at the door. "Yes?" Spike called out as he sat back up. "Spike, it's me," Twilight said from the other side of the door. "It's unlocked." Spike smiled as Twilight entered his room. Seeing where he was she moved to sit beside him. "So, how was your day?" Twilight asked with a smile. "It was good," Spike said with a smile. "Really? So how did your thanks with Gilda go?" Spike sighed before groaning. "She and Gabby set me up." Twilight's ears perked up when she heard what happened. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked as she turned her body a little to face him a bit more. Spike sighed before recounting what happened. From the licking and teasing to the deal and even his reaction. Twilight was a bit wide-eyed when she hear what the two had done, but she couldn't fault them for it. "And all that after she saw me yelling at an Hallucination," Spike ended with a groan, not catching his slip-up. Twilight now looked at spike worriedly. "Spike, what do you mean Hallucination?" Spike went silent as Twilight caught his slip up and confronted him about it. "Twilight, you said you wanted to catch up, and I know I want to as well. Twilight, promise me that everything we talk about in here never leaves this room, ok? This is the only way I can be honest," Spike requested. Twilight was really worried about spike. "Spike, you can talk to me about anything. If you don't want me to tell anypony else then I won't. I promise." Spike nodded before sighing. "Twilight, several years ago I was attacked and sustained two injuries," Spike said before turning so she could see the back of his head and the faint scar there. "This one wasn't too bad outwardly, but gave me a TBI," Spike explained before turning back to Twilight. "I spent the next year learning how to walk again. Around that time that's when my hallucinations started. It was, and still is, scary. I'm on meds to help, but even they can only go so far." Twilight was now looking in her lap while fiddling with her fingers. "Spike, you said that your head injury was one of the injuries. What's the second one?" She asked rather quietly. Spike hesitated before he began to unbutton his shirt. "Spike! What are you doing?!" Twilight asked rather quickly, blushing from seeing spike starting to undress in front of her. "The second scar is on my chest," Spike explained before continuing. Whatever embarrassment Twilight was feeling about their situation turned to sadness and sympathy as she saw his scar. She knew dragons were hard to harm, and to leave a scar that would last years on a dragon couldn't be done by accident. Someone wanted him dead. "When did this happen?" Twilight asked as her emotions turned her mind into a mess. She couldn't decide if she wanted to cry for him, be angry at his assailants or to be happy that he survived. "It was on Cadance and Shining's wedding day." Twilight was silent for a moment before speaking. "So the reason why she left was..." "Because I was in the hospital, yes." "I see. What happened to those who attacked you?" Spike shrugged. "I don't know. Mom won't speak to me about it and there was never really an investigation as far as I could tell. I'm guessing they were easily caught or something, otherwise mom would be furious about the halfhearted investigation." Twilight nodded as her emotions were finally starting to calm down a little. "Ok, but back to the hallucinations how bad are they?" Spike sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's hard to say. When they first started there were crowds with disembodied voices, but over time the size of the crowd died down as did the voices and they happened further and further apart. Recently, however, they've began to flare back up. There are no crowds this time, just one figure," Spike said he began to subconsciously twiddle his thumbs. Twilight may not have seen him in years, but she had only seen him actually twiddle his thumbs when he was anxious. "If it's just one figure than it should be easier than a group right?" Twilight asked. Spike slowly shook his head. "You'd think that, but no. Well, it was easier than a group up until a couple days ago. It has gotten to the point where it feels like this figure is hunting me. Before whenever I'd see a figure it would be facing a random direction, but this figure has always been facing me. Once I see it i'm too afraid to move my legs. Heck right near the end of P.E. was my most recent one, and I didn't have to see it to become petrified with fear. It felt like it was breathing down my back and-" He was cutoff when he felt a pair of slender arms around him. When he looked he saw Twilight hugging him. "Oh Spike," Twilight started as she rubbed the side of her muzzle against his shoulder. She was scared for him as his nervous tics became worse. She knew he was scared and wanted him to feel safe so this was the only thing she could think of. "Please, Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Spike smiled softly before reaching out and hugged her, pulling her into his lap in the process. Unlike Gabby, Gilda and Pinkie Pie, Twilight was sitting in his lap sideways. Spike rubbed her back as Twilight began to nuzzle the side of his neck. They both sat there contently before spike began to nibble on her mane. He didn't know why he liked doing that with her, but he just did. It might have something to do with the fact that her hair made his tongue tingle. Twilight on the other hand smiled as she felt Spike begin to nibble on her hair. She didn't know why but she found this a bit comforting. "Mmm Spike, Why do you like nibbling on my hair?" She asked curiously. "I don't know. I just do, and oddly I only like doing it to your hair," Spike said before giving her neck a nibble which made Twilight squeal slightly and giggle. "Tasty, but not as much as your hair," Spike said which made Twilight blush. "Spike, If you're going to do that then we better go on a date first," Twilight teased with a grin. Spike thought for a moment before smiling. "Ok then. How about tomorrow?" Spike suggested, which made Twilight blush harder. "Why tomorrow and not the day after?" Twilight asked nervously. "Well the day after is Saturday and my mom is wanting to spend the day with me since it's been so long since we've spoken face to face," Spike admitted. Celestia made it abundantly clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer this time around. "You can come with if you like, but she'd be here around evening and probably well into the night." Twilight thought for a second before smiling. "Ok, i'll think about joining you and Celestia, but Tomorrow's a date. I know a few good places around the nearby town since I doubt you've been there," She said with a smile. "I'd love that, although I do have one question; Formal wear or casual?" "Casual. Let's leave the Formal dates until later," Twilight responded before a knocking was heard at his door. "Yes?" Spike called out. "Spike it's me. I've got your first suit," Rarity responded. "It's unlocked," He said as Twilight hopped off his lap as Rarity opened the door. Rarity wasn't blind as she saw Spike buttoning up his shirt while Twilight was next to him with a large blush on her cheeks. "Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "N-no you're not," Twilight responded. "Ok, Spike, I want you to try this on and tell me how it fits," Rarity said as she handed him the clothes. Spike smiled as he got up and took the clothed. "Ok, I'll be right back." As he entered the bedroom he noticed that they were the same clothes as before. When he changed into them he noticed that there were some changes made and it felt better. When he re-entered the living room he got a whistle from Twilight. "So, how does it feel? Does it need any adjustments?" Rarity asked. Spike decided to go through a wide range of movements before smiling at Rarity. "It feels great! I doesn't feel like it need adjustments. Thank you rarity." "No problem Darling. Since you're happy with it I will return tomorrow after classes with the rest of the clothes." "Um Rarity, about that. I won't be here after classes, well at least not for very long. If you want you can leave them on the bed. I'll leave the door unlocked," Spike suggested. Rarity thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright then. I will leave the clothes here. Oh, Twilight, before I forget could you meet me after I bring Mr. Wyrven's clothes? I'd like to chat and have some tea if you wouldn't mind." Twilight blushed a little harder. "Actually Rarity I won't be here either." The blushing gave the date away a bit as Rarity grinned widely. "Oh? Is that so? So tell me darling, who's the lucky stallion?" Rarity asked struggling to contain her excitement. "Rarity," Twilight groaned. "Oh I'm sorry, Is it a mare? I apologize if I've offended you." "Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed as her blush intensified. "That's even more embarrassing and also not true," She said before looking to Spike for help, only to give the answer away. Rarity squealed for a second before regaining her self control. "Say no more," Rarity said as she brought her hands together. "But Twilight, after your date, you must simply tell me how it went. Well then ta-ta for now!" Rarity said as she left the room with a large grin plastered on her face. Spike and Twilight sighed as they were now the only two in the room. "Well, I best go back to my room. I have some things I need to read over before tomorrow. Sorry we couldn't catch up like I had planned for us," Twilight said sadly as she got up. Spike walked over and embraced her in a big hug, "Twilight, you've done more for me this night than you know. For that I thank you," Spike said with a smile. "Oh stop it," Twilight said before partaking in the embrace for a minute, before wiggling out of his arms. "Well, I'll meet you back here after I shower tomorrow," She said before heading for the door. "Ok see you then. Oh! If you see Gabby out there tell her I'd like to speak with her. It's about her strikes," Spike said, getting a nod for Twilight. Spike sat on the couch to wait. He didn't have to wait long after as both Gabby and Gilda entered his room. Gabby had practically blew the door off it's hinges, while Gilda was a lot more calm. Spike was half expecting Gabby's reaction but Gilda's presence was unexpected, but not unwelcome. "Hey. I brought Gilda, along. I hope that's not an issue," Gabby said with a smile "No it's not an issue," Spike said with a wave of his hand. Gabby smiled at his reaction before Gilda spoke up. "So, was it good news?" Gilda asked, cutting right to the point. Spike sighed and shrugged. "It's not purely good new, but it's not bad news. We can't outright remove your strikes else the school will lose it's funding for a year or more. That's the power of the kids father, and even Cadance hates it. Now we have a plan brewing to get your strikes removed," Spike explained. He wasn't at all surprised by their looks of concern. "What's this 'plan'?" Gilda asked suspiciously. "Well. Cadance is going to be getting a new shipments of cameras soon. She'll let me know if any of the very secluded spots are now covered by one of the cameras. Then it's a matter of luring the brats there and getting them to beat the shit out of me on camera. Preferably making it look like I wasn't provoking them," Spike said as he now faced to wide-eyed gryphons. "Wow I didn't know you had it in you," Gilda said with a grin. "Mr. Wyrven, I can't let you get hurt for me!" Gabby said as she was visibly worried for him. "Gabby. Come this upcoming heat season they'll most likely come for you again, and they may get a bit physical because if you beat them up again you may get kicked out. They know this and they'll probably try to use that as leverage against you. I will not stand by as one of my students are harassed in such a fashion," Spike stated, seeing both gryphons adopt a small smile. "Now nothing is finalized at the moment, so for now just know that we are working to remove your strikes Gabby." Gabby tried to launch herself at Spike to hug him, but she was held in place by Gilda. "Thank you. Well, I might as well bring Gabby back to her room," Gilda said as she practically dragged Gabby out of the room. Spike sighed as he got up and headed for bed. He was tired now, and his day was done. He let out a sigh before slipping into the sheets and drifting off to sleep. Celestia let out a yawn as she was in the study with her sister. "Tired sister?" Luna asked with a smile. "A little. Maybe I should turn in," Celestia pondered aloud. "I do believe you should. After all I don't think the public would like to see their beloved princess of the sun looking like the dark side of the moon," Luna said with a grin. Celestia stared at Luna and grinned at her joke. "Oh haha dear sister, but you do have a point. I'll turn-" She was cut off as a letter materialized in front of her from green flames. "Oh! A letter from Spike? Did he laugh about knowing how you got covered in his chewed up food?" Luna asked with a giggle as Celestia gave her the stink eye. "I swear lulu, you're jokes are..." Celestia started before going dead silent. Luna may not have known what was written on the paper, but she knew when something was heavily troubling her sister. "What's wrong Tia?" Luna asked as she moved to her sister's side. Celestia said nothing but instead handed Luna the letter and left the room. Celestia was already white so nopony could tell how pale she had become from reading the letter. She knew exactly what was wrong with Spike, but being an alicorn there was little to nothing she could do now; now that Spike has been found. There was only one person who could help Spike now. Celestia didn't want to ask for her help, but she was out of options. Time was no longer on their side. She let out a sigh as she stood in front of a statue in the garden. A statue of a being that had different parts from different species. "I'd never thought I'd have to do this. I know you can hear me now please listen to my request, Eris." Author's Note Fuck me sideways with a canoe. This took far longer to write. For some reason I get stuck on simple things. The biggest ones this time was how to have Gilda act and Spitfire's 'relationship' with Spike. *I kept losing track what day it was so I edited it so that it'd be correct.*
Chapter 7: The accidentAuthor's Note I apologize for the massive delay, this chapter was a nightmare from start to finish. Chapter 7: The accident Spike grumbled as he slowly began to wake up. His mind forced his body to force himself out from underneath the covers. He didn't want to get up as the bed was nice and warm while the room was quite cool. He mumbled some incoherent things as he made his way to the bathroom for a shower, hoping that a warm shower would wake him up. After his shower he made his way to the living room where his new outfit was waiting for him. This was the first time in a long time that he had walked around his 'home' in such a state. It wasn't too inappropriate here as nothing was showing. Once he was in the living room two things caught his eye. One was his suit, which he left there for today. The other thing was a gift wrapped box. His curiosity overcoming him he made his way to the present first. It was small, small enough to fit a cheap headset in it, and the wrapping paper was a different color per side, and had white pokadots. The ribbon was a gradiant of multiple colors with no distinguishable pattern. He looked around to see if any windows were open or the door was unlocked. Seeing as how nothing seemed out of the ordinary spike began to cautiously open the package. However the second he untied the bow the box blew open in a massive cloud of confetti and smoke, sending him onto his rear. "OOOOOHHHH YEEEESSSS!! I'M BAAAAAACK! AHAHAHAHA!" A feminine voice laughed from within the smoke. The smoke was thick enough to act as a smoke screen, but not enough to hide the figure inside. He could tell by the voice alone that the person in question was female, but the feminine figure in the smoke nailed the point home. The silhouette would've boggled a normal pony as it seemed to be a mismatch of parts. What bothered him wasn't the one lion and one gryphon paw, nor was it the one pony and one lizard leg, but it was the fact that he had seen her before. From her one goat and one deer horn, to her dragon-like tail and even her snagglefang. He also highly doubted that anyone with any sanity would willing wear a patchwork dress, with the patches being made of all types of fabrics and colors. The problem lay in the fact that when he saw her last she was a stone statue. "E-eris," Spike stammered. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little scared. From what his mom told him Eris was quite the formidable foe back in the day. Eris grinned widely as it would seem that Spike did indeed remember her, as she had hoped. "Yep that's me! Eris!" She exclaimed with joy as her name appeared in a puff of pink smoke above her head. "Your friendly neighborhood spirit of chaos." "Wh-what are you doing here?" Spike asked somewhat curiously as he tried to find a way out of this predicament. "Your dear mother Celestia made a deal with me," Eris said before summoning a pair of reading glasses and a scroll in a puff of smoke. "By signing this document I hereby agree to the terms below until Spike Solaris and Celestia Solaris agree that I have filled my role to the letter. One; I am to go to Equestria United and serve as a teacher's assistant to one Spike Solaris, A.K.A. Spike Wyrven. Two; I am to help him with any hallucination related scares he may have. And in exchange for complying with these two terms I shall have complete freedom, until I harm anyone pony or otherwise, after the agreement has been fulfilled. During my term as Spike's Assistant I must say within the school grounds or beside at all times. If Spike calls for me or has a hallucination I must be there immediately to assist him," Eris read before giving Spike a grin before poofing the two items away. It took Spike a hot minute to realize what she was saying. "Wait, you're going to be my TA?" Spike asked curiously as continued to look up at Eris. "That's right. Now I would be delighted to see what kind of reaction people would have if the new teacher went to class naked, but I fear what Celly would do to me if I let that happen," She said as she pointed to Spike. When Spike looked down it donned on him that he had yet to get dressed. He embarrassingly covered himself as he made his way to his clothes and began to put them on. "Eris, I have a question: Why did my mom let you free? I highly doubt it's to be my TA and to just be a counselor for my hallucinations," Spike asked, more at ease with this than a normal pony, or dragon in this case, should be. "My my, you are an inquisitive dragon indeed. Such a difference to the young hatchling who'd every Sunday run around my feet drawing things and acting like a child. I did so look forward to when you'd talk to me," Eris said with a teasing tone in her voice. Spike slowly turned to Eris, wide-eyed and a massive blush on his face. "No. There is no way you could remember that, let alone see that," Spike said in a tone that made it seem like the world was about to end. "Oh but It's true. I do remember seeing and hearing you. Celly and lulu may have imprisoned me in stone but that doesn't mean that I was asleep for all those centuries. It was so boring that your regular routine of visiting the gardens and me made it so much more fun. I did so miss you when you suddenly left, but not before sharing that magazine with me," Eris said, punctuating the end of her sentence with a lick of her lips. Spike's pupils turned to pinpricks as embarrassment was now overwhelming him. "I'd appreciate it if you forgot about that," Spike said as he slowly resumed getting dressed. "Oooohhh no. I'm not going to forget about that anyyytime sooon," Eris teased as she hovered around him. "Who knows, maybe I'd like to return the favor, and imitate those girls." Spike turned to face her but she was already on her knees in a begging position with her mouth open as if to catch something. "So, how'd I do?" She asked with a wink as she kept the pose. Spike froze only for a second before he rushed for the door, slamming it behind him. As he began to walk from his room he could hear Eris laughing her tail off. As spike made his way to the elevator Twilight popped out of her room. Spike was thankful that she was fully dressed. He didn't want any company right now, but Twilight could do him a world of good as she was probably the only person here, except Cadance, who knew who Eris was. Once inside the elevator Twilight could tell something was bugging him, if the large fading blush was anything to go by. “Spike, is something wrong? Odd hallucination?” “No,” Spike said deadpan. “I wish it was though, that would make this easy. But because reality is a bitch, it's not,” spike ended with a sigh. Twilight cocked her head to the side as they began their decent. “What do you mean?” “We have a new TA, and her name is Eris,” Spike answered in a mockingly flamboyant fashion. Twilight was excited about there being a new TA, but was put off by Spike's attitude. What also piqued her interest was the name. “Really? What’s Eris like? Have you met her yet?” Spike slowly turned his head to her. “Twilight, you should know her as well. As does Celestia, Luna and Cadance,” Spike said, surprised that Twilight didn't get it the first try. Twilight went to deep thought as she tried to think of who it could be. Her mind was drawing a complete blank. If all of the princesses knew Eris then surely she must be a noble, but that's when something clicked. “Spike what species is she?” She asked as they exited the elevator. Spike grinned slightly as Twilight was catching on. “I believe the proper name for her species is: Draconious.” Twilight froze for second before hurrying next to him. “That Eris!? How is she free?! Does Cadance know?” Twilight asked in a rushed whisper. Spike sighed before nodding. “Yes Cadance does know, at least I assume she does. Apparently Celestia released her under a few conditions. One is being my TA here,” he said opting to not tell her about Eris being his counselor. Twilight was silent for a good bit before speaking up. “It seems Celestia is trying to reform Eris. How'd your first interaction go?” Twilight's rather innocent question, unfortunately, had a not so innocent answer and that made Spike blush. “She was a bit boisterous in her introduction, but it started off good. That ended when she began to get a little suggestive, and I quickly left the room.” Twilight had conflicting emotions about what Spike had told her. “What do you mean she got suggestive?” Twilight asked hoping that he was exaggerating a little. “Well to be put bluntly,” Spike said as he leaned in close so only she could hear. “She was kneeling in front of me with her hands cupped by her chin as if waiting for me to blow my load so she could catch it,” Spike whispered. Spike couldn't help but grin as he saw Twilight's face get swallowed up by a blush. “Y-you didn't-” “Nothing happened Twilight. She was just teasing me,” Spike said trying to reassure Twilight. “In all honesty I don't know if I should introduce her to the class. If she shows up then I will. Otherwise I'm going to clam up, at least for today.” Twilight nodded before freezing to the spot. They were almost to the class and there was Eris right outside the door. Thankfully there weren't any students really going to class this early, they would be in a few minutes but that gave the two time. “Ah! Spike!” Eris said as she spotted Spike and Twilight. “I wanted to inform you that I officially start on Monday. Until then I'll be attending your classes unseen. As per Celestia’s orders,” she said before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, leaving a watch floating where she was. Spike sighed before be reached for the watch. It wasn't half bad but the hands on the clock were Eris’s hands. So in essence Eris was telling the time. “This way I can watch you and the class without causing a disturbance,” The Eris watch said with a grin. “You can't be serious Spike!” Twilight objected beside Spike. “Who knows what kind of mischief she will get herself into, at your expense I might add!” “Twilight, listen. I highly doubted Eris is stupid enough to cause me enough mischief that it becomes unbearable. Mainly because Mom will do more than thrash Eris if any harm, physically or mentally, comes to me because of her actions,” Spike explained as he rubbed the bridge between his eyes. Twilight sighed as she watched Spike put the watch on. “Ok, but just be careful. Ok?” Spike smiled at Twilight before nodding. “Ok.” “Awww what's this? Do I hear wedding bells?” Eris asked mischievously before both Spike and Twilight we're consumed by a flash of light. Once the light was gone Spike was in a tuxedo while Twilight was in a wedding dress. Twilight flushed a bright red as Spike was speechless for a moment. “Eris! Return our clothes to normal!” Spike exclaimed once he got a hold of his mind. “Hahaha ahhhhh your no fun,” Eris pouted before Spike's and Twilight's clothes were returned to normal. “Well, at least she is keeping it tame,” Spike said with a sigh before entering the classroom. Once inside Spike sat at the teacher's desk, as Twilight stood beside him “You going to be alright?” Twilight asked concerned more about his sanity right now than his physical well being, as she highly doubted Celestia would have someone help her son if they meant harm. Spike sighed at Twilight's question. “Yes, I think. All I know for certain is that this is going to be a long day.” “Luckily for you Celly forbade me from possibly publicly embarrassing you as it might trigger a hallucination,” Eris clarified. The dissatisfied tone in her voice made Spike believe that she was telling the truth. “Eris, Could you at least keep the mischief down while we're in class. At least until you start on Monday?" Spike asked in a more of an ordering tone. "Fine fine. If you want me i'll be in your room pleasuring myself until class starts. Being trapped for so long builds up so much tension," Eris commented before poofing away. Spike let out a sigh as he lay his head down on the desk. "A long day indeed," Spike said with a slight blush as Twilight blushed a bit before leaving the room to go get breakfast. Eris had kept her word and returned before class had started, about half an hour after she had left. Spike was thankful that she had the presence of mind to reappear as a watch on his wrist, although she seemed a bit peeved about something. Spike payed her no mind as the class began and he watched the students begin to finish what work they had left for later classes and so on. He did so for about half the class until Gabby rose her claw. "Mister Wyrven, I have a question," Gabby said aloud. "Oh? What is it?" Spike asked as he hopped out of his seat to go by Gabby's side. Spike didn't take two steps before Gabby's question made him freeze. "Can dragons crossbreed?" “Gabby, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just ask if dragons can crossbreed?” Spike asked unsure if he heard her correctly. A few giggles could be heard at his response, even from Gabby herself. “Yep!” Gabby giggled. “Ok, ok. Well the answer would be yes, and more specifically dragons can crossbreed with any species,” Spike replied earning a few shocked replies along with a few positive responses. “How can dragons crossbreed when ponies and gryphons can't?” Thunderlane asked aloud. “Thunderlane, that's because we dragons are inherently magical. Sure unicorns can manipulate magic around them, but we dragons have magic flowing through our bones. But the question does bring up another question-” “Yeah, why the sudden interest Gabby?” Gilda asked interrupting Spike. “Oh well… um…” Gabby stammered, turning red as most of the class stared at her. Some had an expression that showed their disbelief while others were either neutral or had a slight grin. “Teacher, have you had any, bedroom experience with a non-dragon?” Zephyr asked with a grin. Spike, who had turned red from Gilda’s question, gave Zephyr the stink eye. "Zephyr, I don't mind some personal questions but THAT is far too personal." "Sorry." "It's ok. Did you have another question?" Zephyr thought for a second before nodding. "Did you have any friends in Canterlot?" Spike scratched the top of his head for a second as he tried to figure out how to word the answer. "Well... None I would really call friends. If I'm being honest I wouldn't trust them with a bag of wet dog crap. The only reason I even visited them was because it was fun to talk to them. Next." “Mr. Wyrven, do dragons keep pets?” Fluttershy asked meekly changing the subject, but a tad red in the face. “Yes. I can understand where the image of dragons being moronic brutes comes from, not that I approve of it mind you, but dragons are just like any other race out there. We go on dates, hang out with friends, go to work, have pets and have families just like any other sentient race out there. Unfortunately it's the delinquents that are far more outgoing. It doesn't help when fear and scandals sells,” Spike said, ending in more of a mumble to himself. “Mr. Wyrven, what do you mean by fear and scandals sells?” Thunderlane asked a little perplexed. “What that means is that newspapers who print fear, sex and scandals sells more per day than newspapers that sell truth. So you'll see more newspapers saying that a dragoness went on a rampage and killed a group of stallions just outside the border of the Badlands. Despite the fact that that same dragoness killed them because those stallions raped and killed her child. While some papers may print the truth, the vast majority will sell fear as it grabs one's attention better and thus sell more. That is the unfortunate truth,” Spike explained before sitting back down in his seat. Spike knew he used a bit of an extreme example, but he felt as though he wasn't wrong, at least completely so. It didn't help that most newspapers were based in Canterlot, Equestria’s central hub for paranoia and racism. After that the class began to get caught up in conversation, of which Spike was all too happy to join in on. Spike lost track of time and soon enough the bell signalling the end of class rang out throughout the school. Spike was at a bit of a loss when he thought about what class was next, conditioning. He had meant to ask someone, but it slipped his mind yesterday. Thankfully Twilight came down to his desk with a smile. “Hey Spike, come on,” she said, urging Spike out of his seat and to follow the class. “Hey Twilight what's the next class? I know it's called conditioning, but I still don't know what that means,” Spike asked. “Oh, that? It's basically a very large gym class that more than one class takes at the same time. While our normal gym class is meant to help keep us in shape, this class is meant to push us to our limit. It also shows where the school is overall in physical shape. Technically this class is mandatory starting this year, but Cadance made it mandatory last year.” “Mandatory? Why is it mandatory?” “Oh, you didn't know? Princess Celestia passed a law recently about schools having one class to combat Equestria's growing unhealthy living habits, such as sitting on the couch and watching TV. She hopes that with this ponies would be more motivated to continue to exercise without having to be told,” Twilight explained with pride. “That sounds… like a cheap excuse to have everyone get out and bust their flanks,” Spike responded honestly, getting a few chuckles from nearby students. “True, but it does help since not every school has mandatory gym classes. Even then they don't cover everything the conditioning class does. I'm always a bit tired from having to use my horn so much,” Twilight explained as they made it outside. “Twilight, what exactly does the conditioning class contain?” Spike asked curiously as to what she meant about her horn. “Well, there's the standard running, push-ups and sit-ups. Then after that we break off and start working on our species' specific traits. Unicorns work their magic, gryphons and pegasi work out their wings, and Earth ponies work out various other parts of their bodies. We all work until we're run ragged.” Spike gave a whistle as he listened to Twilight. “So it's not like a normal gym class then. Sounds more like an extreme workout program, because a normal gym class forbids the use of magic.” “Correct. Another major difference is is that teachers are encouraged to participate.” “I would if I had anything like workout clothes,” Spike said as they neared the changing rooms, which already had a lot of ponies around them. There were even tents set up to act as outside changing rooms. “Ok, you should find Cadance where you met snowflake yesterday. She is in charge of this class,” Twilight said before leaning close to his ear. “If you do participate then don't overdo it so much that you trigger a hallucination,” Twilight said before breaking away and headed to the changing rooms. Spike headed in the same direction he did when he met snowflake, and was impressed with how many ponies were out in gym clothes. It was the largest gathering of ponies in gym clothes he's ever seen. “Like what you see?” Cadance asked as she approached Spike from behind. “Hm? Oh, yeah I'm kind of Impressed. Haven't seen so many ponies gathered together since I worked for the Wonderbolts during one of their shows,” Spike said as he looked upon the large group of students. “Thank you,” Cadance replied before her tone changed. “Spike, while it is normal for teachers to do this alongside the students, I want you to sit this one out ok?” Spike sighed as Cadance made her request. “First off Cadance, I can't join this time anyways since I don't have any gymwear and I'd rather not work up a sweat in a suit. And secondly, why?” Spike asked as he turned to face the pink alicorn. Cadance sighed before looking around to make sure no one was nearby. “Well, Celestia told me what your doctor found during your last visit a month ago.” That was all that had to be said for Spike's mood to change on a dime. “For the love of… Can't she keep that stuff to herself? I'm a dragon, I'm made of scales and bones, not fine china. I'm made of sterner stuff than most ponies, despite my weakened condition,” Spike practically growled out of annoyance. Cadance was shocked to see Spike behave in such a fashion. In all her time of seeing Spike and hearing of what he has done she had never seen Spike act angry about anything related to Celestia, excluding several royal families who were adopted by Celestia. “Spike, what brought that on?” Spike, seeming to have realized what he did, sighed and rubbed the top part of his snout and looked away. “Sorry. I can see where mom is coming from, but in the past few years she has become a bit overprotective and it has worn my patience down. I still love her but enough is enough, you know? I can handle mom asking me if I'm doing ok, if anything still hurts and things like that. What I can't stand is when she calls my place of work, while changing her voice so her true identity is still secret, to ask my boss or co-workers if I'm doing ok. Or the fact that she keeps calling my doctor after each of my visits to learn if anything new has come up,” Spike explained, making Cadance go slightly wide-eyed with Celestia's behavior. “Good grief.” “I know. Thankfully these last couple of years she's calmed down a bit.” “That's good to hear,” Cadance replied as she looked around, trying to see if the class was ready to begin. After a minute of silence Spike tried to say something but was interrupted by Tree Hugger. “Hey, Dean, Nurse Redheart wanted me to tell you that she's ready," Tree Hugger said in her usually relaxed fashion. "Thank you Tree Hugger. You may attend to your class now." As Tree Hugger nodded and left to go attend to her class Spike turned to Cadance. "Nurse Redheart? Are injuries common enough to warrant that?" Cadance shook her head at Spike's question. "Not really, no. Last year we had mostly sprained muscles. We did have one fractured horn, but it wasn't too bad." "Ouch," Spike said grimacing at the thought of a fractured horn. "I know. Better safe than sorry," she added before Spitfire came flying over to them. "Ma'am. The students seem to be just about ready," Cadance cleared her throat before her horn lit up. "Alright everyone time to line up for attendance!" Cadance shouted, her voiced being magnified by her magic. "Spike. Your class is right over there," Cadance said as she pointed to where his class would be. Spike nodded before heading off to his class. He didn't need to be told to take attendance as one could figure that out just from listening to Cadance's announcement. When he got to his class he noticed that the class to his right was being watched over by Ms. Harshwhinney, who made eye contact with him before turning back to her own class. Spike didn't even need to look to who would be on his left as the snort was enough to give away who was there. "What's your problem this time Road?" Spike asked with zero emotion as he started to take attendance. "You will address me as Sir or Mr., reptile," Mr. Road said with a bit of venom in his voice. "Alright. What's your problem this time, Mr. Reptile?" Spike asked with a small grin, earning a couple chuckles from some of the nearby students. Mr. Road seemed to take offence by Spike's joke as Spike could feel him trying to stare holes through his head. "I am Mr Moonstone Road, but you WILL call me Mr. Road," Mr. Road spat. "Alright then, Mr. Road, what's your problem this time?" Spike asked as his grin faded. "None of your damned business." Silence hang in the air for a minute as the classes finished taking attendance. All the while a question kept gnawing at the back of Spike's mind. It finally got to the point where he couldn't take it any more and had to voice it. "Mr. Road, I am curious. I thought you didn't have a homeclass, so why are you watching over one?" Mr. road turned to Spike with a smug grin. "Try not to overload your inferior reptile brain on this, but I am good enough that when a teacher is sick I'm the first person they go to to replace them. You would probably be the last to be asked, knuckle dragger." ~Wow. This guy is trying so hard to insult me, it's almost pathetic. None of the Canterlot nobles were this outgoing... wait, I take that back. Some where this outgoing, but none of them had a position like this. They were mainly children who were raised in racist households.~ Spike thought to himself as he gave Mr. Road a blank stare. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say," Spike said as he turned back to his students, no longer paying Mr. Road any attention. "You little-" Mr. road was cut off by a loud whistle coming from Cadance's whistle. "Alright eveyone. Now that attendance is done we can begin," She announced as she began to call different classes to the starting line. Three classes started at the same time, and a full minute after the first team would leave another three would line up. They weren't using the normal track for the running, rather there was a course loosely marked out by cones that ran through the campus. Spike was soon tapped on the shoulder by Nurse Redheart, after the classes left. "Hello Spike. The dean asked me during attendance to keep an eye on you as the classes ran. She also asked me to ask you if there was anything you wanted to work out today," she asked as she handed him a paper with several different type of exercises written on it. "Well, I'd work with the earth ponies if I had gym clothes, since I don't, I think I'll work with the unicorns," He said before handing Nurse Readheart the list back. "Ok. The unicorns spend their magical energy lifting very heavy objects. Weight lifting but with magic," She explained as she turned her attention back to the students. "That's fine by me," He said as he headed over to the bleachers and waited for the first part of the class to be finished, which would consist of three laps. As he waited for time to go by he watched the classes run. He couldn't help but notice the large variety of gym clothes everyone was wearing. Some were wearing tracksuits, some were wearing the standard t-shirt and shorts and others were wearing a new style that consisted of a white t-shirt and something called bloomers. All Spike knew about bloomers is that they started in some foreign country and some people really like them. Spike really couldn't care less about them. Once the running segment was completed Cadace enhanced her voice once again. "Alright everyone listen up! Fliers to the clouds, magic users to the field and everyone else to the gym and track." In almost no time at all everyone was already where they were supposed to be or almost there. Spike stayed in the bleachers before he saw Cadance wave for him to come over. "Nurse Redheart told me that you wanted to participate in the magic," Cadance said as Spike got closer. "Yes. It's the only thing I can do right now. Can't really work up a sweat while in my only suit now can I?" Spike asked with a grin. "Cadance nodded with a smile. "True. Well Come along then. The Unicorns are overseen by me and a few others, including Mr. Road." "Can I please get away from him, holy tartarus!" Spike exclaimed getting a slight chuckle from Cadance. "What? Don't you like him?" Cadance asked Spike rhetorically, earning a blank stare from Spike which only made her laugh. "Ok, ok. No need to try and stare me to death. I kind of figured that you wouldn't like him. Despite his shortcomings I do believe that there is hope for him." "Really?" Spike asked in an unbelieving tone. "Yes. I have noticed that he has a similar mindset of the Canterlot royal's, but he is a lot more grounded in reality." "From what I've seen and and heard about him, I have a hard time believing that." "Oh, but it's true Spike. The only reason he I can see he acts the way he does is because of his parents." "Riiight." "Spike, have you ever wanted to impress your mother even if you didn't completely like what you had to do to impress her?" Spike groaned as several embarrassing memories came back into his mind. "Yep. That has definitely happened." "See? It's not that different for him. It's just that his parents are the embodiment of Canterlot bigotry, and they are impressed by social standing and so on." "So... If word got out that he was being kind to a dragon, or being talked down to by one, to them the world would just freaking end?" Cadance nodded as she listened to Spike. "Yes. Now, he does still have some of the Canterlot way of thinking embedded into who he is, but he is still somewhat redeemable. He'll probably never get his own class, but that remains to be seen." Spike nodded along with what Cadance was saying. He did not like the idea of having to tolerate Moonstone, but if Cadance believed that there was a chance to redeem him, then Spike would tolerate him... for now. Before Spike could say anything else they arrived at the large group of unicorns, all of which were already busy trying to lift some rather large weights, which looked like large kettlebells made of concrete. The sight of this made Cadance sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you all not to lift any of the objects until I instruct you to do so?" She asked aloud, causing all of the students to turn around in shock, the weights slamming into the ground with quite a bit of force from just being dropped. "Dean. I told them..." Mr. Road started as he approach Cadance, but stopped when he saw Spike. "Is something wrong Mr. Road? You seem... uncomfortable," Cadance asked after a few moments of odd silence. "It's... nothing," Mr. Road said before clearing his throat. "Anyways, I told the students they could do a few light lifts if they wanted to as we waited." "I see. Well, thank you." She said before turning to the students. "Ok everyone! If you're comfortable with it, i'd like you to increase how much you lift today." Everyone gave a sound of acknowledgement, before they began to line up to each of the weights. Before everyone started several teachers lined up beside the lines with a clipboard and stopwatch in hand. It didn't take long before everyone began to lift the weights for as long as they could before moving to the back of the line. "Spike, the students are timed first on how long they can hold the weight in a stable position. Then they are timed on how many reps they can do. Lastly we see how far they can throw them. The go to the back of the line after each test to let their minds relax and to catch their breath before the next test. Once the students are done then they teachers are free to try it out if they wish," Cadance explained as they watched the students. Spike noticed that there were a few weights not being used off to the side. He figured that no one was willing, or able to use them as they were either smaller or bigger than those in use. "How much does each one weigh?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, the smallest is a couple pounds. The smallest in use is about fifty pounds. The heaviest in use is about five hundred pounds, and the largest period is five tons." Spike let out a small whistle when he heard about the largest weight they had. "Five tones? Good grief. Has anyone ever been able to lift that?" Spike asked curiously. "Once, but they cracked their horn in the process." Spike nodded as he waited for the students to hurry up. He wasn't at all surprised when he saw Twilight was the only one lifting the 500 pound weight. Part of him wandered if she was the one who cracked their horn, but dismissed it as he highly doubted that she would go that far beyond her limits if it wasn't necessary. After a bit one of the teachers blew a whistle and waved to Cadance. "Alright everyone. You may go to the bleachers and rest." Spike raised an eyebrow as he saw all the students going to the bleachers while holding their heads. "If any of you think you may have overdone it please see Nurse Redheart," Cadance added with a smile. Not several seconds after Cadance had finished speaking several unicorns walked over to Nurse Redheart holding their heads, and a couple of them were holding their horns. Spike waited for another teacher to start practicing with the weights before spike went over to the stones to try and exercise his magic. Not wanting to overdo it he picked one of the stones in the middle to practice on, while the majority of the other teachers picked some of the heavier ones. He picked one of the middleweight ones since he wasn't confident in his external use of magic. Spike more than once found Mr. Road giving him a smug grin, like he somehow won a victory over Spike. Spike sat down on the bleachers with a sigh, his body aching a bit. He was surprised when someone patted him on the shoulder. When Spike turned he saw Twilight smiling at him. "Oh hey Twilight. What do you want?" Spike asked curiously. "Well, I just wanted to say that you didn't do half bad with the weight you picked," Twilight said as she sat down beside him. "Thank you Twilight. Wasn't too sure I'd be able to lift it," Spike said with a sheepish smile. "I could tell, and I think everyone else could as well. With all the shaking it did." Spike could only sigh as he listened to Twilight. "Was it really shaking that much?" Twilight nodded. "Oy vey," Spike sighed as he rubbed his eyes slightly out of embarrassment. "I would be embarrassed too if that's all I could lift while being a teacher," Mr. Road said with a grin as he got close to the two. Spike groaned when he looked over and saw Mr. Road nearby. "Oh what do you want?" Spike asked in a bit of a snippy tone. Mr. Road narrowed his eyes a bit at Spike's tone. "Don't take that tone with me lizard or i'll-" "Or you'll what? Try to get me tossed out? Look, if you want to toss idle threats around go do it someplace else. I'm not in the mood to deal with your crap. Unlike you unicorns, whose head and horn hurt after you extensively use your magic, our whole body aches like after a physical workout," Spike barked, interrupting Mr. Road. "You better watch your back lizard." "Bite me," Spike retorted to Mr. Road's back as he was leaving. When Spike looked back to Twilight she had a worried expression on her face. "What?" "Spike, are you sure that was a good idea? He will probably try to get you fired," Twilight explained, getting a shrug in return. "Good idea? Probably not. If he does try to get me fired the process will take what? A week or two? And by then he'll probably change his tune about trying to get me fired," Spike said with a grin. Twilight was silent for a moment before Eris chimed in. ~Oh, because by then you'll be Spike Solaris! And then he'd probably want to suck you off.~ Twilight looked around to see if anyone heard What Eris had said, but Spike didn't as his face was contorted into an expression of disgust. An image of Mr. Road kneeling in front of him in an elevator popped in his mind. ~Don't worry sparkle butt. I'm transmitting my thoughts to you.~ Twilight seemed to calm down but Spike didn't as he flicked the Eris watch. "Eris, That is one image in my brain that I don't need." ~Twilight's butt?~ Eris asked with a slight grin, ignoring the flick Spike gave her. "I wouldn't mind that-- no!" Spike whispered rather loudly. Twilight was already blushing a fair bit with what Eris said, but she blushed even harder with what Spike said. ~I see, so you wouldn't mind the image of Twilight's butt in your head.~ She asked with a large grin, although no one could see it since she was half hidden underneath Spike's cuff. Spike didn't say anything for a moment before sighing a bit in defeat. "No comment." Eris laughed like a madwoman at Spike's answer. She was having a ball with this. Twilight's hard blush only made this situation that much sweeter for Eris. Her fun was getting a bit on Spike's nerves though, despite his defeated sigh. "Eris. Could you be so kind as to piss off for now?" Spike asked in more of a ordering way. "Class is over so I don't think you're going to miss much." Seeing as she was now starting to get on Spike's nerves she let out a sigh. ~Fine, fine. I'll be around until you call for me. Until then ciao!~ Eris said before disappearing in a small puff of smoke. Spike let out a sigh as he tried to relax, but it didn't last more then a minute as Rainbow Dash popped up behind him. "Hey there!" Spike jumped a bit before turning around to see Rainbow Dash hovering there, inches above the seat. "Hello Rainbow Dash," Spike said with a slight sigh. "Hey Twi, Gilda told me that she's going with a horror movie tonight," Rainbow Dash said as she turned her attention to Twilight. "Thank you, but tonight I'm going to be a bit busy," Twilight answered, turning her head so she could see Rainbow Dash. "Busy with..." Rainbow started before seeing the blush still on Twilight's cheeks. "Ooooh, I see," She said with a grin. "I can guess who you're going to be busy with," She added before looking over to Spike, who was watching them. Twilight cleared her throat to get Rainbow's attention. "Rainbow Dash. It's not nice to make assumptions," Twilight said as she tried to act as though she wasn't embarrassed. Rainbow Dash was about to say something when Spike cleared his throat to get Rainbow dash's attention. "So, Rainbow. I've been been watching you fly, and you're surprisingly good," He said changing the subject. Rainbow Dash had a smug smile on as she took the bait. "Yeah, I know I'm pretty awesome." "You're good enough to be a trainee for the Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash paused as her mind processed what Spike had just said. "Huh?" "You heard me. You score tops marks in the speed department, but it would seem that your maneuverability is lacking," Spike said with a slight grin. Rainbow Dash's eye twitched as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?!" She practically screamed in anger, alarming Twilight. "What do you mean my maneuverability is lacking?!" She practically growled, gaining the attention of nearby students, and some teachers. "What do you know, you don't even have wings," She added, seeming to calm down a bit. "Oh? You think that just because I don't have wings that I can't tell a good flier from a bad flier? Don't forget Rainbow Dash, I did work for them." Rainbow Dash's wings began to give off erratic flaps as her anger rose. "You were just a gofer for them!" "True, but that just means I was able to watch them and learn what a good flier looks like." Rainbow Dash startled Spike as she actually darted at him, but she was caught by Twilight. "Why you little... Let me at him Twilight!" Rainbow Dash growled as she struggled against Twilight's grip, and was winning. "Rainbow Dash calm down! Spike, that was uncalled for," She scolded. Rainbow Dash didn't calm down and manage to break free of Twilight's grip, only to be encased by Twilight's magical glow. Spike took this time to stand up and couldn't help but smirk a little at Rainbow Dash. That was before Spitfire landed behind him. "What's going on?" Spitfire asked looking at both Spike and Rainbow Dash, with an air of agitation. Spike lost his smirk before Twilight explained what happened to Spitfire. Spitfire gave both Spike and Rainbow Dash a disappointed look. "Rainbow, you need to control that temper a bit. Spike, why did you egg her on?" Spike took a minute to word his response carefully. "First off. Rainbow, I do apologize if-" "If?!" Rainbow interrupted with more than a little anger. "Rainbow!" Spitfire Barked, which grabbed Rainbow Dash's attention. "Calm down right now," Spitfire ordered. Rainbow Dash began to grumble as she crossed her arms before Twilight let go of her. "Alright let me rephrase that. I do apologize for offending you but I do believe what I said to be true. Now I did poke at her a bit because I was still agitated from dealing with Mr. Road, and wanted to see what she'd do," Spike explained. Spitfire sighed for a minute while rubbing the bridge between her eyes. It was quiet before Rainbow Dash Spoke up. "A race." Spike cocked his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "Huh?" "You heard me. Race me. If you win I'll accept your apology," Rainbow said seeming a little less angry now. ~Do I really want to race her? Is racing her really worth it to not have to deal with her anger later?~ Spike thought, comming to no real answer. ~Well, even if I do lose it should call her down some... Who am I kidding, I probably am going to lose. Let's at least make it interesting.~ "What kind of race?" Spike asked. "A hoof race?" Rainbow Dash said in a questioning tone. "Why not a air race?" Spike suggested so nonchalantly that everyone around him was confused, except for Spitfire who was laughing. "Spike, are going to do that? Let's time you did that you lost control and you ended up flying right into High Wind's-" "Don't remind me!" Spike half shouted at Spitfire in attempt to make her stop. "Ms. Spitfire, what are you two talking about?" Twilight asked a bit confused. Spitfire gave spike a gentle push on the shoulder and a 'go on' look. Spike only puffed a few black clouds of soot out of his nose at Spitfire. "Well, to put it simply I make artificial wings using my magic and can fly with them," he explained as Spitfire waved the small clouds away with her hand before nodding. Rainbow was grinning as Spike had finished his explanation. "So wait, you can actually fly?!" She asked excitedly. "Well yes, but it's-" "Oh yeah I'm going to race a dragon!" Rainbow Dash said, her attitude seemingly having done a 180 from a little earlier. Spike let out a sigh as he saw Rainbow Dash start to day dream. "Spitfire, could you decide the course please? I'd ok it with Rainbow Dash first, as she's the other participant, but she seems to be in her own little world," Spike asked. Spitfire nodded before taking to the air to look around. It wasn't very long before Cadance showed up with a smile. "Well everyone, It would seem that today went wonderfully. Only a few sprained joints. You have the rest of the day off." After a minute of the students not moving Cadance adopted a rather confused look. "Cadance, Spike and Rainbow Dash are going to race. So, everyone's staying to watch," Twilight said as she noticed the confused look on Cadance's face. While one might find the race an interesting prospect to watch, Cadance let out a sigh before approaching Spike. "Spike is what Twilight said true?" "Yes." "Do you think you can win?" "If it was a ground race I'd say my chances are pretty good, but since we're taking into the air I'd say my chances of winning is less than five percent." Cadance's brain stopped for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but did you just say that both of you, you and Rainbow Dash, Will be racing in the air?" "Yes." "And how are you going to do that?" "I learned several years ago how to make wings out of magic. They work just as well as real wings, but they're a bit harder to use... Well I believe so anyways." Spike said before looking into the sky to see Rainbow dash whizzing about out of excitement. "Dear Celestia, how does she still have energy?" "She's always been a ball of energy, when excited. Second only to Pinkie Pie," Twilight answered. "Why do I feel like I shouldn't be surprised by that?" Cadance and Twilight chuckled at what he said. "Why did she get so hyped when I said that I could fly?" "Well, there's been a rumor going around that dragons were better fliers than pegasi so she wanted to prove them wrong, but the lack of dragons here made that impossible. There's a large likely hood that if you had wings she'd have challenged you on the first day," Twilight said as Spitfire flew up to them. "Alright. The cloud rings for the air portion should be done in a few minutes. The forest has a ring at both sides so it's pretty much a straight shot, just not flying above the trees. There will be a ring beyond the forest's exit ring and that'll be the finish line." Once she got a nod from Spike Spitfire shot up to speak to Rainbow Dash, after having to catch her that is. After their conversation was finished Rainbow Dash landed right in front of Spike with a large grin. "The track is set, so could you show me your wings now?" She asked, eager to get racing. Spike let out a sigh but was grinning as well. "Ok, ok. Give me a minute," He said before relaxing. It took him a bit to gather the necessary magic in his back. With a slight grunt wings burst forth from his back. They were purple in color and had a transparent glassy look to them. Almost like they were made of glass, and they hadn't damaged his clothes. Spike heard a few whistles and a couple 'holy cows' before Spitfire landed behind Spike. "I see you've enhanced them. They no longer look like they're made of gas," Spitfire said as she poked his wing. As Spitfire and Cadance began to talk Twilight reached over and gently grabbed one of Spike's wings to get a feel for it. Despite the glassy appearance they felt like they were soft yet hard. It was like squeezing a length of PVC pipe covered in a pool noodle, but felt like glass. The membrane felt almost fluid-like as it was incredibly soft. As she was messing around with his wing she began to feel more and more eyes on her. "Ahem" Twilight looked up to see Spike staring at her. "You done?" He asked politely. Twilight looked around quickly, seeing that the vast majority of the present students were looking at her, before looking at Spitfire and Cadance, who had a confused look on their faces. "Yes, sorry," She said as she backed up a couple steps, slightly embarrassed by her actions. "Now, as I was saying-" "Yes, yes I know. Keep a close eye on them like any race. This isn't the first time I've watched over a race," Spitfire said before grabbing the flare gun that one of the nearby teachers handed her. "Come on already! Are we going to race or just talk?" Rainbow Dash asked in slight annoyance. Spike chuckled for a moment before nodding. "Ok, let's get this started," He said before flying up to the starting ring. Spitfire followed shortly and hovered by the circle. "Ok. On your marks, get set. GO!" Unsurprisingly Rainbow Dash took off like a bullet right of the gate, but Spike was right on her tail. He stayed right behind her for about 3 seconds before Rainbow began to pull away, and the gap widened every second. Spike had figured something like this would happen, but not to this extent. The sky portion consisted mainly of straights and wide turns. There were a few sharp turns, and spike was able to catch up a little on those, but not enough to make a significant difference. By the end of the sky portion Rainbow Dash was in the lead by about 200 ft. When they both dove into the forest section Spike lost sight of Rainbow Dash. He did his best to keep flying straight, and to not crash, and soon Spike was able to see Rainbow Dash's hooves. "Best be careful Rainbow!" Spike called out. Rainbow Dash looked behind her with a shocked expression which soon turned into a grin. "Hey, It's about Time you caught up! If I was going any slower I'd probably fall out of the air!" "Oh, That does it!" Spike playfully shouted back before he began to push his wings as hard as he could, trying to catch up with her. After a bit of time had passed Rainbow Dash looked behind her, too see Spike now within talking distance, not shouting. "You're going to have to try harder than that to beat me!" She said as she began to pull away again, clearly adapting to the forest. Spike had thought he had a grasp on how good she was as a flyer, but apparently he was wrong. Not wanting to look like a slouch Spike began to doge the trees and branches by smaller and smaller margins, which made Spike feel like he was going to clip something with every dodge. They were almost done with the forest section and Spike's gamble payed off as he was now almost literally nipping at her hooves. Just as his growing hope of possibly overtaking Rainbow Dash made him grin, it was all dashed against the rocks as an all too familiar feeling came back. Spike's body went on autopilot, feeling as though if he moved just slightly different something would attack him. Spike soon wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and began to focus on the feeling above him. Just as quickly as the feeling appeared it disappeared, but the damage was done. When Spike took in his surroundings once more he quickly saw himself barreling straight at a tree, going to fast to move out of the way in time. ~Oh shi-~ A thunderous roar was heard throughout the forest and the athletic field. Birds in the forest immediately flew away as they were startled by the loud sound. The teachers and students looked out into the forest where part of the race was taking place. It wasn't a second later that a red signal flare was shot into the air. Both Nurse Redheart and Cadance instantly teleported to the forest, while the other teachers stayed behind to keep an eye on the students. The sight that greeted Nurse Redheart and Cadance was shocking, and to Cadance it was also heart-wrenching. Rainbow Dash was standing nearby with a concerned look on her face, not wanting to too close to Spike out of fear of getting clawed. Spitfire still had the flare gun in her hand, but it had heavy claw marks in it showing that Spitfire tried to get close. Spike was on the ground writhing around erratically and occasionally would let out a small fireball or would lash out at nothing with his claws. His roars were erratic as well. Sometimes he'd be loud and other times he'd be barely audible. It was obvious to everyone that he was in a tremendous amounts of pain. As Cadance looked around to see what happened Nurse Redheart pinned Spike down with her magic. Nurse Redheart then proceeded to inject him with a rather powerful sedative, so he could be safely transported to the infirmary. Before Nurse Redheart could move Spike Cadance saw the small crater on the nearby tree. It didn't take much for Cadance to realize what happened. "Redheart, don't let anyone see him until either I see him or he says people can visit him," Cadance told Nurse Redheart before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, can you tell me what happened?" "I-i don't know. One second he was right behind me and the next I heard a crack, then I heard him roar," Rainbow Dash said as she kept looking at Spike as he was levitated away. "Dean, I was watching from above and I saw what happened. He flew straight into the tree like an arrow, but something has me confused. Moments before he hit the tree his body went stock still and his magic was flickering. I've seen him struggle with his magic before and that was not it," Spitfire explained as she patted Rainbow Dash's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Spitfire, tell me, what emotion do you think he was feeling? Anger, sadness-" "Fear. It looked like he was afraid of something. Like a rabbit being cornered by a timberwolf," Spitfire said, interrupting Cadance. "Fear, are you sure about that?" Cadance asked and received a nod from Spitfire. "Thank you. Rainbow Dash, you may return to your class now. I need to go talk to someone," Cadance said before teleporting away, looking for Eris. "There you are!" Cadance exclaimed as she found Eris on the roof of the main school building. "Why weren't you with Spike like you were supposed to be?" "He told me to go away, and since I can't show myself until Monday I couldn't just mingle with the crowd. You three also forbade me from transforming into another pony," Eris responded. Cadance was agitated with Eris, but knew that it wasn't her fault this time. Cadance let out a sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Ok. Well Spike is-" "In the infirmary, I know. I'm guessing he had another hallucination. Why else would you look for me. And don't worry about Spike, he's got maybe a few fractures. His bones are unnaturally tough, even for an 'enchanted' dragon. Seriously, who came up with that name? I much prefer their old name, bishop dragons." "How do you know that he'll only have fractures?" Cadance asked a bit confused. Eris smiled at Cadance's question. "He used to hang out by my petrified body, thinking I was a statue, when he was younger. During that time I was able to learn a lot about his body," Eris said as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm hungry. Could you be a dear and get me something to eat? After that I'll return to Spike's wrist." Cadance sighed be for nodding. "Ok. I'll be back in a second," Cadance said before disappearing in a flash of light. ~You're in deeper water than I thought Spike, but don't fret. I won't let anything truly bad happen to you. I still have to pay you back for making my time as a statue bearable, aaand my freedom is also on the line. I'm in no rush to go back being an oversized garden gnome.~ Eris thought a moment before Cadance returned in a flash if light, with a tray of food. "I'm sorry everyone, but he can't have any visitors right now," Nurse Redheart said as she blocked the door to Spike's room from the small group. "Is he going to be alright?" Gabby asked as Nurse Readheart began to guide them to the lobby. "Yes. He is going to be fine, and that's all I'm allowed to say." "When can we visit him?" Thunderlane asked as they arrived at the lobby. "After the dean speaks with him then you can visit," Nurse Redheart said before returning to the desk on the wall opposite of the main entrance. The students one by one went and grabbed some seats before talking amongst themselves. Gabby and Twilight were worried about Spike, but Twilight wasn't as worried as Gabby and did her best to cheer her up. Rainbow Dash was sitting quietly in one of the chairs with Applejack trying to coax Rainbow Dash to talk. Thunderlane and Gilda were engaged with idle chitchat. It hadn't been half an hour before Cadance entered through the front door. Nurse Redheart got out of her chair and greeted Cadance. "Welcome dean, Spike is right this way," she said before guiding Cadance through the halls to Spike's room, while making sure the students stayed behind. Once they were in the room Cadance saw that Spike was already in a neck and upper back brace. "Nurse Redheart, how bad were his injuries?" Cadance asked In a bit of a whisper. "There were several compression fractures along his spine. Luckily there is no splintering or other threats to his spinal cord. There are also several fractures to his skull, but what's confusing is how shallow they are. They're deep enough to be felt by magic, but not deep enough to go all the way through the bone," Nurse Redheart replied. "That's good," Cadance said with a sigh of relief. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you tell me when I hired you that you're unable to sense damage in a pony's bones short of a broken leg?" Nurse Redheart nodded. "Yes I did say that, but I didn't give him the good look over. That was all Doctor Horse." Cadance grinned widely at the mention of the doctor. "So he DID spend the night huh?" Cadance teased, making Nurse Redheart blush lightly. "That's beside the point. He performed minor magical surgery on Spike before setting up the brace," Nurse Redheart explained, keeping a professional appearance except for the blushing. At the mention of surgery Cadance nodded before looking back at Spike. "What kind of surgery?" "Doctor horse created a magical balloon around the fractures and inflated it until the pressure on the damaged vertebrae is relieved. Normally the bone is then mended with magic, but since Spike is a dragon that didn't work. The balloons were left inside him so the bone can heal. Before you ask, don't worry about them popping. They are quite durable. The only downside is that Spike may be a bit uncomfortable while they are in him." "What about their removal? Will Doctor Horse have to come back out here?" "Yes. Although since this is the first time that such surgery has been performed on a dragon we don't know how his body will react to our magic. We are sure that dragons have their own variation, but we can't reach them. Not in any reasonable amount of time anyways." "So he's going to be fine?" "Yes." Cadance let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. When will he be awake?" "It will be some time. maybe an hour or two, maybe more. He was quite resistant to our anesthesia so we had do use three times the normal to put him under. That was after giving him five times the usual dose of sedatives to calm him down properly." "Wow. Didn't know dragons were so resilient to drugs," Cadance said with a slight air of disbelief. "Dragons are a species of extremes and this proves it, if he is normal for a dragon." Cadance nodded before approaching Spike's side. "Has this injury affected his previous injuries?" "The previous injury on the back of his head had cracked along the same spot as before but they're just surface cracks, amazingly," Nurse Redheart said before looking at her watch. "Dean. Will you allow the students to see him right now?" Cadance nodded with a smile as she headed for the door. "Yes." Nurse Redheart was able to get 'you may’ out before Gabby rushed by her, nearly knocking Nurse Redheart over. Nurse Redheart did stumble a bit but Applejack helped her to stop before joining Gabby. Cadance was a little Startled when Gabby burst through the door. Gabby froze when she saw the neck brace on Spike. She took a step towards him before Cadance cleared her throat to get her attention. Realizing that she was being a bit rash she began to blush slightly. “Go any faster and people might think that you're late for a date,” Applejack teased as the rest of the group entered the room. “A date?” Gabby repeated with a slight blush. “What are you thinking about Gabby?” Gilda asked as she noticed Gabby's blush. “N-nothing.” Gilda chuckled slightly before pushing Gabby a little. “Oh really? Then why are you blushing? No one blushes over nothing,” she teased, making Gabby's blush bigger. “Gilda, that is enough,” Cadance said with an ever so slight smirk. “Dean, why is Spike wearing a neck brace?” Gabby asked causing everyone to look at Spike. “The brace is just a precaution. He has already been… patched up, but the brace is there just to make sure he doesn't overdue it as his body heals,” Cadance explained, not wanting to use the word 'surgery’ as two or three of them might worry more than necessary. “So, when will he be able to be up and about?” Twilight asked. “Well, he should be up later today, but I don't know when he'll be about. He should be able to go to class Monday,” Cadance explained. “Sorry about ruining your date Twi,” Rainbow Dash apologized, making Cadance’s ears perk up. “There's nothing to be sorry about. It was an accident, there was nothing you could've done,” Twilight said. “But-” “I couldn't have said it better myself.” Everyone's head snapped to Spike, who was now awake. “Spike!? You're not supposed to be awake for another few hours!” Cadance said in surprise. “Yeah, well I learned that dragons are, in general, resilient to most medication. We enchanted dragons however are heavily resilient to medication of any kind. It has to do with the innate magic that permeates our bodies. You see-” “I'm sorry to interrupt, but could we please have the lesson during school instead?” Thunderlane interrupt. Spike began to chuckle a bit before nodding. “Ok, ok.” “Spike, when do you think you might be able to walk around?” Twilight asked with a glint of Hope in her eyes. Spike let out a sigh as he saw the glint in her eyes. “I'm sorry Twilight, but I'll probably be walking sometime tomorrow at the earliest, I repeat: the earliest." "I see," Twilight said, the slightly crestfallen tone not escaping Cadence or Spike. "Are you sure you're ok Mr. Wyrven?" Gabby asked. Spike nodded, or would if his head wasn't immobilized. "I'm fine Gabby. Now, I do appreciate you all for coming, but I'm tired and want to get some rest. Ok?" Spike said, letting out a large yawn as if to punctuate his sentence. One by one the students left after saying good bye, but Spike held Twilight back. "Hey, Twilight, in my room are a couple of pill bottles. could you get them?" He whispered to her. "Sure thing." "Thanks, and I'm sorry about all this. Because of me we can't go our date tonight." "Don't worry about it, it was an accident. I'm just happy that you're ok." "Thanks." Twilight smiled before leaving the room, the last student to do so. Once Cadance had shut the door Eris poofed into the room. Eris was grinning ear to ear as she looked at Spike. "Wow. Head butted a tree and you're already awake. wan't to go for round two?" She asked as a tree began to grow inside the room, but not leaving it. "I think one round was enough, besides if I did go for round two I think it'd kill me." "You know I could fix your neck so that you could go again." "Thanks but no thanks. I have the feeling that my neck would wind up being turned into a hockey stick or something similar." "Fair enough. If you ever-" "Eris! Get rid of this tree already!" Cadance ordered as the tree was beginning to push the tables and beds around. "Fine, fine," Eris huffed before snapping her fingers making the tree vanish into thin air. "Just take the fun out of everything," Eris finished before turning to Spike who was chuckling. "What's so funny Spike?" Cadance asked as she looked at Spike as well, but grew immediately worried. Spike's laugh was a bit monotone and his face, or rather his eyes, showed absolute fear. Both Cadance and Eris soon began to put to gather what was happening to Spike: he was having a hallucination. What they didn't know was how bad it was. Not only was he seeing his hallucination, but his hallucination was so very different than before. Before the hallucinations would be shadow people, bipedal creatures of unknown species that was seemingly made up of a black mist. But right now standing by the door, next to Eris, was a figure that was a solid black mass and it was smiling. Not 'spike could feeling it smiling' but actually smiling with a set of VERY draconian teeth showing. It's eyes were also Draconian in nature. "☟︎♏︎●︎●︎□︎📪︎ ♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ♌︎♏︎♏︎■︎ ♐︎♋︎❒︎ ⧫︎□︎□︎ ●︎□︎■︎♑︎📬︎" Spike had no idea what the creature said, or even if what was said was even a language at all. If Spike were to pay closer attention to his surroundings he would've seen Eris puff up like a frightened cat. Before Cadance could ask what was up with Eris, Eris swiftly moved over to spike and covered his eyes. Soon she began to hum, infusing her chaotic magic into her voice. Cadance soon began to feel off balance and ill, like she was having motion sickness. She had to lean onto a nearby chair so that she wouldn't fall over. Spike's laughing, however, was seeming to calm down. Spike didn't know fully what was going on but the humming was beginning to drown out his other senses. In no time Spike could only hear, see, taste and feel the humming. Even though it made absolutely no sense to be able to see or taste humming, at the moment Spike didn't care. He began to calm down rapidly, only for a low growl to raise Spike's fear a bit. The shadow figure was pushed to the forefront of Spike's mind as he could feel as though it was now frowning in an angry manner. It felt like it said something but it was muffled by the humming. Soon enough the presence totally disappeared. A few moments later Eris let go of spike and stopped humming. Cadance who was leaning on the chair, was now sitting in it. "Eris, what was that about?" Cadance asked as she got out of the chair, still a little wobbly. “Spike was having a panic attack so I calmed him down, just as per Celly’s orders.” Cadance let out a sigh as she looked at Spike, who was now laying down with his eyes half open. “Fine. Just try to limit the effects of your chaotic magic to the surrounding area.” “Awww now where's the fun in that?” Eris asked with a mischievous grin. “Eris, I don't know what you're thinking, but no!” “Oh come now, you're no fun,” Eris pouted. As Eris and Cadance began to go back and forth Spike reached up and grabbed Eris’s dress to get her attention. “Eris… when Twilight gets back with my meds, could you duplicate them?” Spike asked a little shaky. “Yeah, sure,” Eris said before grabbing his hand. “You ok Spike?” Cadance asked with a bit of worry in her voice from hearing the slight shakiness in his voice. Spike nodded as he tried to gather his words. “I'm… fine. This time was so much worse than before. It was a solid mass, and it had a mouth and eyes. It was smiling at me before it spoke. I-i don't know what It was s-saying, b-but i-it-” Spike started, but was cut off by Eris who put her hand over his mouth and began to him again as he was getting worked up again. Spike was once again lost to Eris’s humming. As much as Spike wanted to stay awake he felt his eyelids grow heavy and his body soon felt the same. He tried to protest, wanting to tell them what happened, but his body was having none of it. His words only comming out as low grunts or moans, and any movement was reduced to large twitches. Soon enough Spike was sound asleep, his dreams overtaken by the humming. “Cadance, will you allow me to go see Celestia?” Eris asked as she pulled away from Spike. “No, but she will be here tomorrow. If it's about the hallucination he just had Spike will probably tell her tomorrow so you don't have to worry about it. I'm more worried what she'll do when she finds out that Spike was injured today.” “I see. Well, I guess I should wait until Twilight comes back with Spike's meds as per his request. Until then, want to watch a movie?” Eris asked as she pulled a movie projector, a couple lawn cahirs and a massive bucket of popcorn out of then air. Cadance was a little confused why Spike wanted his meds duplicated, but pushed those thoughts aside for now. “Very well. Since you're going to be working here I might as well try to get used to your antics,” Cadance said as she sat in one of the chairs. “That's the spirit!” Eris said before laughing and starting the reel. As the day was winding down Twilight had entered Spike's room, in search of his meds. The search was rather quick as his pills we're on the coffee table. When she grabbed them she couldn't help but to read the labels. Part of her knew that she shouldn't but curiosity got the better of her. She quickly identified one as Naproxen, and a high dose at that, but the other one made her do a double take. “Maxnul? Spike… why do you need a magical suppressant?” Twilight asked aloud, before making one more sweep to make sure she didn't miss any other bottles. Satisfied that she didn't miss any she headed back to Spike's room.
Chapter 8: Spike's 18th birthdaySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1: The First MorningThe plains were zipping by the window as a train ran full tilt along the tracks. It was so bound and determined to get there as fast as it could that the train, on several occasions, tilted slightly during a curve. The tilt wasn't severe enough to lift the train off the inside track but it was enough that the passengers, well passenger, of the train could feel it. The reason for the train going so fast was that it was running late, or so it believed. The conductor knew that it couldn't run late today. Not only were there much needed supplies in the train, but they were transporting the brand new teacher for the school. He knew that in order to make it on time he'd have to push both the engine and tracks rather hard. As the train thundered along the tracks, giving a slightly bumpy ride on the straightaways, the sole passenger lazily looked out the window as the scenery flew by. He had stayed up as he couldn't sleep from the bumps and occasional tilting of the train. Just a few hours ago he couldn't see much as it was the new moon, but now the sky was lighting up. With a loud whistle the train signaled that it was getting close to their destination; Equestria United, or EU for short. Spike didn't know much about this school. It had been built about 16 years ago, around his first birthday, and any degree from here is high respected by employers. When the first rays of light appeared in the sky the train began to slow down. Seeing this he grabbed his trunk and headed for the door. He had leaned into the wall before the train lurched forward as it's brakes were fully applied. Once he was in no danger of falling over from the train slowing down he stepped out of the train, and onto the platform. He put the trunk down and stretched as he was happy to finally be off the train and into the crisp morning air. He took a deep breath as he relaxed a bit. He was told that somepony would be there when he got off the train to escort him to the dean, but he was alone on the platform, save the ponies that were unloading the freight cars. With a sigh he went and sat on a nearby bench as he waited for this mystery pony to show up. As he waited he looked into a full length mirror that was on a nearby stone pillar. He felt slightly disgusted in himself at his current state. While the spikes on his head were still looking good his purple and green scales had lost a bit of it's shine from a thin layer of dirt. What really got his goat was that his dark blue suit, which he thought looked good when he put it on in his apartment, had obviously seen some wear. There weren't any holes yet but he could definitely see some spots were a hole would soon be appearing. He was so lost in his own thoughts that it took the pony that was standing behind him to clear their throat to grab his attention. Upon hearing the voice he spun around like greased lightning, his heart pounding a bit from start he was just given. "Oh, sorry, did I startle you?" Asked a pegasus mare. "Sorry, but are you perchance Spike?" She asked, eliciting a nod from the dragon in question. He was too in shock to really register anything after she asked his name. He knew she was talking, but couldn't really hear her as he tried to calm down. After a solid minute he let out a sigh and cleared his throat. "Sorry about jumping like that. I was a bit deep in my thoughts when you got my attention," He apologized. "But yes, I am Spike." "I could tell you were thinking, judging by how long you've been looking into the mirror," She said with a smile. "Well, anyways, as I'm sure you were told I am to escort you to the campus. There you'll meet the dean and then you'll be given a short tour." Spike nodded and followed the mare, lifting his trunk onto his shoulder before they left. As they were making their way out of the train station Spike's eyes couldn't help but wander over the mare walking in front of him. He couldn't but help her clothes first. She wore a tan circle skirt that came down to her knees. He couldn't tell what the her front looked like as by the time he properly regained his senses she had already turned around, but he could tell that she was wearing a jacket of sorts which was burgundy. Then his mind shifted to her body. Her coat and feathers were a light cornflower blue and her mane was moderate orange. She walked with a small sway in her hips, which showcased her rump. Sure there was a skirt in the way but he wanted to reach over and squeeze her juicy plot. Her sudden stop almost made him run right into her. Now snapped out of his pervy thoughts he looked up at her face. "You first," She said pointing to her side as she turned around. It took him a hot second to realize that she was telling him to get into the carriage next to them. The carriage that was right outside the station. "Oh, uh, thank you," He said before entering the carriage, placing his trunk on top of the carriage first. The second he sat down in the four person carriage the mare joined him and sat directly across from him. From this angle he could tell that she was wearing a tan blouse underneath her jacket. As he was staring he couldn't help but stare at her decently sized breasts. "Is it ok if I call you Mr. Spike, or do you have a last name? Normally they give me the new teacher's full name but the dean only called you Spike," She asked curiously with a small grin. Fearing that he was caught staring he cleared his throat and looked away. "My name is Spike Wyrven. Mr. Wyrven is fine or if you want to call me Spike that's fine too." "Well then, Spike, I guess I won't tell the dean that you were staring at my backside and my breasts," She teased with a grin. Spike could only sigh in defeat as he was already caught. "So, Is there anything I should know about the school?" Spike asked, wanting to change the subject as the carriage started moving by itself. She had to think for a second before responding. "Well, the campus is divided into four zones. You've got the administration zone, which is mainly one building that has offices for anything you need permission for. Larger budget for a club, replacement uniform, changing a schedule, the list goes on. Then there's the academic zone; It has several buildings. The main building contains all of the homeroom classes where all students will be taught core subjects, but they will go to the other buildings for science, home ec you get the picture. There's the athletic zone, and that one is the largest zone. There is a track, basketball court, football or soccer or whatever you call it, a pool and so on. Then lastly there is the residential zone. The residential zone holds two large buildings. The teachers and students live in the same building, supposedly to help the teachers watch over their students. In the center of campus are two buildings. One is the infirmary and the other is the cafeteria," She explained. "Ok, is there anyplace to buy stuff like clothes or food?" "Yes. There is a town practically next door to the campus." Spike nodded before they began to talk about random stuff to kill time. The ride took about five minutes and it stopped right in front of the front gate. He was surprised to see the twenty foot tall brick wall. He followed his escort from the carriage, taking his trunk with him, and through the front gate. From there one could see the entire campus. He could easily Identify each zone from what she had told him. The front gate wasn't higher than any other part of the campus, but each zone was distinctive. He could see that the administration building was the closest to the gate, with the residential buildings to the left and the academic building to the right while the athletic part of the campus was at the far end. When he turned to look back at the gate he was surprised to see that the brick walls that surrounded the campus was covered with odd writings and markings, like an enchantment. "Spike, this is where we part ways. The students have yet to wake up and I need to return to my room and get ready for the day ahead. The dean's office is in the administration building. Catch you later," She said before waving her hand as she jogged away. That's when it hit spike, he hadn't asked for her name. With a shrug Spike headed off to the Administration office. He let out a yawn as he approached the administration building, as the sun was getting higher and higher and he hadn't had any sleep. As he made his way into the building he found it mostly empty except for a few ponies here or there filling out paperwork. As he followed the signs to the dean's office he saw a few ponies look at him, but quickly returned to their work. When he was standing outside the dean's office he gave it a few solid knocks, hoping that the dean would be awake right now. "Enter," Came a tired and annoyed female voice from the other side, but it was a voice that gave him deja vu. Spike grinned widely as he definitely recognized the pony sitting behind the desk going through a stack of papers. "Cadance!" Spike said as he closed the door behind himself. He couldn't hold back a chuckle as he saw Cadance's head snap up. "Spike!" She half-shouted as her mood brightened. "It has been too long. I thought you didn't arrive for another hour or two!" -before he had time to reply she held up a hand to stop him.- "Well, it doesn't matter now. Tell me, how's Aunt Celestia doing?" She asked as she got up from behind her desk to properly greet Spike. Now that she wasn't behind the desk Spike could see just how much she had changed in the years since he'd seen her last. Unlike the mare from earlier Cadance was wearing a pink and red dress that hugged her curves, and the pale cerise alicorn had grown to an impressive 7 feet, which was 2 feet taller than him. Her multi-colored mane was now waist length. He could almost always tell her apart from the crowd as she was the only pony he knew to have mane comprised of violet, light rose and pale gold streaks. He thought she was beautiful before but with her now E-cup breasts she was irresistible. Hell, his dragonic hormones we're screaming at him to hurry over to her and fondle her, but he wouldn't for three simple reasons. One: That was very clearly sexual assault. Two: She was married and her husband would kick his ass, if his mother didn't beat Cadance's husband to the punch. And three: He just didn't see her in that kind of light. "Mom's been doing great, or as great one can be when having to hear the royals bitch and moan about every little thing," He said eliciting a laugh from Cadance. " Ahh yes, I do remember her sour face at the end of the day court once all the royals left," "I know. Speaking of mom, I'm guessing she had something to do with me getting a job here huh?" "Actually not. Since the degree was signed as Spike Wyvern, Wyvern being a quite common name for a dragon, No one thought anything of it. Until I got a letter from aunt Celestia, I had no Idea it would be you to turn up. I can also surmise that since you didn't sign the degree with your REAL name you don't want anyone to know just who your mother is, correct?" She asked with a sly grin. Spike nodded while scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, it still makes me uncomfortable when people know i'm the adopted son of the solar princess, and thus treat me differently." "I understand, but there may be someone here who already knows your relationship with the princess." Spike froze at what she just said. There has always been two main reactions to the fact that he was Celestia's adopted son; Intrigue and disgust. If one was intrigued then they would hound him with questions, but if they were disgusted then they would try to kill him as dragons still weren't very well liked in Equestria and seeing one so close to the princess oh no! "R-really? Who?" He asked, now visibly tense. "You know the captain of the guard, my husband, Shining Armor? Well It's his little sister," She said with a smile. It took Spike a minute to think. He had met Shining Armor before as Spike was Celestia's son, and he remembered being introduced to Shining's little sister but he couldn't remember her. He could remember the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair, but he couldn't for the life of him remember her looks or name. All he could remember was the color purple. Wait, purple? That's when Spikes mind clicked and his eyes widened. "Wait, you mean Twilight Sparkle is here?" He asked a bit excited and started to bounce slightly. "Man, I haven't spoken to her in years. Not since she became so involved with her studies and devoted her entire time with being the best student Celestia could hope for. How's she doing?" He asked with the excitement equal to a dog who found it's favorite bone. Cadance could only laugh at his antics. He may be almost an adult but he still acted like a kid. "Yes, she's here and she's the top of her class. Not that that should be too surprising. What's even better is that she's in your class." Spike's excitement faded away quickly when he heard Cadance. "Um Cadance, about my job, I know I'm a teacher and all but what am I teaching? The job offer left that bit empty. I did find it odd, but I didn't question it." "Well, One of our homeroom teachers have become too sick to continue working. She will be leaving the day after tomorrow. I wanted you here a couple days before she left so you could get some on the job training. Pretty much what your job entails is to help the students with unfinished assignments and the like. Mrs. Silvermane will teach you the more in depth parts. Class doesn't start for a few more hours, I can tell by the look on your face that you haven't had much sleep. Mrs. Silvermane should be awake, and may have already sent a student here to meet you and escort you to your room," She said before she began to walk over to spike. "Thanks. Um Cadance?" "Hm?" She hummed as she embraced spike, pulling his snout into her cleavage, which he didn't fight. "Sorry for missing your wedding," He said having to look up to her, prying his snout from between her breasts. The memory of why he missed the wedding bringing his spirits down. "It's no problem Spike. We both understood, and are saddened by what happened to you. I've never seen Aunt Celestia so upset before. Twilight still doesn't know why she left the celebration so early, and blamed her dancing of all things to have caused her to leave." Spike's eyes widened and let out a hollow chuckle."Oh no, please tell me you're joking. Please don't tell me Twilight actually tried to dance that night." Cadance could only laugh and nod to his question. "By the name of the princesses, what was she thinking?" He asked, his mood lightened quite a bit. That was thing he loved about cadance, she knew exactly how to cheer him up. "I honestly don't know," She said before releasing him from the hug. "So, how have you been holding up?" She asked nervously. "I'm doing fine. The hallucinations aren't a deal anymore, well, a big deal anyways," He said with a smile before someone knocked on the door, preventing Cadance from replying to him. "Enter," She said trying to seem like she did before he walked into the room. Spike couldn't help but grin as he saw Twilight enter the room. "Hello Cadance. You wanted me to meet the new teacher today?" She asked before she had even fully entered the room. Spike couldn't help but admire how Twilight had developed since he last saw her. Her coat had retained it's mulberry color, and her mane now reached to the small of her back but she still had those bangs. He more than once found himself fiddling with the light purple and light raspberry streaks in her dark purple mane. Spike wasn’t at all surprised by her choice of clothing as she was wearing a blue sweater vest, a light purple button up T-shirt underneath that and she wore a pink and brown plaid A-line skirt. A pink and brown plaid A-line skirt and a light purple button up t-shirt and dark blue sweater vest combo, which did a decent job completing her librarian look. He was so caught up in giving her a look over that he didn't notice that Twilight had said something to make Cadance laugh, which snapped him out of his daze. "Twilight, this isn't another student, he's your new homeroom teacher," Cadance replied with a laugh. "Really?" Twilight asked before looking spike over. "Why do I get the feeling that we've met before?" This made Cadance laugh even harder. Spike let out a sigh and looked down. He hadn't changed THAT much... has he? Sure he was bigger but he still had the same fins, spikes and colored scales as before. "Really Twi? I mean it has been years since we spoke last, but how many dragons do you know that are allowed into the Canterlot castle? And furthermore they are allowed to be near Princess Celestia so much?" He asked somewhat crestfallen that his first friend seemingly forgot him. Although he couldn't complain as he almost forgot about her. Her eyes went as wide as dinner plates as the memory of who he was seemed to have hit her like a ton of bricks. "Spike!?" She asked with a hint of wonder in her voice. "You're the new teacher?" It didn't take long before she held up her hands in a stop motion. "Wait, hang on. How are a teacher? I'm older than you, by three years!" "What can I say Twilight, I guess you rubbed off on me a bit during the little time we knew each other," Spike replied with a chuckle. Twilight let out a sigh as she slowly came to terms with Spike, her junior of 3 years and friend from long ago, was going to be her new homeroom teacher. Needless to say that she didn't like it but she knew that Cadance wouldn't hire somepony who wasn't legally qualified for the job, family or not. "Spike, are you going to be teaching a subject or tutor?" She asked with a sigh. "Tutor maybe, but I'm not going to be teaching an actual subject, at least for a year or two. I may be good, but I'm not that good." Twilight could easily accept his answer, and nodded. "Ok. Well, when you're ready I'll take you to see Mrs. Silvermane," she said before taking a step back. "Spike, listen, before you go take today to rest up and go over the materials waiting in your room. Tomorrow you will attend the class as her assistant, so you can get see how the class is run. Wouldn't want to throw you into the shark tank without the knowledge to take the vest of meat off, now would we," Cadance said before giving him a gentle push towards the door. Their walk across the campus was filled with some awkwardness. Spike was the first to break the silence as he wanted to rekindle their friendship, at least he thought themselves as friends all those years ago. "So, Twilight, how have you been these last... What? Fifteen years?" Twilight slowly turned to Spike. "Well, I graduated from the top of my class and then Princess Celestia suggested I enroll here. I was already going to enroll here, but hearing Princess Celestia suggest it made me a bit giddy." "That's good and all Twilight, but I'm asking if you ever took my advice and opened up a bit more and got some friends?" "Since we last spoke? No, well, not since I came here. If it wasn't for one party pony then I wouldn't even have friends here, I mean what kind of pony is that forceful to have you mingle?" Twilight asked rhetorically. Spike had to stifle a laugh as he could already see her going into 'rant mode'. The rest of their walk was filled with Twilight talking about her various friends she had acquired here from the one called Pinkie Pie. Even if Twilight only had five friends right now he was happy as it was a start. She then turned her attention to menial things like certain incidents that happened when she was enrolled in high school. It would seem that after so long of no contact they could still easily be friends. "Sorry, to have talked your ear off, but it does a bit of good to unwind like that," Twilight apologized as they reached the entrance to one of the residential buildings. Up close the building looked a simple, but tall, apartment building. It was rectangular in shape, made of brick and it looked like each room had a small balcony. It was certainly one hell of an upgrade from a standard college dorm, at least from the outside. The inside was quite nice as well. The first floor consisted of a common room for the students. Twilight then explained that each floor belonged to a class along with the teachers. Despite it being so early Spike had expect to have at least seen one student from the time he stepped foot on campus to entering the dorms, but he hasn't seen a soul. "Each floor belongs to a class. Our class has floor seven," She said as she approached the two elevators. "The teacher's have their own room on the same floor as their class." Spike could only nod and follow Twilight as he let out a yawn. Twilight remained silent on the elevator, and only spoke up once they reached their floor. "So, how have you been since we last spoke?" She asked as she led him through the hallway. "Oh you know. Aced the advanced placement tests and then went on to get my teaching degree. I mainly got the degree because mom practically ordered me to. Then I tried to get some part time work in Canterlot, but none of those lasted for more than a month for one reason or another," He replied. If he had been paying attention to the doors he would see the doors had either a name or a cutie mark on it, and some had two names. "Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anyone know I'm Celestia's adopted son. There's a reason I signed my teaching degree as Spike Wyvern," He added in a hurried whisper. "I understand," She told him. She knew that being related to the royal family in a predominately female school was not a good mix, especially if said teacher was male. "In any case, we're here," She said before knocking on the door at the end of the hallway. "Hang on, hang on," came a feminine elderly voice from the other side. If the nameplate was anything to go by it was Mrs. Silvermane that was talking. Twilight and spike waited for several minutes before they heard the door unlock and open. Spike was a bit shocked to see the unicorn mare in front of him. He was shocked because how old she looked and was still teaching. She must have been in her early 80s, and the average retirement for teachers in Equestria is about 60. Almost like she was reading his thoughts she cleared her throat to grab his attention. "Now don't go and start day dreaming. I know I'm hot stuff for my age, but no need to drool," She joked with a laugh as she motioned for him to enter. "Well Mr. Wyvern, this is where we must part ways. I have class to get ready for," Twilight said before heading back down the hall, presumably to her own room. Mrs. Silvermane brought him over to the couch for him to sit down. "Today and tomorrow you'll staying in the same room as I. As for where you will sleep, if you can find a spot to get comfortable in you can take it. We can even share the bed if you like," She suggested with a playful wink. Spike's complex expression of horror and embarrassment must have been apparent on his face as the elderly teacher just laughed. "I was just joking. Kids nowadays are so fun to tease. Hey, take a look at me and take a swing at my age," She asked as she turned around for him like she was showing off an outfit on a catwalk. Spike looked her over as he was told and was a bit impressed. Despite her age her coat was a vibrant blue while her mane looked almost like liquid silver. She was dressed in a simple dress with a pair of crescent moon glasses on her face and she had a modest C-cup. The only downside to her figure would be the many wrinkles she had. There was no nice way to put it, but spike couldn't find her sexually attractive. Then again why was he thinking like this when he should be guessing her age? Spike shook his head to clear it of thoughts before answering. "Eighty-seven?" He asked, unsure by his own answer. She chuckled and shook her head. "You're about seventy years short," She stated oddly proudly. Hearing that she was around 150 made Spike's eyes go wide. "Seriously? How?" He asked. He knew that the average lifespan of a pony was about 90, but she lived 60 years past it. "I'm a unicorn kid. I've found a few spells to slow my aging. Unfortunately it has led me to live longer than my husband, but that's how life is sometimes." "I'm sorry about your husband." "It's ok kid. These things happen. I've had fifty years to mourn his passing, and if my estimates are correct then I've got about a year or two left. That's if I don't die from a heart attack or something," She said before laughing. "If you have that little time left then why didn't you leave to enjoy retirement earlier?" Asked spike a little worried about her wanting to stay so close to her final days. "Kid, I love teaching others. Sure some of them can be a royal pain in the plot, but to me it's well worth it. That and if I did retire I'd have absolutely nothing to do but sit on my rear and twiddle my thumbs," She said with a smile. "It is good to know that the girls will be in good hands, or claws as the case may be. If someone's resume caught Cadance's eye at such a young age then they must have a gift." "I see," Spike said, not really sure how to move the conversation forward, especially since he felt her logic in the latter half of her statement was flawed. "Well, Anyways, I'm sure you're gonna want to get the paperwork out of the way today then meet the students tomorrow, huh?" She asked before pointing to a desk that had a good foot tall stack of paperwork on it. He knew he had to read some stuff, but this was insane. He was becoming a teacher, not reading over a bill to become a law. His attention was turned back to Mrs. Silvermane as she laughed, seeing his crestfallen expression. "Don't worry kid. This may be a lot of paperwork, but it is by far the most you'll do in one go during your time here... Unless you say, informally punish a student." "Well, that's one good thing at least," Spike said with sigh before yawning for the second time that morning. "Ok, well, I'm going to let you get some shut eye. When you wake you can start on the paperwork. Don't worry about food, as I'll bring you something from the cafeteria during mealtimes. Try to stay in this room if you can. If you leave you might be assualted by some of the students then you'll never get you paperwork done, and you're gonna want to finish that paperwork by tonight," She said before heading back into her bedroom to get ready for the day. As she went back to do whatever spike sighed and lay on the couch, tired from the uncomfortable train ride that lasted several hours and he was tired before he got on. He made sure his trunk was still locked and on the floor next to him before he got into a somewhat comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. At last, some darn sleep... Author's Note Well, this is my first attempt at a MLP fanfic. I hope you all like it. If i'm missing any type of term that should be used instead (Ex. Plot instead of butt and hooves instead of hands.), don't be afraid to call me out. PS. If you all have any suggestions on how this RP should go don't be afraid to voice it. PPS. Sorry about if it doesn't exactly flow. Due to my schedule the first half was written while I was tired. *Edit* I changed the descriptions of Cadance and Twilight.