Spike made his way to the schoolhouse after seeing Twilight and Luna off. He had hastily translated a few poems into common Equestrian; he prepared a few battle hymns for the boys, and some romantic poetry for the girls. He did have the foresight to keep to the cleaner poems; he presumed Cheerilee, and his soon to be sister-in-law; would not appreciate him sharing the poetry a love-struck dragon wrote about Luna’s morokei posterior.

‘Maybe I should do a rendition of that one for their wedding.’ Spike chuckled as he walked. ‘Or I’ll just save it for the bachelorette party.’

He walked up the path, making sure to keep away from the windows. Cheerilee always liked to make his entrance a surprise. He knocked on the door four times.

Listening through the door, he heard Cheerilee speak to the class. “Please sit up children. We have a very special guest who has come to visit us today. Many of you might have seen him around town.”

Spike gripped the door handle, and started to push. He and Cheerilee had honed this entrance to a fine craft over the last four years.

“Please give a warm welcome to Ponyville’s librarian…” Spike could hear the groans of some of the students. “Spike –” Spike strode through the doorway, head held high, looking as imposing as he could. “– the dragon.”

The shocked silence was punctuated by a hoof pump and a ‘Yes!’ from Ginger Gold at the back of the class.

“Good morning, everypony!” Spike beamed a razor sharp, toothy grin, and took a bow.

Cheerilee stepped next to him, and spoke to the class. “Class: Spike here has been Ponyville’s resident librarian for the past ten years. He took over from his sister when he was not much older than any of you.”

“But he’s a dragon!” one of the colts called out.

“I’m a dragon?!” Spike stood on hind quarters, patting himself down with his claws. “When did that happen? Cheerilee, did you know I was a dragon?” His joke earned a round of laughter from many of the foals.

“Yes Lightning. Spike is a dragon, and the little brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Cheerilee answered the pegasus foal who’d burst out.

“Then how is he the princesses brother?” a filly called out.

“She hatched him!” Ginger Gold called out from the back. At this comment, most of the fillies paled.

“Th-they can do that?” The filly unicorn who'd spoken blanched. “I-I don’t think I want to be a princess anymore.”

Cheerilee and Spike laughed, then he quickly corrected the foal's misconceptions. “No, she had to hatch me as a part of her test for Princess Celestia’s school in Canterlot.”

He pulled out of his bag a few photos. There were pictures of his egg, as well as a few of him sitting on Twilight’s back, sucking on his own tail; and a few of him younger with Twilight and her friends. He passed them to the foals in the front row, and asked them to pass them around.

Many of the fillies let out ‘aww’s’ over the photos of him back when he was a baby. Predictably, the boys weren’t interested in the baby photos. He’d win them over yet.

He started the lesson with ancient history. He gave a dramatic recounting of some of the pre-Equestrian/Draconian wars, which the boys particularly liked.

He then moved on to dragon biology, as Cheerilee handed out the notes she had taken from the library books. As he predicted, everypony was particularly interested in how dragons make fire. He explained it was a mixture of chemistry and magic, and how that allowed dragons to perform their magic using their flames.

He demonstrated by sending a note to Twilight. The boys laughed as he belched a flaming reply from Twilight, and read it out. ‘Good afternoon everypony. Please keep up your studies. Princess Twilight Sparkle.’ The girls tittered excitedly at the reply from a princess!

Spike fielded questions as the students asked them, and Cheerilee was smiling at the enthusiasm of the foals.

After a short break, Spike and Cheerilee led the students out into the playground for the ‘surprise’. The students chatted excitedly, wondering what was going on. Cheerilee watched Spike nervously as he stood in the clearing, and gathered the students to sit around him.

“Now, my little ponies,” – Spike drew himself up to his full height – “before I leave today, we are going to perform some dragon poetry readings.”

This earned a groan from the students. They’d obviously expected something cool for the finale. Spike did not aim to disappoint.

Drawing in a deep breath, he bellowed with a voice that rivalled even Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice.

Lot bormah do fin dov brod

Faasnu ok suleyk

Kron fin Bruniikke

Daal daar du'ul

Komeyt hin bah

Krongrah!

He punctuated the final line with a booming ball of flame in the air above him.

Cheerilee and the students sat there stunned, staring at the dragon who had just roared poetry loud enough to shake the ground and rattle the windows of the schoolhouse. Then the foals started whooping and hollering as he took his bow.

He pulled a stack of papers out of his bag. Holding them up to the crowd, he asked, “Who wants to go next?” He turned a sidelong grin towards Cheerilee before adding, “And remember, dragon poetry is supposed to be loud!”

Cheerilee grimaced while Spike laughed and clapped for the children as they screamed out their poems. As he had guessed, the boys picked the ones about wars and fighting, and the girls stuck with the love poems.

“Bravo! Bravo,” he cheered in applause as the last foal sat back down into the crowd. The children were red-faced but all laughing and smiling despite their exhaustion.

“Thank you very much for having me here today, my little ponies,” he waved as he left. “And remember, you are all welcome at the library any time. We’ve got lots of books on dragons you can borrow! You never know what worlds you might find in a good book!”

An exhausted looking Cheerilee led the waving children back into the schoolhouse as he took to the air.

Finding a place to land not far from Sugarcube Corner, Spike was convinced he needed something in his stomach. Several somethings actually, if his current appetite was to be trusted. He stepped to the side, holding the door for a couple exiting the bakery.

Spike entered the shop and found Rarity standing at the counter talking with Sugar Forest.

“Couldn’t get enough ‘recipe’ this morning, Spike?” Sugar Forest guffawed. “You know she hasn’t stopped singing and dancing around since you left.”

“Hmm, what’s this?” Spike watched Rarity as her eyebrow rose and a smirk spread across her face.

“Pinkie Pie sings and dances every day, Forest.” Spike coughed, looking away. “You know that!”

“Forest, darling; this definitely sounds like a story I need to hear,” Rarity batted her long eyelashes at the apprentice baker.

Forest grinned, looking up at the panicking dragon. “Oh, Spikey-boy here came here earlier this morning, looking up recipes or something with the boss. He must have come in really early, because I didn’t even see him arrive.”

“Really?” Her gossip senses tingling, Rarity’s eyes glittered like diamonds.

“Yeah. It’s funny though,” he smirked, watching the dragon flail his arms about trying to stop him. “Because I opened up for Pinkie this morning.”

“Spikey!” Pinkie bounded out of the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Spike. He hugged her back, nervous at the grins shared by Rarity and Forest.

Pinkie turned, noticing Rarity, leaped to give her a hug too. “Oh Rarity, sorry I didn’t see you!”

“Awww, everypony except Forest gets some sugar.” Sugar Forest laughed.

“Sorry Sugar,” Pinkie deadpanned, “But no hug for you! I can’t afford to be pulled in front of pony resources again. I’m on my second written warning already. If I have to write myself one more, I’ll have to fire me!" Pinkie deflated a little. “And that would make me sad any time I saw myself in the street.”

Reflating, she turned back to Rarity and Spike, and asked, “So what are you two up to?”

Spike was about to answer, when Rarity interrupted. “Oh, we just came to get some cakes. Spike and I are having tea at the boutique. Aren’t we Spike?”

“Uhh– yes?” Spike worried. Honestly, after the class he’d just left, a few Sugarcube treats and a nap was all he had planned.

“Awww!” Pinkie deflated. “I miss out on a party?”

“No, dear –” Rarity petted Pinkie Pies hoof “– it’s just tea and cakes between two friends. Not a party.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nopey-dopey! Tea and cakes is a tea party. Which is still a party. So the two of you will have to make it up to me!”

“Oh, I think I already have something in mind for that, my dear.” Rarity giggled. “Now, we must get going. I promise I’ll bring him back later.”

Rarity levitated her cake box in front of her, and herded Spike out the door.

“Je m'excuse, I don’t have any dragon sized teacups.” Rarity levitated the tea tray to the table. “I hope you don’t mind trying some Mariage Frères, it was a wonderful gift from Fancy.”

She smiled as she took a sip. “Mmm.” She breathed a deep sigh, putting the cup back down.

“So, how is Fancy? I’d like to meet him sometime –” Spike blushed “– well, in at least in a little less embarrassing setting.”

“Hmm?” Rarity turned towards him. “Oh, Fancy is wonderful, thank you. And I would love the two of you to meet.

“But right now I am more interested what is going on with you and Pinkie.” A grin spread across her face, like she had just found a paragon diamond of at least four-thousand carats. She watched him intently. “You two seemed very… friendly, last night.”

“You know what Pinkie is like –” Spike blushed, shaking his head “– she was just keeping me company. I didn’t want to interrupt you girls, and she was nice enough to sit with me.”

“And pull you up to dance. And apparently… oh what was it?” – Rarity scratched her chin with a hoof, pretending to look deep in thought – “Go over some recipes with you this morning.”

“I-It’s not what you think, Rarity.” Spike stammered.

“Of course it isn’t.”

“Luna’s stupid guards wouldn’t let me back into the library. Twilight and Luna were already asleep and it was either staying at Sugarcube Corner, or sleep in the park for the night.” Spike sighed. He wasn’t getting out of this, he knew Rarity well enough to realise she wouldn’t let go. “So I went back to Pinkie’s, and fell asleep on the floor of the bakery.”

“Spike, you know Twilight was right. You are a terrible liar.”

“What do you mean? That’s what happened,” Spike protested. He took a small sip from his own cup. The tea had a very faint taste to it, reminding him of chocolate. She was right, it was good tea.

“Oh, I do not doubt you were turned away from the library, if your struggle with the guards yesterday is anything to go by.” Rarity stopped to take another sip of her tea. “No, it is just that, well… Sugar Forest opened the store this morning, right?”

Spike took a deep draught of his tea. These tea cups really were too small to his liking. He nervously poked at his slice of cake while waiting for her to deal the killing blow.

But it never came. Rarity topped up her own tea, and refilled Spike’s cup. Spike was acutely aware of the burning in his cheeks.

“So, are you going to tell me, or will I fill in the blanks myself?” she asked, politely.

From the innocent and demure smile she wore, Spike could assume she had already filled in the blanks, added several wildly inaccurate and salacious details, mentally written and published a twenty novel saga he would definitely have to keep out of the foal section of the library.

“It’s not what you think,” he sighed. She had him within her claws. Which was ironic as she was the one with hooves and he was the dragon. “Pinkie woke up and found me on the floor. She pulled me up to her room.”

“How bold! And I presume, with that lovely raspberry shade you’ve taken on, you did not just sleep on her floor.”

Spike hunched, trying to make himself smaller, which turned out to be a futile effort. “No, I didn’t,” he whispered.

“Oh Spikey,” Rarity gasped in mock horror. “And here I thought you were a gentleman, but you force yourself upon a beautiful mare such as Pinkie Pie. Oh, you vile monster!”

“N-no! We didn’t– she wouldn’t–” Spike panicked. “Rarity, can we please just drop this?”

“No, we can’t,” she chuckled. “Do you know how long I had to endure Twilight’s questions yesterday when you left. No, Spikey, I’d say we most definitely cannot drop this.”

“Nothing happened, Rarity.” Spike sighed. “You know she’d never be interested in somepony like me.”

“Why wouldn’t she be interested in somepony like you?”

“Umm, hello?” Spike flung his arms out. “Dragon here. I’m not exactly popular with the mares.”

“Oh no, not popular with the mares at all, no.” Rarity burst into laughter. “Spike, how many mares have you asked out?”

“Uhhh,” Spike sputtered nervously. Truth be told, he’d only ever asked one mare out. She’d politely declined, and was now sitting in front of him, teasing him about his love life. “Not… many?”

“So you’d have no idea how many fillies kept unsent letters to the dragon they wished would be their sweetie, or the fillies who wished they were the apple of a certain dragons eye.” Rarity chuckled. “Thank Celestia Scootaloo had that crush on Dash, because I don’t have a good pun on that one.”

“W-what? They didn’t– No! They couldn’t–”

“Mmm-hmm –” Rarity nodded “– had you not had your eye set on one, I will admit stunningly beautiful mare, you might have noticed. And I dare say they weren’t the only ones.”

“They– they don’t still… do they?” Spike paled.

“Sorry Spikey-wikey, those ships sailed away years ago.”

“Oh, thank Cadence!” Spike let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Anyway, I think there is somepony who is very sweet on you, if you’d just open your eyes.” Rarity giggled. “You two would make such a cute couple.”

“And I still think it was just her being Pinkie Pie.”

Spike returned to the library, and collapsed into his bed. Not evening bothering with a night-time book, he fell into a deep slumber. He dreamed strange, confusing dreams of pirates attacking the Good Ship Sweet Apple, while the dread pirate Extravagant Dungaree tried to kidnap his favourite pink-frosted vanilla slice.