Spike’s nostrils were filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. He yawned and slowly pushed the covers off of himself, shaking his head to try and clear his head of the usual post-sleep fogginess. “I really need to remember to thank Starlight again for that auto-brew timed coffee maker she gave me”, he mumbled aloud, creeping over to the corner of his room where said coffee maker sat.

Spike poured himself a cup, added his usual two creamers and took a sip. Twilight may have god-like magical abilities, but Spike had his coffee and that was all he needed. He stretched out his arms, loosening up his scales and made his way out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen.

He rummaged through the cabinets until he found his desired breakfast consisting of peanut butter on wheat. Nothing fancy, but it did the job. He took a few bites then glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall.

“Six fifity-nine. Right on time.” Spike took one more bite of his sandwich and turned towards the stairs. “Three, two, one…”

“Oh, I’m late, I’m late, I’m so late!” On cue, Twilight scurried down the stairs toward the kitchen. “Morning, Spike! Has Starlight come down yet?”

“Not yet,” Spike said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Ugh, she was supposed to be ready by 6:56, and now it’s already 7!” Twilight huffed and turned back toward the stairs. “Starlight, hurry up! We’re going to be late! It's time to jump into emergency speed!”

At a much slower pace, that of which a tortoise may even find itself accustomed to, Starlight calmly strode down the steps toward the kitchen. “Good morning, Spike. Morning, Twilight.”

“Morning,” Spike said with a quick wave.

“Starlight! We have no time for pleasantries! We’re already behind schedule.” Twilight struck her hoof out toward the clock hanging on the wall. “If we don’t meet with Princess Cadance at town hall about those new trade routes, our entire town commerce could be doomed! And we have to meet with her and the mayor in thirty minutes!”

Starlight shook her head and sighed. “Two things. Number one, Twilight, calm down. It’s a ten minute walk at most. Number two-”

“But what if we hit traffic? Or what if there’s a wild flock of geese that block our path along the way? We have to plan for every variable!” Twilight, chest heaving, was running in circles in desperation.

Spike and Starlight glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

“Oh, yeah, Celestia forbid we run into one of the other three ponies out on the streets at this hour,” Starlight said with a chuckle. “Anywho, number two. Spike, I hope you don’t mind, but I got some coffee from your room on the way down. I figured Twilight forgot to make some given the circumstances this morning, and as it usually turns out, I was right.”

“It’s all good,” Spike replied. “You’re probably going to need it. Especially if you know who is in one of her moods all morning.”

Twilight groaned. “Okay, fine, I’m getting over anxious. But still, I want to be there early to show our professionalism. This will be one of your first major business meetings, Starlight, and I want it to go over well. You only get one chance at a perfect first impression.”

“I understand, Twilight,” Starlight said, nodding her head. “And I’m ready to leave whenever you are.”

“Perfect!” Twilight cheered, before turning to Spike. “Spike, how do we look? Every detail is important.”

“Hmm,” Spike said, looking up and down at the two. “Starlight, you look fine, if not in need of another second or two of tail brushing, but Twilight, your mane is doing something funky in the front.” Spike walked over to her and pushed her mane back into place. “There you go. I knew those beauty lessons from Rarity would be useful for something.”

“Thanks, Spike,” she said, rushing toward the door with Starlight on her heels.

“I assume you two will be back tonight, considering it’s just a local meeting this time?” Spike asked.

Twilight turned around. “Sorry, Spike. After we’re done with initial negotiations, we have to go to Canterlot and formally present them to Celestia for approval. We’ll be staying the night there, possibly even tomorrow night depending on how our schedules end up. I can’t really say for sure right now.”

Spike waved them off. “No biggie. I’ll hold down the fort here, check the mail and turn away the news reporters. Besides, I’ve got a to-do list of my own for the next couple days. Have a great trip, guys!”

“Bye and thank you, Spike! I’ll see you soon,” Twilight shouted, heading out the door.

Starlight waved to him. “Later, Spike And just between you and me,” she said, moving closer, out of Twilight’s earshot, “this would be the ideal time to throw a party or have some of the local mares over, if you catch my drift.” She gave him a quick wink and ran out the door, leaving Spike behind.

Spike waved goodbye to them once more before moving on with his morning duties. He finished up his coffee and breakfast and went back up to his room. He’d gotten used to silence in the castle, what with Twilight and Starlight’s constant business trips and various duties keeping them occupied. He was pretty lonely at first, but eventually found ways to occupy himself and keep busy in the community. And one of his favorite things was scheduled for today.

Spike rummaged through his drawers until he found his daily schedule. “Aha! There you are, you little troublemaker.”

Despite how annoying her constant checklists and organization had always been, one thing Spike appreciated about growing up with Twilight was the knowledge of knowing how to create a functional schedule. It was actually useful, especially as he grew into an adult. He didn’t appreciate back in the day, of course, but it was useful more and more as he gained more responsibilities.

“Let’s see here. Have coffee? Check. Listen to Twilight’s panicked tirade? Check. Collaborate with Starlight to make witty comments and end said tirade? Check. “ Spike’s eyes scanned down the rest of the schedule. “Take a shower, alright,drop off Starlight’s summer clothing purchase order to Rarity, that’s easy, and visit the colts and fillies at the hospital for an hour of story time, definitely looking forward to that. Then, last but not least, come back home and take an abnormally lengthy nap followed by doing whatever. Alright, this will be a good day.”

Spike threw the schedule back into the mess he called a drawer and made his way to the shower to officially begin his day. After a quick scrub down and scale polish, he was ready to go and face the brutal outdoors for the first time of the day. He grabbed the purchase order Starlight left for him and headed out the door.

“Okay, so first stop: Rarity’s house.” Spike beamed a bright smile. He wasn’t the same love obsessed dragon he was when he was younger, but always loved spending time with Rarity, nonetheless. She was his best friend, after all, so he definitely appreciated every opportunity he had to go spend time with her.

He jaunted his way across town, waving at the occasional passerby, until he arrived at the Carousel Boutique. A few quick knocks later and he heard the the quick scurrying of hooves and Rarity’s melodic voice.

“Just a moment! I apologize, we’re not quite open for the day, yet.” The door swung open, revealing the white mare, hair pinned up with hair curlers of various sizes. “Oh, Spike, darling! Why didn’t you say it was you? Come in!”

She stepped back from the door, allowing Spike entry. He strode in and set the papers down on the nearest counter. “Hey, Rarity. I’ve just got Starlight’s purchase order for the summer line of clothes you’re coming out with. You know, if she wasn’t so intent on learning from Twilight all the time, you could totally use her as a store manager. She must be pretty knowledgable on the industry given how many order forms I’ve had to bring you, recently.”

“Heh, I’ve thought the same thing myself,” she replied with a snicker. “On the note of fashion, I apologize for my appearance, Spike. If I would have known you were coming, I’d at least have put a little effort into looking company appropriate.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Spike said, waving his claw. “I’ve seen you in much worse states than this, anyway. Besides, I should probably get going soon. I’ve gotta get to Ponyville General Hospital in the next hour or so.”

“Aww, Spike, Twilight’s mentioned how you’ve been taking the time go read stories for the children there. It’s ever so sweet.” Rarity placed a hoof on Spike’s shoulder.

Spike could feel his face begin to heat up. “Uh, yeah, well… I’ve got a lot of free time, nowadays, and I figured I should at least try to do something good between all the laziness that occupies most of my life. As much as I do love a good nap, I needed to do something else so I can at least go to bed at night with some kind of personal accomplishment.”

“Oh, Spike, don’t be modest,” Rarity said, shaking her hoof at him. “Anyone who spends as much time around Twilight as you do could hardly consider themselves lazy. It’s a chore just trying to keep up with her in conversation.” Rarity brought her hoof up to her chin. “Speaking of which, how is Twilight? I feel as though I haven’t seen her in ages. It’s quite sad, to be honest.”

“Busy, as usual,” Spike replied with a shrug. “She left with Starlight to Town Hall this morning and is heading off to Canterlot afterwards. She probably won’t be back for a couple days, if that. I’m expecting she’ll be back later rather than sooner, if the past few trips are any indication.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Rarity said, her face slipping into a frown. “I was wanting to arrange a dinner date with you two, like old times. She does seem to travel a lot these days, so it seems our schedules rarely allow any free time.”

“I know, right,” Spike said, shaking his head. “But even when she’s at the castle, her and Starlight have so much to do I hardly see them. Unless, of course, there’s a planned family activity.” Spike chuckled. “You should see our family games of Marenopoly play out. One of us always ends up sticking up the bank and Twilight usually ignites the board on fire in frustration. It’s a lot like real world economics.”

“That sounds… enjoyable?”

“Oh yeah, it’s a lot of fun. But, of course, it’s also the reason we’re no longer allowed to play Risk within town borders. The Mayor issued an official request and everything.”

Rarity laughed aloud. “Well, remind me to steer clear whenever your next game night is scheduled. But, to get back on the original point, the work of a Princess is never done, I suppose.” Rarity shook her head and smiled back at Spike. “Either way, it was lovely seeing you this morning, Spikey. Have a great time cheering up the fillies and colts, and please, don’t be a stranger. I’d love to actually have time to chat with you, soon. Okay?”

“Sounds good, Rarity,” said Spike, turning around and heading for the door. “By the way, do you have an ETA on when you’ll get Starlight’s order done? She was asking me about it the other day.”

Rarity glanced over the order. “Well, this a large order… Does she really need twenty-two floral print bandanas?”

“I have no idea, but it’s what she ordered. And all of them are different colors and patterns, too. Good luck.”

“Well, I know she’s wanting to be unique these days, but maybe she should have kept a bit of her old ‘everypony is the same’ attitude she used to have. I’ll have to get back to you on that one, Spike. But I’ll let you know as soon as I figure out a timetable.”

Spike nodded and gave Rarity a quick hug goodbye before leaving off for the hospital.

Spike shuffled down the hospital hallways, which were cold and clean as always. When he got up to the front desk, an older mare with steel-grey fur and a black mane greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hey there, Spike. It’s great seeing you, again,” she said.

“Hey, Magnolia, I’m just here to pick up my visitor’s badge for the children’s wing. I should have an hour timeslot set up for today.”

“Oh, dear me, has it been a week, already? I know all of those fillies and colts are gonna be excited to see you, bless their hearts.”

“Well, I guess that means I’m doing my job,” Spike said with a smile. He grabbed the lanyard with the badge attached to it and strung it around his neck. “Thanks again. I’ll make sure to bring this back before I leave. Unless I forget, of course.”

“No problem, hun. Any time.” The older mare smiled and waved Spike off before returning to her paperwork.

Spike wandered off down the halls until he reached his designated location. A giant, colorful sign that read “Recess Area” was displayed on the door in front of him. It was here that, once a week, Spike would visit with any children who wanted to and read them a quick story. It wasn’t much, but he enjoyed brightening their day the best he could.

Spike walked up to the large chair at the front of the room and took his seat. He opened up the small satchel he brought with him and produced a copy of the book scheduled for today’s reading session.

“The Adventures of Poptart and Notepad. They’re gonna love this, as always!”

Spike flipped through the various colored pages of the book until he found the right chapter hidden within. The volume contained many fun and exciting adventures between the two titular heroes and the kids always loved it. Good guys solving mysteries, helping towns and saving the day… It was the best kind of medicine he could provide to them.

He looked at the clock on the wall. As per the time, it would be just five minutes before the young patients arrived and got to hear their story.

A nurse with white fur and a pink mane walked into the room and waved at Spike. “Oh, hello, Spike! So good to see you, again.”

“Good to see you, too, Nurse Redheart,” Spike responded. “Are the kids ready yet? Or am I gonna need to come back later. I know things aren’t always according to schedule here.”

“Actually, I was just coming in to ask if you were ready, yet,” the nurse said with a giggle “They all got super excited when they found out you’d be here today. ‘We want Poptart, we want Spike’... All morning long they wouldn’t stop asking about it.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Spike said. “Honestly though, the sooner they get out of here and don’t have to listen to stories, the better.”

“I hear you loud and clear,” she agreed.

“So,” Spike said, trying to get the negativity out of his mind, “will it be the usual suspects today?”

“All except for one, this time,” Nurse Redheart replied. “Dinky hasn’t been feeling too well the past day or so so we’re keeping her in bed for the time being. She was disappointed to be sure, but it’s for the best.”

Spike tried to place a face to the name. “She’s the little gray one, right? With the blonde mane?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied. “But, with any luck, she’ll hopefully be good by next week, the poor dear.”

“Well, I hope for the best, there,” Spike said, scratching the back of his head. “But, you know what, next week won’t even by necessary. Assuming nothing crazy happens, could you let me go back to her room after I’m done with the kids out here? I could probably spend some time reading to her on my own time if you’ll allow it.”

Nurse Redheart rubbed her chin as a smile crept onto her face. “You know, I think I can arrange that. I know she’d love it.”

“Awesome!” Spike smiled and gave her a thumbs up. “Just come get me after the recess time is over and lead the way, alright?”

“Sounds like a plan!”

A group of hoofsteps growing in volume began approaching the room the two were in. High-pitched cheers and giggles could be heard through the halls.

“For now, though, it would appear you're about to have your claws full with these ones,” Redheart said. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Let me know if there’s an emergency, alright?”

“Can do,” Spike said with a large smile toward the approaching gaggle of fillies and colts. “So, everypony, who’s ready for another adventure of Poptart and Notepad?”

Spike was met with an uproarious cheer from his crowd of adoring fans, all of which immediately found their way to a chair or laid down on the rug in front of him.

“Sounds like you’re all ready,” Spike said with a chuckle. “Today’s adventure is called ‘Poptart and Notepad vs. The Giant Bed Bug Monster’. Exciting, right?”

The air was filled with the oohs and aahs of all the kids present, some hiding behind their favorite stuffed animal or pillow.

“Are bed bug monsters real?” a voice spoke up.

“Of course they’re not real,” another responded. “And besides, even if they were, Poptart and Notepad would save us. Right, Spike?”

Spike crossed his arms. “Hmm, that’s a good question. So, how about we read the story and find out. That sound okay, guys?”

All the children nodded in unison.

“Okay, ahem,” Spike cleared his throat.

“Once upon a time, when all the ponies were fast asleep, a giant monster crawled out from the dark forest…”

Author's Notes:

So... yeah. This is a story I've had on the backburners for almost two years now, maybe longer even. Various rewrites, idea changes and canonical issues have hampered it so far. It's about time I got around to blitzing through it.