The soft tapping of chalk against a blackboard could be heard around the classroom as Cheerilee worked to write up another paragraph for the fillies and colts to copy in their notebooks. It was nearing lunch and Spike could feel himself growing ever more sleepy with each new line. Despite Applebloom and Sweetie's best attempts to keep him awake during the lecture, the drake had continued to drift and doze.

Sweetie giggled once more as she had begun to get creative with each new attempt, having used anything from her hoof to a ruler, to the tip of her quill to keep him awake. Applebloom for her part seemed almost as jittery as she had this morning, with the exception that she was near constantly watching the clock above the board. Scootaloo watched the two with an unusually reserved expression, normally the brash filly would have joined the two of them in their varied methods of keeping the drake awake.

"Spike, would you like to come up here and finish this for me?" Spike jumped at the sudden call of his name, looking to the front of the room and seeing that Cheerilee was giving him a disapproving stare. He gulped nervously while his classmates' snickers broke the quiet of the room.

"Uh.. sure thing Miss Cheerilee." He croaked out, sliding from behind the desk and making his way towards the board. Just as he reached for the chalk however, the school bell rang, announcing lunch. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back towards his desk, rushing to grab his things and follow after the crusaders as the three fillies trotted out of the room.

"Sorry Miss Cheerilee! I'll finish it up after lunch, I promise!" He yelled back as Cheerilee tried to call after him. She huffed in frustration, before smiling and waving out the fillies and colts as they herded their way to the schoolyard.

Spike and the crusaders made their way over their favorite spot for lunch, a small patch of grass that rested beneath the shade of a small oak tree.

"Hang on y'all!" Applebloom hurriedly caught their attention as she rushed ahead of them, dropping off both her saddlebags and turning back to Spike, quickly turning him around and trying to push him in the opposite direction.

"H-hey, what’s the big idea?" Bewildered by the filly's antics, he dug his heels and tried to remain in place. Applebloom only pushed him away harder while the other two watched in confusion.

"C-come back in just a few minutes Spike. Ah need to set somethin' up first!" She proclaimed a deep blush on her muzzle and her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled to push him away. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked on at the two of them before glancing at each other and then back to the final member of their club before the realization hit like a cart of apples. With a bright smile on each of their faces, they jumped beside Applebloom and assisted in shoving the poor drake away, who was now both confused and overpowered by the three fillies.

"Get going Spike, it won't take long! I'll come and get you when we're done!" Scootaloo guaranteed as she flashed a bright smile at the drake. Finally relenting, Spike allowed himself to be directed away from the tree and began his trek out towards the other classmates with a feeling of uncertainty. With a sigh of relief, Applebloom turned to her friends, thankful.

"Thank you gals, ah don't think ah could'a pushed him away on mah own. For such a small dragon, he's a lot heavier than ah thought." She froze however when she noticed the strange, predator-like smiles that her friends were giving her.

"U-Uhm... gals?" Shying away from them as they approached, she yelped as her friends descended upon her, the two of them quickly grabbing hold of the unfortunate filly and dragging her off under the tree.

Spike wandered around the playground aimlessly, casually adjusting the shoulder strap of his green backpack from one shoulder to the other as it got slightly sore. He had taken to only using one strap at a time as opposed to using them both since the hard spinal ridges of his back would get in the way of the bag itself whenever he tried to put it on. As he wandered around, he thought about what the girls were up to that he couldn't be involved in, but decided it was probably best to leave them to it.

"Fillies can be weird sometimes..." He quietly mumbled as he glanced about the schoolyard, taking note of the many fillies and colts who had already sat down to enjoy their lunch. With a sigh, he meandered his way over towards one of the few open spaces and sat down in the grass, placing his bag before him and unzipping it.

'If they're gonna do their own thing, that's fine I guess. But it's not gonna stop me from getting a full belly.' He smiled as his claws pulled out a purple and green lunch box from within his bag. Opening it, his smile turned into a slight frown and he bowed his head in morbid acceptance. Of course, Star would have been the one to make his lunch for him...

The meager meal consisted of Star's number one dish, a salad. He sighed audibly before a smile graced his lips.

'She's trying at least...' Though the dark mare still had her reservations about their friends and general hostility towards other ponies, she still cared for him a great deal. Enough so that she would struggle in the kitchen in the early hours of the morning to try and make him a homemade meal for school. Luckily, however, there was also the small addition of a jar of gemstones and a single cupcake that he could tell was Pinkie's work.

'Waste not want not...' He thought to himself before picking up the plastic fork and stabbing a large piece of carrot through the middle. As he ate, Spike looked around himself to see the other students chatting and getting along happily, an empty feeling began to settle in his stomach that was unrelated to his present hunger.

'Great, now I'm lonely.' He rolled his eyes at himself and turned back to his meal. He had barely made a small dent in the lettuce, many of the accompanying vegetables sitting untouched. With another sigh, he reached into his bag and withdrew a small juice box. Taking the straw and stabbing it through the mark on top, he sipped it quietly as he eyed the small jar of gems.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The little lizard's been kicked out of the blank flank club!" The sound of a young filly's voice, followed by her haughty laughter and the snorting chortle of another filly, decided to announce themselves. Turning to face the grating sound, Spike found himself beset by none other than the bully duo of Cheerilee's class, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Each of them sported smiles that were less than pleasant and neither of them seemed to be going anywhere anytime soon.

'Not exactly the type of company I was hoping to enjoy around this time of day.' Spike internally groaned at this turn of events. Up until now, he had managed to avoid running into this pair over the course of his time in school. It wasn't like he never saw them, they sat in his class after all. It was more a matter of he and the girls were always hanging out together and in plain view of Miss Cheerilee, whom it seemed had gotten held up in the classroom and hadn't made her way out to the grounds yet to observe the students during their break period.

"Go away, I'm trying to eat." Spike stated simply as he turned back to his lunchbox. He'd dealt with far worse things than a couple of bullies at this point, there wasn't any need for him to pay them much mind. Diamond gasped at being ignored, her face scrunching up in anger as she stomped her way around to the front of him and gave a snarky laugh, Silver Spoon right beside her.

"How could you just ignore me like that, lizard!? You should pay attention when a pony is talking to you!" She threw her hoof forward, smacking his lunchbox and his remaining meal, into the grass and across the yard. The small jar of gems that he'd been looking forward too shattered, scattering glass and precious stones into the dirt. Spike jumped to his feet, his eyes sharp and anger clear on his face. All thoughts of ignoring them having been swept aside in a sea of his ire.

"Hey! What's wrong with you!" His fore-claws balled into fists as he fought to keep himself from lashing out. Diamond only smirked and laughed while Silver Spoon giggled.

"There's nothing wrong with me, but there is certainly something wrong with the school board if they're starting to let pets come to class." Her words rang in his ears and he felt his heart drop to his feet as he comprehended those words.

"Wh-what?" His voice was shaky as he stared at her wide-eyed. Diamond grinned triumphantly, she had managed to bait him. Beginning to pace around him, she forced him to turn in a circle to keep her in his field of view.

"You heard me, lizard." She casually flipped her mane as she walked, careful not to tip the pristine tiara that rested upon her white and purple streaked mane. Spike gritted his teeth at that word, it wasn't something he hadn't heard before, being called a lizard from time to time by Rainbow or Scootaloo as they joked around with him was a normal occurrence and it was often just a little light teasing. But the way Diamond said it... something about it didn't sit right and he wanted her to stop. The trio now had a sizable audience as many of their nearby classmates watched the display with curiosity and apprehension.

"What in Equestria made you think that trying to come to school was a good idea? No pony wants you here and no pony needs you here. The only reason Miss Cheerilee even tolerates you in her class is because she's scared of your creepy looking owner." Diamond sneered as she spoke, giving a shudder for effect. Spike's fists curled up even tighter and he could hear his pulse in his ears.

"Don't talk about Star like that!" He shouted, a slight puff of smoke erupting from his nostrils and making Diamond jump back with a startled sound before she grinned back.

"Awe, what's the matter? Are you gonna stand up for your owner now?" Spike's eyes shook with barely restrained anger.

"She's not my owner!" He yelled back at her, stomping his foot.

"Then, like, what is she to you?" Silver Spoon's mocking voice came from behind him. Turning to face the newest threat, Spike bared his teeth in an angry grimace, his tail twitching behind him. Silver only grinned back as Diamond came back around to stand beside her friend.

"That's a good question Silver," She bumped her flank against her friend's who returned the gesture in time with her movements.

"So, answer the question, lizard. What is she if she isn't your owner? There's no way you two are actually related, although, with her appearance, I could see her being some kind of creepy science experiment. Is that what you are? Some failed science things that got out of their cages?" The two friends laughed at the idea while Spike seethed with anger, his breathing becoming heavier as his pupils dilated into tighter slits.

The fillies barely registered the change, that was until small gouts of emerald flame began to spew between his bared fangs. Both fillies looked at the drake with a slight bit of fear for just a moment. Diamond Tiara finally glared back, however, taking a step towards the drake.

"Go ahead, do it, I dare you" Her voice dripped with warning as Spike clenched his clawed fists even tighter, his tail lashing out behind him and digging a small trench as he fought against the urge to take her up on that offer.

"That is enough!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both felt their blood run cold and their eyes widened in surprise. Quickly turning on their hooves, they found themselves being stared down by none other than Cheerilee herself. A small grey pegasus colt with a navy blue mane and tail, stood at her side glaring at the two of them. The other students, who had been quietly observing, quickly took this as their cue to make themselves scarce and went back to their own meals.

The sudden appearance of their teacher snapped Spike from his anger induced reverie, his fists slowly starting to relax and his flames dwindling to a small stream of smoke.

"I leave you fillies alone for five seconds and you jump back to your habits like a couple of manticores! In my office, now!" The magenta pony demanded as she pointed towards the schoolhouse. The fillies gave quick nods while sprinting past the teacher, giving the colt sour glares as he stuck his tongue out at them. Taking a deep, calming breath, Cheerilee turned regard Spike with a worried gaze, before giving him her best, most reassuring smile.

"Please don't mind them, Spike... It's been a bit hard trying to reign in their bullying of others. Their parents haven't exactly been cooperative. But If you'd like, you can discuss what happened with your guardian and we can set up a meeting between the parents so we can talk about this together, like civilized ponies, and hopefully prevent this sort of thing from happening again." Spike's heart was still racing with anger. Despite the small joy he felt at having seen Diamond get caught in the act, he couldn't help but feel unfulfilled in his attempts to defend himself and Dimmed Star. He looked to his feet and nodded carefully, afraid of what he might say should he try to speak. Cheerilee gave the poor drake a sympathetic frown, before stepping forward and nuzzling his head.

"Everything will be fine Spike, you'll see. Just be sure to talk with Miss Star about this. I'll be sending a note home with those two." Spike leaned into her embrace for the briefest of moments, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly as he fought to calm himself.

"Wh-what about my lunch?" He asked shakily. Cheerilee sighed and glanced to the ruined meal that covered the schoolyard.

"I can share mine with you. My big brother always makes too much anyway, so it's not a problem." The colt cut in, catching their attention. He smiled at the drake and held his hoof up in greeting. Spike stared back for a moment before smiling and placing his fist against the colt's hoof.

"Um, hi? My name's Spike, but are you sure?" Placing his hoof back on the ground, the colt nodded in affirmation as Cheerilee backed away from Spike with a smile on her face.

"Hi Spike, I'm Rumble, and it's no problem. I told you, Thunderlane always makes to much. I usually share it with my... uh ahem... a-anyways. They won't mind." He finished with a stammer and a slight blush. Spike only tilted his head in confusion while Cheerilee could help but giggle lightly.

"Alright then, if you two have this handled, then I need to head back inside." Cheerilee waved at the two of them as she turned and headed back towards the school, her kind eyes darkening as mumbles of frustration at the two fillies she was about to confront whispered between her lips. Spike watched nervously after her, only catching a few words that were not meant for those of a certain age to hear, before a light grey hoof clapped him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Well? C'mon!" Rumble proclaimed as he pushed the drake down the hill towards the school. Spike wondered what was with everypony pushing him in one direction or another today before a thought hit him.

"Wait! I gotta get my stuff first." Spike spun out of Rumble's path, causing the colt to stumble in surprise for a moment. collecting his bag and lunchbox, Spike tried to scoop what bits of his lunch he could back into the tin to be discarded later, only managing to gather the larger pieces left over. Shortly after, he fell into step beside the colt and they both walked towards the wall of the schoolhouse where a single unicorn filly sat waiting for them.

"Hi, Spike!" The light purple, almost pink, filly waved energetically, catching him off guard.

"Uh... hello?" Spike returned, confused. She merely waved him off as Rumble came to sit beside her, giving her a small nuzzle which she sweetly returned with a bright smile. Seeing the strange look Spike gave him however left the colt with a bright blush.

"This is Dinky, she's uh... m-my... m-marefriend..." He admitted quietly while Dinky chuckled and tried to hide her own blush by pretending to adjust her blonde mane. Spike's eyes widened and he felt his own cheeks redden a bit.

"O-oh, so earlier when you said..." Rumble only nodded and Spike scratched awkwardly at the back of his head.

"Well, I don't want to be a bother to you two or anything..." He mumbled, only for a light yellow aura to snatch his bag from him and place it on the ground beside them.

"Sit." Dinky demanded, not even looking at him anymore as her horn was alight with magic. Spike looked to Rumble who could only nod at the drake.

"Don't bother saying, ' no thank you,' she's kinda pushy that way." He whispered towards the drake, unaware of the flick of his marefriend's ear in his direction. He became very much aware of her presence however when he found a whole head of broccoli stuffed in his mouth, fixed into position by a light yellow aura.

"Hush you." The filly stated as she took a piece for herself from her own yellow lunchbox. Spike chuckled at their antics before sitting down in the grass. Turning to the young filly, a single question remained on his mind.

"So, how do you know my name already?" Dinky looked up and he felt his heart drop at the hurt he saw in her eyes.

"We're in the same class! I sit right behind Scootaloo!" She declared as if it was obvious. Spike scratched his head sheepishly.

"Oh... sorry..." She sighed to herself, mumbling about colts as she picked out her favorite foods from her lunch. It looked to be well made, with a great deal of love if the number of heart-shaped fruits were any indication. Rumble, finally having finished chewing through the large head of broccoli, took a large gasp of air.

"Don't take it personally, I'm in the same class as well and I think I was asleep during your introduction. I sit next to Twist by the window." He reached into a saddlebag that was nearby and pulled out a wonderbolt themed lunch box. Popping it open, he pulled out two zip-lock bags that each held sandwiches and two fruit cups.

"Peanut butter and jelly, or daffodils and tulips?" He asked, holding up both bags for Spike to see. Spike looked between the two choices and bit his lip in thought.

"There you are! Sweetie and I have been looking all over for you!" Scootaloo suddenly exclaimed next to his ear in frustration, causing the poor drake to yelp in surprise. Both she and Sweetie Belle now stood on either side of Spike with matching grins that he had never seen on them before, and that worried him.

"Uh... girls?" His question was left hanging as Scootaloo grabbed ahold of him and began to drag him back to the tree while Sweetie Belle grabbed his things.

"Sorry to drake-nap and run, but we already have some plans for lunch." She apologized to the two bewildered ponies as she trotted off after the struggling drake who just wanted to eat in peace and the filly who refused to let him go. Looking at the scene before them, Rumble turned to his marefriend and sighed.

"Well, we had a new friend... for like ten seconds..." Dinky nodded alongside him with a small huff of annoyance.

"..."

"..."

"Wanna follow 'em?" His marefriend didn't waste time on a response as she had already used her magic to pack their belongings, throwing both of their saddlebags onto his back.

"Oof! Why do I have to carry it all?" He asked as he tried to hurry after the filly that had gotten a head start. She turned a bright smile in his directions, a smile that made the whole world fall away.

" 'Cause you looooveee me~" She chanted in a singsong voice, causing him to blush and grumble, but he never denied it or the small smile that threatened to overtake his features.

"Can you let me go?" Spike begged as he struggled against the orange forelegs that dragged him along. Scootaloo grunted in effort as she tried to take him a bit further, before finally coming to a stop and letting go. The drake stood and brushed off the grass and bits of dirt that had collected on his scales, scowling at the filly that struggled to catch her breath.

"You... really are... heavy..." She panted as she wiped her brow. Spike ignored the comment about his weight in favor of eyeing the strange scene she had led him to.

The two of them stood before the tree where he and the crusaders would normally have their lunch, but there was a major difference. For one, the large red blanket with a bunch of crocheted apples on its surface was new. He'd never seen the girls lay out a picnic blanket for lunch, although that wasn't the biggest surprise. There, in the center of the blanket, sat a banquet of delicious food! There were apple fritters, caramel apples, apple pie, stuffed apples, apple chips apple cheesecake, salted caramel apple crisp, apple cobbler… There were certainly a lot of apple-themed goodies. Two empty plates sat across from one another as well, along with a couple of juice boxes. Spike stared in confusion at the setup, turning to the practically bouncing pegasus next to him.

"What do you think?" She pleaded, her eyes smiling and hopeful. Spike blinked at her for a moment, his uncertainty rising.

"Uh... it's nice and all, but I don't see what the big deal is?" An indignant huff caught their attention and both looked to see Sweetie Belle staring at Spike with a harsh look of disapproval. Just a little behind her, Rumble and Dinky watched the trio with interest.

"Do you like it or not Spike?" Sweetie Belle pressured, nearly planting her muzzle into his face as she stomped up to him, leaving his things on the ground behind her. Luckily for Spike, his survival instincts kicked in before his brain had time to react and he quickly nodded his head.

"Y-yea! It's uh, r-really nice that you girls would do this." Unfortunately, this seemed to be the wrong answer as both girls groaned and face-hooved. Spike twisted his claws together nervously, unsure as to what he had done to cause such a reaction. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to turn around, pushing him to the blanket.

"I hope you can figure this part out a bit faster..." She mumbled under breath, unaware of his ability to hear her. Spike gulped as he allowed himself to be corralled onto the blanket and then forcibly made to sit in front of one of the plates.

"Sit. Stay. Watch." She commanded. Spike was quick to obey, sitting straight and keeping his eyes forward, focusing on the tree that provided them with shade.

Sweetie left him on the blanket as she rushed back over to Scootaloo, giving her equally excited friend a quick nod. With a grin like a cheshire cat, Scootaloo looked towards the tree and cupped her hooves to her mouth.

"Now!" It actually took a bit longer for anything to happen, as Spike stared at the tree in utter confusion, before slowly, carefully, a yellow hoof stepped out from behind the small oak.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both bounced in place, giddy in excitement as Dinky gasped in awe. Rumble stared in shock and almost fell over carrying the saddlebags, before receiving a sharp jab to his ribs, courtesy of the filly beside him.

For the first time since the day he had moved to Ponyville, Spike felt his heart leap into his throat.

Author's Notes:

Dimmed Star and Twilight stand over a tombstone with Shaded's name engraved.

Dimmed Star: " So... how's he supposed to keep writing like this?"

Twilight: " It'll be fine, we've brought him back before."

Dimmed Star: " Yea, but we didn't bury him that time."

Twilight: rolls eyes " I really don't think that matters when it comes to Necromancy, now do the disclaimer, we don't want to have to drag this on."

Dimmed Star sighs in annoyance

Dimmed Star: " Fine, whatever. Shaded Blood does not own MLP: FIM or the Equinox ponies. A special thanks to Kuunlehti for proof reading this chapter. Also, don't forget to check out the Discord
!"

Twilight: " Do you think he's out of air yet?"

Dimmed Star: " Wait you buried him alive!?"