"Then Twilight looked up at me with this shattered look, and I realized....
Her foal is dead on account of I let him realize that we’re all just Winonas."

The first draft was a co-bronze-medalist in the the MLPChan /fic/ writeoff for December 2012.

The talented Ponychan /art/ denizen Spirit Shine provided us with a beautifully poignant portrait of Spike's First New Year's Alone as a picture prompt (also: was gracious enough to let me use the image as a cover). I ran with it and decided to have Applejack kill Spike.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Luna's there to keep him company.

Spike the Dragon has been the librarian at Ponyville's Golden Oaks Public Library ever since...
For a long time.
Today, an old friend comes to wish him a happy 100th birthday, but then a letter arrives, which leads to more letters, left to him from his youth and adolescence.

A bittersweet tale of Spike coming to terms with his place in the world through looking back at how he grew up.

(Rated Teen for heavy themes. No Sex or Gore)

After Twilight is asked the hard question she never even pondered herself, she thinks about her future life with Spike. Unfortunately, Twilight thinks and realizes the inevitable truth of the situation, one that leaves her more grateful for her assistant that she has ever been before.

How do you define a parent? Is Blood the only thing that matters? Recent events have caused a lavender unicorn to seriously reconsider just how much her scaled assistant means to her.

Poor Spike, all he wanted to do is spend time near the pony he adores. Now, because of one little lie, he's in real trouble. A geography bee, a macabre doppelgänger, and an icebox all play their part as Spike and Rarity once again find themselves on pins and needles...

The friends we take for granted are often the ones that leave the largest impact on our lives. When Spike falls seriously ill with a mysterious disease and the ponies strive to nurse him back to health, Twilight Sparkle comes to grips with this very realization about her number one assistant--and friend.

EDIT: So this little story made it on Equestria Daily on 10/8/12. Now please excuse me while I pass out on Rarity's fainting couch while murmuring a soft Fluttershy "...yay."

Spike has loved the beautiful and graceful Rarity with all of his young dragon heart from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. The problem was that Rarity barely noticed him. One day he decides to make his intentions known to her, only to find that she has her eye set on the handsome Baron Summersday and his quest may have already come to an end.

Meanwhile, Rarity — after the disastrous event of the Grand Galloping Gala — has been in contact with a stallion named Baron Summersday via mail, as the finale of the Gala prevented him from meeting her in person. After several missives between themselves, he invites her to his mansion for the weekend as an honored guest. Rarity sees this as the possibility of her dream of finding the one for her finally becoming a reality.

But is this really a dream, or a nightmare instead?

Rarity has a rather unladylike moment of panic when she thinks Spike has moved away without telling her. Twilight is amused.

Short oneshot that just sort of fell out of my head this evening.

Spike does not change back after Rarity tells him off during Secrets of My Excess and flees Equestria.

The Changelings have been defeated and Shining Armor and Princess Cadence have said their vows, but that still leaves the Mane Six and others with the issue of the strain on their friendships. And among all the guests present at the reception, a few of them are going to be suprised with what new relationships are formed.

A live reading by Alchemystudent is available here.