//------------------------------//
// 10) Another Day 
// Story: Just a Thought 
// by Chinchillax 
//------------------------------//

Two months later, Key chirped at him, saying all sorts of things about the nice day outside, and how Owlicious had been noisy last night while they were trying to sleep, and a thousand other things.

Spike smiled, turning over in his bed until finally admitting defeat that Key was not going to shut up until he officially left his comfortable slumber. He had had such a good dream too. He had gotten to show Luna his idea for what the Castle of Friendship could look like, and she was very impressed at Spike’s imagination.

Spike brushed his teeth and got ready. Twilight had a lot of work for him to do today. But that was okay. He was a helper. And that’s what he loved doing best.

He breathed out a purple flame and played with it all the way down to breakfast. He heard Twilight and Starlight's usual morning bickering as he got closer to the kitchen.

"Why did you get cupcakes for breakfast?" asked Twilight.

"They're unfrosted cupcakes, that means they're practically muffins," said Starlight.

Spike extinguished the purple flame before Twilight could notice, and then sat down at the table.

"You can't possibly believe an unfrosted cupcake actually substitutes for a real breakfast muffin," said Twilight. "Where did you even get that idea?"

"Pinkie Pie, and she's right! All an unfrosted cupcake has going for it are different flavors and more sugar. That makes it even better than a muffin."

"Pinkie Pie is a professional baker. She of all ponies should know that there is more to cupcakes than just being a sugary muffin. Muffins are healthier!"

Spike picked up one of the unfrosted cupcakes and bit into it. He loved sweets as much as any other creature. But this was way too much sugar for this early in the morning. 

"No they're not," said Starlight. "Have you seen the nutritional value between a cupcake and a muffin? They're practically the same."

"I'm not a professional baker—Pinkie is. We should just ask her what the difference between a cupcake and a muffin is."

"I did ask," said Starlight. "And she said they were about the same."

Spike quietly got up and started cooking some oats that both of them would appreciate. The heat from the stove reminded him that he could accidentally burn this entire place to the ground and all his friends would die and it would be all his fault and he shouldn't be alive and—

He breathed in. Shrugged. And then breathed out.

Starlight and Twilight continued to squabble until he finished cooking the oats.

He set the bowls of oats in front of them and they said a quick thanks before starting to eat, all the while still debating between muffins and cupcakes. Honestly, what would they do without him?





Living with the suicidal thoughts never truly went away. The thoughts surged to impossibly oppressive heights, and then receded away, leaving behind the peace of a weathered storm. 

Spike continued living. And that was alright.

And even when it wasn’t, he had many friends to help him get through it. Sometimes he helped others, and sometimes he was the one being helped. And Spike was okay with that.