...But It's Gonna Be My Year
Spike raced down the hallways of the hospital, throwing his normally polite greetings out the window. He had a mission to accomplish and nopony could stand in his way. Not if he could help it.
After a few twists and turns through the cold halls, he skidded to a halt at the visitor’s desk.
“Ma’am, quick… need….” He attempted to catch his breath after getting more physical activity than he had in his entire life up until this point. “I need a visitor’s pass. It’s an emergency!”
A unicorn with a poofy mane spun around in her chair to greet him. “Oh, how you doin’, sweetie. I’ve got you covered.” She produced a visitor’s badge for him and handed it across the counter. “Here ya are, baby.”
Spike grinned. “Thank you!” And it was off to the races once more.
He flashed his badge at the door to gain entry to the colorful halls. He could hear the sounds of laughter mixed with the occasional crying. For all its brightness, it never got any less depressing. But that’s why he was here. He couldn’t cure them, but he could at least help the process along a tad. It was better than nothing.
He continued his stroll down the halls, moving at a bit of a slower pace this time. He was trying to find the nurse on duty because, despite his regular visits, permission was required to see anypony.
Spike eventually came to the main recreation area. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he reflected on the ‘magic’ performance Trixie put on there a short while ago. But, more importantly, he spotted Nurse Redheart walking down the adjacent hall.
“Yo! Nurse Redheart!” Spike called out, running after her. “Nurse!”
She stopped in her tracks and turned her head around. “Oh, Spike!” She turned around and walked over to greet the dragon. “I wasn’t expecting you today. Did I miss the memo?”
“No, don’t worry,” he replied. “This isn’t so much a formal visit as it is a personal one.”
“Oh, okay, I see. Are you here to see Dinky? I think her and Derpy are in the room.”
“You got it,” he said with a smile. “I have some great news I think they’ll both be excited to hear.”
“Oh? Well in that case, by all means, head on back.” She pointed to the back hallway. “Just so you know I’m pretty sure Derpy will be especially happy to see you. She hasn’t stopped talking about you since she showed up.”
Spike’s cheeks flushed. “Really?”
“Heh, go see for yourself. I’m sure you remember which room is hers. But just in case, it’s fourteen. Knock on the door if it’s closed and they’ll let you in, I’m sure.”
Spike gave her a quick thumbs up and headed down the hall. “Thanks a lot. I really hope everything works out.”
“Oh, Spike,” she said. “Just out of curiosity, what do you have planned?”
“You’ll see… hopefully.”
After a short walk down the hall, he finally arrived at the room. He could already hear the chipper sound of Dinky rambling about something or other in excitement. If she didn’t have the paperwork to prove it, he would question if she was actually sick with all the energy she had. If only that was actually the case.
The door was slightly cracked open, so Spike gave a few light knocks on it. “Hey, guys. Is it cool if I come in?” He lightly pushed the door open and was greeted with the most exaggerated gasp of excitement, courtesy of the small filly sitting on the edge of her bed.
“Spike! It’s you! It’s you!” Dinky kicked her hooves against the bed in excitement before leaping off. “You’re here! I didn’t know you were coming, but I did know because you always come when I need you!” She began running in circles around him before latching onto his waist, which was as high as she could reach, and wrapped him in the tightest hug she could muster. “I missed you…”
Spike smiled and patted her head. Curse this filly and her adorableness. It’s too much for my heart to take!
“Well, I’m here now and hopefully, I’ll have an exciting surprise for you a bit later.” Spike picked her up and put her back on the bed. “But you have to be good and get some rest in the meantime.”
Dinky’s eyes widened to the point of no return. “Surprise?”
“That’s right. But first, I’ll have to talk to your sister about it. Speaking of which…” Spike looked around the room. “Where is she?”
“She’s in the bathroom,” Dinky said, childhood honesty in full swing. “But she should be back soon. Especially if she knows you’re coming.” Dinky darted her eyes back and forth across the room before waving Spike over. He followed her bidding and walked over to her. She grabbed his head and brought it down to whisper in his ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but I think she likes you.” She finished it off by putting a hoof up to her lips, swearing him to secrecy.
Spike chuckled but crossed his heart. “Of course, Dinky. I won’t tell a soul. But just between you and me…” Spike leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I kinda like her, too.”
Dinky threw both hooves over her mouth and gasped. “Huh, no way! But don’t worry, I won’t tell.”
Spike backed up from her and winked. Their secret confession session was interrupted however as they heard the sound of the hospital door swing open behind them.
“Derpy!” Dinky shouted out. “Look who’s here! It’s Spike! He’s the one who’s here!”
Derpy grinned, letting her face hide behind her mane as she walked in. “I can see that, Dinky.” She walked over to Spike and gave him a quick hug. “Hi, Spike. I’m really glad you could come. I know how busy you are.”
The dragon waved her off. “Psh, oh yeah. Between napping, comic books and harassing Starlight, I’m way overbooked,but I don’t mind making some room for you.” Spike had to do a mental double-take. Did he just flirt with her? Without stuttering or saying something stupid? This was unexplored territory.
“Oh, well I appreciate it,” she replied, brushing her mane out of her eyes. “It’s nice to be… scheduled, hehe.”
“So, on a slightly different note,” Spike began, trying to change the subject before his hormones got the best of him, “I have something that I think might interest you. Would you mind stepping out into the hall with me for a sec?”
“Oh, sure!”
“Aww, I wanna hear!” Dinky moaned. “Why can’t I hear?”
“Because… this may or may not have something to do with your surprise, Dinky. So be good for a minute and we’ll be back soon.” Spike gave her a thumbs up, which seemed to alleviate her mood a tad bit.
“Okay… I hope it’s a good surprise.”
“It will be.” Spike held the door open for Derpy and the two stepped out into the hall.
“So,” Derpy started the moment the door closed behind them. “What’s this about a surprise? Did I forget something? Oh gosh, I’m sorry! Things have been all crazy and whatn—“
“Shh,” Spike said, placing a claw over her mouth. “You didn’t forget anything. I just came up with this today, actually. Check this out.” Spike produced the small booklet he received earlier and showed it to Derpy. “You know what this is?”
Derpy studied it intently for a second. “Cheap advertising?”
“Well, yes, but more than that!” Spike flipped the booklet open to a picture of a carousel. “There’s a fun fair coming to Ponyville. It’ll be here all afternoon and night! Rides, junk food, the whole shebang! But what’s better? In the kids’ section, they’ll be having a meet and greet with Poptart and Note Pad!”
“Oooh, that sounds fun! I take it you wanna go?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love fun as much as the next guy, but no. I was thinking…” Spike motioned for Derpy to come closer so he could whisper, lest Dinky hear. “I’m thinking we should ask the doctor if Dinky can come out for just a little while tonight to the meet and greet. She loves the Poptart and Note Pad stories.”
Derpy’s mouth slacked open. “Spike… that’s an amazing idea! She would absolutely love it! I can only imagine how happy that’d make her.” Derpy jumped forward and nuzzled Spike’s cheek. “I can’t believe you’re doing this for her.”
Spike, still reeling from the idea of a beautiful mare giving him any kind of affection, took a second to respond. “Oh, well… I can’t really decide anything. We still have to get it cleared with her doctor.”
“Oh yeah,” Derpy said, her elation fading ever so slightly.
“But hey,” Spike said, lifting her head up gently with a claw. “The way things have been going recently, there’s no way he’ll say no.”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?!” Spike leaped up from his seat on the other side of the doctor’s desk. “How can you speak such atrocities? I demand an explanation!”
The doctor, a dark brown earth pony stallion, kept looking at his papers as he responded. “Dinky’s immune system is still in a compromised state. Letting her be in public at all, much less a fairground is simply out of the question.” He took a sip of his coffee, before he resumed his quiet study.
Spike frowned and took a seat. If he was going to plead his case, he had to remain mature and cool-headed. In his experience, doctors spoke one language and one language only:
The language of professionalism.
“…Please! If not for me, do it for the children! Think of all the unfortunate souls that wish to experience fresh air, dangerous carnival rides, and deep-fried candy bars!” Spike dropped to his knees. “This is a once in a lifetime chance for this filly. She needs this.”
The doctor set his glasses to the side and finally made eye contact with Spike. “Look. I want these kids to get better just as much as anypony. But it’s simply too dangerous for her to go out, right now. Also, let’s say I did let her go out. How do you think the other colts and fillies would feel when only one of them got to go have fun? It’d be anarchy!”
“I’ll take all of them, then!”
He shook his head. “Spike, your commitment to the kids here is admirable. Inspiring even. They love you and you’ve genuinely done good things for them. But, right now, the thing they need the most is medical attention and a chance to get better. I’m not being heartless. I’m doing my job. Do you understand?”
Spike deflated and slowly rose to his feet. “Yeah, I guess I do. You can’t blame a dragon for trying.” He slumped and slinked toward the office door.
“Oh, Spike, real quick.” The doctor grabbed a large binder and flipped through it. “If I’m not mistaken, you have your next check-up appointment in three weeks. Make sure you make it. You missed your last one.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here. Heh, as much time as I spend here, you’d be surprised at how much I hate hospitals.”
The doctor gave him a brief smile before returning to his work. “It’s never fun being the patient, is it?”
“No sir, it is not.”
Spike picked up his stride a bit as he made his way back to the room. He wasn’t going to enjoy dashing Dinky’s hopes, especially after he promised her a surprise. He’d just have to make it up to her some other way.
As he turned down the hall, he saw Derpy fighting with the candy machine… and she appeared to be losing.
“You having some trouble there?” he asked.
She grimaced and pounded her hoof against it. “You could say that. My candy bar got stuck.”
Spike took a glance inside the machine and sure enough, there was a 23,000 Bit Bar hanging perilously from the top shelf of the machine. “Ahh yes, the dastardly foe strikes again. Step aside, Derpy. I’ve gone into battle with these things enough, I’m pretty sure I can help you out.” Spike cracked his knuckles and pressed his claw against the smooth plastic window. “It’s not a matter of strength as much as it is strategy and delicate force. Just find the right point and…” Spike knocked the glass a few times and sure enough, the candy bar fell to the bottom. He scooped it out and handed it to the shocked mare next to him. “There you are, my dear. All in a day's work.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!” Derpy said, still stunned. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well, you might not think I’m so cool after what I have to tell you.”
“Did the doctor not go for your plan?”
“Yeah, it’s a no-go,” Spike said. “I tried, but in the end my efforts were useless. I just feel bad for Dinky. I was hoping to pull through for her.”
Derpy placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t feel bad, Spike. You’ve done so much for her before and the idea was so sweet. Trust me; you’re practically a hero to her.”
“I don’t feel much like a hero, to be honest.”
The mare shook her head. “You go out of your way to help others, you care about everypony and not to mention you saved the Crystal Empire once upon a time. I looked it up. So… You’re a hero to me. And Dinky, too.”
That put a smile on his face. “Thanks, Derpy. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. It was my turn to cheer you up for once, anyway.” She gently nuzzled his cheek once more, which Spike was admittedly growing very fond of. She stepped back and began slowly walking back and forth in front of him. “Maybe we can do something else, though. We could always go down to the fair and bring her a souvenir or something.”
“Bring her back something? That could work…” A light bulb exploded in Spike’s head. “Derpy, I have a great idea! Follow me.” He took her hoof and led her down the hall at breakneck speed. “We may be able to make her day after all!”
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Yes!!! I cant wait for the next chapter. Never get tired of this series.
This is so good! But for some reason. I feel like the ponies playing Poptart and Note Pad would hate their roles and just do it as a act. I can see them getting to a breaking point and just lashing out at a little filly or colt.
8702842
Only time will tell! Maybe they are complete assholes... or maybe they actually go out of their way to do something nice?
8702857
Either one is fine. It's just sometimes people playing characters for kids can get stressful and enough could make them snap unexpectedly
8702857
I'm expecting Spike to bring the actors to the hospital. That seems like the obvious solution. Not only for Dinky's sake, but the rest of the kids', too.
Also, being somebody with an intentionally suppressed immune system, I am totally on the doctor's side. If Dinky's immune system ain't up to snuff, going out would just make her worse.
...And yet here I am looking at BronyCon tickets...
all according to plan
8702899
i agree with you there
8702870
Yeah, Doctor was totally right, even if Spike didn't want him to be.
Also, you guys will just have to wait and see what happens. I'm thinking of writing the next chapter tonight, but I've been releasing chapters like a boss and might want to give it a few days so people don't get burnt out on it.
Please don't be offended, but it's kind of funny how just the last chapter I said I loved how unpredictable the story is...BUT now I have a feeling of where it's going now
I could be wrong though. Still lovin the story.
Keep up the good work my good man
8702942
Some things need to be unpredictable, and sometimes I like to settle it down into something a little more familiar. I really appreciate you giving me some feedback, though! Negative or positive, I love hearing from my readers.
HA!
And no typos? I'm proud of you, FLW. I really am.
8703041
It helps that I have a dedicated editor now. Before I'd write the chapter, run it through a few spellchecks, read over it to pick out anything else I found and submit it. It helps a lot having an extra set of eyes.
Omg, I forgot how painfully adorable Dinky is! Couple that with nuzzles from Derpy and just--hnnng!! My heart can't take all this!
So, what exactly is Dinky sick with? If she can't leave the hospital...
8703087
Spike doesn't know the specifics yet. Stuff like that can only be released to family members and he hasn't asked Derpy. All he knows is her immune system is weak, which could probably be attested to medication of some kind or an infection or something.
That's all I can really go into without spoilers.
8703047
A dedicated editor?
I'll be sure to pray for him.
That Nurse was very nice and my Heart melted at dinky's apperence. Sad to see the doctor says no, but i'm Sure Spike will top that
Hold up.
A likeable protagonist and his love interest who are dedicated to taking the time to making the day of a very particular sick child. A sick child, mind, who happens to be related to the love interest of the primary romance in a romance story, and is constantly shown as lovable and adorable...
Something tells me I'm both going to love and hate where this is going...
Hate to say it but so far the one thing thats been keeping me reading this has been wondering why dinky is in the hospital. If i get farther in and you make it something terminal i swear im going to scream and and curse you for eternity.
Speaking of Starlight, what happened with the bandanas that Rarity made for her?
BOOP HER
What about Dues ex-magic? You do have an alicorn, right?
Heyyy dats pretty good. Spike saving the day again. What type of disease does Dinky have? She was in that hospital for a month right? Isn't that kinda overkill? Not to mention she seems perfectly fine physically and mentally. Not to mention you can just heal her up with some magic. I must ask, is there going to be an antagonist ever? I mean in SOL fanfics it's hard to come up with a specific person that's the antagonist, but you can come up with other problems right? Anyways, can't wait to see how this arc ends.
8703081
You and me both.
8703389
So, there will be an antagonist of sorts later in the story. However, it's not a physical one in the traditional sense. Either way, it'll appear mid-arc 2.
As far as what Dinky's sick with, it'll be answered before the end of Arc 1, so sometime within the next 4 chapters or so. As far as healing her with magic, I've never wanted to include that in my stories because we haven't really seen it in the show. Characters have gotten injured and sick and just had to deal. Plus, if they could heal with magic, overpopulation could become a thing.
As usual, my friend, I really appreciate you commenting and letting me know what you think. Always a pleasure!
8703335
Hopefully a bit more love than hate.
8703376
Wait a few more chapters and see!
I'm so excited!!! Go! Go! Go!
8703782
Well, duh.
My foreboding feeling was right. Who knew?
It dissipated with this, though. I wonder if Note and Pad might be willing to visit...
Yay spike! :D
Just arc 1? Out of curiosity, how many arcs will there be, and will they be roughly the same length as arc 1?
Well, Spike probably should have talked to the doctors first about the carnival plans before bring it up with Derpy and getting her hopes up. But hey, another opportunity for Spike and Derpy to have some more alone time together, I'm sure Dinky wouldn't want them to miss it because of her.
I feel like arc two is gonna make so much more use of that lingering sad tag.