• Published 6th Dec 2022
  • 590 Views, 13 Comments

Firebox Hearts - Mystic Mind



After getting rejected by Rarity, Spike finds an escape from his broken heart at a miniature railway.

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Chapters 1

Firebox Hearts

Chapter 1

Home, sweet home. Spike let out a long, defeated sigh, slamming the door shut behind him. Maintaining a veneer of public contentment had been costly, and now all he wanted to do was curl up with a bucket of gems and hibernate. Yes, he still had chores to do in Twilight’s absence—he was her number-one assistant, after all—but after the week he’d had, it was just another weight chained to his already sunken heart.

I should’ve seen this coming, he berated himself. Rarity’s a pony who’s twice your age. Why would she ever date you?

The fact that she’d let him down gently did little to lessen the pain. If anything, he felt more pathetic. Despite his age, he was still seen as a baby dragon, clinging to a childish crush.

He was still Rarity’s little ‘Spikey Wikey’, a nickname which carried far worse implications in hindsight.

How could she lead me along like that? How long had she known about my crush? I should’ve known she was lying. I should’ve—

Spike stopped on the stairs. His fists were clenched so hard, they were starting to hurt, though if he preferred this pain to heartache, he wasn’t sure. Heading to the bathroom, he leant over the sink and splashed cold water over his face.

Looking in the mirror, the face that looked back was a deep scowl. What was he becoming? He didn’t hate Rarity. She was well within her right to reject his advances, and it wasn’t like they’d never speak again.

It helped little. Sweet Celestia, I’m pathetic. Perhaps this was his penance to dream of a romance with an adult, now drowning in self-hatred because of it.

No sooner had he dried his face, than the castle’s doorbell rang. Grumbling, he begrudgingly made his way back downstairs. He wasn’t expecting any visitors today, nor had Twilight scheduled any meetings for him to fill in for. Why would anyone want to see him, in his current state?

Pulling open the heavy front door a crack, he found himself looking into the solid red eyes of Ocellus.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Hey, Spike,” Ocellus replied cheerfully, despite Spike’s standoffish tone. “Mind if I come in?”

“Why? Do you need something?”

Ocellus blinked, but her smile didn’t waver. “I have a letter from Twilight to give you, but I also wanted to talk.”

Spike frowned and grimaced. Just what he needed, more unfinished business from Twilight to deal with. Reluctantly, he opened the door further and gestured for Ocellus to come in. As she did so, her gaze wandered across the castle’s crystal interior

“Wow,” she whistled. “This castle’s even prettier on the inside. You get to live here every day, right? I’m so jealous.”

“It’s not that special,” Spike’s reply was dreary. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Um, I was hoping we could sit down somewhere first. After I gave you the letter, that is… I should probably do that now, shouldn’t I?”

To that, Spike rolled his eyes and held out his claw. “Follow me.”

Opening her wing case, Ocellus reached inside and handed it to him.
“There’s no tea,” Spike said as they entered the guest library. Slumping backwards onto one of the beanbags, he crossed his arms. “Twilight finished them before she left.”

“That’s okay. There’s plenty in the school dorms’ kitchen. Want me to fetch some while you read the letter?”

No. I mean, no, thank you,” he gestured apologetically while correcting his unintended bluntness towards her.

Great job, Spike. You’re already knocking it out of the park with your hospitality.

Glancing at the envelope, he wondered why Twilight had to do this mission alone. Once upon a time, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without him at her side, but that was before Celestia and Luna decided to retire. Though on paper he was still her number one assistant, in practice he felt like a consolation prize. She could tell him otherwise until she was blue in the face, it didn’t make his negative feelings any easier to deal with.

“Dear Spike,” he read. “I heard about what happened between you and Rarity. I’m sorry it had to end like this, but I’m glad you two are still friends.”

Friends. Ha! What a joke. Too late did he realise he’d snorted aloud. Briefly looking up, he saw Ocellus had cocked her brow, but otherwise said nothing.

“I know you must be hurting right now. Truth be told, I do regret leaving you behind instead of bringing you with me to Griffonstone, but I promise I’ll make this up to you as soon as I get home.

“For now, you can forget about any assistant duties. You deserve a break. Take some time off and focus on recovering for however long you need. I’m sure Rarity and the other girls will help to keep everything else in order.

“You will always be my number one assistant, Spike, and the best dragon a pony could ask for as a little brother. Your physical and mental health is part of my Princess’ responsibilities, so please, take care of yourself, and I’ll see you soon.

“Love, Twilight.”

Spike dropped the letter. Twilight had said that going to Griffonstone alone was crucial, yet somehow she also regretted not taking him. It made no sense. It was just another buck to the gut that added to the volatile thundercloud of emotions hovering over him.

“Spike?” Ocellus asked. “Are you okay?”

Looking down at his claws, he realised his vision was blurry – not to mention the wetness of his cheeks. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t cry over Rarity. No matter what others thought of him, he wasn't a baby anymore. He was a tough dragon; he could handle this, he…

…was hurting. He could lie to himself all he liked, but the truth would be unchanging.

“I’m sorry,” Spike said, choking back the sobs. “I’m… not doing so great.”

Ocellus nodded. “I’ve heard.”

“You have?” Not content to simply leave his heart broken and his thoughts in tatters, now fate had decided to throw the curveball of circulating rumours at him. He was starting to feel like a circus clown. “I-It’s not what you—”

“Spike, relax. I’m not judging you. I’ve had crushes on other creatures before. Well, mostly changelings, but my point stands. I promise, no one cares that you had a crush on Rarity, least of all me.”

Sniffling, Spike flipped over and buried his reddened face in the beanbag. “Please, just go. I want to be alone right now. It’s what I deserve.”

Standing up, Ocellus placed a hoof on his shoulder. “If that’s what you want, then I’ll happily oblige. But could you hear me out, first?”

“Fine.”

“I was rejected recently, too.”

“…what?”

Dragging her beanbag next to Spike’s, Ocellus sat back down and clopped her forehooves together. “I don’t talk about my personal life much, and I know I don’t have to. But if I’ve learnt anything from Princess Twilight, it’s never to abandon a friend in need.”

“But I’m not a friend, am I?” Spike asked, his voice falling somewhere between a genuine question and a damning self-accusation. “I’m just Twilight’s assistant. You don’t know me.”

“Okay, maybe we’re not close like I am with Smoulder and the others, but we’ve still talked. If it weren’t for you giving Thorax a chance, I’d still be trapped in serving Queen Chrysalis. Besides, Smoulder’s your friend, isn’t she?”

“What does it matter?”

“She’s the one who asked me to check on you. Starlight would’ve given you the letter directly, but she couldn’t get a hold of you. She gave Smoulder the letter to pass on, but we both agreed it was better if I did it.”

Once again, Spike found himself at a loss for words. He could barely vocalise a confused squeak as he pushed himself up.

“I asked her out,” she continued, cringing slightly. “She said she wasn’t looking for anyone right now, but appreciated my gesture.”

Spike sat up stiffly, trying his best to keep eye contact as he listened to Ocellus speak.

“I won’t lie, it… felt like a gut punch – made worse because of my social anxiety. I seriously considered heading back to my hive and hibernating for the rest of the school year. All that time working up the courage to tell her how I felt, and in the end, it was for nothing.”

Spike couldn’t help but notice the edge of bitterness in Ocellus’ voice, but it wasn’t anywhere near as vicious as his own toxic thoughts. There was a reaction to pain, sure, but this felt like a controlled release, not an impulsive stab. Ocellus, too, noticed the chord her words had struck with Spike.

“I have to give Smoulder credit,” Ocellus smiled gently. “She was so understanding of how her answer hurt me. As much as I didn’t want to split up our group, she offered to keep her distance from me, if I needed it. To think, she never would’ve been this considerate if it wasn’t for the School of Friendship. She’s taken her lessons to heart, we all have, and it’s made both Changeling and Dragon culture so much better.”

“But you were still hurt, right?” Spike asked. “How did you deal with it? I want to respect Rarity, but I’m scared that if I talk to her again I’ll be so…”

“Mean?” Ocellus finished. “Yeah, I got that, too. Starlight taught me this saying: ‘Time is like a healing potion,’ or something like that. Personally, all I needed to ride out the worst of it was a good book. I don’t know if it’ll work for you, but I have another suggestion if you’re interested.”

Hopping to his feet, Spike took a slow breath in and stretched his limbs. “Anything’s better than sleeping all day. What do you suggest?”

Author's Note:

Ocellus has a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.