> A Sweet Treat
>  by D0CT0RWHOOVES
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> CH.1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bon Bon sighed in relief as she took off her apron and shut down the stove for the day. She had finally finished cleaning up and was ready to go home. 

Just as Bon Bon was about to switch the open sign to closed, she saw an odd sight. Spike was walking down the street looking close to tears, eating the chocolate he had bought for Rarity earlier that day. She instantly felt bad for the little dragon. When he had walked in the store earlier that day, asking for a box of chocolates in a heart-shaped box, she knew who they were for. Considering the sad look on his face, she had a feeling it didn’t go well. 

Bon Bon left the shop to go console him, and as she got closer she could hear him sniffling. That sound almost made her heart break.

“Hey Spike,” Bon Bon said in a sad tone.

“Hey,” Spike replied, not even looking up.

“ It didn’t go well, did it?”

Tears began to drip down Spike’s cheeks. “No, it didn’t. Just about everything went wrong.” 

“Come on, Spike, cheer up. There are worse things than getting rejected.”

Little did she know, but she had just opened a can of worms… a very large one filled with very large worms.

“Yeah, I know. Like, the girl who just rejected you saying it’s because to her you're just a child?” Spike yelled, finally letting the tears flow.

Bon Bon was actually a little shocked, she knew she would reject him, but not go any farther.

“And then she goes on to list the reasons why it would never work,” Spike continued in between sobs.

Bon Bon sat next to him on the ground and put a foreleg around him.

“Well she was a fool then.” 

“Oh y-yeah? Why?” Spike said still sniffling.

“Because any mare would be lucky to have you” Bon Bon said with a smile.

Spike gave a small smile at this and wiped a few stray tears away. “Thanks, I’m not sure I believe it, but thanks.”

“No problem. Hey, you said almost everything went wrong, what went right?” Bon Bon asked, trying to make the conversation happier.

“Well, your chocolate was really good,” Spike said with a small chuckle.

Bon Bon gave out a loud laugh but quickly covered her mouth. “See, that’s the spirit!”.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Bon Bon began to rub her chin in thought. Well, it’s quite obvious she shattered his heart into little pieces and then turned those pieces to dust. Maybe I should offer to help him? But what about Twilight, she’s like a sister to him, he could talk to her. Yeah, but I wouldn’t really want to talk to my sister about this kinda thing. 

“Hey Spike?” Bon Bon started.

“Yeah?” Spike said sounding depressed.

“Well, I see you're out of chocolate, maybe you’d like some more?” Bon Bon asked.

Spike shook his head. “Thanks, but it looks like you were just about to close up. I don’t want to waste your time.”

Bon Bon was now determined to make this dragon feel better. She walked over and picked him up on her back.

“Sorry but I won’t be taking no for an answer, and trust me it’s no problem.” 

Bon Bon trotted into her store, Spike riding along with her. Making her way to a table, she kneeled down, allowing Spike to hop off and take a seat.

“Wait right here, alright,” she said with a wink.

She dashed off to the kitchens and returned with a small box containing various sweets.

“Here you are,” she said, placing the box on the table and taking a seat across from Spike. “I wasn’t sure what your favourites where, so I just grabbed an assorted box.”

“Thank you, Bon Bon. Seriously, this is really nice of you,” Spike said, taking a particularly yummy looking chocolate from the box and shoveling it into his mouth. 

“Well, like I said, Spike, I don’t want you to feel so torn up. Beside, take it from someone who knows heartbreak… chocolate is a miracle cure.”

Spike looked up from his confectionary delights and turned his gaze to Bon Bon. “I take it you’ve been hurt before?”

Bon Bon let out a breathy sigh. “Yes, but don’t worry about it. That’s a story for another day.”

Spike turned his attention back to the sweets in front of him and popped a few more into his mouth. “Well, I’m sorry. Heartbreak sucks.” With a swift gesture, he pushed the chocolates over to Bon Bon, who happily took one.

“It does. I’ll definitely agree with you there.”

The two sat in silence feasting on what was left of the chocolates. Their minds both relaxed at the simple enjoyment of sharing candy with a friend.

“You know, this is kind of nice,” Bon Bon said, breaking the silence in the air.

“Huh, what is?” Spike replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Just having someone here to talk to. I mean, when you live by yourself and manage a business alone, things get pretty lonely after a while.”

“Yeah, I feel ya. Living with a Princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I don’t even get to really be her assistant any more, because she’s always busy with ‘royal business’. It seems I spend most of my time on my own these days.” Spike dropped his face into his palms, and leaned on the table. “That’s part of the reason I finally decided to ask Rarity out after all these years… I was tired of being alone all the time.”

Bon Bon made a move to say something, but words didn’t want to come out. Instead, a haunting silence once again presided over the empty shop. 

Searching through her thoughts to find some way to rectify the situation, Bon Bon was struck with an idea.

“You know, Spike,” she said with a grin, “I could use some extra help around shop. You know, since I run it all alone it gets pretty trying sometimes. And seeing as how you have some extra time these days, I don’t suppose you would want to help me out here a few days a week?”
Spike blinked several times. “Wait, are you offering me a job?”

“Umm… yes? Is that alright?” Bon Bon asked, chuckling nervously.

“Yeah, that’s awesome!” he replied. “I’ve been needing an excuse to get away, and well, it’ll be nice to have a friend around again.”

Bon Bon beamed at him. “Well great! Works out for both of us then. How about you start this Saturday? By then i can figure out what days I’ll need you. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Spike said with a huge smile. Hopping off his seat, he waddled over and gave gave her a gentle hug. “Thanks again. It’s pretty late, so I’m gonna head home to our castle thingy.”

“Not a problem, Spike,” Bon Bon said. “I’ll see you on Saturday, then. Tell Twilight I said hi!”

“Will do,” Spike said with a smile. “Have a good night.”

Spike pushed the door open and stepped into the hazy light of the setting sun, signaling the end of the day. He had entered the shop with a frown, but was heading home with a smile, which was a welcome change. 

He walked through the town, watching the last of the shops and stands close for the night. He smiled and waved to the few ponies he passed and eventually his steps led him to his home, where Twilight was most certainly waiting for him.

The door creaked open as Spike pushed it with all his might. Despite all it’s amenities, he did miss the fact that their old home was much more accessible to a dragon of his stature. He darted his eyes back and forth across the main living area, but Twilight was absent, which probably meant that she was in the study, pouring over some book or royal decree, as per the usual every night.

Spike sighed, thinking that Twi really needed some time when she wasn’t studying something; it had to be bad for her. It was definitely bad for her sleep patterns. 

Spike began to make his way up to the study on the second floor to let Twilight know that he was back home, even if she always didn’t pay the most attention to him.  If he was ever home too late, she wouldn’t hesitate to send out every royal guard member in a panicked search. 

It did give him a warm feeling to know that she did care for him, even if she had trouble showing it.

Spike reached the study to see Twi hunched over her desk, reading something or another.

“Hey Twi, I’m home!” Spike yelled.

.

Twilight jumped in surprise at the sudden break in silence. “Oh, thank goodness! You were exactly three minutes and forty three seconds away from being late. I almost couldn’t study... almost.” 

“Haha, yeah, my bad. Hey, Twi, guess what happened today?” Spike said with enthusiasm, his recent talk with Bon Bon erasing the earlier sadness.

“You found a big gem and ate it in one bite?” Twi guessed.

“Nope! I got a job!” Spike said with smile stretching from ear to ear.

“Wait, what?” Twilight said, hopping out of her chair..

“Yeah, I was feeling down. As was expected, Rarity rejected me after I asked her out today, so Bon Bon cheered me up with chocolates and a friendly conversation. Then, she said she could use some help at the store and I took the offer!”

“Well, sorry about Rarity, Spike. But, um, I don’t know... wouldn’t you rather just stay here? You know, in the castle? Where it’s safe?” Twilight asked, progressively moving closer to him.

“Twilight, you and I both know I’m not really needed around here anymore, and Bon Bon is a friend. You can trust her.” Spike said, putting on his best puppy dog face. “Besides, I’m getting older Twilight. I need to start doing things for myself.”

The skeptical side of Twilight’s brain was still unsure, but she fell prey to his glistening eyes and pouting. “Oh alright, only after I go with you to make sure it’s safe. I’ve had to pass a lot of food safety regulations through, so I wanna make sure everything is up to standard.” 

“Alright, that’s fair. Thanks, Twi.” 

“Yeah, no problem, Spike. Anyway, it’s late, and you have a big day coming up tomorrow, so you should get some rest,” Twilight said, sending him off to bed.

Spike yawned and nodded his head in agreement. He left with a good night hug to Twilight and shuffled off to his room.

Twilight sat down to return to her studies of modern law and political dictatorship, but she just felt off. The idea of Spike getting a job on his own felt strange. But she knew that things were going to be more and more like this in the future.

“My little Spike is growing up…