Change of Direction

Chapters

I

Spike had a day off, but he was far from being able to relax.

It wasn't that his day off was normally bad or anything- he usually anticipated the day every week. After a week of hard work cleaning or assisting Twilight, it was the one day he could relax and take a breather. But on one of these relaxed days, he found he could only look out his clear window, aching to do something productive.

'Hey, Twilight!' Spike yelled down the stairs. 'Where are you going again?'

Twilight, wearing a brown bag slung over her shoulder, was waiting by the door patiently with an air of excitement.

'I'm going for a girl's day out with my friends. I know you might want to come, but since it is for mares, I'd prefer if you stayed here,' Twilight replied. 'It's your day off anyway, wouldn't you like to relax?'

'But I don't have anyone to hang out with other than you girls!' Spike said in desperation. 'I really just want to do something!'

'Why not work on cleaning up my study? It's not in great shape, and you can move your day off for tomorrow! Maybe you’ll feel more like relaxing then!'

Spike shook his head vigorously, as he thought it would be too pointless to clean on the day he was supposed to relax. It wasn't necessarily that he disliked working like that, since he was so good at it that it was almost second nature to do a perfect job. But after a week's worth, it tended to get monotonous.

'If you want to go around town, you can pick up some white thread for me. Rarity's preparing a Hearth's Warming Day dress for me, but she told me she’s all out. Go figure, eh? A self-proclaimed “master” seamstress not having a spare supply herself.’

‘Can’t she get some herself from the local tailor store?’

‘Well, it would give you something to do, and she’s pretty busy with the rest of the work she has to finish. She’s so busy, she can’t even come out of her house to have some fun with us! Besides, wouldn’t you like to be the one to give her the thread yourself?’ Twilight finished, winking.

‘Now that sounds like a good idea!’ Spike said excitedly.

‘Great! There’s a few bits in my study if you choose to go. It shouldn’t take long, but don’t be out too late!’ A knocking sound came from the door. ‘I think that’s them! See you tonight, Spike!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Twilight left and closed the library’s door to be with her friends, leaving Spike all alone.

‘Maybe I should just stay and relax. I mean, it is my day off!’

Spike caught a glimpse of Carousel Boutique in the distance through his window and imagined his “true love” Rarity, probably busy toiling away over another of her works.

‘Ah, I might as well! I mean, Rarity would love to see me-’

Spike was interrupted by a deep bellowing from his gut, alerting him of its vast emptiness.

‘It must be around lunchtime if I’m that hungry! Can’t believe I slept in through breakfast... oh well, I can grab a bite to eat on the way!’

Spike soon left the building just as Twilight had done, eager to get started on his quest for Rarity’s heart.

***

Spike looked up at the big sign in front of the building he stood directly in front of, painted with the words “Taler’s Tailor” in red lettering. It wasn’t a huge store, but it was what Spike needed to impress Rarity.

‘Ah, I see you’re fascinated by my wares?’ the stallion said, watching the shocked expression of the young dragon with amusement. ‘It is quite a sight to see these vivid colours in just one place. So welcome to Taler’s Tailors! I’m Mr. Taler, and how can I help you on this fine day?’

‘Wow, Twilight never told me how colourful this place was when she left to buy stuff here...’ Spike said, wandering towards the thread wall.

‘Sorry? I didn’t quite get what you said.’

‘Oh! I was just talking to myself. Do you have any spools of white thread for sale?’

‘I think I can get some for you. If you’re looking for one spool, it’ll be two bits. Just hold on a second,’ Mr. Taler said, walking towards the wall of captivating thread. Spike proceeded to look at his arm, expecting to see the leather pouch of bits he thought he had strapped on earlier that morning.

All he saw was a purple, bare arm looking straight back at him.

‘Where’s the money? I could’ve sworn I left the library with it!’ Spike cried out in frustration.

‘Sorry, but we appear to be all out of white thread. It’s weird though, our whole stock seemed to be taken by a shipment just this morning. Who would want all that thread?’ the bemused shopkeeper said.

‘Yeah, weird,’ Spike replied. ‘I should be going now, got things to do-’

‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like some other thread? I have some silver thread that can look like white on a dress!’

‘Sorry, I only needed white thread-’

‘Or how about a pre-order? I can get you some white thread delivered right to your door!’

‘Thanks, but I needed it today-’

‘We have the best prices you’ll find anywhere! Wait, where are you going?’ the shopkeeper finished, his voice fading away as Spike left the shop in a hurry.

Somepony really wants my service... so where am I going to get the thread? Wait, I can just ask Rarity herself where to find some!

Out in the distance, a faint purple speck was visible leaving Sugarcube Corner on the other side of town. Spike couldn’t make out what it was exactly, but one theory came to mind.

‘What’s Twilight doing at Sugarcube Corner?’

Upon further inspection, he saw four more specks, showing colours of blue, pink, yellow and orange coming out of the bakery in succession. Their facial features weren’t visible from that long of a distance, but Spike knew they didn’t want to see him once the blue speck stopped for a moment, turned its head in his direction and took off flying. The other specks soon after stopped just as the blue speck had done, and just as quickly ran off in several directions.

‘W-was that Rainbow Dash? And Twilight? Why were they all at Sugarcube Corner?’ Spike stopped for a few moments to ponder the situation, attempting to uncover any logical theories he could think of. ‘I’ve got nothing. Oh well, I’ll go ask her about it later. Off to go see Rarity!’

Not a moment after turning towards Carousel Boutique, which was just down the path and a bridge a couple moments away, a white blur was seen charging towards Spike at full speed, eyes closed and horn lowered. Before Spike had time to think about what would possibly be hurtling itself at him, he was knocked down to the ground, winded and dazed.

When he opened his eyes, clutching his stomach to recover, he saw the familiar face of Sweetie Belle staring down at him, with a small spool of white thread clenched tightly in her mouth.

‘Um, Sweetie?’ Spike began hesitantly. ‘Why are you on top of me?’

Sweetie was too busy looking down at Spike with a sense of doubt and disbelief, taking a few moments to look at the thread in her mouth with pleading eyes.

‘Sweetie? Could you please get off of me?’

‘Oh! Sorry Spike, I didn’t mean to run into you,’ Sweetie said, shaking her head back into reality while lifting herself off of Spike. ‘I suppose you want to know why I ran into you.’

Spike got up from the ground soon after, brushing off the dust and dirt he got on his scales with his claws.

‘Yes, please. I also wouldn’t mind knowing how you got that thread, as the shopkeeper in town said there isn’t any in stock at the moment.’

‘Well, if you really must know...’

***

The smell of Ponyville’s finest mossgreens sizzling on Rarity’s oven wafted through her house, eventually reaching the top floor. Mossgreens aren’t widely known as a particularly delicious plant to eat, but a select few have developed a distinct taste for them, possibly due to the aromatic, viscous liquid that seeps from it while it’s being cooked.

One of these select few ponies was upstairs to smell them sizzling downstairs, having developed the taste at a young age.

‘Sweetie Belle! I’m almost finished cooking the mossgreens, I know how much you like them!’ Rarity yelled from the kitchen. ‘It’s quite late in the day, you ought to get up even if you aren’t hungry.’

Sweetie was already getting out of bed and out her bedroom door before her sister had even begun calling out to her. The mossgreens’ smell in the house was unmistakable to her, waking her up every time from even the deepest of sleeps.

Rarity got a little shaken when she saw Sweetie already in front of her, despite having just finished yelling upstairs. Sweetie, however, merely stared at Rarity in anticipation, salivating at the thought of the delicious plant.

‘I’m guessing you’re anxious to start eating! It’ll be finished in a minute or two, would you mind getting it yourself? I need to go and check on my spa appointments for next week, you never know when they’ll just mess everything up!’

With a passing wave of her hoof, Rarity left the kitchen to Sweetie’s control. She was too busy looking outside, however, instead of watching the mossgreens as her sister instructed, with the sun already dead center in the sky.

‘I seriously slept in that long?’ Sweetie said, yawning obnoxiously in the absence of Rarity. 'It’s got to be afternoon now, or at least close to it—oh! There’s mossgreens, I forgot all about eating them! Oh boy!'

In seconds, Sweetie was over by the frying pan, watching the mossgreens sizzle on the surface. With every crackle of the pan, thick liquid poured out in generous helpings.

'Did she want me to eat them or cook them?' she said, observing the bubbling of the liquid. 'They look like they could use some more cooking!'

Just as Sweetie tiphoofed up awkwardly to reach the spatula on the counter, her balance failed her, bringing the pan of mossgreens with her. The pan flew down to the ground, dropping the sopping greens onto the floor in the process.

Sweetie watched with horror as the liquid inside squirted all over the floor. She rushed to the pantry to grab some paper towel, but as she laid it down to soak up the mess, one came into contact with the hot frying pan and caught fire.

'Sweetie, is something burning there?'

Rarity's voice troubled Sweetie even more as she watched the fire spread along the floor, but not as worrying as she thought of the hoofsteps she heard coming her way.

'What’s all the commo—oh my goodness!' Rarity gasped, grabbing the hose from the sink nozzle and turning the water on. She aimed the ensuing jet stream towards the base of the fire and extinguished it quickly, but the mossgreens and the floor around it was already severely charred and black. Rarity quickly cleaned up the paper and pan into the sink to prevent further burning, sighing a breath of relief soon after.

After a few moments of Sweetie looking at the permanently burnt spot on the floor, she judged it was best to say something meaningful before her sister snapped.

'Big sis, I'm—'

'Sweetie, you know I love you,' Rarity said, sighing deeply. 'But it's really hard to do anything around here when you're starting trouble everywhere!

II

‘...I was just bringing the thread to the tailor!’ Sweetie explained, smiling nervously. ‘Yeah! My big sister bought out all of the thread from the store, so she told me to return the extra spool she didn’t need!’

Spike, who had been busy adjusting himself after his collision with Sweetie, seemed a little suspicious of Sweetie’s explanation. He felt around his ribs for broken bones, and was delighted to find no irregularities on his body.

‘What about the charging? And why were your eyes closed?’ Spike questioned.

‘W-Well, the sun is right ahead of us, so I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t get blinded!’ Sweetie stammered. ‘Didn’t you feel the brightness? A-And I was getting late with the delivery, so I charged to go faster!’

Sweetie smiled a toothy grin, waiting for Spike’s eventual reaction with high hopes. His eyebrows were raised and his mouth was twisted, making this outcome seem a lot less likely.

‘Well, alright,’ Spike said cautiously. ‘So Rarity has a box full of thread? I guess that means I she’s busy and I can’t see her...’

Spike’s downcast expression made Sweetie stop and think for a moment, contemplating everything that had gone on in the last few minutes.

So Spike is supposedly my true love... Can I really be chosen with a dragon? A dragon I don’t even know all that well? Sweetie thought to herself. Well, Rarity said it was real magic in the thread, and she’s never wrong... ah, why not? But how will I get him hooked?

‘So, Spike,’ Sweetie said, breaking the silence after a few moments.

‘Yes, Sweetie?’ Spike replied, turning towards the path to downtown Ponyville.

Oh, I’ll be your sweetie soon enough, Spike. You just watch.

‘If you’re not doing anything, I’ve got something for you to do! I want to show somepony a really special place, and you’re the first one I’ve seen today!’

‘Well, I’m not really a pony,’ Spike said, shrugging, but I suppose its better to do something than nothing. If you really want to, just lead the way!’

Sweetie smiled a bright grin straight to Spike, who couldn’t help but feel delighted at the young filly’s adorable expression. ‘You just wait Spike, it’s going to be great!’

Without allowing Spike time to catch up, Sweetie was running off southwards, in the general direction where the edge of Everfree Forest was. As Spike tried to follow her pace, he began to question why he accepted the offer from Sweetie.

He had no reason to, but something about her drove him to keep following her.

‘Catch up, slowpoke!’ Sweetie called out behind her, smiling as she watched Spike struggling with his chase. ‘We’ll never get there if you go that slow!’

‘Ah, this... this is getting too... too hard!’ Spike called back, panting as he took every step. ‘You’re too fast! Can’t you tell me where we’re going? Please don’t tell me it’s Everfree Forest-’

‘No, silly! It’s close to the forest, though! Just catch up and you’ll see soon enough!’

‘But I can’t-’

‘Ugh, fine.’ Sweetie moaned, walking over to Spike, who was too busy catching his breath to run any further. ‘We’ll walk the rest of the way, how about that? It isn’t too far now!’

Spike, still panting for breath, looked up to see what she could possibly have been heading towards. All he saw was the Ponyville river to his right, Everfree Forest to his left and a thick line of trees not too far in front of him.

‘You mean that tree line is where we’re heading? I see it all the time on the road to Manehatten!’ Spike said.

‘You’ll see. Wait, since when do you go to Manehatten?’

‘I don’t really go there, I just go for walks down the path sometimes-’

‘Okay, that’s kind of boring. Let’s just keep going, alright?’ Sweetie interrupted, ushering Spike onwards.

Spike reluctantly continued walking towards the tree line, which consisted of the exact same ominous darkness that Everfree Forest portrayed on his left. He wasn’t able to distinguish which one seemed more inviting, which Sweetie seemed to do just fine. When he finally got to the tree line, he was able to see a small glimpse of the other side.

‘I see something... a reflection? How?’ Spike questioned.

‘Step over the bush and see, Spike!’

With a hop and a step over the greenery between him and the reflection, he was on the other side. The scenery was very clear to him now, which seemed completely cut off from the outside. The tree line he passed surrounded the large clearing he found himself in, stopping onlookers from seeing what it contained.

It contained a beautiful lake, more gorgeous than any Spike had ever seen. Its reflection of the sun was dazzling his eyes, and the waters looked untouched and clear. It appeared almost completely undisturbed, as the relatively shallow bottom was visible from the beach they found themselves on, leading down to the crystal waters.

‘Un...unbelievable!’ Spike said, mouth agape in awe. ‘This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! How on earth did you find it?’

‘I knew you’d like it!’ Sweetie said, pleased by Spike’s reaction. ‘The Crusaders and I found this place when Rainbow Dash told us about a special place south of Ponyville she had found while flying. I’m still surprised no other flyers have found it yet!’

Spike went back to focusing on the seemingly timeless space he stared at, wishing he could never leave.

‘Remember, though, you can’t tell anypony about Mislaid Lake! Me, the Crusaders and Rainbow Dash don’t want anypony else knowing about this place, or it’ll get crowded all of the time!’

‘Fair enough. Say, why did you call it “Mislaid Lake”? Sounds like a funny name!’

‘Well, we thought something as beautiful as this was a little cut off from the rest of civilization. That’s why it’s mislaid! And we added lake since it’s, well, a lake.’

‘Wow. Mislaid Lake...’ Spike faded off in a dazed state. He felt so much at peace now that he had discovered the marvelous sight, that he sat down on the short, sandy beach without any thought or wish to do so. Sweetie, although she had seen the sight several times before, joined Spike in staring at the lake, taking well over an hour observing the simplicity of the water, the fluttering wildlife around them and the clear, blue sky remaining fixed above them.

It didn’t feel as though it was well over an hour to them; everything felt timeless. But when Spike observed the sun, which had been approaching the midway point between the center of the sky and the horizon, he was reminded of the late hour. His gut confirmed that it was a good time past lunch as well, as it protested its emptiness with a deep rumbling.

‘I think it’s getting a little late, and I need some food,’ Spike said, breaking the long, peaceful silence. ‘I hate to leave, but I think it’s about time we do.’

Sweetie got up from the ground reluctantly, trying to get a last glimpse at the lake before returning her gaze to Spike.

‘Yeah, I guess so.’

Spike got up in turn and followed Sweetie out, making their way back to Ponyville. Not much was said between the two on the way, except for a curiosity Spike felt right before Sweetie made her way to her house.

‘Sweetie, can I ask you something?’ Spike inquired.

‘Yes, Spike?’

‘If the Crusaders don’t want other ponies to know about the lake, why did you tell me? And what do you think they’ll do if they found out about it?’

‘You’re not a pony, are you?’ Sweetie winked. ‘See you later, Spike. If you’re free tomorrow, I’ve got something else I want to do with you!’

Spike thought carefully about Sweetie’s offer for a few moments, thinking about his upcoming schedule. Then he remembered the beauty of the lake and didn’t think twice before going on another trip with Sweetie, no matter what his schedule was like for the next few days.

‘Sounds like a plan, Sweetie.’

‘Great! Just show up at my house sometime tomorrow! It’s so nice to have a new friend!’ Sweetie finished, heading into her home without another word.

A... friend? Somepony my age? This is great, I finally have somepony I can hang out with whenever I want! Spike thought happily. Now I don’t need to tag along with Twilight all day long!

Spike walked home with a skip in his step in the darkening evening, anxious to get home and tell Twilight all about his day. Then he remembered Sweetie’s words and erased the thought of the lake from his mind.

If I can’t mention the lake, how will I explain to her why I was gone for so long?

A few minutes later, as Spike looked up at the library door, he stopped and thought of excuses for a few more moments. His hunger quickly intervened, forcing him to go in despite not having an alibi.

He slowly opened the door, hoping Twilight was either off doing something or in her study, reading a book. What he did see, though, was the last thing he wanted, and the last thing he expected.

A large banner was hung from the bookshelves with the words “Thank You, Spike!” painted on. Several tables were lying on the floor with covers on top, bearing several different drinks and half-cleaned snacks. A few streamers were scattered around the wall, pasted at different points.

He wasn’t sure what to think of the party, but he knew one voice would tell him.

‘Spike? You’re finally home!’ Twilight called out from upstairs. As she spoke, she made her way down the stairs, albeit slowly and a little sullenly.

'How come all this party stuff is here? Did I miss something?' Spike asked, grabbing a few pretzels absent-mindedly from the counter. His stomach responded with a pleased moan, refraining from complaining as he ate more and more of the snacks on a snack table.

'Well, I was expecting you to be here when we got back about an hour after I left. It wasn't really a girls day out, we did that last week! We were getting stuff for a party! We waited here for you, preparing to surprise you. After a little while, we got a little worried, so a few of use went off in search of you. Rarity even came in saying Sweetie Belle was lost too!

'After a little while longer, we couldn't find you, so we gave up on the party. I figured you were okay, but we couldn't just wait for hours. It was a party to commemorate you being an awesome little dragon, and the thread was meant to distract you! Well, I did need it done, but I thought I could kill two birds with one stone!'

'Wait, so the party was ruined because of me?' Spike asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

'Not really, we still talked and had a little fun before we started to get worried. We'll just do something later to replace it! I already booked the Hearts on Fire restaurant in two days, we can go there with my friends for lunch!'

Spike sighed in relief, glad nothing too serious happened with his absence.

'Glad to hear it!' Spike said, heading up the stairs to his bed. 'I'm feeling a little tired, so I think I'll go to bed early tonight.'

'But I need you to clean up this mess! Aren't you my assistant?'

Spike stared at her unicorn friend in disbelief.

'You mean I have to seriously clean my-'

'No, silly!' Twilight said, laughing. 'I was only joking! You can go to sleep if you want. But I am curious; where were you this whole time?'

Spike thought about this for a few moments as he hopped into bed, relieved that he didn't need to clean.

'I made a new friend today.'

III

The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren't a hugely known group in Ponyville, let alone Equestria. Small rumours around Ponyville occasionally came up when they did something out of the ordinary, and they were just as soon forgotten when they stopped being interesting. That was just how the crusaders liked it best; their name was out there, but attention didn't attract them everywhere they went.

For one, their secret spots wouldn't be much of a secret anymore. Their lake would be plagued with beach-goers constantly and the normally flat and glassy water surface would always be disturbed. Their headquarters, Applejack's old tree house, was known to a few ponies other than the crusaders, but the inside was just as sacred as the lake. No one went in other than the crusaders.

Which is exactly why Sweetie wanted to get Spike inside.

She had just come from the lake with Spike, him being the only non-crusader ever to see the peaceful haven. The other crusaders were about to have a meeting, as it is generally scheduled on that day, and she didn't want to miss it even if it meant leaving the lake.

'Sweetie, where exactly are we going?' Spike said nervously, observing the sun that was getting dangerously close to setting. Night time was approaching, and Twilight would probably start looking all over for him, since he generally leaves something on parchment if he leaves flr a while.

Sweetie seemed amused by his constant gulping and shifting, chuckling slightly to herself. 'Well, I need to be somewhere, and I thought I'd show you that place too!'

Spike's curiosity was piqued by the mysteriousness, but he still could not shake off his thoughts of how worried his friend might get.

By the time they arrived at a large tree, the sky had begun to glow with an orange tinge from the sun, much to Spike's chagrin despite the sheer beauty it displayed for Ponyville.

He turned his sights towards the building on the tree, which was a nice looking house for someone to stay in. It was stable amidst the thick branches supporting it, and the walkway up looked sturdy and secure.

'Wow, Sweetie. Who built this?' Spike said, his curiosity piqued once again.

'This used to be Applejack's tree house when she was a little filly. She gave it to me, Applebloom and Scootaloo to make it...' Sweetie paused for dramatic effect. 'the Cutie Mark Crusader Headquarters!'

Spike had known about the crusaders, but not to an extensive degree. He knew that they had secret spots, but he had absolutely no idea why he was getting shown these spots without being a crusader himself.

That's when he realized what Sweetie may have been implying.

'Spike? Is the name too long? Just call it the CMCH if you want, it is pretty long for a name,' Sweetie said. She had begun ushering him him up the walkway after she had finished. 'Go on up! Don't be shy!'

Spike started to make his way up the walkway to the door, deciding to keep his suspicions to himself in case this wasn't a recruitment. He began to doubt that notion more and more when he pushed the door, hearing the voices of Scootaloo and Applebloom.

By the time the door was opened, the voices had stopped. There, he watched as the building's two occupants stared at him with confusion, having never seen anyone but a crusader inside.

The silence was broken when Sweetie walked in, happy and eager to get Spike to get involved.

'Hey, girls! Did you guys start on the meeting? I'll just join you anyways!' Sweetie said, taking a seat on the south side of the square table in the center, offering Spike a seat on the east side.

'Use the cushion, Spike. Normally, we only have three here, so we only got three chairs-'

Sweetie's offer was accepted by Spike, but she was interrupted soon after by the loud slamming of an orange hoof- Scootaloo's, who hadn't spoken yet- on the table.

'Yes, we only expect three people in here. I see four. Care to explain, Sweetie Belle?' Scootaloo said sternly, crossing her hooves across her chest and staring accusingly at Spike and Sweetie. Applebloom looked at Spike with curiosity, as though she were thinking about him, but remained silent.

'Look, I just wanted to let him see the inside of he headquarters! We don't have guests often, you know, and it's nice every once in a while!'

'Exactly, we don't! What makes Spike so special that he should be allowed here? We don't just want guests piling in here every day, we want this to be our thing!'

Sweetie stopped for a moment, as if hesitating to say an important point. Before she began again, she sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

'Scoot, I showed Spike the lake,' Sweetie said softly. Soft was the last word someone would use to describe Scootaloo after she had heard the latest piece of news.

The only sound she made when her mouth was agape with anger and confusion was the grinding of her chair against the wooden floor when she pushed it away to run over to Sweetie.

'You did WHAT?!' Scootaloo yelled angrily, waving her hooves all in Sweetie's face. 'You know that that's our spot! How could you disobey the rule? Only crusaders can know about the lake!'

'Hey, you let people in for the Rainbow Dash fan club! What about that?'

Scootaloo was almost at a loss for words. 'Th... that was different! This isn't an event like that! Only crusaders allowed!'

'Well, why can't Spike be a crusader?'

That only made Scootaloo madder, but instead of yelling at Sweetie, she turned to Applebloom.

'What do you think, Applebloom? Do you think this is stupid?'

No reaction came from Applebloom, as she was still looking at Spike in her own thoughts.

'Bah! You are all crazy!'

This time, it was Applebloom's turn to speak.

'Well, Scoots, Sweetie does have a point. If ya think 'bout it, Spike doesn't have a cutie mark, he is probably lookin' for some stuff to do and we don't have a rule that only says ponies can be a crusader,' Applebloom said, pausing to catch her breath. Spike was still sitting in his seat, unable to think of anything to do that won't aggravate someone in the building. 'If he wants to, I have no problem havin' another friend to do stuff with us.'

'Oh, so this is a vote now? And you two are fine with letting him be a crusader?' Scootaloo said sarcastically, even though the other two crusaders nodded their head. 'This was our thing. I didn't even think making the rules was necessary, because I thought it would always just be us friends!'

Without another word or pause to let someone else speak, Scootaloo was out the door on her way back home.

'Well, she'll come back to her senses, she was just upset that Rainbow Dash broke her wing last week so she couldn't watch her compete. Golly, we haven't even asked Spike if he wants to join in the firs' place! Silly us!' Applebloom said, watching Spike with interest once more.

Sweetie joined in, anxious to see what Spike thought of the whole ordeal. He himself was not comfortable with having just created a fairly aggressive conflict, so he wasn't sure what he wanted at this point.

'Well, I should be getting home, it seems to be getting dark out. I'll come by tomorrow and make my decision, if that's what you girls want.' Spike paused for a moment. 'Say, what do the crusaders do? I see you do stuff sometimes, but I haven't really talked to you about it.'

Sweetie was the first to chime in.

'The main thing we do is us trying to find our cutie marks. We also love to just hang out with our friends, so we have meetings- like today was supposed to be- to plan the day. We do stuff that's fun, like acting as reporters or playing games, so that we enjoy our time. We're hoping something we eventually do will get us our marks!' Sweetie exclaimed happily. 'You probably can't get one, Spike, but you can be do stuff with us! Like an assistant!'

Spike groaned at the assistant notion.

'If I join, just call me a member. I assist enough for Twilight.'

Sweetie chuckled, finishing with a wink towards Spike. Applebloom chuckled too, but she began walking to the door in lieu of having the assumed-to-be-cancelled meeting.

'I'd reckon you best head home, Spike. It's startin' to get late. You think about joining, you hear?' Applebloom said, close to leaving through the door.

'Alright. Wait, what about Scootaloo?'

'I'll go check on her before I head home. She'll be fine tomorrow!'

Spike felt relieved that the issue would be dealt with, and since he had no more qualms, he passed a goodbye wave to the crusaders and left the building.

It was night out, and when he got to the front door of the library, he heard the old clock tower ringing 10 times. The rings rang in his ears for a while before he opened the door, as though they foretold some terrible thing to happen inside.

What was inside wasn't a worried or angry Twilight, but the surroundings laid out still made it it apparent that something bad had happened.

A banner with the words "Thank you Spike!" was plastered on the wall, complete with tables of treats, drinks and party favours.

Party favours.

'Spike? You're back!' Twilight said, coming in from her study. 'I guess you wouldn't know about this, since it was a surprise party.'

Spike nodded his head slowly, having already had enough surprises and things to gawk at for one day.

'I wanted you to a small errand for me in the meantime while I set up a party with my friends for you, to celebrate you being such a great little dragon. We waited for a while, and eventually, everypony left. We didn't know where you were (except Rarity, I think she was working on my dress. She had the thread after all), so I just went to my study to continue working, waiting for you to come back.' Twilight took a moment to catch her breath. 'So, where were you?'

Spike felt terrible that he made them all wait, and he wouldn't have missed the party for the world if he knew about it. Then he felt overwhelming happiness at the thought of them throwing a party for him, knowing that he was appreciated well for his hard work.

'You really did that for me? I'm so sorry I couldn't come, but I feel so good that I almost had a party for myself!'

Spike realized too late that what he said definitely came out completely wrong. Twilight, however, seemed to take no notice.

'Tell you what: me and my friends are going to the Hearts By Fire restaurant tomorrow, and maybe we can all celebrate together! How does that sound?' Twilight inquired, making her way back to her study. 'Oh, and you have to clean this party up by then, or you can't come!'

'That sounds like a fun idea- wait, what?' Spike said, trying making out what Twilight had said. Twilight simply laughed, much to Spike's confusion.

'No, silly, I was kidding! First thing tomorrow, I'll clean this up and we'll head over,' Twilight said, still chuckling to herself. 'So where did you go?'

Spike thought about it for a second.

'I think I made some new best friends.'

IV

The Hearts on Fire restaurant was quite the popular destination in Ponyville. Its delicious food, however expensive it may have been, made it a great once-in-a-blue-moon place to go. Spike had never gone himself before, only having lived in Ponyville for about a year. But when his first visit was promised the night before, he was anxious to get there the morning of.

The ringing of the clock tower bells signalled him to wake up, having slept in until eleven after going to sleep at a late hour the night prior. He gave his eyes a good rub, syncing the strokes almost perfectly with the bell. Spike recalled what Twilight had said the night before about "going early to save seats" and looked around, and as was expected, no one was around the tree house. He was all alone until lunchtime; at least, before a familiar face showed up at his door.

'Sweetie? What are you doing here?'

Sweetie simply giggled in response.

'Everyone's at the restaurant! I just wanted to tag along with you on your way there!' Sweetie replied. 'I know it's a little early, but it's a celebration!'

'Where are the other crusaders?' Spike said, peeking around the corners for the other young fillies. The thought of going alone with Sweetie, however nice it sounded, made his cheeks go a little red.

'They're already there, I just wanted to see how you were doing. Wait, are you blushing? You're funny, Spike!' Sweetie said, laughing at his expense. Spike knew it was against him, but he joined into the laughter anyway.

'Come on, Spike! Every minute you're making them wait!' Sweetie said, ushering Spike out the door. Before he could leave, though, Sweetie was already skipping away towards the restaurant, teasing Spike to hurry up.

'Oh, you're not beating me to my own party! It's on!' Spike called out, sprinting as fast as he could with Sweetie. No matter how hard he tried, though, she had too much of a headstart for him to catch up.

'Can't catch me, slowpoke? You can't even catch a cold!'

'That's the oldest one in the book! And you got an unfair headstart!' Spike yelled, already panting and slowing down. The restaurant was quite close by now, but he collapsed where he stood instead of heading inside. Sweetie, having already touched the door, was celebrating her sweet victory. After a few short-lived chants of "huzzah!", she went over to check on her dragon friend.

'Spike, are you okay? Wouldn't want you dying on your celebration day!'

Spike got up after a few more deep breaths, dusting himself off in the process. 'I've got to get into shape, wow!'

Sweetie giggled again, this time ushering Spike into the restaurant. Through a window, Spike could see Twilight and her friends sitting down, looking at Spike with big, goofy grins on their faces.

'You could use with a little bulking up!' Sweetie said as Spike went through the door. 'I mean, you got beat by a girl!'

Spike was too busy getting the attention from the ponies sitting at their table. In addition to Twilight and her friends, he could make out Scootaloo and Applebloom there, happily munching on an apple. Scootaloo wasn't happy once he saw Spike coming in, however.

'Hey everypony! Thanks a lot for showing up, it really means a lot to me!' Spike said, taking a spot in the center of.the large, circular booth they all were at. Sweetie took a seat next to Spike, letting Scootaloo take his other side. Although Sweetie was pleased with the arrangement, Scootaloo was on her breaking edge.

'So, Spike? It's a little early to eat, but we can take your order for you! Did you have breakfast yet?' Twilight remarked.

It wasn't until now that he noticed the vast, empty feeling he felt inside his stomach. A deep, growling sound confirmed his suspicions to everyone at the table.

'I guess you haven't! Let's just have a brunch, I had an early breakfast anyway!'

Everypony nodded their heads in agreement, each one making some sort of comment about an early or a missed breakfast that morning. It escalated to a discussion amongst themselves over what they should order, leaving Spike with the crusaders at his side.

'So, Spike. How does it feel to have ruined the crusaders? Probably feels good, doesn't it?' Scootaloo burst out quietly, not willing to make her opinion known to the grown-ups at the table.

'Scoots!' Applebloom responded. 'Why on earth would you ever say that? This is a time for Twilight and her friends to celebrate his hard work!'

Scootaloo merely shrugged at the notion, turning her attention to the glass of cool water sitting in front of her.

'How can you just say something like that? We want Spike in the group, and he hasn't done anything to bother you or ruin the group!' Sweetie chimed in. 'Besides, you're the one bringing us down with your attitude!'

Scootaloo didn't seem to care what any of them said, preferring to sip at her water in silence.

'Sorry, Spike,' Sweetie said, sighing. 'She's still a little confused, she'll learn to like you.'

The words didn't come as a relief to Spike, since he was too worried about making Scootaloo upset to feel better. He tried watching her movements, looking for anything he could say or do that would make her have a better attitude towards him. None came before the waiter came for the orders.

'What will you order, Spike? My sister says a lot of fancy words, maybe I can get something really cool if I say some of it,' Sweetie said, racking her brain for ideas.

'Well, waiter, I'd like a...' Spike began, trying to think of a fancy food to top Sweetie. '...poutine.'

Sweetie chuckled, realizing the game he wanted to play.

'I'll have a pasta la pizzeria!' Sweetie said confidently. The waiter appeared confused, but he wrote something down anyway, mumbling something about "ignorance" under his breath. Once he got the other orders, he went off into the kitchen, still grumbling.

'I think you insulted him,' Spike said, smiling at his newfound victory. 'Looks like I win this round.'

Sweetie simply stuck out her tongue in response to his boast.

A few minutes later, a different staff member came out of the kitchen clutching several appetizers, including a tray of nachos and a small bowl of some sort of creamy, frothy broth covered with a few sprinkles of red and brown.

Spike looked at it with great interest, realizing by Twilight's smile that it was ordered for him.

'I heard this was a really good dish, enjoy it Spike! Twilight said excitedly. 'It's something called "Cream of Apple", I think. It has some really good sprinkles of cinnamon and apple on top!'

Before Spike could say anything, he noticed that Scootaloo had been distracted from her water, choosing instead to focus her eyes on the broth. Her mouth was drooling slightly, but she quickly reverted to her water when she noticed Spike's observation.

'Thanks a lot, Twilight! It looks delicious!'

Twilight smiled brightly and resumed her conversation with her friends. Once they were all back to their discussions, nibbling at a tray of nachos, he took another look at Scootaloo. She still seemed lost into the glass of water.

'Hey, Scoot!'

Scootaloo grumbled at his use of her nickname, but she acknowledged him in the very least.

'This doesn't seem too appetizing to me, would you mind having it? Twilight would think I'm being offensive otherwise.'

Scootaloo slowly turned her head towards Spike, her mouth opening wide in amazement. She took another look at the bowl and lost her gaze into it, craving it even more than before.

'Really, I mean it. It's all yours.'

Scootaloo looked towards Spike again, this time acknowledging him with a small smile. She then proceeded to grab the bowl, but she hesitated before she could start drinking the frothy substance.

'No, I know you're just trying to be nice. You can have it, I won't be mad at you anymore. It's just... I don't know, I'm not used to talking to anypony besides Sweetie and Applebloom.' Scootaloo said, pushing the bowl back to Spike. At this point, the other crusaders had been listening in on the conversation, waiting to defend Spike at any moment.

'Thanks, Scootaloo. I just want to make some new friends!' Spike said with a wide grin plastered on his face.

'Hey, call me Scoots! It's shorter!' she replied, smiling as she went for the nacho bowl. And just like that, the other crusaders didn't need to defend Spike. Scootaloo lightened up significantly from there, choosing to talk and marvel with Rainbow Dash, who had conveniently been sitting next to Scootaloo.

'Good work, Spike!' Sweetie applauded Spike.

Several minutes and a couple nacho trays later, a fancy looking waiter came with a few plates surrounded by the magic from his horn. He began placing them around the table, which was met with overwhelming approval from the anxious ponies sitting in the booth.

'I'll get your bill later, miss Sparkle.' the waiter said, leaving to attend other business. Twilight cringed at the notion, distracting the thought with the food in front of her.

'That waiter sounded a little funny. Kind of like my sister sometimes when she's trying to impress or talk to some other fancy ponies. I hear her say that it's called "franch" or something,' Sweetie remarked. 'I don't really think ranch should be involved with language.'

She took a look at her plate, which looked like some mess of small pasta noodles and bits of pizza toppings. Spike took a look at his own course, not realizing that he had ordered some Caneighdian dish with fries, bits of cheese and plant gravy.

'Ugh, that didn't turn out as planned,' they said together, laughing when they looked at each other's courses.

'I guess we both lose, then! Oh well, better luck next time!' Sweetie said. 'Hey, did you want to try some?'

She began sliding over to Spike, getting closer and closer until they were practically touching.

'Oh, sorry for getting in your way!' Spile said, blushing as he slid over himself a bit. Sweetie frowned a little, but she quickly brought her attention back to her "pasta a la pizzeria".

'I'm not eating this.'

'Me neither!'

They both laughed and poked at their food for the remainder of the lunch, bringing the attention of nearly every customer in the relatively large restaurant. They aggravated the waiter even farther when he returned to clean up the dishes, to which Spike and Sweetie handed him their full plates, still chuckling. After Twilight begrudgingly passed the collective money from the table over, he stormed into the kitchen, where very loud bursts of profanity could be heard.

'Let's get out of here before he gets any madder!' Twilight said, ushering everypony at the booth to get out. Calls of "Thanks for your hard work, Spike!" was heard amongst Twilight's friends as they left the restaurant.

'Hey, Spike. I had an okay time, and maybe you aren't so bad after all,' Scootaloo said, playfully tapping Spike's shoulder with her hoof. She headed off out of the restaurant with Applebloom, who was also calling out her thanks for Spike's hard work.

'I had a great time, Spike. I hope we can do something like this again! Come to the tree house more often, we'll do some cool stuff!' Sweetie said, giving Spike a quick hug. At least, Spike assumed it was going to be a quick hug, but it was at least five mississippis before she realized what she was doing. She left quickly, blushing and waving on.her way out.

'Bye Sweetie!'

Twilight looked at Spike and smiled.

'Let's go, my number one assistant! You should go relax for the rest of the day, and I hope you liked it! Because if you didn't, I just wasted quite a few bits,' Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

Spike nodded his head on his way out, preferring not to tell her about the complete waste of food. He figured that she was too busy thinking about the money to have noticed the full plate of poutine he had given to the waiter.

As he walked outside, he noticed Sweetie heading back to her home with Rarity. Making his way back to his own home, he began thinking about a few things.

Have fun with my new friends at the tree house? No way I'd miss that!

Once he got inside the tree house, Twilight rustled his head scales a little and headed to her study. He went back to his bed, laid down despite it being the middle of the day, and closed his eyes.

'I'm going to enjoy the next little while.'

AND THAT’S THE END YOU PEOPLE