Change of Direction

‘...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.'