"The nerve of those ponies," Spike muttered to himself, walking down the busy halls of Canterlot Castle by himself.
"Don't worry, Spike. We'll all get to spend some time together," He said, in a mocking imitation of Twilight, before he complained in his regular voice. "I had so much planned out for the girls and me! Insider's tour of Canterlot. The crown jewels for Rarity, Princess's golden apple tree for Applejack, hay...Pinkie Pie would've gone bananas for my favorite donut shop."
Spike crumbled up his scroll and tossed it into the nearest trash bin.
Some times before their arrival at the Grand Galloping Gala, after they all received their golden tickets, Spike was just excited, if not anxious, than anypony to have the best night in Canterlot. More specifically, he was looking forward to just spending time with his friends.
Unfortunately, Twilight and the other girls all had plans of their own. Twilight would rather spend time with Princess Celestia; Applejack was looking to sell some apple treats; Pinkie Pie wanted to party; Fluttershy wants to play with the animals in the garden; Rainbow Dash was hoping to impress the Wonderbolts and make a spot on their team; and lastly, Rarity was looking to charm Prince Blueblood – much to Spike's chagrin.
Thus, poor young Spike was left by himself to spend the night alone.
"...No reason for me being here," Spike sighed in dismay. "Guess I'll just...go off to Donut Joe's shop and drown my sorrow..."
Spike wasn't looking where he was going, when he bumped into a passing pony.
"Oh! Sorry," Both dragon and pony apologized to each other.
"Hey, Spike!" A chippy voice exclaimed.
Spike looked up to see a cornflower blue unicorn with dark blue mane and a lighter shade of blue stripe. For attires, she wore a white dress that sparkles as brightly as her smile.
"Minuette!" Spike exclaimed happily as both he and the unicorn hugged each other. "Long time no see!"
"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" Minuette chirped happily. "I can't believe you're here! It feels like we haven't seen each other in forever! I gotta tell Lemon Heart, Twinkleshine, and Lyra Heartstrings about this!"
"Are they here too?" Spike asked.
"Of course!" Minuette smiled. "I wouldn't come to the Grand Galloping Gala if none of my friends are all here together with me. OH! And Moon Dancer is here too!"
"Really?" Spike smiled, which turned into a frown when he remembered something very important. "Oh...right... Moon Dancer... I've been meaning to apologize to her on the account of me and Twilight...moving...and missing her party..."
"Aw, it's all good, Spike," Minuette smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure she understands. C'mon! They're this way!"
Spike smiled happily as he followed Minuette to the ballroom. He feels as though his luck was starting to turn itself around. Even if Twilight and the other girls would rather go off on their own to spend their time at the Grand Galloping Gala, Spike was happy to at least have some other friends to spend time with.
"Minuette! Over here!" Called a voice, to which Minuette and Spike turned to see a group of unicorn mares sitting at a table.
"Hi girls!" Minuette returned the reply, as both she and Spike walked over to the table to join them. "Look who's here!"
"Uh...hello," Spike waved his claw shyly to the mares.
He was worried that they may not recognize him. But much to his relief, they do.
"Hi Spike!" The ponies greeted.
They are in fact the friends Minuette had mentioned: Twinkleshine, Lemon Heart, and Moon Dancer.
Twinkleshine is a white unicorn with pink mane don up in curls, and wears a beautiful purple dress.
Lemon Heart is a yellow unicorn with blue mane in the same style as Twinkleshine's, and wears a green dress.
Moon Dancer is a vanilla colored unicorn with red mane that have purple stripes, and wears a thick pair of glasses, and wears a dark purple sparkling dress. Spike was amazed at the sight of Moon Dancer, because normally, she would look very much like Twilight Sparkle, except tonight, she had her mane don up in a long flowing curl, with a cute light blow bow.
"...Are you okay?" Moon Dancer asked Spike. "You looked like you've just seen a ghost..."
"Oh! I'm sorry," Spike blushed. "It's just...I hardly recognized you, Moon Dancer! You look...beautiful!"
"Aw, thank you!" Moon Dancer smiled. "That means a lot coming from you...Hey! If you're here, then is...Twilight here as well?" The unicorn mare looked around, searching for the lavender unicorn.
Spike sadly shook his head in response.
"Well, it's a yes and a no..." Spike answered. "Yes, Twilight's here. And so are our friends from Ponyville. But also no because...she's with Princess Celestia."
"Figures," Lemon Hearts said.
"There's a surprise," Twinkleshine rolled her eyes in sarcasm.
"Same old, Twilight," Minuette chuckled.
"I see," Moon Dancer looked down sadly.
"And...what about you, Spike?" Lemon Hearts asked. "It's kind of...rare to see you by yourself, without Twilight."
"Yeah, you and Twilight are always attached to the hips!" Minuette added. "So...is everything okay?"
Spike heaved a heavy sigh as he explains to the girls, "I'm going to be real. My plan was to spend the night together with Twilight and the girls. But...they had other plans and...they all left without me..."
"Oh..." Minuette frowned sadly, with the other girls sharing the frown. "Aw, Spike. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Spike replied. "It's...not your fault..."
Minuette turned to the rest of the girls and they all exchanged looks until they both came to a silent agreement, as if they've read each other's minds. Minuette turned to look back at Spike.
"In that case, how about you spend the night with us, Spike?" Minuette offered. "It will be the Best Night Ever!"
"Oh...I...I..." Spike stammered on his words. "I don't know. I mean...thanks for the offer, but...I wouldn't want to impose on you girls..."
"It's no trouble at all, Spike," Lemon Hearts reassured. "You're as much a friend to us than Twilight. And speaking from experience, we've all had our experience of being...left behind by Twilight more than once."
"But it's not like we weren't used to that from her!" Minuette added.
"Yeah, we don't take it too personally," Twinkleshines added. "Right, Moon Dancer?"
"...Yeah...Of course not," Moon Dancer answered hesitantly, much to Spike's concern.
Before Spike could ask, a voice called out, "Hey girls! Sorry we're late!"
Spike looked to the side to see a familiar minty green unicorn walking over, dressed in a pink dress, with a vanilla white earth pony with dark blue and magenta mane, dressed in a white dress, walking beside her.
"Lyra Heartstring? Bon Bon?" Spike exclaimed.
"Oh! Hi Spike! Long time!" The green unicorn, identified to be Lyra Heartstrings, greeted.
"Hey Spike!" Bon Bon smiled.
"Hold on!" Both mares exclaimed, with Lyra and Bon Bon looking at each other. "You knew Spike? Yeah! JINX!"
"Hey girls!" Minuette smiled, walking over to hug both Lyra and Bon Bon. "So glad you two can make it!"
"Oh, it hasn't been easy," Lyra chuckled. "We were almost attacked by a Bug–Bear, the hot air balloon was ripped to shreds, and then the train broke down. So I had to carry Bon Bon all the way here from Ponyville."
"I can walk just fine, Lyra," Bon Bon argued. "You didn't have to carry me..."
"I know. But I wanted to," Lyra smiled lovingly towards the earth pony.
Spike blinked his eyes in shock, before he turned to Minuette and asked, "Are they..."
"Yup."
"Really?" Spike smiled with peaked interest.
"So, now that we're all here," Lemon Hearts began. "What should we do?"
"Hmmmm."
Spike scratched his chin, before he remembered his original plans for spending the night.
"Well...I have some ideas," Spike spoke up.
"Whoa!" The girls gasped in amazement at what they were seeing.
"Who would've thought, Princess Celestia, would have a golden apple tree in her garden?" Twinkleshine asked.
"Me and Twilight were the only ones who knew about its existence," Spike smiled proudly. "But it's only be accessible if you knew your way through her hedge maze. Me and Twilight found this tree by accident during a scavenger hunt, once."
"Amazing!" Moon Dancer gasped, walking up to the tree to marvel the plant in all its splendor. "I never knew it was possible to create such a tree!"
Lighting up her horn, Moon Dancer plucked an apple off its branch and carefully takes a small bite from it.
"Ouch!" Moon Dancer winced. "Wow, golden apple is right! It's real solid gold!"
"Yeah! You can really break a tooth from eating that..." Minuette cringed.
"Yeah, it's real gold alright," Spike chuckled. "And Twilight's mom said moneys don't grow on tree. Which is why Princess Celestia wants this place to be kept an absolute secret. If words got out, then anypony would try to come here, tearing the whole place up to get the gold."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Twinkleshine added.
"I see your point," Lemon Hearts agreed.
"But then...why would you want to show this place to us?" Bon Bon asked.
"...Honestly, my original plan was showing this place to Applejack," Spike answered. "She and her family are all big on apples, and her farm needed some money, so I thought I could help Applejack by showing this tree to her."
"Aw, Spike, how thoughtful!" Minuette smiled in admiration.
"Yeah...thoughtful..." Spike frowned sadly, still feeling bitter and the sting from not getting to spend the night with Twilight and the others.
"Oh! Applejack!" He exclaimed. "She's here selling some apple treats right now! You girls hungry?"
"Sure are!" Minuette chirped with the other girls voicing their agreements.
"Then let's swing by at Applejack's cart and help ourselves to some of her treats!" Spike smiled. "They're really good!"
"They sure are!" Lyra vouched.
"Uh huh!" Bon Bon added.
"Alright then," Moon Dancer smiled. "I guess we all have our next destinations then. Let's go!"
With that, Spike and the girls turned to leave the way they came into the hidden section of Princess Celestia's garden. However, Spike doubled back and picked up a few golden apples, before he ran back to join the girls.
Shortly after they left, an old gardening pony was walking through the hedge maze, whistling a tune to himself. He wasn't looking where he was going, however, when he tripped and fell into the secret passageway.
"Oh! My back!" The old pony groaned, before he looked up and saw the tree. "Oooh! Golden apples!"
"Last I heard from Applejack, she was planning on selling apples in the courtyard," Spike said as he lead the girls through the castle hallways. "C'mon! We'll cut through here!"
Soon, Spike and the ponies were just walking through a crowd of ponies in the ballroom, when a random unicorn was heard screaming and flying through the air, dropping his drink along the way.
"Did you hear something?" Lyra Heartstrings asked in alarm.
Suddenly, a blur of rainbow came zipping past them so fast, followed by a strong breeze that Spike was nearly knocked down and the girls' skirts nearly blew up, causing them to scream as they held their dresses down. Moon Dancer's glasses flew off and landed somewhere amidst the crowd.
"Whoa! What was that?" Lemon Hearts asked.
"10 bits and gem says that's Rainbow Dash," Spike guessed. "She's fast and a show-off. She's here to try and impress the Wonderbolts."
"Well, if that's her, then I'd say they're impressed," Moon Dancer commented. "I know I am. By the way...has anypony seen my glasses? I can't see without them."
The girls and Spike started to look around the floor, searching for Moon Dancer's glasses, when Spike looked in alarm.
"WHOA! Moon Dancer, stop!" Spike shouted.
"What? What is it, Spike?" Moon Dancer asked in alarm. "Did you find my glasses?"
"Where's the fire?" Lemon Hearts asked, frantically looking around.
"Is there another Bug-Bear?" Lyra asked, while standing protectively in front of Bon Bon.
"No...just a puddle of water," Spike pointed to the said puddle in front of them, rushing over to Moon Dancer. "You almost stepped in it."
The girls all looked at the puddle before they broke out laughing at Spike.
"Wow, Spike," Minuette chuckled. "You sure had us all worked up. We thought there was a fire or something."
"Sorry," Spike apologized. "I just didn't want any of you to ruin your dresses by stepping in it, or anything... Let me carry you across!"
"Oh, uh...that's not necessary SPIKE?!" Moon Dancer yelped in alarm when she was suddenly picked up by the young dragon, who carried her over the puddle before he set her back down.
"Phew!" Spike puffed, catching his breath.
"You really didn't have to do that, Spike," Moon Dancer frowned. "The logical thing was to walk around the puddle. Or even cleaned it up..."
"Oh...yeah...why didn't I think of that?" Spike groaned.
"How did you get so strong, Spike?" Minuette asked.
"From carrying Rarity's shopping bags," Spike answered, boastfully flexing his arms. "And Twilight's books too. They gave me quite the workout. He he...ow."
"Still...next time, don't exert yourself like that again, Spike," Moon Dancer frowned, before she smiled. "But...thanks."
"No problem," Spike smiled. "Now let's go! Applejack is this way!"
Spike resumed leading the way. Lyra Heartstrings and her date, Bon Bon, were the last ponies to leave, when Lyra bounced her eyebrows to Bon Bon, who rolled her eyes and shake her head in mild amusement. Bon Bon jumped into Lyra's hooves and the unicorn carried her date across the puddle.
Shortly after they left, a certain marshmallow unicorn arrived with her not-so prince charming of a date.
"Hey Applejack!" Spike called out to the familiar orange pony.
"Oh! Howdy Spike!" Applejack returned the greeting, immediately coming to life from slumping over on her cart. "Lovely to see ya!"
"How's business?" The young dragon inquired.
Applejack heaved a heavy sigh and answered, "...Slower than a snail in a race..."
"Oh. I...I...Sorry I asked," Spike frowned sadly for the earth pony, before he perked up. "But luckily for you, my friends and I are hungry and we'd like to have some of your best and tasty treats!"
"Why thank ya, Spike!" Applejack smiled before she introduced her sweets on display. "So, what y'all hankering for? We've got caramel apple, apple pie, apple fritter, and apple fries."
"Wow! They all look so delicious!" Minuette marveled. "I can't decide which one to eat. What would you recommend, Spike?"
"Oh, Applejack can make a mean apple pie," Spike blew a kiss, like a chef. "So I'd try the apple pie."
"Okay! I'd like one big apple pie, please!" Minuette smiled.
"What she said," Moon Dancer pointed to Minuette.
"I'll have a caramel apple," Lemon Hearts followed.
"An apple fries for me," Twinkleshine spoke up.
"And one apple pie for both of us, please!" Lyra Heartstrings gestured to both her and Bon Bon.
"I'll have an apple fritter," Spike said as he held up his moneybag. "How much will that all be, Applejack?"
"That'll be 20 bits, sugarcube," Applejack smiled as she takes the money and exchanged the food for her latest customers. "Finally...another sale at last..."
"Cheer up, Applejack," Spike comforted the earth pony. "You gave it your best shot. What more can you do?"
"Thank ya, Spike," Applejack sighed. "Well, it was nice of ya to bring your friends over at the very least..."
"Omigosh!" Minuette exclaimed, as she downs her whole pie. "This is really good! Where've you been all my life?"
"Wow! You're right, Minuette," Moon Dancer smiled. "This apple pie is delicious! No pony here don't know what they're missing out on!"
"What I tell ya?" Spike smiled to his old friends.
"I could've told you all that," Lyra smiled, before she turned to see Bon Bon reaching for the same slice of the pie as her. "Oh, you can have the last piece, Bon Bon."
"No, no, no, it's for you, Lyra," Bon Bon smiled sweetly.
In the meantime, Lemon Hearts walked over to Applejack to strike up conversation, "Wow! These apple treats of yours are really good! They kinda remind me of Donut Joes!"
"Why thank ya, friend!" Applejack smiled. "So...y'all friends of Spike?"
"We sure are!" Minuette added. "Before Twilight and Spike moved to Ponyville, we were their friends at Princess Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns!"
"Ya don't say?" Applejack asked with peaked interest. "So...what was Twilight like to y'all? From what me and some gal pals of mine know, she's smart, caring, and...a little awkward, but has a good head on her shoulders with a heart to match."
"Huh...are you sure we're talking about the same, Twilight?" Moon Dancer asked. "Because from what we know about her, she's all less talk and more reading and studying."
Applejack chuckled in response as she continued, "Honestly, when we first met Twilight, she's all more about doing her tasks than makin' friends. But that all changed as soon as we find the Elements of Harmony and defeated Nightmare Moon together."
"Really?" Minuette asked.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Moon Dancer exclaimed. "The Elements of Harmony...they're real? I thought that was all just...a legend."
"Oh, trust me," Applejack replied. "It wasn't a legend that threatened to kidnap Princess Celestia to bring an everlasting night on the Summer Sun Celebration...and if it weren't for Twilight's knowledge and our teamwork, then we'd never find the elements and defeated Nightmare Moon...who turns out to be Princess Celestia's long-lost sister."
"Princess Celestia has a sister?" The girls present exclaimed.
"Princess Celestia has a sister?!" Spike exclaimed.
"How could you not know?" Minuette asked.
"I was asleep when Twilight and the girls looked for the Elements of Harmony!" Spike explained in his defense. "How could I have known?"
"This is uncanny!" Moon Dancer began to rant. "If the Elements of Harmony are real, along with Nightmare Moon, and...and...Princess Celestia's sister is, or was, Nightmare Moon, then...that means...the legends are true! Furthermore, it stands to reason that the rumor that Princess Celestia is over 1000 years old isn't just a rumor. But it's a fact! And–And–"
"Moon Dancer!" Spike shouted, stopping Moon Dancer from going into a full-blown panic attack. "Calm down! It's Twilight's job to be stressful, remember?"
"Oh!" Minuette chirped. "Like the time when she was worried about being held back, just because she thought Princess Celestia would punish her for having a cold?"
"Exactly!" Spike chuckled as he and the girls all laughed together for about a minute.
"Well, y'all are definitely good friends of Twilight and Spike here," Applejack smiled. "And any friends of Twi and Spike is a friend of mine!"
"Back at ya, Applejack," Lyra Heartstring smiled.
At that moment, Spike's ears perked up to the sound of upbeat music playing in the ballroom. And with it, the loud bubbly voice of a certain party pony he knew all too well, singing:
You do the Pony Pokey meeting lots of folks with clout
That's what I'm talking about
"Huh, sounds like Pinkie Pie is throwing a big party up there!" Spike exclaimed excitedly, turning to the girls. "C'mon girls! You don't want to miss this! Oh, and thank you for the treats Applejack! Good luck with your sale!"
"Y'all come back anytime now!" Applejack waved Spike and the girls away, just as Rarity arrived with Prince Blueblood.
However, Spike and his friends hadn't gotten very far when they bumped into a certain princess who, up until now, Spike wasn't very well acquainted with.
"OOF!"
"Ow-eth..."
"Sorry. Didn't you see you there," Spike and his friends apologized.
"No fret, friends," The pony replied. "It is our fault."
Spike and the girls looked up and were startled to see an alicorn standing before them. But it wasn't Princess Celestia. It was in fact her long-lost sister, Princess Luna.
"Ah. Good evening, my little ponies...and dragon," Princess Luna greeted. "How fare thee tonight?"
"...Spike?" Moon Dancer whispered. "I take it...that's Princess Celestia's sister?"
"...I see a family resemblance," Spike replied.
"So...that's Nightmare Moon?" Moon Dancer asked, to which Spike nodded.
A random stallion was passing by when he turned his head and his eyes widen in alarm at the sight of Princess Luna.
"WHOA! Holy Faust!" The stallion took off running for his life, with some other ponies screaming and running in fear of the former villainess of Equestria.
"Whoa! Uh oh!" Another stallion dropped the plate of hors d'oeuvres he was serving and jumped to hide in a nearby potted plant.
A large mare screamed so loud, she broke a nearby glass cup, before she galloped away.
“WHOA NELLY!” A stallion screamed before he was flattened into a pancake by the mare.
Princess Luna looked hurt upon seeing the reactions of all the partygoers running away from her. Seeing the sadden expression on the night princess's face made Spike and the girls feel sorry for the princess.
"Are you sure this is Nightmare Moon?" Minuette asked. "She looks kinda...sad..."
"If the screaming ponies aren't clues enough, then I don’t know what is," Twinkleshine replied.
Wanting to break the ice from the awkward moments, Spike started, "So...Princess Luna...what are you up to?"
"Sister Celestia hath encouraged us to mingle with our subjects," Princess Luna answered in a set of archaic dialect. "Unfortunately, it seems many hath yet to accept us for who we truly are and not who we once were."
Spike and the girls exchanged confused glances, unsure of what Princess Luna was saying.
"Uh...with all due respect, Princess Luna," Spike began. "But could you maybe speak plain English, please? Because we have no idea what you're trying to say."
"Actually, she speaks in archaic dialect redolent of early modern English,” Moondancer lectured. “She said: She’s trying to enjoy the party, but not many ponies have learned to accept her yet.”
“Oh…” Spike and the other girls nodded in acknowledgment.
“I’m sorry I asked,” Spike apologized.
“‘Tis not your fault,” Princess Luna replied. “It is to be expected in the aftermath of our folly. We hath committed crimes most heinous. We must atone for what we had wrought.”
“Huh?” Spike and friends replied.
“She said she’s trying to make amends,” Moondancer clarified.
“Oy, why didn’t she just say so?” Twinkleshine groaned, rolling her eyes.
“Well, it’s a good thing we have Moondancer here with us!” Minuette smiled. “Why didn’t you tell us you know how to speak the princess’s funny language?”
“It’s…one of the earlier lessons we studied in English Class in middle school,” Moondancer replied. “Don’t you remember?”
An awkward moment soon filled the air between the dragon, mares, and the night alicorn, until Spike broke up the silence.
“So…anyway,” Spike turned to Princess Luna. “The girls and I were just on our way to the ballroom for a dance, with Pinkie Pie. You wanna come?”
Princess Luna looked down at the young dragon inviting her, then towards his unicorn party, until she answered.
“It would be our pleasure,” The night Princess joined.
By the time Spike and his Canterlot friends, plus Princess Luna, arrived, Pinkie Pie had finished setting up a DJ turntable.
"Come on, everypony! You wanted a partay? Now let’s paaartaaay!”
With that, the pink party pony was already getting up in some other partygoers’ spaces, much to their discomfort, as she insisted they “groove” to the beat.
Yeah! Uh! Now that's a beat, yeah!” Pinkie hollered, bouncing some ponies up in the air and knocking others down. “Uh! C'mon, dance! Yeah, woohoo!”
The Canterlot ponies were all taken aback by Pinkie’s rambunctious behavior.
Moondancer and friends, especially, were rather, shocked.
“I think somebody’s drank way too many punch,” Twinkleshine muttered.
“Somepony stop that hoodlum!” Princess Luna barked.
“That’s no hoodlum,” Spike scratched his head. “That’s Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.”
“That’s your friend?” Moondancer asked.
“Don’t ask,” Spike advised.
At that moment, Applejack came wheeling in with a cart, and a large cake on top of it.
“Okay, all you high-class ponies,” Applejack hollered. “Here's a highfalutin apple cake for your hoity-toity taste buds.”
“Ooh! That looks delicious!” Minuette licked her lips.
“Did she say Hoity Toity?” Twinkleshine asked. “As in, fashion icon Hoity Toity? The fashion representative of the Fashion World? He’s here?! How does my dress look?”
Before anyone could answer, Pinkie hollered, “STAGE DIVE!!!”
Spike and his group looked up, just in time to see Pinkie Pie, jumping off the stage, straight into Applejack’s cart, which catapulted the cake flying in the air.
“FLYING CAKE!” Lemon Heart pointed.
“WE SHALL GET IT!” Princess Luna hollered in a booming voice, galloping forward to catch the cake.
Spike looked where the cake was heading and his eyes widened in alarm to see Rarity entering the room, with her date, Princess Blueblood.
“RARITY, LOOK OUT!” Spike screamed, frantically running towards the unicorns.
“SPIKE!” Moondancer and the other girls called after him.
It was all a blur for Spike. He remember frantically running towards Rarity, turning back to see the cake flying towards her. Thinking fast, Spike leapt up in the air, putting himself between Rarity and the cake, with his arms spread out wide to shield the unicorn.
“SPIKE!!!” Rarity screamed.
Next thing he knew, his whole world went dark as something sweet and pastry hits him in the face, but with a tasty flavor of caramel apple in his mouth.
“Spike! Oh, Spike! Are you okay, darling?” Rarity’s voice called, getting louder until it was right next to his right ear.
“You okay, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, as a hoof wiped some of the cake off his eyes.
Spike looked up, finding himself surrounded by the concerned looks of his friends, who gathered around to check up on him.
“I’m okay,” Spike replied, while licking some of the cake frostings off his mouth. “Mmmm! Is this caramel apple? It’s delicious!”
“Thanks sugarcube,” Applejack sighed. “But I’m just thankful yer alright…”
“Oh, Spike, why?” Rarity sighed in concern.
“Well…I couldn’t let that cake ruin your dress and your date, would I?” Spike shrugged.
Rarity simply smiled in response, “Oh, Spike. Thank you! That was the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
Then, without warning, Rarity kissed Spike…ON THE LIPS!
“WHAT THE—!” Prince Blueblood screeched in outrage.
Right on cue, Pinkie Pie’s turntable did the disc scratch.
*Disc scratch SFX*
Princess Luna quickly covered Moondancer and friend’s eyes.
“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnggggggg!!!!!” Pinkie Pie and Applejack both exclaimed in shock.
“Ooooooh!” Lyra and Bon Bon exclaimed, looking like they’re enjoying the show.
Nearby, Rainbow Dash seemed impressed, “Huh. I’ll be darn.”
At that moment, Twilight and Princess Celestia walked in and were shocked at what they were all seeing.
“Wh-What the what?” Twilight gasped, watching both her little brother and Rarity, kissing until they parted.
“…You never told me Spike has a special somepony,” Princess Celestia grinned with a hint of mischief in her tone.
“I…I didn’t know,” Twilight replied.
Suddenly, the whole room shook, and the walls broke open to reveal a herd of stampeding animals barging into the castle.
Emerging from the dust clouds of the animals, stood a disheveled Fluttershy, who seemed to be a far cry from the meek, shy, and good natured Pegasus.
"YOU'RE...GOING TO LOOOOOOVE MEEEEEEEEE!!!"
"I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!!!!" A random stallion hollered.
With animals rampaging and tearing up the ballroom, something had to be done, and fast.
An alicorn statue was knocked over, nearly crushing some ponies, until Rainbow Dash swooped in to catch it. But the weight of the statue was too heavy for the Pegasus to hold it up alone, and she ended up crashing into some nearby pillars, causing the structures to fall on top of each other, like dominoes.
“BE STILL!!!” Princess Luna hollered, stomping her hoof hard, and blasting her magic to freeze every creatures, ponies, and objects in place.
“…We’re in so much trouble, aren’t we?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“You think?” A pony asked Rainbow rhetorically.
After everything settled down, the guests were leaving the castle, but Twilight and her friends from Ponyville, plus Spike, Moondancer, and the gang stayed to clean up the mess.
It was during this time that the ponies all got to know one another through Spike.
"So, you girls are Twilight's old friends here in Canterlot before she and Spike moved to Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"And you've been visiting to Ponyville to meet with Bon Bon, long before Spike and I moved?" Twilight asked a blushing Lyra Heartstring.
"Equestria is going to lose its magic, replacing it with technology in the future?" Pinkie Pie asked randomly.
There was a moment of awkward silence, until Minuette broke out in a giggle.
"I like you! You're silly!" Minuette chuckled at Pinkie Pie.
"Thanks! It's what I do!" Pinkie Pie smiled.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for all the troubles I've caused," Fluttershy whimpered in shame to Princess Luna. "I was just trying to befriend some animals and...I don't know what's come over me..."
"...Fear not, Bashful One," Princess Luna replied. "We've...been there before..."
"Wow, Twilight," Moondancer began, while talking to the lavender unicorn. "You and Spike certainly have made the most colorful of friends..."
Twilight simply blushed and chuckled, "I...I can explain..."
"Is your life always this exciting?" Moondancer asked in a chipper tone.
"Uh...well...yes...more or less," Twilight stammered.
"Wow, that's good for you, Twilight," Twinkleshine exclaimed as she and the others came over. "We've been wondering if you ever got your nose out of those books."
" I mean, sure, books are good and all," Lemon Heart added. "But being with your friends is just as special."
"And a thing to treasure," Lyra added, while looking intimately with Bon Bon, holding hooves.
"I know," Twilight nodded sheepishly. "You'd think with my intellect, I would've known better..."
"Oh well, better late than never," Spike quipped. "Eh, Twi?"
"Right..." Wanting to change topic, Twilight started asking Moondancer and the others. "So...how have you girls been? I hope your time here at the Gala has been better than me and my friends."
"To be honest, it's been kind of boring," Moondancer sighed, before she smiled. "At least until Spike came and we all started to have some fun!"
"Really?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Minuette chirped. "Spike's been a real fun! We all got to hang with him and he showed us all around the castle that none even knew about!"
"Really? Like what?" Twilight inquired.
"Well, there was the crown jewels," Lemon Heart brought up. "And the golden apples."
"There's golden apples?" Applejack exclaimed.
"Yeah, there's golden apples!" Minuette chirped excitedly. "Don't you remember Spike telling you that?"
"...Uh...must've...slipped my mind," Applejack cringed.
"Well, it's been amazing hanging out with Spike!" Minuette continued.
"And we got to meet Princess Luna to boot!" Twinkleshine added. "Although...she's kinda...coo-coo," The unicorn whistled the last part, while waving a hoof in circle.
"Well...I'm glad you girls had a great time," Twilight smiled, both happily, but sadly at the same time. "Especially Spike..."
"Yeah, we're lucky to run into him," Lemon Heart added. "The Grand Galloping Gala was fun and all, but it's even better when we all get to spend it together."
"And you're lucky to have a dragon like him for a friend," Minuette added. "I'd hate to imagine what our life would be if Spike didn't exist."
"I...I..." Twilight was at a loss for words, until she glanced in Spike's direction, to see him being cleaned up by Rarity.
"I don't even want to imagine a reality without Spike..." Twilight muttered, looking to the young dragon longingly, as if she has come to a realization.
Before coming to the Grand Galloping Gala, all Twilight and her Ponyville friends had cared about was having a good time for just themselves. But they never once thought about each other, including Spike. The young dragon had the right idea to spend the gala together, rather than looking for something to do himself. And why would he? He was just a young dragon, in the land of Equestria. The pony homeland. The only home and family he ever knew.
It may not have been the Best Night for Twilight and the other girls. But at the very least, it was Spike's Best Night Ever, because of how he got to spend it with his friends.
"Yeah," Twilight smiled proudly. "We're all very lucky to have him."
