The Tasty Treat. Ever since a certain pair of Ponyville mares arrived in this place and intervened with its reputation, this little restaurant, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the restaurant district of Canterlot, had seen an explosion in popularity. Ponies from all over town came here to enjoy the spicy and exotic meals they had to offer, and always managed to walk away satisfied. Such seemed to be the case today, as every mare and stallion within its walls had a look of pure delight as they chowed down on their various meals. But among all these evening visitors, there were three in particular who, while sitting together in a corner booth, were laughing merrily with one another. Princess Twilight Sparkle, who understandably earned more than a few looks from other patrons, her loyal assistant Spike, and finally, their old friend Moondancer. Though this was a rarely-seen trio, it was clear that they were enjoying themselves, and as Moondancer adjusted her glasses, she gave her royal friend a sly look.
"So you drove yourself to the point of near-insanity over a book?!"
Spike chuckled.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe the things Twilight has made herself craze for over the years!"
The two shared another laugh, all while Twilight blushed.
"Yes, yes, let's get it all out in the open now. I'm just glad we were able to get the matter sorted out."
Moondancer, having calmed down from her laugh, smiled genuinely to her.
"So, how was she? I haven't seen her in such a long time now."
Twilight smiled right back.
"Oh, she's doing wonderfully! I thought she'd be bored out of her mind without the library, but honestly, she's happier than I've ever seen her!"
Spike nodded, looking from Twilight to Moondancer.
"Yeah! You should've seen how much she enjoyed being there! The music, the activities, I hope I get to do all that kind of stuff when I'm her age!"
"I'll drink to that," Moondancer responded.
The two clinked their glasses of water together, prompting a giggle on Twilight's part.
"Well, if nothing else, at least we all learned something from this. Never let your goal of perfection cause you undue stress."
Spike arched an eyebrow to her.
"I think that was a lesson for you more than anyone else."
Again, another blush came to the young alicorn.
"Hey, just because I'm a Princess and teacher of friendship doesn't mean I can't still learn lessons here and there."
Moments afterwards, her eyes drifted to her old classmate.
"And speaking of learning lessons, I wanted to apologise to you, Moondancer."
Moondancer looked back to her with understandable confusion.
"Apologise? For what?"
Twilight sighed, her ears drooping slightly.
"After all that happened during our last big get-together, you'd have thought I'd have got it into my head how important it was to keep in touch with you and the others. Yet it's been, what, years since you and I last spent any meaningful time together?"
Seeing where she was going with this, Moondancer waved her off.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Trust me, I'm not going to turn into a recluse again just because it's hard for you to spare a few hours every once in a while."
Twilight looked to her with uncertainty.
"You...you're sure?"
Moondancer nodded.
"I am. Besides, with everything that's happened with you since we last met, time travel, getting captured by Changelings, facing ancient shadow demons, starting your own school and all the rest of it, I don't think anypony can really blame you for being busy."
Twilight giggled again.
"Yeah, I guess things have been pretty hectic."
Melancholy returned to her soon after.
"But...it was me getting wrapped up in bigger things that led me to this late book problem to begin with. Guess some things never change with me."
Spike patted her on the side, giving her an encouraging look.
"Hey, it all worked out in the end, right? Dusty's life has never been better, and it's all because you got 'wrapped up in bigger things' all those years ago. So hey, win-win, eh?"
Twilight smiled to him, returning the pat to his head.
"Oh Spike, what would I do without you?"
Spike tapped his chin with his claw.
"Hmmm, probably tear your mane out because I wasn't there to haul you back when you reach the brink of madness over your obsessive ways."
All three laughed together after that, and Moondancer sighed contentedly afterwards.
"Yeah, I've missed being able to do this with you guys."
Twilight looked to her, reaching out and gently placing her hoof upon her shoulder.
"I know. We really should do this more often."
Then, for some reason, Moondancer's smile began to fade, much to Twilight's confusion. The bespectacled unicorn looked away, her expression becoming one of discomfort.
"Well...let's be honest, this isn't the first time we've met up again recently."
At first, Twilight had no idea what her childhood friend was talking about, but as time went on and she saw the way Moondancer was looking away, realisation came to her. As before, Twilight's ears drooped, and she too began to look uncomfortable, with a fair dose of shame mixed in for good measure.
"Oh, that. I'm...I'm sorry."
This time, it was Moondancer's turn to look confused.
"You're sorry? What do you have to be sorry about? You're not the one who mind-controlled me and the others."
Twilight shook her head.
"It was my mistake that let it happen. If I hadn't been so sure that Sombra was gone, he wouldn't have been able to trick me like he did. You, Minuette, all the other ponies here in Canterlot, you'd have been spared his control."
Twilight winced, glancing to each of the ponies in this restaurant, none of whom could hear her as she spoke.
"How many here suffered because of my carelessness?"
Moondancer and Spike looked to one another, sharing the same sentiment as one another, and Twilight herself hung her head, looking to her plate of food for a long time. But, after a while, Spike nudged her, gaining her attention.
"Hey now, you're too hard on yourself."
"He's right, Twilight. You shouldn't blame yourself for every problem that comes your way," Moondancer added.
Twilight frowned.
"I know that, but...it really does feel like, no matter where I turn, there's some problem that I had a hoof in. Sombra, you, Dusty, the list goes on. And all because of neglect or forgetfulness or because I keep getting caught up in other things."
A long sigh escaped her.
"Irresponsibility. That's what it is. Irresponsibility, plan and simple. And how many pay the price for it?"
Moondancer, looking to her with all seriousness, gave her a poke on the side of her face, causing Twilight to look at her.
"Yes, you've made mistakes. And you're right to feel bad about it. But the fact that you feel this way proves how good a person you are, Twilight. How many out there would have their carelessness lead to others being hurt, and wouldn't worry about it?"
Then, her smile returned.
"But the thing is...you don't just leave it at that. You take action, you do what you can to make up for your mistakes. Like you did with me. You're not perfect, sure...but it's the fact that you try to be better that really matters in this."
Twilight looked to her, knowing she'd meant every word of that, and as she glanced down to Spike, it was clear that he felt exactly the same way. The young Princess was deeply touched by the way her friends had tried to cheer her up, as evidenced by the way she now wiped away a semi-formed tear from her eye.
"Th...thanks, guys. I guess...this kind of stuff just gets to me sometimes."
Moondancer chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.
"Hey, if life was perfect, it'd be pretty boring."
They all shared another laugh, and as they did so, Saffron Masala trotted along, bringing along a new course for them to eat. The three nodded respectfully to her, and she to them, and as the chef walked off, Spike began to enthusiastically chow down on his food.
"Oh! This is even better!" he remarked.
Twilight smiled to him.
"You know, I really should learn to cook this stuff myself back home."
Moondancer nodded.
"I know, right? I've been trying some cooking myself. Well, that and a few other things."
Those words piqued Twilight's curiosity.
"Oh?"
Moondancer blushed a bit.
"Yeah, I've been getting into some gardening lately. Because let's face it, my front yard needed it."
Twilight's smile grew.
"Me and Spike still have some time if you'd like an extra bit of help."
Though surprised, Moondancer nevertheless smiled back to that offer.
"I'd be delighted, Twilight."
Author's Note
Loved the new episode, and it was great seeing Moondancer again, though I wish she'd have stuck around a bit more. Maybe have Twilight see a similar problem with Dusty as she did with Moondancer back in season 5, and how she caused it without intending to? Oh well, still a great story regardless 
