The Party We Shall Never Forget
Author's Note
Idea sparked by talking to some friends on Discord.
Hope you enjoy!
The Party We Shall Never Forget
The shining stars glimmered in the night sky as Moondancer excitedly heads to Princess Celestia’s castle for the party. She didn’t have a lot of gowns to wear because of how expensive they were, but her turtleneck sweater would suffice for now; even if she looked out of the ordinary. In fact, she should be lucky she was able to attend at all. Thanks to Twilight, she had bought the high-end tickets (or it was free because of her royal status), and now she was ready to head into her first glamorous party without having to spend a single bit!
Moondancer showed the tickets to the castle’s guards. The guards curtly nodded in approval, and after they opened the golden doors, the bright light immediately strained Moondancer’s eyes. The joy of the party contrasts the lonely darkness outside. Moondancer’s glasses started to slide off of her face from the environmental whiplash before adjusting them back between her eyes. This place is packed!
Moondancer thought as she felt completely awestruck. She’s been to a few parties in her life, yet she never went to exciting ones such as this. Half of the room was filled with dancing ponies and talented musicians like Octavia. Then, on the other, from what she could tell, were ponies small talking about their daily lives as their peers gather food from the table and place it on their plates. Moondancer couldn’t even begin to pick up on their conversations because of the loud music. Not that she would’ve. She wasn’t one to eavesdrop. No wonder those tickets cost an arm and a leg.
Moondancer scanned the crowd for Twilight. She had to thank her friend for inviting her to this stunning party. She had to fight her way through the crowd. It was a pain to see through the sea of partygoers, but thanks to her efforts she did find Twilight talking to one of the ponies standing next to her. Moondancer blinks curiously at Twilight’s companion. She doesn’t believe she had encountered her before, or even saw a glimpse of her in her daily life. Maybe she’s from outside Canterlot?
“Moondancer, it’s so good to see you!” Twilight greeted her after she had finished the conversation with the mare. The two hugged when they got close.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Moondancer replied to the princess with content. “I’m still shocked you actually got me tickets for this party. This place is incredible!” She aspected at the dancers and the dance floor ahead. They were having the time of their lives.
“Of course,” Twilight smiled warmly. “I also invited all our other friends too.” She too looked at the dance floor nearby. “They’re most likely out there somewhere.”
“It didn’t take long for me to find them.” Moondancer quipped once she finished the search with her eyes. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were dancing to their heart's content while Minuette was eagerly chatting with Fancy Pants. She squinted her eyes when she noticed something that was increasingly strange. “Why are there two Minuettes in the same room—?”
“Anywho, I would like you to meet my very own pupil, Starlight Glimmer.” Twilight interrupted her question aloud. She nudged her friend’s shoulder to get her attention. “Starlight, I would like you to meet one of my very old friends, Moondancer.”
“Huh? Oh. Sorry about that,” Starlight chuckled sheepishly when she realized she was zoning out. “Moondancer, is it? It’s very nice to meet you.” She shook Moondancer’s hoof with her own.
“Likewise,” Moondancer answered casually. She poured a drink in a golden goblet. It was still amazing to know Twilight had her own pupil, and she didn’t hesitate to tell them that. “You know, Twilight, I did hear of you regaining a pupil, but I would never think it would happen so soon. I was expecting a two year span between when we reconciled and now. I’m amazed at how far you’ve come from who you were before.”
She placed the drink down after she spoke of her praises. “So, how did you two meet?” She looked at the two inquisitively.
Twilight and Starlight looked at each other with their ears flat and their eyes minimally widening. Moondancer flinched from the dead silence between the two. “I’m sorry, did I say the wrong thing?” She frowned.
Starlight’s ears flicked upwards. “No, no, you didn’t say anything wrong,” she stammered defensively and in a panicked motion. “It’s just… um…” Starlight kept searching for words, yet was left with nothing.
“Let’s just say we had a very unique first impression.” Twilight butted in, placing a hoof behind Starlight’s neck. “After some rough patches, we became friends for a while,”
“Yea, exactly!” Starlight smiled awkwardly beside the princess.
Moondancer fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. One would easily know there was definitely something odd between them. Especially Starlight. Moondancer started to feel a little weary about her character. Like there was more to Starlight’s character than she’s letting on. She didn’t know if she was getting into her head, so she shrugged it off for now.
“Ah, well, I won’t pry about it,” Moondancer took a sip from her goblet again and faced one of the tall windows in the hall. From the corner of her eye, she could see the subtle shift in Twilight and Starlight as they relaxed from the tension they felt from her questions. Whatever it was, the secrecy made Moondancer a little suspicious. Whether she was thinking about too much or not, yet for some strange, unexplainable reason, Starlight felt odd. There was something about her that piqued her interest in her characteristics. What really caught her eye was the sudden awkwardness when Moondancer mentioned the past. What made it odder was Twilight’s similar reaction to her pupil. Something wasn’t right in Moondancer’s mind.
She now had a new goal in mind. One she would rather not have for a good party such as this one, but a goal that would constantly nag at her mind to no end: she was not leaving this place until she got to know Starlight just a little more to get to the bottom of this. Whether it would be small talks or no, her curiosity cannot be ignored.
Moondancer kept her suspicions about Starlight at bay temporarily. She had her feelings hidden by partying and talking to the ponies around her. The only time she let facade slip through the cracks was when she started talking to Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts.
“Can I talk to you three for a minute?” Moondancer asked politely yet firmly at the same time.
“Of course!” Minuette had her usually preppy smile as she trotted over to her. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine followed suit. “What’s on your mind? Are you enjoying the party?” They ask her.
Moondancer quickly shifted her glance to Starlight, who was taking a drink from a cup before she looked back at her friends. “Have you heard any news about Starlight? I know you three visit Ponyville more frequently than I do.”
Lemon Hearts blinked. “Who? Twilight’s pupil?”
Moondancer nodded.
“We don’t know much about her other than her title,” Minuette informed her with a smile still on her face: “The only thing I can remember of her was when she screamed near the fountain, but that was a while ago. I think she recovered by now.”
“She did what?” Moondancer took one step closer to her friends. “Why did she do that? Was she hurt?”
“More like panicking.” Twilightshine added.
“Panicking?” Moondancer was even more intrigued for some reason, but she stopped herself. The inner conflicts in her head were at war with each other. She rubbed her head with her hoof.
Lemon Hearts placed her hoof on her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
Moondancer gently pushed Lemon Heart’s hoof away from her. “I don’t know. The three of you know I’m not one to pry about someone’s life. I guess I just want to know Starlight better,”
“By snooping around and asking about her?” Twinkleshine questioned Moondancer, her voice tight with reassurance. “Why don’t you go talk to her? It feels weird to do all of this secrecy behind her back.”
Minuette raised her hoof. “I agree,”
Moondancer knew in her heart that her friends were right. The right thing to do was to talk to the unicorn and try to know her personally. She felt a little horrible now. Starlight seemed like a nice pony from the way she sounded, yet her mannerisms confused her. Both sides were at conflict and she was anything but happy about it. I was meant to have fun at this party, not interrogate this completely random pony I just met. What’s the matter with me?
Keeping her frustrations to herself, she finally nods. “You’re right. That’s exactly what I need to do.”
Moondancer looked around at the dance floor. The loud music makes her ears flatten against her head. “Do you think I can have the opportunity to talk to her alone?”
“There!” Lemon Hearts shouted. Moondancer turned her sights to Lemon Heart’s direction. Starlight was seen briefly talking to Twilight before she headed out into the garden. Perfect!
“Thanks for your help,” Moondancer thanked them appreciatively. It was round two of her battle with the dancing crowds. After some unintentional pushing and shoving from the dancing ponies, she found her way to the open door that led to the garden.
“Moondancer!”
Moondancer was startled by the sudden call from Twilight. Her voice was so loud and sudden she almost jumped out of her skin. She composed herself by the time Twilight walked up to her.
“On your way to see Starlight, aren’t you?” Twilight inquired calmly. “She won’t go very far in case you’re afraid of getting lost.”
Moondancer was stunned again. “How did you know?”
“I saw the way you were watching her leave,” Twilight informed with a slight twinkle in her eye Moondancer never caught on. She tilts her head to the side. “I assume you would like to know more about her, no?”
“I do,” Moondancer’s mind was racing with all the possible ways of asking her about Starlight’s past without sounding too suspicious or snoopy about her pupil. “Answer me truthfully, Twilight. How did you two really meet?”
But Twilight’s expression told her nothing. She looked at the garden doors. “We met not too long ago, and our relationship took time to build. I would tell you the details, but,” She turned to head to the dance floor. “I believe that’s a topic for you and Starlight to discuss.”
Moondancer felt a tinge of frustration. All these secrets, these sly ways to get out of the subject were driving her insane! “Come on, Twi, this shouldn’t be this hard! Just tell me…” her voice trailed off when Twilight couldn’t be seen through the crowd of chatterboxes.
Twilight’s avoiding my question for a reason. Moondancer pondered about the strangeness of her friend’s motives. Weird. She’s usually not like that.
Perhaps Twilight’s motives will come to light sooner or later. For now, Moondancer marched to the garden doors, ready for her talk with the mysterious mare.
The nightly stroll seemed to calm Moondancer’s nerves a little. It was a nice transition from the raging party to the calm and tranquil nature surrounding Celestia’s castle. That is, if she ignored the party beats heard from the inside. I can’t blame Starlight for wanting to get away from that. She thought. Just from her nervous stance and smiles from earlier, Starlight didn’t seem like the one to party hard unlike her peppy mentor. She didn’t realize how far she had gotten in a short amount of time. She did her best to not think about the worst of scenarios, yet a small part of it was at the back of her mind. Am I just paranoid about it?
Moondancer stopped to consider her actions. Was this too much? Was she on the right track? She didn’t know anymore. Was she in the right or in the wrong? It wasn’t her job to ask questions about her past. Twilight invited her to this glorious event to enjoy herself and spend time with friends, not launch an investigation about her own pupil whom she cares about. Her ears lowered in shame. I’m such a fool. This was pointless. She should’ve kept her intrusiveness to herself. Moondancer gave up her search and turned around to head back to where she came from.
“Moondancer? That’s your name, isn’t it?” A soft voice spoke behind her. Moondancer whipped her head to see Starlight standing in a good distance between them. She was sure she could detect Starlight’s movements. How did she not hear her come?
“Er, yes,” It was now Moondancer’s turn to be nervous about their encounter. She was surprised she even found her. She assumed she would be miles ahead. “I was just heading back,”
“Are you?” Starlight’s eyes narrowed quizzically, yet it had a touch of softness. That look. If Moondancer wasn’t wrong, Starlight seemed disappointed by her departure. She looked her up and down. “Are you okay with that?” She watched Starlight’s gaze carefully, but Starlight’s expression raised no red flags.
“Of course,” Starlight offered with a flick of her hoof. “This is your night, and you should party with your friends. That’s why Twilight invited you after all.”
She looks up at the constellations that painted the beautiful night sky. Moondancer approached her steadily and looked up at the stars too. Great. This is what she wanted. A one on one talk with the pony that's been on her mind since she had arrived.
Moondancer shifts her eyes to her hooves, then back at Starlight this time. She raised an eyebrow. “…isn’t that why you’re at the party too? To party with friends? Instead of looking at stars?”
Starlight didn’t turn her head, but she did glance at Moondancer from the side. Moondancer stiffened. Oh Celestia, I hope I didn’t butcher my chances. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so blunt about it…“
Instead of getting angry, Starlight laughs a little. “No, no, it’s okay.” She shrugs her shoulders with a little smile. “I rarely go to parties and dance. I’m only here because Twilight brought me along. I appreciate her gesture, but I do get jumpy when I talk to other ponies sometimes,”
Moondancer’s ears raised. That explains her reclusive behavior. She sits next to Starlight with her tail wrapped around her hooves. “I understand. I know how you feel,” She now felt bad for how she judged the unicorn.
“Is that why you’re out here too?”
“Yes,” Moondancer responded a millisecond after she received the question. Starlight didn’t need to know about the stalking. She can remain blissfully unaware.
…or maybe not. Starlight just chuckles to herself. “Don’t kid yourself, Moondancer. I knew you were watching me the whole time. I’m more vigilant than you may think,”
What? Moondancer was in shock. How did she…? “I wasn’t subtle, weren’t I?” She stammered.
“Eh. I had a feeling you wanted to talk to me eventually. That’s another reason I came here. To talk without distractions and noises,”
“To talk…” Moondancer’s hoof tapped. Though she wasn’t as slick as she would have hoped to be, at least she finally had the chance to say what’s been on her mind. Truthfully and honestly. “Are you even mad at me? For going behind your back and asking questions about you?”
Starlight’s ear flicked from the question. “I’ve gotten used to it,”
“You do?” Moondancer’s eyes softened just a bit. “You’re just used to ponies gossiping about you? Really?”
Starlight shrugs. “The more you know me, you’ll know exactly why,”
Moondancer caught that vulnerability in Starlight’s voice. Now she felt even worse about her initial feelings towards her. She shifted closer to her, the distance between them a little smaller. Perhaps she could start on the right foot, like she should’ve from the start. “Then I would like to know you, Starlight. As a friend,”
Starlight smiled slightly, the sweetness in her eyes tugging at Moondancer’s heartstrings. With that look, why would ponies even gossip about her? Perhaps because of her title? Or…
“Starlight, I asked Twilight this question, and she said it would be a topic between us,” she began carefully. “Now that we’re alone and with no distractions, I was hoping you would tell me how you and Twilight had met. Please, even if it’s short and simple, I just need an answer—“
She stopped herself mid sentence. She shifted back and wrapped her arm around with her hoof. “Unless it’s personal for you,”
The silence was deafening for Moondancer. She tried to play it cool, but it was eating her on the inside. Will Starlight get defensive and keep her past a secret? Or will she—
“I was evil,”
Moondancer immediately stared at . Her jaw was slightly agape, her words hitting her like a bullet train. “What?”
Starlight raised her head. With a deep breath, she told her story. “When Twilight met me, I wasn’t the pony you see before you. I was bitter and ill-tempered. I was so bitter that I let my anger cloud my judgement by stealing the cutie marks from a village…“
“Wait, wait, wait. You don’t have to tell me everything, Starlight.” Moondancer halted with a raised hoof. “This seems very personal to you and—“
“You went this far to get to the truth,” Starlight reminded her calmly. “Now, I’m giving it to you. You want to know how I met Twilight? It was during that time. The time when she stopped me, and would do it again in another endeavor of mine.”
After she let her words sink in, she continued on. “When we met for the second time, she managed to heal my heart and help me relearn friendship again,” her voice took on a lighter, warmer tone. “And believe me, friendship is way harder than you think.”
“Ha!” Moondancer sneered. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” She looked down at her hooves. With that surprising answer she received, it was only fair she too exposed her past. “Believe it or not, I’ve been in your shoes before,”
Starlight looked aghast at her remark. Moondancer quickly raised both of her hooves. “No, no, no, I don’t mean it like that. I was mostly referring to the hurt. I know what it feels like to let your frustrations and sorrow build up in your heart.”
A comet sped past the sky as Moondancer began to tell her tale. “I’ve known Twilight ever since we were fillies. One day, I wanted to get out of my shell and host a party, and I was eager to invite Twilight. But… she never made it, and it made me feel worthless and vulnerable. I was a hermit in my own world. No one talked to me because I refused to let myself open up.”
She gently messed with the grass with her hoof. “We hadn’t talked in years until a few months ago when we reconnected. She helped me relearn friendship again and made me find my place in the community. Now, I’m more grateful to Twilight than ever.”
“So we do have something in common,” Starlight’s lips curled into a smile as she looked Moondancer in the eye. “Don’t we?”
The more Moondancer thought about it, the pieces started to connect. Their common denominator in their road to redemption and recovery was Twilight. If it weren’t for her, they probably wouldn’t be in this spot right now. They would be on their own with their hearts hardened about the world.
“Both of us wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Twilight,” Moondancer mused quietly.
“She’s one of a kind, isn’t she?” Starlight added fondly. “It’s like we owe her our lives.”
They both stared at each other. “I don’t think we tell her that enough,” Moondancer stated sullenly.
Starlight looked at the castle behind Moondancer. “Perhaps we can change that,”
Moondancer caught on with her plan with a small smile. “Maybe we should.”
Leaving the beautiful garden behind them, Moondancer and Starlight head back to the castle. Though her suspicions about Starlight were snuffed out, she still felt little feelings of guilt she wanted to remove, and she knew the right words for it.
“Starlight, when I first met you, I didn’t trust you at first. I thought there was more to you than meets the eye. Something not good. The conversation we had today proved me wrong. You did change from your past, and I’m sorry I felt that way to you. It wasn’t fair, and I hope you can forgive me. I’m still trying to learn about friendship, and I suppose this is one of the lessons I had to learn,” She admitted with her hoof behind her neck.
Starlight flicked her hoof dismissively, yet the look in her eyes told her that she felt touched. “Don’t worry, Moondancer. I know how it feels to not receive second chances. I’m happy that you truly wanted to know me better, and that’s what I care about.” Moondancer was thankful Twilight’s lessons had taught her into becoming a forgiving pony.
Moondancer and Starlight walked into the party and did have fun by dancing and even playing some games. Through it all, they try to find Twilight, yet she was somehow nowhere in sight. What seemed like an hour had passed and they finally caught a glimpse of her chatting to the other Canterlot ponies.
“Twilight?” Moondancer called, bringing Starlight along. “Can we talk for a moment? Starlight and I would like to say something.”
Twilight heard their request with a curt nod. She politely dismissed the ponies then turned to her friends. “What is it?” She asked excitedly. “Are you two enjoying the party?”
“It’s great,” Starlight beamed. “We couldn’t thank you enough for inviting us.”
“Actually,” Moondancer delicately butted in. “The party is not the only thing we should thank you for,”
Twilight blinked. “Hm?”
“We want to thank you for everything you did for us,” Moondancer began wholeheartedly. “You saved me from my lonely, withdrawn lifestyle. I’ve been a better pony and friend thanks to you. You’ve healed my heart, and our friendship” she took a step back for Starlight to speak.
“And I don’t think a simple ‘thank you’ could begin to explain the debt I owe for what you did,” Her apology was more saddened and purposeful. “You gave me a chance when I didn’t deserve it. I still think I don’t deserve it, but you… you’re a special kind of pony, Twilight. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m fortunate to have you in my life. I cherish you as my teacher and my friend.”
Twilight was so deeply moved by their heartfelt confessions. She had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’m so grateful to hear it from you two.” She chucked in admiration. “You have no clue how much your words mean to me,”
With their spirits high, Moondancer, Starlight, and Twilight spend their time together by drinking some apple cider provided by Sweet Apple Acres and grooving to the music by the popular DJ Pon-3. For this one moment, the three of them were having the time of their life. It would be a night they would never forget. In fact, they even requested a photographer to take a picture of the three of them. Even days after the party was over, each of them framed the picture on their walls. It would be a special reminder of how bright and powerful their bond was shown in that special bash. To them, their connection and their close relationships with each other was brighter than the dance floor.
