Celestia was correct, and there was a huge celebration happening in Ponyville. Everyone cheered as the alicorns came in, and Princess Celestia introduced Princess Luna as her sister. Twilight and Moondancer snuck in behind them, still not ready to be greeted by so many ponies.
The party stretched on throughout the day, and even though Twilight and Moondancer didn’t know any ponies they still had a great time talking to each other. There were a few ponies that Twilight found herself watching, though. The magenta pony who they had run into when they first arrived in Ponyville, who seemed to be the party’s organizer. A pair of pegasi, one yellow with a pink mane and the other light blue with a rainbow colored mane. The second appeared to be encouraging the yellow pegasus to talk to ponies they encountered, though she would only say a few words before disappearing behind her long mane. An orange earth pony who was supplying the party with various apple-related snacks, and a white unicorn mare with a pattern of three diamonds as her cutie mark. When Twilight looked at them, she felt like she knew them somehow. But that was ridiculous. She’d never been to Ponyville before, and the five ponies were complete strangers to her. Still, she couldn’t help but cast glances at them every so often.
Late in the evening the party had died down, and the two mares prepared to take a coach back to Canterlot. Just outside of the coach, Moondancer gave Twilight a hug.
“Thank you so much, Twilight. For everything.” Her eyes shone the tiniest bit.
“No, thank you, Moondancer.” Without Moondancer, Twilight never would have been able to stop Nightmare Moon. And she might have never made a friend.
“I’m so glad you’re my friend,” Moondancer whispered.
“Me too.” Twilight gave her one last squeeze before they walked into the coach.
They were flying above Ponyville when Moondancer spoke again.
“Imagine what would have happened if you had never come to my party!”
Twilight shook her head. “I don't even want to think about it!”
The two laughed and gave each other another hug as they headed back to Canterlot, leaving Ponyville behind them. And though Twilight still had an itching feeling that she was leaving something behind back there, she felt only promise as she looked ahead to the future with her new friend Moondancer beside her.