The Tale of the Second Alpha

by Bergen

Before the Worst Night Ever

It had been about a month since Moon Dancer learned about the Alpha, and Princess Celestia had given her the honor of being the head science pony on researching the massive dragon slept beneath the city of Canterlot. She enjoyed her job, especially since it gave her some well-needed money.

Moon Dancer was busy researching a sample of dust underneath one of the Alpha's claws with one of her many scientific types of equipment when she heard a knock on her door. Moon Dancer trotted over to her front door to see a gray unicorn stallion wearing a blue mailman outfit in front of her.

"Hmm, are you the pony by the name of Moon Dancer?" The mailpony politely asked the yellow unicorn.

"Yes, my name is Moon Dancer." Moon Dancer said to the Mailpony.

"Well, in that case, I have a letter for you." The mailpony said, giving Moon Dancer a golden envelope.

She stared at the envelope suspiciously before she used her magic tear open the envelope. She used her magic to pull out the contents of the envelope to show one golden ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala, the most prestigious party in all of Equestria.

"Who... who sent me this?" Moon Dancer asked the mailpony, shocked that anypony would send her an invitation to the Gala.

"Don't ask me, I'm just the delivery pony." The Mailpony said shrugging. "Now I need to complete my rounds, have a nice day Miss Dancer." The Mailpony finished as he trotted off in finish his daily deliveries.

"Thank you!" Moon Dancer called to the gray stallion before she closed her front door with her magic.

Once Moon Dancer was by herself in her small house she jumped up in excitement. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I'm going to the Grand Galloping Gala!" Moon Dancer exclaimed in excitement jumping around in a circle, only to trip over one of her pieces of equipment and fall on her back. "Ow, horseapples that hurt." Moon Dancer grunted as she rubbed the back of her head. Moon Dancer struggled to her hooves, still rubbing the back of her neck as read the golden ticket with her magic.

Moon Dancer's eyes widened as she reached the bottom of the ticket. "The Gala this next week!" Moon Dancer exclaimed as she paced back and forth. "What am I going to do, what I going to do?" Moon Dancer said to herself having a small freak out. Moon Dancer's thoughts were interrupted by another knock on her door. "I'll be right there." Moon Dancer said to the closed door, as she opened the door to show three unicorns in front of it.

The ponies were the only ones that she really considered to be her friends. The three ponies' names were Minuette, a blue unicorn, with a dark blue and steel colored mane and tail, and yellow hourglass as a cutie mark. Twinkleshine, an ivory unicorn, with a curly pink mane, and three blue stars for a cutie mark. And Lemon Hearts a bright yellow unicorn with light blue mane and tail, and three hearts (two blue and one green) for a cutie mark.

"Hmm... Moon Dancer we were all wondering, I mean if aren't busy studying or anything. That could come help us check out some dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala today." Minuette said shyly, not speaking with the yellow unicorn for a few months.

"Wait, you three are all going to the Gala?" Moon Dancer asked the three ponies. The three ponies gave each other a surprised look and nodded happily in response. Moon Dancer's eyes widen as a thought came to her.

"I'm actually mane planner for it." Lemon Hearts said to her friend.

"I'd... love to. You see I just received my invitation in the mail today, and I would be honored to check out dresses with you all." Moon Dancer said sheepishly, hanging her head.

"Awesome! Why don't we meet up at the café in an hour, and then we'll all go to the dress shop in town." Minuette said happily, as two other unicorns squeezed in excitement.

"I guess we'll see you there Moon Dancer." Twinkleshine called to Moon Dancer, as the three unicorn friends trotted off.

"I'll see you guys there." Moon Dancer said more to herself than to the three unicorns. Moon Dancer then closed the door behind her, and sat down next to it, slamming her head up against it. "What am I going to do now?" Moon Dancer said to herself.

---

A little over an hour later the three young unicorns were in the Canterlot café, drinking hay smoothies, and waiting for Moon Dancer. "Do you think that she's actually coming?" Minuette asked her friend talking about Moon Dancer, as she took a drink of her hay smoothie.

"I think she will, I mean this is the first time she has actually talked to us in over a month. I mean she usually just closes the door in our faces most of the time." Lemon Hearts said to her two friends, the three unaware that Moon Dancer was actually listening to their conservation outside the café.

"You can't be serious Lemon, all she's does is keep her nose in a book." Twinkleshine said, taking a sip of her own hay smoothie.

"Well... I guess you're right, but she was trying to come out her shell once." Lemon said, making Moon Dancer's ears perk up.

"I guess so, but ever since her birthday party she has reverted back to her normal, antisocial self." Minuette said as she finished her smoothie. "Can I have a refill?" The blue unicorn asked, and a young waitress came over and refilled her drink. "Thank you. Now, what do you think happened to her?" Minuette said as she took a slip out of her newly refilled smoothie.

"Wasn't it her birthday the day Twilight left?" Lemon Hearts thought out loud. Moon Dancer couldn't take the three ponies conservation anymore and built up the courage and walked into the café.

The bell on the café door ringed as the yellow walked in catching everypony's attention. For most of the ponies, this was the first time they saw Moon Dancer in months. "Moon Dancer, over here!" Lemon Hearts called out, waving her hoof back and forth. Moon Dancer slowing trotted over to her 'friends' and sat down at their small table.

There were a few moments of awkward silence until Lemon Hearts broke the ice with a comment that she seemed to just pull out of the air. "Um... so... Moon Dancer what made you decide to go dress shopping with us." Lemon asked Moon Dancer.

"Well, I got my invitation in the mail today and you were all going to go dress shopping. And I needed a dress, so I decided to go with." Moon Dancer said, rubbing her left foreleg awkwardly as she did. The other ponies began talking about the Grand Galloping Gala, and Moon Dancer only half-listened. The thoughts in her mind more focused on the current dragon

A few minutes later as the conservations between the three ponies died down. Minuette looked up at the clock on the wall of the café and her eyes widened as she noticed the time, 12:30. "Oh, is it that time already. We better go or will all be late for our appointment." Minuette said, taking her last slip from her smoothie.

"You coming, Moon Dancer?" Lemon Hearts called out to the yellow unicorn, who hadn't left the table.

"Hmm... oh yes I'll be right behind you guys." Moon Dancer said dumbly. She hadn't even noticed that the three unicorns had gotten up to leave, her mind going faster than Rainbow Dash when she did a sonic rainboom. After a few moments of silence Moon Dancer climbed to her feet and trotted out the door of the café, following her 'friends' to the dress shop in Canterlot.

---

The four ponies arrived at the dress shop a few minutes later and was met by a pink unicorn fashion pony, with a light blue mane and matching tail, and a cutie that was a light blue sewing needle. "Hello, my name is Orchid Jewel and how may I help you all today." The fashion pony said polite, with a friendly smile on her face.

"Yes, we are all going to the Grand Galloping Gala and we all need a dress for the dance." Twinkleshine said the fashion, pointing her hoof to herself and her friends.

"Well in that case right this way ladies. I think I have four dresses that have you written all over them." The fashion said excitedly, showing the three mares the vast assortments of dresses of colors and designs.

"You look gorgeous, Twinkle!" Lemon Hearts exclaimed as she saw her friend in a magenta dress that covered the lower half of her body. The dress also had a small yellow flower that attached the dress on her body. Minuette was wearing a light blue dress with white pokey-dotes, with a small purple flower that attached it to her body. Lemon Hearts than walked into a dressing booth and walked out a few minutes later wearing her own dress.

Lemon Hearts' dress was a bright blue dress with silver stripes that ran down the back. The dress was attached to her neck by a teal green flower. "I think this will do quite nicely." Lemon Hearts said to herself. Don't you think Moon Dancer?" Lemon Hearts continued, admiring herself in the mirror.

Moon Dancer, however, didn't hear the yellow unicorn, her mind still more focused on the Alpha and the possibility of its return.

"Moon Dancer, are you alright?" Lemon asked after the unicorn didn't respond.

"Hmm... oh yes... of course I'm fine. Just in deep thought... I guess." Moon Dancer awkwardly responded back, her mind coming back to reality.

"Well, in that case, we should get you your own dress?" Lemon said taking the yellow unicorn's hoof.

"Wait what are you doing... ah!" Moon Dancer exclaimed, as Lemon practically threw her into the dressing room.

"Hmm... put this one on." Lemon said giving Moon Dancer a purple dress with light blue details that looked like stars.

"Ok, how do I look?" Moon Dancer asked as she walked out of the dressing room wearing her gala dress.

Moon Dancer walked out and the four ponies; Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and the fashion pony Orchid Jewel, mouths hit the floor when they saw the yellow unicorn. "You look beautiful dearly." The fashion pony said to the yellow unicorn. "But you have to do something about your mane." The fashion pony continued.

"My mane, what about it?" Moon Dancer asked, looking up at her red, with two stripes of purple, one lighter than the other mane.

"You need to let your gorgeous mane flow freely." The fashion pony said taking the small red pin out of the unicorn's mane. The red mane of Moon Dancer dropped down covering her purple eyes.

Moon Dancer had kept her hair up in a bun for so long that it had grown to a point that it almost touched her muzzle. "Well, I think you need a haircut first." Twinkleshine said, making the yellow unicorn giggled to herself.

"Let me help you with that my dear." The fashion pony said using her magic to cut the yellow pony's hair to just below her hair line.

Moon Dancer hadn't had her mane down since her birthday party over three months ago, and even though she wouldn't admit it out loud she like it.

"I think that will do for now." Twinkleshine said, and the four unicorns changed out of their dresses and paid for them.

"So we'll all meet up at the café for smoothies before we head to the gala, sound good." Minuette said as the four ponies left the dress shop, each of them using their magic to hold a bag with their respective dress.

---

"Sounds good to me, though I have to be there a few hours early to make sure everything goes smoothly, as the mane party for the Gala after all." Lemon Hearts said as the four ponies began walking back to the café.

"Wait you are the pony that plans the Grand Galloping Gala?" Moon Dancer asked Lemon.

"Yeah, I've been working at the castle for a few months now, and I guess Celestia likes my work. So she gave me the job to plan all the food and entertainment of the gala." Lemon Hearts said to Moon Dancer.

"It's actually the reason we were able to get tickets to the gala in the first place." Minuette said as the four ponies arrived at the café. The four ponies went inside and all ordered a hay smoothie.

"Speaking of which how did you get your invite, Moon Dancer." Twinkleshine asked Moon Dancer, after taking a sip of her smoothie.

"Well... I... just got it." Moon Dancer said staring at the golden ticket in her hoof. "It came in the mail, not long before you guys showed up." Moon Dancer said, giving her 'friends' a confused look on their faces.

"Hmm... interesting. Do you know who sent it to you?" Lemon Hearts asked Moon Dancer, after a few moments of silence.

"No, but does it really matter who sent it to me." Moon Dancer said putting the ticket in the same bag her dress was in.

"I guess not, so Moon Dancer, are you up to going to the Grand Galloping Gala with us." Minuette asked the yellow unicorn happily.

There were a few moments of silence as Moon Dancer thought up an answer.

"Yes... I will go to the gala with you guys. Who knows it could be fun." Moon Dancer said to the three ponies, making them cheer in delight.

"Waiter, another round of drinks please." Lemon Hearts said happily to one of the stallion waiters.

The waiter returned a few minute later with the mares' drinks and they all drink them happily, and a thought that hadn't come to Moon Dancer head since her birthday rushed through her mind like a wildfire. "Maybe I should give this whole friendship thing another try." Moon Dancer thought to herself, giving her first genuine smile in months.

---

In the castle that towered over the city, a certain white alicorn was watching the scene unfold in a small magic mirror. "I guess my plan worked." Celestia said to herself, happy that Moon Dancer had begun to accept friendship into her heart. Just her star student did three months earlier. Celestia's happy thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Celestia said not looking away from the scene unfolding in the mirror.

There were a few moments of awkward silence which strike the alicorn's attention. "Can I help..." Celestia began to say looking up from her mirror, stopping herself when she saw the pony standing in front of her.

The pony was a dark blue alicorn with a flowing blue star-like mane with slight purple highlights, and teal eyes. Her little sister, the princess of the night. "Luna."

Author's Note:

I have decided to split the Grand Galloping Gala up into three chapters. The first being this, showing Moon Dancer and her three friends getting ready for the Gala. The second being Moon Dancer and the Mane Six arriving at the Gala. And finally, the third which would be the Gala itself, where I will go more into Moon Dancer's relationship with Twilight, and I will have a speaking appearance of Luna.

I think I must say that when I first began writing this story, I had no plans (even a thought in my mind) to include Moon Dancer in this story, and now she is one of the main characters. In fact when I mentioned her at the end of chapter seven was just to build up the Alpha's return, and now she has become one of my primary protagonists. I really like Moon Dancer, and I think she is the only friendless version of Twilight that the show has done perfectly. Sunset Shimmer was the worst villain the series has had in Equestria Girls, but she redeemed herself in Rainbow Rocks becoming one of my favorite characters. Starlight Glimmer was a good villain, but I didn't notice she was a recolored and renamed Twilight until the very end of The Cutie Map.

The fashion pony Orchid Jewel is an O.C. I created but isn't that important to this story. She might show up again in the next chapter, but other than that she's not that important.

Twinkleshine and Minuette's dresses are based on their bride's maid's dresses in A Canterlot Wedding. I apologize if the description of the dresses isn't that great. I've not that into fashion. Moon Dancer's dress was intentionally supposed to look like Twilight's.

I wanted to give Celestia a relationship with Moon Dancer similar to the one she had with Twilight and think this is the best way to do it. The magic mirror is a reference to both Disney's Beauty and the Beast and DisneyFanatic2346's fanfiction Bride of Discord. I went with the Luna Eclipsed version of Luna because it has been three months after she returned, and that seems like enough time for her powers to return. I also like the Luna Eclipsed version of her better.

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Cliffhanger hanging from a cliff...

[Kingmoonwar19]

6865314 cliffsepchen