Though Ponyville had been Twilight's home for a good long while now, some part of her would always long for Canterlot. The city of her birth, and the place she'd spent most of her life. As such, she would always have a smile upon her face whenever she had the opportunity to visit the place, and today was no exception. Sitting in a place that she had often frequented back during her time here, the local café, she looked out of the nearby window with a warm expression. The streets, the houses, the ponies who would occasionally pass them by, she knew them all. It brought good memories to her, feelings of belonging. And while she could honestly say that she loved Ponyville, there was no denying that being here simply brought joy to her. But, her nostalgia trip was soon interrupted, for the sound of somepony clearing their throat caused her to turn to the side. A nervous smile came to her, as she looked to those who sat around he table. Moondancer, Minuette, Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts. All of them regarded her with friendly smiles, and before long, Moondancer broke the silence between them.

"So, happy to be back?"

Twilight nodded.

"I am. It's...nice."

Before anypony could say anything else, however, one of the nearby waitresses finally arrived, using her horn to levitate a silver tray of the food and drinks they'd ordered. Milkshakes, donuts, cakes and an assortment of other goodies were placed before them, and several of the mares licked their lips at the sight of it. Twilight gave an appreciative nod to the mare who’d brought it to them, and watched her go before turning once more to her friends.

"I have to say...I missed you all."

Minuette chuckled.

"And we missed you. And Spike too!"

A giggle escaped Twilight at that.

"Yes. I'm sure he would have loved to have seen you all again, but his Grandfather promised to take him on a tour around the Guard barracks, so..."

Twinkleshine raised a hoof, stopping her.

"Oh, don't worry about it. We can always see him again later. Let's just let him have his fun for now."

Twilight considered that, smiling to her old friend, before promptly taking a deep sip of her milkshake. The other mares did the same, and before long, it was obvious to all that they were enjoying what they'd just tasted.

"Oh yeah, I needed that!" Lemon Hearts remarked.

Minuette nodded in agreement.

"Same here! I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been trying to get away for one of these beauties for a long time!"

Twilight thought on that, looking down to her drink.

"Yeah...it's always nice to have a break every now and again."

Moondancer looked to her, seeming curious.

"So...how is Ponyville doing these days? Word on the street is that it's pretty hectic."

Twilight giggled, looking to her similarly-spectacled colleague.

"Believe me, a lot of the rumours are exaggerated, Moondancer. The Lunars aren't keeping captive dragons as guard-dogs, and there's no constant lightning and storm-clouds over their Embassy."

Minuette slumped her shoulders after hearing that, her tone one of disappointment.

"Awww! I would have liked to see that!"

The other mares laughed at her comment, which she herself soon joined in on. But, as that laughter died down, Twilight sighed.

"In truth...things are calming down. Everypony was worried the Embassy fire would cause war, but...I think they want to avoid that as much has we do."

Twinkleshine leaned forward.

"I hear we have you to thank for that."

Twilight blushed.

"Oh...I just do what I can."

Moondancer looked to her with more seriousness.

"Twinkle isn't wrong, Twilight. Remember, I know how much people here look down on you for trying to reach out to the Lunars."

Hearing that, Minuette frowned.

"Oh yeah! That jerk of a waitress who called you traitor, right? I hear she got fired for that after you left the restaurant!"

Lemon let out a brief "huff" to that.

"Serves her right! You didn't deserve that kind of treatment, Twilight!"

Twilight raised a hoof, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Thank you all...but I try not to let things like that bother me."

Moondancer sighed.

"Well...as much as I wish it wasn't the case, things over on this end are still a little tense. There have been Guard patrols trying to find members of the group who arranged that Embassy attack. It hasn't been going well."

Twilight looked to her, curious.

"The Follows of the Sun? How's it been going?"

There was an air of discomfort around the table at that.

"Barely any progress has been made. Nopony can ever seem to catch the ones who do all that anti-Lunar art around town," Minuette began.

"And trying to find anypony who's planning to do another attack, if there is one, has been pretty hard. Impossible even!" Lemon added.

"Plus, ponies aren't liking the Guard asking them questions and making them feel like they're suspects. I mean, I know the Guard don't intend to make them feel that way, but still..." Twinkleshine concluded.

Hearing all of this, and seeing the less-than-happy looks on her friend's faces, Twilight let out a deep sigh.

"I'm...I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a happy get-together, and I've just...made things uncomfortable."

Then, to her surprise, there was a round of laughter to that, and afterwards, it was Moondancer who spoke to her, gently placing a hoof upon her shoulder as she did so.

"Oh, Twilight...this is a happy time. We're glad to see you again!"

Minuette nodded.

"Yeah! I mean, it's not your fault all this super-negative stuff is going on!"

Twinkleshine giggled.

"Besides, you're our friend! It's always good to have you nearby!"

Taking all of that in, Twilight soon gained a look that made it clear to everypony that she was truly touched by what they'd said to her. And she bowed her head slightly, her voice one of honest appreciation.

"Thank you, girls, I...I appreciate that."

In response, the mares all took hold of their milkshake glasses, raising them up towards her, and Twilight, seeing this, giggled slightly before taking her own. Together, they gently clinked them against one another, before all taking gulps of their shakes at the same time. They drank so hard, in fact, that before long they'd downed the entire thing, setting their glasses down and looking, understandably, pretty pleased with themselves.

"Oh yeah, I so needed that!"

Again, they laughed, and again, Twilight began to feel more than comfortable in being here with her old classmates.

"Yeah...it's good to be home."

But, after having said that, she looked on with slight surprise to see Minuette leaning forward, a sly smirk upon her face.

"So...about Spike."

Twilight titled her head, showing confusion.

"Um...what about him?"

Minuette rolled her eyes.

"Well...what's this we hear about him getting all cute and cosy with the daughter of the Lunar Ambassador?"

Twilight, looking rather surprised by that, opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped from responding when Lemon looked to Minuette with confusion.

"Wait, really? I heard he was hooking up with some quiet pegasus filly called Scooty or something?"

But then, Twinkleshine shook her head.

"You're both wrong! Spike's crush is a little farmer filly with a red mane!"

Then, after glaring at one another for a time, all three mares looked to Twilight.

"Well, Twilight? Who is Spike's new girlfriend?" Minuette demanded to know.

Naturally, Twilight had no idea how to react or respond to any of this, and so soon turned to Moondancer for help. But, the other mere simply chuckled, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back into her chair.

"Hey, don't look at me, Twilight. You’re Spike's Mom here, remember?"

With that, Twilight simply sighed, looking just the tiniest bit irritated.

"You know...maybe there was a reason I've been staying away from Canterlot for so long."