Fwelin 
"[@toxicitzi":](/1413881#comment_6032551
)
All we know about this point in time was that Moondancer was trying to get close to Twilight. We don't know when they became a"group".
Even after their group formed, Twilight didn't really see them as friends except in hindsight years later (she probably saw them as school colleagues that she reluctantly did stuff with occasionally, but would rather be somewhere else), so Twilight right before she left for Ponyville didn't have any real friends (other than Shining) like Celestia wanted.
All we know about this point in time was that Moondancer was trying to get close to Twilight. We don't know when they became a
Even after their group formed, Twilight didn't really see them as friends except in hindsight years later (she probably saw them as school colleagues that she reluctantly did stuff with occasionally, but would rather be somewhere else), so Twilight right before she left for Ponyville didn't have any real friends (other than Shining) like Celestia wanted.