Talk:Spike/@comment-4742142-20120122002810/@comment-222.127.223.74-20120122121317

Maybe Spike was away at the time working. Whenever he's not around, I'm guessing he's not in the same area that the ponies are. In Look Before you Sleep, Twi says Spike goes on business trips to Canterlot by himself. And in Hearths Warming Eve, he wasn't on the train with the ponies, he was already at Canterlot preparing for the play before the ponies arrived.

I'm thinking in season 2, Spike doesn't spend a lot of time in Ponyville anymore. He's mostly spending his time at Canterlot working. Sure, he couldn't go to Twi's b-day on Sweet and Elite but I bet Twi visited him real quick while they were there before heading off to see Rarity. It is a big city, after all.