friendship is magic part 2

[allcomplete]

The forest is dark (Clarity and Guiding Star light their horns to see by, but it's almost worse than nothing, making the distant shadowed spaces darker by comparison; they soon give up). The plants that make it up are closely spaced, not all of them have friendly textures, and it is full of scary noises, only some of them the harmless snapped twigs and disturbed leaves of their own passage.

Before they've fully adjusted to the darkness, and are aware via anything but the feel of earth under their hooves that the path has sloped downward a little, it has given way under them, some of the flora and some distressingly large rocks along with it. Clarity can't even teleport. It's too dark to see where she might be going.

Comments

[allcomplete]

"...But when I warned you, you dismissed it like it was an old pony's tale."

[magicalfriendship]

"I told you," winks Celestia, "to make some friends! I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew that you had the magic inside you to defeat her - but there was no way you could have unleashed it without letting true friendship into your heart." She sighs. "Now. If only another will as well. Princess Luna."

[and_admiration]

Wibble.

[joyfulnoise]

...aww, wibbly princess. Joy looks sympathetic.

[magicalfriendship]

"It has been a thousand years since I've seen you like this, sister. It's time to put our differences behind us. We ought to be ruling together."

[and_admiration]

Wibble.

[magicalfriendship]

"Will you accept my friendship?"

[and_admiration]

"I'm sorry," whimpers Luna. "I missed you, sister, I'm so sorry."

[magicalfriendship]

Celestia rests her neck against her sister's. "I've missed you, too. It's so good to have you back."

[joyfulnoise]

Awwwwww.

[ipso_amore]

Cordy sits up to watch the sisters' reunion; apparently she doesn't feel quite up to standing just yet.

[allcomplete]

Clarity notices she has a headache, heals it, and says, "Does anypony else's head kind of hurt?"

[follow_polaris]

"Little bit. Elements of Headache."

[allcomplete]

So Clarity heals her.

[on_what_wings]

"Same," yawns Blaze. "Oof."

[ipso_amore]

"Me four."

[joyfulnoise]

"I'm good," says Joy.

[allcomplete]

Clarity heals the other ponies and leaves the dragon out of it, presuming him perhaps harder-headed.

"Princess Celestia," she asks when she's done, "any chance we could all get a teleport back to Ponyville instead of walking through the forest again?"

[magicalfriendship]

"Of course, Clarity."

And then they are all in the sunlit town square of Ponyville, and Celestia has sourced from somewhere or other one of those chariots and four pegasus chariot-drawers for her and Luna to stand in looking appropriately princessly.

[allcomplete]

The denizens of Ponyville, presented with twice the number of princesses originally anticipated, manages to repurpose the Summer Sun Celebration with alacrity.

Clarity sort of stands off at the margin of the festivities.

She's supposed to leave after the celebration, and has just remembered this fact.

[magicalfriendship]

"Why so glum, my faithful student?" inquires Celestia. "Aren't you excited to return to your studies in Canterlot, now that your quest is at an end?"

[allcomplete]

"Well - I don't plan to stop studying, wherever I am, but - I don't actually have any friends, back in Canterlot. And I made some here. I mean, maybe that was all show for the Elements, maybe they'd rather only be acquaintances for now, but - I like them."

[joyfulnoise]

"I like you too!" says Joy, passing by with a small plate of cherry chocolate truffles intermixed with medium-sized chunks of rose quartz.

[allcomplete]

"Aww."

[magicalfriendship]

"Well then. Clarity, may I borrow a piece of paper?"