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.
"Princess Celestia!" exclaims Clarity, also bowing quickly before trotting forward. "You're okay!"
"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."
"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."
Celestia rests her neck against her sister's. "I've missed you, too. It's so good to have you back."
Cordy sits up to watch the sisters' reunion; apparently she doesn't feel quite up to standing just yet.
Clarity notices she has a headache, heals it, and says, "Does anypony else's head kind of hurt?"
"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?"
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.
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.
"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?"
"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."
"I like you too!" says Joy, passing by with a small plate of cherry chocolate truffles intermixed with medium-sized chunks of rose quartz.