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Clarity writes up the events of the defeat and reform of Nightmare Moon, including the fact that her crown is apparently continuing to exist, and makes two copies - the original in personal notebook stash, one tucked into the back of "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide", and one sent to Princess Celestia via mailing spell with the suggestion that it could be published in its own volume especially if either Princess would care to add notes on the parts Clarity didn't personally witness.
And she sets about settling into Ponyville.
She learns her way around - here's where she can buy carrots and bunched dandelions and clover sprouts; here's where she can get a case for her crown and cases for everpony else's necklace so they don't have to wear them or leave them lying around loose; here's a shortcut between Guiding's house and the tower the twins live in together. This is when this little town wakes up in the morning and this is when everything closes at night. This is what her friends do all day: Cherry Cordial farms and looks after critters. Brightblaze tinkers with gadgets kind of singlemindedly (though she also flies). Silver Streak plays violin and and reads and wanders around looking at things. Guiding Star does fortune-telling for spare bits and belongs to a dance group and volunteers for anything going on in town that could use amateur decorating (Joy is often with her when she does this). Joy also wanders around being sociable and helpful and cooks, itinerantly, for anypony who'll spare him kitchen space.
And Clarity learns the organizational system of the library, with Blueberry's considerable help, and she studies and explores.
And when she's been in residence for just shy of a week, she gets a letter from the Princess, which contains six tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. Aww, that's thoughtful. Clarity's never been before.
She goes out to see which of her friends she'll run into first if she takes a meandering path through town.
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joyfulnoise
"Canterlot. They're nice ponies, but I don't really have a lot in common with them."
joyfulnoise
"It is! I love it."
Especially the part that is their food, which has just arrived. Nom nom.
Especially the part that is their food, which has just arrived. Nom nom.
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Om nom! "My mom adores Canterlot because there's always something to do and all her friends are there, and my dad likes it fine too - I think he might have liked a smaller town if he'd been born in one but they're both native Canterlot dwellers and he wouldn't want to move. I found it kind of - easy to get lost in. There's always something going on, all right, and it'll just sort of - go on even if anypony in particular doesn't show up. It was sort of anonymous. I got invited to things but I mostly didn't go because it didn't matter."
joyfulnoise
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I kind of liked that about it. Although it was different in the circles my parents ran in - with the high society types, everypony who's anypony knows who's who and who came to what. They didn't really take me to events like that, though, because, you know," he shrugs, "dragon."
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"I guess Canterlot is a big city and I just never ran into you wherever you were turning up. I know almost nothing about society-type events. The School for Gifted Unicorns operates under Celestia's administration but it's not exactly - formal balls and titled ponies. I guess the Gala might be, though. And she gave me six tickets so - considering - I kind of assume dragons are welcome at it."
joyfulnoise
"Yeah, I think whoever Celestia wants at the Gala is welcome at the Gala."
Which doesn't mean nopony's going to be weird about it, but he's used to that. It's fine.
Which doesn't mean nopony's going to be weird about it, but he's used to that. It's fine.
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"I wonder who all else tends to show up at it. I wonder if I'll know anything about what to say to them. I suppose I can just tell the story about the Elements again, since that's probably why we'll be there at all. I didn't get tickets last year even though I was the Princess's student back then."
joyfulnoise
"You'll probably do fine," says Joy. "Especially with all your Ponyville friends there."
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"Yeah, I suppose if everything else is inaccessible I can just talk to you guys."
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She finishes her sandwich. "Do you know if your parents are going?"
joyfulnoise
"They'll be going. I haven't heard from them about it or anything, but I know them. They'll be going."
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Clarity peers at his face and - can't quite think what she's supposed to say.
joyfulnoise
He shrugs, and produces a smile. "Anyway, I hope you have fun there. I hear the food's really good!"
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"I've heard that too." She floats a stray daisy petal to her mouth and chomps it out of the air.
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"Do you know if the chocolate cake here is good, or should I just go home and have an apple for dessert?"