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Dancing With Myself


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An entire year had gone by, and still Princess Luna hadn't met that many ponies. But what better way to do so than at the Grand Galloping Gala? But, as Luna walked into the Ballroom, she realized that perhaps there were just a few too many ponies for her liking. But, she'd made her appearance, and she couldn't very well bow out now. Princess Celestia was busily greeting other ponies in the Main Hall, and Luna hadn't gotten a chance to let her know she was there. It was supposed to be a surprise, after all.

Luna stood in the doorway for a moment longer, unsure of where to go. But she couldn't stay her, blocking the entrance... So she slowly made her way along the edge of one wall, keeping to the outskirts of the dance floor. But she knew it was only a matter of time before somepony noticed her arrival. She WAS royalty, after all.

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PaintedWings was enjoying the gala dancing in crowd "This is a great party!" she said to herself dancing to the beat. She wondered if she'd meet any new ponies or maybe catch a glimpse of Princess Celestia or even better Princess Luna. Until then she enjoyed the music and the excitement of the other ponies while until something caught her eyes near the outskirts of crowd. 'Th-that can't be' she mumbled to herself rubbing her eyes with a hoof. "It is!" she exclaimed. PaintedWings saw the beautiful and elusive Princess Luna she hurried over to the Princess of the Moon trying to keep it cool and practicing what she'd say "Hi I'm PaintedWings I'm a huge fan I love your nights they are so gorgeous!" she shook her head "No that sounds to fangirlish. . . . . . Hey what's up Princess I saw you at the edges of the crowd and thought I'd say 'sup" she tried sounding cool but ended up sounding like a foal. During her self conflict of what to say she ended up running straight into the Princess once up close Painted mind went blank as she saw the sweet looking princess up close "I-I-I um uh" she stumbled out trying to form a sentence or at least an apology.

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Luna was looking around at some of the other ponies, watching as they talked amongst their groups of friends. It wouldn't be proper to intrude...and anyway, Luna wouldn't have known what to say.

She was nearly knocked off her feet by the arrival of the brown Pegasus against her.

"O-O-Oh, hello there." Luna stammered, surprised. She smiled, giving a light bow to the Pegasus. "Good evening."

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"I-I'm so sorry your Majesty!" PaintedWings bowed down so low that her muzzle practically touched the floor. "Forgive Princess I was clumsy and wasn't looking where I was going"she said in a rush hoping the Princess didn't feel sour about it 'Great first impression Pani. Great first impress' standing back onto her hooves"Good evening to you too and might I add it's a wonderful night. I mean your nights are always wonderful they are so full of life and the stars shine so brightly!" she smiled a smile so great that it seemed as if her teeth began to glow. PaintedWings hope she didn't hurt the Princess with their collision "M-My name is PaintedWings your grace and I enjoy your nights very much so. Like I said before the stars shine so bright and the mood looks beautiful and it's fun to fly under their beauty" she relaxed enough so that she didn't seem to stiff "I came over here to see if we could um.... you know . . . be friends?" closing her eyes bracing herself for a 'No' or call for the royal guards.

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Luna smiled as she listened to the Pegasus nervously ramble on. Although she did take note of how the pony complemented her night time. Perhaps it was out of respect though rather than actually liking... Luna's smile faltered ever so slightly as the other pony smiled widely at her, taking a slow step back. But Luna wasn't sure to say about the last sentence...what would Celestia do?

"I am a friend to everypony, just as Princess Celestia is." she responded, her voice light and airy.

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Disappointment spread across PaintedWings' face and looked down at her hooves 'Of course a famous pony such as Princess Luna wouldn't have time for a peasant like myself' she thought painfully to herself and turned around her hair hanging over her eyes "Y-you're right I just thought we could get to know each other better but you're a busy pony so I'll just go now...." she was getting ready to walk off into the crowd when she looked back at Princess Luna with a faint twinkle in her eyes "I'm glad I got to meet you in person though."

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Oh dear. Luna thought as she saw the other pony's face fall. What had she said wrong? Her ears drooped ever so slightly, though she tried to keep them held high, and her smile faltered. It wasn't fitting for a princess to show an emotion like sadness in such a public setting. Completely improper. But as the Pegasus turned to go, Luna's face fell. Just a few minutes at the Gala and she'd already made a bad impression with one of her subjects. They'd never love her like they did with Celestia...

Luna turned, intending to just up and leave the Ballroom then and there. Perhaps the Gala scene wasn't her forte after all...

She quickly perked her head and ears up as the Pegasus turned for a last look. She did have an image to uphold.

"You'reâ€â€Âyou're welcome." Luna replied, her voice shaking more than she would've liked. She hoped the other pony couldn't see the way she swallowed, as she tried to ease the aching feeling growing in her throat from holding back tears. Meeting the other pony's gaze, she caught a twinkling in her eyeâ€â€Âoh no, was she going to cry? Luna had really made a fine mess of things now...

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For some reason Painted's wings would not fly her away from this embarrassingly awkward moment looking away from Princess Luna she took a deep breath 'I won't get another opportunity like this again' she thought to herself determined 'I am NOT going to let it slip away.'

Taking a deep breathe and putting on another smiled she turned back around as if she wasn't hurt at all "I want to get to know you as a better friend is what I mean!" she gushed "I mean I'd really really liked to make friends with you your majesty" bowing again she hoped the Princess would accept her offer.

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Luna was taken aback by the sudden change in PaintedWings attitude. She didn't know what to say at first, standing there in dumbfounded silence. Only a second before she'd seemed ready to leave, but now she'd perked up again. And here Luna was, still on the edge of tears herself, about to bolt for the exit. What should she do? What would her sister do?

Luna pawed at the ground in thought, in a nervous gesture. Then she realized that that was completely unfitting of a princessâ€â€Âand she still hadn't answered the mare! Looking into her eager purple eyes, Luna knew that she couldn't just walk away, much as she wanted to now.

"W-well, I don't have any specific plans for the time being, soâ€â€Âso we could spend part of the evening together." She blew it. The Pegasus would run off and tell everypony that Luna was rude and inconsiderate and unfriendly, and not at all like Princess Celestia. Luna had just wanted to be respected as her sister was, for things to be like they were before, she and her sister, Princesses and rulers over Equestria... But for Luna, transitioning back into normal society wasn't all that easy.

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As soon as Painted heard that the Princess would spend some time with her she jumped into the air and did a flip in the air. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Painted seemed to be glowing by this point happy that the royalty will actually spend time with /HER/ a peasant she just met today. "You really are kind your Majesty" pretty much singing her words at this point "I really hope to be your friend so we can spend more time together. I'm sure since you returned from your ummmm" she paused trying to figure out what to call Luna's banishment "Your um 'trip' to the moon that you haven't had much time to make many friends being busy with royal business and such"

'Real smooth Painted' thinking to herself 'a trip? Is that really the best I can come up with?' she hoped the Princess wasn't offended by her comment and lose the chance to make friends with her favorite princess forever.

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Luna narrowly missed PaintedWing's back hooves as suddenly leapt into the air for a flip. That was rather...eccentric. She listened patiently while the Pegasus spoke, words spilling out of her like a fountain.

But Luna felt a pang inside herself as the mare mentioned her time of banishment. She was trying to be polite about it, Luna could see...but that didn't stop the pain that the memory brought with it. She'd expected this though, right? She knew that sooner or later somepony was going to bring up the touchy subject, even if it was on accident or just an off-hoofed comment. Everypony knew about it, there was no getting around that.

'It's been a difficult transition, but there has been progress.' she answered. "So how are you enjoying the Gala?" she asked, hoping to move the conversation along.

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"I'm glad to hear that you're re-adjusting to society well." trying to slow down her speech not wanting to overwhelm the Princess with her constant chatter. PaintedWings took a couple of calming breathes so she can calm down and speak like a normal pony and not a pony who has no home training. "I've been enjoying the Gala it's a lot more crowded than I expected and a whole bunch of ponies I never dreamed to see in person are here s-such as yourself" she blushed slightly Painted really liked the Princess and hoped to make friends with her so she can do a proper portrait one day and have the Princess's praise instead of her own imaginative ones. "The ballroom is wonderful and I hope to explore of the palace a bit actually. Maybe explore the gorgeous gardens I've heard so much about."

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Cheerilee paused at the doors to the ballroom, gasping in awe at how beautiful it all looked. She'd taught so many students of what it looked like, but she'd never had the opportunity until now to truly appreciate how marvolous it really looked when seen in person! She was so surprised that a ticket had appeared in her mailbox and at first, she'd thought it had been a mistake until she'd seen her name clearly printed on the letter accompanying it. Luckily, Rarity had a few outfits that had required only minute adjustments and had been able to do them so quickly so that the teacher had a beautiful dress all her own.

She'd never worn anything this fine before, and she stepped carefully across the threshold, her hooves clopping daintily on the smooth floor in the custom-fitted silver shoes she'd picked up for the occasion. Her dress, a full gown that covered her from rear to her hind legs, was layered with alternating bands of lavender and white between thicker layers of an almost fuschia-colored fabric trimmed with sequins along the outer edge. Her two-tone mane and tail had been done up in a delicate braid that draped down over her side and had been finished with rhinestone holders. Around her body wound more of the lighter colored fabric, almost giving her a candy-striped appearance until it crossed over her shoulders and down between her front legs to buckle with a rhinestone and silver brooch. Atop her head was a delicate circlet of silver laurel leaves, which she'd thought were somewhat pretentious, but Rarity had insisted. But she certainly felt dressed to the nines, and she was going to make the best of this most special occasion!

Her eyes widened as she discovered how close she actually was to Princess Luna. So close, and yet she hadn't even shown the proper respect due her station, yet! What kind of an example would she set for her little ponies if they'd heard that their teacher had been so rude! This wouldn't do at all. Carefully, and mindful of her new outfit, she waited patiently for her turn to greet the Princess, from not too far from the capering pegasus. As she waited, she nearly bumped into one of the stewards carrying a tray of drinks in his mouth. "Oh, excuse me!" she exclaimed, "I'm so sorry, I've never been to one of these before, are you okay?"

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'Readjusting?' Luna wouldn't have quite said that. But she listened as the Pegasus spoke, nodding at appropriate intervals.

'Oh, I've just come from the gardens, but, they are quite lovely.' Luna was trying not to disappoint this Pegasus with her lack of words. 'You should see them during the day.' she added.

True, there were a number of wonders that could be beheld in the garden at night, many creatures that somepony would not be able to find at all during the day. But the daytime offered flowers and the singing of birds, the warm sun on your back and the company of others. The sun made things grow and thrive, while the moon made things dark and scary for many ponies.

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hi hi

When Ginger Mint worked her way into the ballroom, the band was playing a lovely waltz. It was slow and sweet, with a spirited crescendo now and again, but not something anypony could dance to by herself. She decided to have take a look around the room while she waited for a more familiar tune, after all the tapestries and glasswork were a sight to behold, and maybe she might run into somepony she knew. She had gotten halfway to the back of the room when she spotted Princess Luna standing in the far corner, talking with somepony else while another guest seemed to be waiting her turn.

Ahh, now this is something familiar. I ought to give my regards to the host, that seems like the appropriate thing to do.

And yet, there was something about the picture that didn't sit right with her. Celestia had a lengthy procession waiting to introduce themselves, but here there was only a pair. And far from glowing with happiness, there was something in the way they moved and talked that seemed out of place, and not just some subtle nagging feeling in the back of her mind either.

As she slowly made her way through the crowd, she tried thinking about what little she knew of the Prodigal Princess and it turned out that there was very little other than rumors told by rowdy old farm hands and boisterous youths. As curious as she was though, she decided not to start out with a question about whether or not she spends her days fighting nightmare creatures on the far side of the world, or if she had established her own Princessipality in the cavernous interior of the moon filled with all sorts of strange creatures. Instead, she walked up to the fabulously dressed pony standing in line and with a slight nod of her head, quietly introduced herself.

"How do you do miss? My name is Ginger Mint, are you a friend of the Princess?"

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"Nah I'm pretty sure the more wonderful and rare flowers are found at night with the cool night air" she began as she thought back to all the beautiful plants she saw only at night on her flights through Equestria. She wondered if Luna knew of all the beautiful plants that grew because of her gorgeous nights. Painted decided to ask later she heard a nice song and wondered if the Princess danced 'Well there is only one way to find out' she thought to herself "Hey Princess Luna do you want to dance?"

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The teacher pony was waiting patiently in line to pay her respects to Luna when suddenly, a voice piped up nearby. She glanced around a moment before realizing that she was being spoken to. A broad smile crossed her face as she took in the appearance of the newcomer, and her attention was momentarily diverted from the Princess. "Oh, hello there! I'm sorry, I didn't see you approach." at Ginger's question, Cheerilee shook her head. "Oh, no, at least, not yet. I've only just seen her tonight, and she's currently occupied with another guest, so I felt I'd wait my turn to introduce myself. I'm a teacher from Ponyville, you see, and I think it'd be a fabulous lesson to bring to my little ponies that I've met Princess Luna and can tell them what it's like. And it'd be a great learning opportunity for me as well."

Cheerilee looked over the outfit Ginger had chosen for her Gala appearance and smiled again. "Why, don't you look lovely! I love what you've done to your mane. And your outfit, the material seems so exotic! I would love to know where you found it. Geography is one of the lessons I teach my students and you just gave me a great idea for a lesson in far away lands." while she waited for her turn to greet Princess Luna, she chatted away with Ginger Mint. "And I'm so sorry, how rude of me. My name is Cheerilee, and I'm from Ponyville like I said. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

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'Oh, I don't know about that.' Luna said, blushing lightly at the compliment and turning her head slightly to the side to try to hide it. Sure, there were many wonderful plants that grew at night, and only at night, by the light of the moonâ€â€Âbut they paled in comparison with what her sister's sun could bring about.

But the other pony didn't seem to notice her blushing, suddenly asking her if she wanted to dance.

'Oh!' Luna exclaimed, surprised by the request. 'Iâ€â€ÂI couldn't possibly. I'm terribly out of practice and itâ€â€Âjust isn't practical in my attire, you see. She subconsciously took a couple of steps backward, furthering herself from the dance floor. 'I'm terribly sorry, but I just can't."

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Painted pouted slightly but understood where the princess was coming from "I understand if you don't want to dance" she looked behind her and saw two ponies waiting. Painted guessed it was because they also wished to speak with the princess "Well it looks as if I'm not the only pony who wishes to talk to you" turning back to face the princess giving a gracious smile and bowed before her "I hope we can talk again sometime your Majesty I did enjoy our talk" turning away she trotted back to the dance floor and slowly danced with the other ponies.

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hi hi

Ginger Mint smiled and nodded as listened to the cheerful pink pony's story, a little relieved that she was so talkative. She had been a little apprehensive about going to any kind of party when she didn't know anypony else, but so far everypony had seemed friendly. There seemed to be a lot of guests from places outside of Canterlot though, but that was neither here or now. This kindly stranger had just mentioned that she was a teacher and wanted to tell the tale to her students, and Ginger Mint's eyes lit up as she thought of just the right thing to say.

Making an effort to keep her voice down, Ginger Mint spoke excitedly. "Thats wonderful, I'm sure it will make for a good story! I think everypony is a little bit curious about Princess Luna, up until a couple years ago I didn't even know she existed and now she's going to be ruling Equestria with her sister, I wonder what kind of changes we'll see in the coming years... Well, that is..." Ginger Mint looked down at her hooves sheepishly, that hadn't come out quite like she intended a few seconds ago, "...I didn't mean to make it sound so impersonal, only that getting to know somepony can lead to all kinds of different insights. Sometimes knowing where you've been will help you know where you're going, right?"

Ginger Mint smiled broadly at Cheerilee's compliment. "Thank you kindly Cheerilee, I found it at the market back home in Fillydelphia, but the merchant had brought it in from the Gallopocous Islands. So many trade routes go through Fillydelphia, you never really know what sort of strange or unique things you'll find when you go looking. I guess it is something of an antique, but it just fit so well that I knew it was the one for me. Your dress on the other hand looks so avant garde! The way it catches the light is very striking, and the colors match your mane perfectly. Ponyville must be quite the fashionable place."

As PaintedWing trotted past, Ginger Mint couldn't help but see the expression on her face and got the feeling that perhaps she had interrupted something. She made a mental note to try to catch up to the pegasus later and see if an apology was in order.

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Cheerilee nodded enthusiastically. "I only know what we've got in our classroom books, but I think it would be fascinating to hear what Princess Luna thinks about being back with all of these new ponies. I don't have as much about Equestrian History as I would love, but maybe she'd like to tell me a little about what it was like back then as well. From a younger perspective. She seems hardly older than many of the foals I have at school, I'm looking forward to hearing her thoughts. If she doesn't mind talking about them, that is." the teacher pawed at the floor for a moment before looking up to Ginger Mint. "But isn't she dressed so prettily? All this going on, and she has her own style of dress, too. I bet there'll be a lot of fashion based around her, if Rarity has anything to say about it."

At Ginger's momentary faux pas, Cheerilee shook her head. "Oh, it's always like that with meeting new ponies, I think, especially royalty. I really don't know what to do, so I think just being yourself is the way to go. That way, nobody can make any mistakes about knowing who you are, right? But you're right, that's exactly right. You can't go anywhere without knowing where you've been. That's the cheery way to look at things. I'm sure whatever changes come about will be because two sisters are learning how to work with each other after all this time." she beamed when Ginger told her about her dress. "Antiques always go in and out of fashion all the time, sometimes with minor updates. Mine's somewhat of an antique in style as well, at least that's what Rarity tells me. Inspired by an older design, and thank you! The Grand Galloping Gala is such an incredible place to see new fashions and designs, it seems like everpony is wearing something different!"

When PaintedWings stepped by, Cheerilee glanced up at her somewhat crestfallen expression. She wondered what the pony had asked the Princess, but she hadn't been so rude as to eavesdrop. By Princess Luna's expression, it might have been a little awkward. Cheerilee wondered what was on Princess Luna's mind. Certainly she hoped it wasn't the weight of the world already! There was just so much to do yet! To Ginger Mint, "Ponyville's got one of the best fashionistas I've seen, even Hoity Toity came to town to see what she had come up with for Twilight Sparkle and her friends. At first it was a disaster, but later she'd shown him her real true colors and he'd been very impressed. You should stop by sometime, I'm sure she'd love your business. Looks like the Princess is free." as she spoke, she had been moving towards Luna until she'd been a few steps away.

"Princess Luna, I'm so very honored and glad to meet you, and on behalf of all of my students at Ponyville School, I welcome you back home!"

Continuing from Main Hall - Gala Greetings

Though the bustle of the crowd made him somewhat nervous, Skye poked his head into the ballroom and looked about. There were so many well-dressed ponies here, but strangely, not as much celebrating as he might have imagined for a party. This was certainly a peculiar place! Though from his vantage point he couldn't see more than a few ponies ahead, his nose told him there was food somewhere nearby. Maybe it was on the other side of the room somewhere, and he was curious to what Canterlot Ponies nibbled here. If it was anything like what Luna had brought him before, he could really go for a waffle about now.

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Luna sighed with relief at not being pestered to dance. She felt a little bad about it, but PaintedWings was correctâ€â€Âthere did seem to be other ponies that wished to speak with her. Luna hadn't noticed before. Whatever could anypony want to talk to her about?

She glanced over at the waiting ponies, just in time to catch Cheerilee's gaze. Luna turned away, pretending to be interested in some other part of the Ballroom. But she noticed as the purple pony moved closer and closer, until she addressed her.

'It's a pleasure.' Luna replied, ducking her head in greeting.

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Cheerilee curtseyed in front of the Princess again. "I've been hoping to see you ever since you returned to Equestria, I have a great many questions I would love to ask you about the world's history since you were last here. You see, I am a teacher in Ponyville and I think all of our little ponies are our greatest asset for the future. I'm looking forward to learning how much things have changed and how much has stayed the same. The history books are sometimes very vague on details, and I would love to hear your perspective on some of them."

She paused for a moment, and glanced at the rest of the ballroom before returning her gaze respectfully to Luna. "Princess Celestia is a great resource on things, but a fresh perspective on some of them would be very education! That is, I mean if you wouldn't mind. Of course, not here at the Gala, there will always be time for that later, but I wasn't sure if there would be a better opportunity to approach you in so casual a situation again."

Skye stepped lightly onto the dance floor, and tried to emulate some of the dance moves of the other ponies, even though he was dancing alone at this point. This sort of dance was new to him, and he was intrigued at how fluid it seemed, like everything was choreographed. "This is rather fun!" he said to himself, "I wonder how often dances like this take place. Once a year for the gala, I imagine, but I wonder if there's other parties." he mused on this as he stepped lightly from place to place, lost amidst the other ponies in their finery, or so he thought for himself, but he didn't seem to really be paying much attention for the pleasure of the moment.

The purple mare paused as she looked to Luna, who did seem somewhat distracted. "I apologize if this wasn't a good time, Princess. I realize you likely have other things on your mind. I do beg your pardon." she looked somewhat worried that perhaps she'd done something wrong. As much as she might have taught her little ponies about etiquette in royal presence, the experience was still rather new for her as well. Cheerilee reached up and adjusted the laurels between her ears that seemed to slip a little bit with sometimes the most random of movements. "If it's okay, maybe I can come back later?"

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Luna cocked her head slightly at this pony's somewhat odd request. She wanted to talk with Luna aboutâ€â€ÂHistory? That was rather unusual, but...there wasn't any reason Luna could see as to why she shouldn't. Here was a regular citizen of Equestria, asking about something not too complicated, not too forwardâ€â€Âsure it was weird, Luna thought, but Celestia would certainly oblige. After all, she'd even been to Ponyville several times.

As Cheerilee glanced around the Ballroom, Luna took the opportunity to have a quick look as well. She hadn't expected there to be anything of much interest to herself. She was just here as a formality, to meet and greet with some of her subjects. But to her surprise she saw a familiar blue furry form and set of antlers. What in Equestria was Skye doing here?

But Luna didn't have time to dwell on that, as the purple pony continued. Even as she spoke, though, Luna's eyes wandered back to the dance floor, and quickly back again. She was being very rude by not giving this pony her full attention... Even as she looked up and back quickly again.

'Oh, no, I mean, yes, Iâ€â€Â' Luna stuttered. Clearing her throat, she hurriedly composed herself. 'This Gala business is all just a bit much for me, I'm afraid. It's been a long time since I attended such a festivity. Perhaps I could make a trip to Ponyville in the near future, so that we can have a more private conversation, Missâ€â€ÂI'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.'

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hi hi

When Cheerilee stepped up to talk with Princess Luna, Ginger Mint took a few steps forward herself, but rather than just stand and stare, she turned her attention to the rest of the ballroom. The upbeat tune now playing was one Ginger Mint recognized, but she found her ears unconsciously turning to listen in on what the two were talking about. After straightening them out through conscious effort once, only to have them turn back to the conversation, she had to admit to herself that she was terribly curious and hoped they didn't find her eavesdropping to be rude.

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