Princess Celestia had originally thought that with Aurora joining, Sunset Shimmer would come to understand that making friends was a fun thing, and thus begin to value friendship.
Optimistically speaking, perhaps they could even bring the elements of harmony back to Equestria together, just like Celestia and Princess Luna had in the past.
But as it turned out, that kind of thinking was a bit too optimistic.
Only this time, the problem wasn't with Sunset Shimmer, but with Aurora. In fact, from Celestia's perspective, Aurora's issue was far greater than Sunset Shimmer's had ever been.
Ever since she became close with Sunset Shimmer, she had entered a near-hermit-like state of study. Every day, aside from interacting with Sunset Shimmer and Celestia, she barely had any proper communication with other ponies.
Celestia had even heard that she hadn't contacted her own family for a very long time, so much so that her mother planned to privately ask Celestia about her daughter's recent situation during the upcoming Annual Royal Tea Party.
Even Sunset Shimmer seemed incredulous upon hearing this.
Sis, you're being a bit too extreme.
But Aurora didn't mind. She felt this was a normal state during exam preparation. If anything, she'd been even more intense than this back before her college entrance exams.
Moreover, when the knowledge you're learning can give you immediate feedback, it's really hard not to get motivated.
So by the time Celestia realized something was wrong, Aurora had already passed the academy's grade-skipping exams and become Sunset Shimmer's classmate. She had even caught up to Sunset Shimmer's progress in the magical studies Celestia had assigned them.
If not for her young age, she would probably already be a certified sorceress.
"Celestia above... I mean no offense, but that's terrifying."
Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but say.
This filly seemed to have started learning magic right out of the womb and maintained that enthusiasm until now.
Because the thought was simply too bizarre, Sunset Shimmer just sighed about it in her mind and then forgot it.
Celestia felt genuine pride and joy in having such an extraordinary student, but she was equally concerned about Aurora's mental state.
She had thought that since Aurora could become friends with Sunset Shimmer, she must be a pony who enjoyed making friends. Instead, she found that Aurora only seemed to invest herself in things that interested her, including social interactions.
And so, Celestia began to worry about her student's personal development once more.
"Aurora, I must now issue an order as your teacher. Stop what you're busy with, go outside, and make a few friends."
"Huh?"
Summoned before her, Aurora looked up at Celestia, whose face was now full of resignation.
"That sounds awfully familiar."
The senior apprentice standing beside The Grand Princess couldn't help but remark, only to be immediately glanced at by The Grand Princess, silencing her instantly.
Before Aurora, hadn't she been the one Celestia constantly nagged like this? Although she had improved somewhat, it wasn't by much. Sunset Shimmer still only had Aurora as a friend.
The Grand Princess felt so tired.
How come the students she had painstakingly handpicked from the academy, one after another, didn't like to actively make friends?
Emerging from her daze of being engrossed in her studies, Aurora pondered the meaning behind Celestia's command.
Thinking back, she had indeed been a bit too obsessed with learning magic lately, even dragging her senior apprentice along. No wonder The Grand Princess, who was so dedicated to finding a successor for the Magic of Friendship, was unhappy.
But who could blame her? Learning magic was just too exhilarating! The more she studied magic, the more Aurora realized the versatility of magical power. It could even be applied to physical formulas without feeling out of place, almost deserving to be called a fifth fundamental force!
Aurora even wondered if she could use magic to recreate the wondrous abilities she had learned about from other works in her past life. In the pony world, this was tantamount to creating original magic, and just the thought was thrilling.
But putting it into practice was still difficult. She needed to accumulate more theoretical knowledge about magic first.
Back to the matter at hand, Aurora was gradually hitting a bottleneck on her magical path. It really was time to stop and find something else to distract herself.
Besides, for something like this, losing favor with The Grand Princess simply wasn't worth it.
Although Aurora loved studying magic, aside from magic, appreciating the beauty of ponies... she meant, making pony friends was also a pleasure in life.
"I understand, Princess Celestia."
"You... Huh? You really understand?"
Celestia had been prepared to argue a bit with Aurora, but Aurora agreed surprisingly readily.
"Yes. I apologize for being so engrossed in my studies recently and making you worry about me. I will heed your advice and reorganize my schedule."
Aurora spoke so sincerely and promptly that Celestia felt somewhat taken aback.
But when Aurora agreed to something, she never did it half-heartedly.
Sometimes Celestia couldn't tell if this filly was a source of relief or worry. She was mature beyond her years, which made Celestia deeply concerned about her growth, fearing she might go astray.
"My dear Aurora, I hope you truly understand that I don't wish to force you to do something in a patronizing tone. I know you have your own judgment, but I also hope that at your age, you can gather more memories worth cherishing in the future."
Celestia gently embraced Aurora, softly stroking her mane.
Celestia hoped that when every pony grew up and recalled their childhood, the first thing that came to mind would be the happy times spent with family or friends, not just their personal achievements.
Even for a special pony like Aurora, Celestia wished her childhood could be as ordinary and joyful as any other pony's.
After all, childhood is the most carefree time of one's life.
Yet, at this moment, Aurora's mind was filled with thoughts of how wonderful The Grand Princess smelled.
It had been many years since she became a pony. The hormones her body secreted had altered her consciousness and perceptions, making her more appreciative of how beautiful ponies were as creatures.
She had been too obsessed with magic, forgetting just how adorable ponies were. Since she was choosing to take a short break, why not go and interact with other ponies?
After a few more tender moments with Celestia, Aurora left in high spirits, leaving Celestia and Sunset Shimmer to look at each other.
"I think I can understand how you must have felt back then, Princess."
When Sunset Shimmer was the only student, she might not have felt it herself. But now, from a bystander's perspective, observing the interactions between Celestia and Aurora, Sunset Shimmer could somewhat understand how Celestia felt when worrying about her.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset Shimmer's words lightened Celestia's melancholy mood a little. At least her students were developing in a positive direction.
She hoped so.
"Sunset Shimmer, could you please go check on her?"
"Me?"
Sunset Shimmer responded with an uncertain rhetorical question, then quickly realized her attitude was wrong and hurried to explain.
"It's not that I'm unwilling. I just think Aurora can handle it herself; she's quite reasonable. If I go, I might actually hinder her..."
Sunset Shimmer remembered that Aurora used to have many friends. She just hadn't contacted them lately due to her studies. But if Aurora wanted to, restarting surely wouldn't be hard.
On the other hand, given Sunset Shimmer's previous haughty reputation, not many ponies at school were willing to talk to her. Sunset Shimmer feared that if she were by Aurora's side, other ponies might distance themselves from Aurora too.
Seeing through Sunset Shimmer's concerns, Celestia gently stroked her chin and comforted her:
"You have become different from who you were before, Sunset Shimmer. If you don't take the initiative to communicate with other ponies, they won't know how wonderful you are."
"And Aurora, she..."
Celestia paused, a complicated expression crossing her face.
"She might need more care than you think. Sometimes being reasonable doesn't necessarily mean she's easy to get close to; it could also be her way of keeping others at a distance."
"Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Sunset Shimmer was still just a Foal Poor at socializing herself and couldn't grasp the meaning behind Celestia's words.
Being friendly with everypony in order to reject everypony—that sounded very contradictory.
"That will be your 'assignment.' When you understand it, you will understand what friendship is."
With that, Celestia said no more. Ignoring Sunset Shimmer's troubled little face, she simply winked at her and ended the discussion.