"..."
Aurora looked out through the carriage window, and as the carriage stopped at Canterlot Castle, she couldn't help but sigh.
She often studied here with Celestia, but tonight, for some reason, she was a bit reluctant to come.
If she had the choice, she would much rather be with Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.
"darling, don't pull such a long face. Tonight is your debut in a social setting, so try to look a bit happier."
Meteora gently stroked Aurora's chin, and under her comfort, Aurora managed to smile a little.
"Come, take Daddy's hoof, my Little Meteor."
Aster stepped out of the carriage first and very gentlemanly helped Aurora down.
Having stepped down, Aurora looked around. Because today was the Grand Galloping Gala, there were far more ponies visiting Canterlot Castle than usual, and without exception, they all entered the castle with their heads held high, stepping with elegant strides.
To be fair, the scene was actually quite spectacular, much like dressage in equestrian sports, the only difference being that there were no humans riding on them to command these ponies to perform the movements.
Aurora felt her understanding of the term "Grand Galloping" had deepened a bit.
Just then, a roar came from the sky; it was the Wonderbolts' performance, leaving trails of smoke and lightning behind them, carving arcs in the air that left the ponies in awe.
And as they flew over Canterlot Castle, fireworks launched from the castle at just the right moment drew the attention of every visiting pony to the theme of tonight's celebration.
This was truly a brilliantly designed opening performance.
"What do you think of the Wonderbolts' performance? Do you like them?"
After helping his wife down from the carriage, Aster saw Aurora staring intently at the performance in the sky and leaned in to whisper to her.
"It's quite spectacular."
Aurora commented. But if asked whether she liked them, her feelings were not as invested; after all, the current Wonderbolts were not the ones from her memory, and even their uniforms were not that avant-garde blue spandex outfit.
"The best is yet to come. Come along, darling, if you'd like, you can even chat face-to-face with the members of the Wonderbolts once we're inside."
Thinking Aurora was interested in the Wonderbolts, Aster used this as a hook, hoping to make her look forward to today's celebration a bit more.
Understanding Aster's good intentions, Aurora nodded and followed alongside her parents into the castle.
After entering the castle hall, Aurora noticed Princess Celestia standing on the steps to welcome the guests at a glance.
Tonight, The Grand Princess was dressed for the occasion, her coral-red chiton gown highlighting her holy aura. As a white mare, The Grand Princess was already a natural clothes horse, looking good in anything, but this elaborate styling made her mane look even more ethereal than usual.
'Wuwuwu, she is so beautiful.'
Seeing such a beautiful sight, the smile on Aurora's face became much more sincere.
Just for the beauty of Princess Celestia, Aurora felt that this trip to the celebration was worth it.
After receiving a group of ponies, Celestia looked up towards Aurora at the entrance, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She nodded at her from across the room, her gaze conveying an invitation for her to come to her side.
Aurora naturally had the same intention; compared to other places, being by The Grand Princess's side was clearly the most comfortable niche in the entire celebration.
However, there were still many ponies surrounding The Grand Princess, and Aurora had to spend some time with her parents, so she decided to go to The Grand Princess's side a bit later.
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