Fortunately, before she made herself sick, at least she was willing to confide her troubles to her teacher.
"You mean, it's okay for me to be like this occasionally?"
Flying Light rubbed her front legs with her hooves uncomfortably, just like she used to stroke her arms when she was a human.
"You know, I usually avoid using this... inappropriate way to handle problems. I don't want to cause trouble for other Foals because of this, especially my parents."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, not rushing to interrupt her, but continuing to listen to her.
"I know it might sound strange to say this, but... when I'm with my parents, I sometimes feel anxious. I know they love me very much, and they always unconditionally tolerate everything about me, but the more this is the case, the more I reflect on whether I have become a good daughter, and whether I am worthy of their dedication to me..."
Even Flying Light felt it was strange to say this thought out loud, because it sounded like a Foal was allergic to parental love, and she felt this question shouldn't have come out of her mouth as she was now.
But this was the bad habit she brought back from the Human World, making her appear inconsistent when dealing with her own emotional problems. But even so, Aster and Meteora still tolerated her clumsiness.
Flying Light could realize where her problem lay, but this thinking inertia was like the underlying code that constructed the "self," making it hard for her to let go, to the point that every time she wanted to accept this emotion, her body and subconscious had already taken evasive actions against this "unconditional love" in advance.
'Damn it, I'm being pretentious again.'
Feeling that she was saying weird things, Flying Light immediately tapped her hooves on the ground in embarrassment. This elder with thousands of years of experience had infinite tolerance, and even Flying Light couldn't help but confide in her about things she couldn't tell others.
"This is not being pretentious, Flying Light."
"Wow... can you also use mind-reading magic?"
"As far as I know, there is no mind-reading magic in the world; even Star Swirl the Bearded never invented such a spell."
Celestia made a joke following Flying Light's words and also took the opportunity to tease her teacher.
Among the more than two hundred kinds of magic left by Star Swirl the Bearded before he disappeared, none were related to the mind and emotions, which showed that there were no shortcuts to take when dealing with the problem of emotional connections between Foals.
Just like Flying Light now, this smart student clearly had long realized the flaws in her personality, but she couldn't force herself to make changes immediately, which was why she felt painful.
Thinking of this, Celestia couldn't help but feel heartache.
This Foal had built a high wall called rationality for her heart; this might be her self-protection mechanism when facing a complex environment, and this protection, when facing other Foals who sincerely cared about her, might cause a dilemma of emotional lag.
"Don't treat your emotions as trouble, Flying Light, you shouldn't be so harsh on yourself. You are very smart and clear-headed, you know your weaknesses, and you are trying to change, although this is not as handy for you as learning magic."
Celestia hugged Flying Light; she knew that this most direct emotional interaction could comfort her student to the greatest extent.
"Every Foal has things they are not good at; you don't need to demand yourself to achieve success overnight. You just need a little more time to get used to and adapt, and before you learn how to properly release and express these emotions, it doesn't mean you are not doing well enough."
"Thank you, Princess, you are always so patient."
"You're welcome, I hope you can also spare a little more patience for yourself."
Seeing that Flying Light's mood had eased, Celestia felt happy that her somewhat emotionally closed student had started to learn to let down some of her defenses.
"Tonight is your first time attending the Grand Galloping Gala. How do you feel about it?"
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Of course, your honest words."
The two ponies looked at each other in silence for a moment before Flying Light pulled a forced, awkward smile and then whispered.
"Actually, I think it's terrible."
"Haha, I think so too; the Grand Galloping Gala has always been terrible. But I am surprised you could come, which makes me feel that this celebration is not so bad after all."
It seems that Flying Light was not the only one who was stifled. Thinking that The Grand Princess had to attend various celebration activities every year and repeat them thousands of times, Flying Light felt that her situation was not unbearable.
"Next time you can call Sunset Shimmer and Twilight to come along. With good friends by your side, even the worst day will become less difficult to endure, right?"
"Maybe it will be..."
With the experience of tonight, Flying Light did not want to come to the Grand Galloping Gala again. But if Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were also there, she might consider it.
"At least I won't throw any more Foals into a cake. I reflected on it; this is really a waste of food."
Upon hearing this, Celestia may have thought of the ruined cake, and her expression suddenly became a bit sorrowful. Apparently, compared to that poor nephew who suffered, she felt more sorry for the cake.
Noticing Celestia's change in mood, Flying Light seemed to have expected it long ago. Her horn lit up, and two servings of refreshments appeared out of thin air in front of them.
Flying Light had not forgotten why she went to the cafeteria; she just didn't expect to be pestered by Blue Blood Prince there.
"Oh, I have always liked how thoughtful you are!"
Having spent the rest of the time with Celestia, thinking that tonight's Grand Galloping Gala was finally over, she would be able to fully recover once she returned and saw Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.
It's just that Flying Light didn't know at this moment that The House of Academic Studies had already prepared a "surprise" waiting for her.
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