Sunset Shimmer instinctively hid the truth.
But then came Twilight Sparkle's probing gaze, which made her blush and turn her head away.
"Fine, it was just a craft skills book... it's not common in Canterlot, so I read a bit more of it."
Reading a bit more, meaning spending hours carefully reading it and even taking diligent notes?
Twilight Sparkle pursed her lips and didn't continue to press; after all, Sunset Shimmer hadn't given her a hard time earlier, so she certainly wouldn't grill her.
Besides, the most pressing matter now was the issue with Aurora; she hoped this could be resolved smoothly as well, as Aurora had always been very reliable.
Not long after they arrived at the station, the tardy Aurora came jogging up.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting, didn't I? I think I spent too much time brainstorming the content of the letter."
Because there was just too much she wanted to rant about, but considering this wasn't Aurora's personal rant channel, and the letter would have to be reviewed by her mother after being sent back, she had spent a lot of time editing and cutting it down.
"Flying Light, what actually happened? Why can't you tell me?"
Seeing Aurora arrive, Sunset Shimmer hurried up to her and asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
Aurora instinctively glanced toward Twilight Sparkle, and noticing Aurora's gaze, Twilight could only express shame and helplessness.
"This has nothing to do with Twilight. I want to know for myself. I don't understand why this had to be kept from me?"
"I didn't mean to keep it from you, Senior Sister, I just didn't want you to worry."
"If that's what you thought, you should have let Twilight tell me directly, instead of shouldering everything yourself every time you encounter trouble!"
Sunset Shimmer stared straight into Aurora's eyes with a sharp gaze, her tone firm yet with a hint of softness that was almost pleading.
"By keeping everything to yourself like this, you only increase the sorrow of the ponies who care about you."
For a moment, Aurora felt as if her words had a hidden meaning, as if she had seen through something, which inexplicably made her feel guilty.
However, Aurora wouldn't lose her composure just because of a few words from Sunset Shimmer; she immediately adjusted her mood and followed up on what Sunset Shimmer said.
"...Sorry, I'm just not used to letting other ponies worry about me, I don't want to cause trouble for anyone... besides, there's no need for us to be arguing like this; we've scared Twilight."
Sunset Shimmer's attention was diverted. Seeing Twilight Sparkle standing there, small, pitiful, and helpless beside her seniors, afraid to make a sound, she realized her tone had been a bit harsh.
"I know you're looking out for me. Regarding this matter, it really wasn't intentionally kept from you."
It was mainly because it couldn't be kept secret; after all, the newspapers had already reached Ponyville, and it was likely already spreading like wildfire in Canterlot.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!