"It feels like it's been a while since we've just wandered around together like this."
Aurora said in a lighthearted tone.
"Yeah."
Twilight Sparkle replied, but her expression looked even more melancholy than before.
Because this was only her second time visiting Ponyville, and the last time they had wandered along this street, there had been three of them.
For Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville was one of the few places where the three of them had the most profound memories, and especially now that only she and Aurora were here, the feeling that things had changed became even more pronounced.
Aurora glanced at Twilight Sparkle, who was walking with her head down, but said nothing; the two ponies just walked side-by-side in silence.
Aurora knew what Twilight was thinking and remembering at that moment; Twilight had always been a pony with a strong sense of responsibility, and she knew that Twilight was still brooding over the issues between herself and Sunset Shimmer.
But how could Aurora not feel the same way? Or rather, she was probably the one who was the saddest, but she couldn't show it in front of Twilight, because that would only make Twilight feel even more guilty.
Speaking of Sunset Shimmer, that mare was ruthless enough; after all these years, she hadn't even sent a message back.
Aurora was puzzled; even if Sunset Shimmer had suffered a terrible grievance, she should at least have written back to Princess Celestia. After all, before she left Equestria, she had only had a falling out with her.
Aurora knew that Sunset Shimmer carried that diary used for private chats with The Grand Princess, and she used to tactfully ask The Grand Princess if Sunset Shimmer had been in contact with her.
The result was that The Grand Princess also gradually lost patience due to the long wait, and began to harbor resentment toward Sunset Shimmer.
Just because of this wayward daughter, The Grand Princess, who had lived for thousands of years, displayed a rare sign of menopausal agitation; she felt that Sunset Shimmer completely disregarded her as an old mother.
Whenever this happened, Aurora could only use the excuse that the flow of time between the two worlds was different, both to comfort The Grand Princess and to comfort herself.
Fortunately, it was only in private that The Grand Princess would complain to Aurora like this; otherwise, if it got out, The foals would see what a true royal "royal face" looked like.
What was even more terrifying was that every time she finished complaining, The Grand Princess usually ended the conversation with "It's fortunate that I still have you by my side," which scared Aurora half to death.
Later, Aurora didn't dare to mention Sunset Shimmer's name in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Aurora."
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly apologizing to me out of the blue?"
"Because I almost brought up that matter just now... I'm very sorry."
"Do you mean using me and the Senior Sister as a negative example?"
Aurora saw Twilight Sparkle looking at her with drooping ears, a pitiful and cute expression waiting for judgment.
How could any pony get angry at that face? Besides, Aurora didn't feel angry to begin with.
"Do you think I would get angry over something like this? Twilight, it's not your first day knowing me; you know where my bottom line is."
Aurora lifted Twilight Sparkle's chin, making her raise her head.
"It's no big deal, you don't need to feel embarrassed. In fact, I'm quite gratified that you think that way."
Twilight Sparkle was the little sister of Aurora and Sunset Shimmer, and she had always regarded both senior sisters as role models.
But even role models make mistakes, so sometimes Aurora worried that some of her own actions might have a negative impact on Twilight's growth.
Now it seemed that Aurora wasn't just worrying for nothing.
Although Twilight Sparkle had developed an early appreciation for friendship due to the estrangement of her two senior sisters, she had also become more cautious in dealing with her friendship with the M5.
After all, the relationship between Aurora and Sunset Shimmer had been the closest, and yet even they had ended up parting on bad terms; Twilight Sparkle didn't have the confidence that she could do better than Aurora in handling interpersonal relationships.
And this time, the friendship of the M6 didn't start from the true feelings revealed through adversity pushed by Nightmare Moon, but rather came naturally through the indirect matchmaking of Aurora, lacking some of the closeness forced by destiny.
"Twilight, sometimes what hurts a friendship isn't what you said wrong, but what you didn't get a chance to say."
Listening to Aurora's profound words, Twilight Sparkle nodded, half-understanding.
"I don't want some of the things that happened around you to make you lose the courage to treat friends with sincerity."
"But I just want to be like you, because you can always handle everything perfectly, and you have a good relationship with every pony."
Twilight Sparkle said, looking with clear eyes at the Second Senior Sister who was omnipotent in her eyes, making Aurora feel complicated for a moment.
Being looked up to in magic was one thing, but Aurora had never thought that she would also be regarded as a pioneer on the path of friendship by Twilight.
Isn't this turning the world upside down?
Besides, this social pattern of hers shouldn't be learned; she didn't want to lead the future Princess of Friendship astray.
"I think you might have misunderstood something..."
Aurora revealed a smile that looked very strained; what she was about to say was no different from tearing down her own stage, and in front of a pony who treated her as an idol, no less.
"I'm just 'coping' with socializing, ensuring that I keep a safe distance from all ponies. Because, actually, I neither like socializing nor do I like making friends."
Listening to Aurora's frank admission, Twilight Sparkle suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking at Aurora with a surprised expression, as if she had only just met this blue pony today.
"Have I disappointed you?"
"...Uh... No! No... well, actually a little, but I should say it's more surprise."
Seeing Twilight Sparkle's flustered appearance, it was clear she hadn't expected the Second Senior Sister to suddenly confess these things to her.
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