Aurora gently lifted Fluttershy's chin, forcing her to look at her. Although her eyes were still darting around, she didn't dodge the movement, which counted as progress.
"Why does that sound so strange coming from you?"
Sunset Shimmer remarked.
Aurora glanced at her, not refuting her.
Because it did sound quite strange; after all, she still looked like a child herself, yet she was speaking with such old-fashioned wisdom. But she didn't mind sharing some life lessons with Fluttershy.
"And when you have something that you absolutely cannot yield on, you will naturally become strong."
Like this salad that she had worked so hard to buy; although Fluttershy's method was a bit cowardly, one could still see a little bit of Fluttershy's own effort to fight for it; otherwise, there would have been no need to stay there and be humiliated by a scoundrel.
"I heard you bought this salad for your friends?"
"Yes, that's right, they are all very cute Small Animals..."
"You mean you're friends with a bunch of animals that can't talk?"
Sunset Shimmer looked at Fluttershy with a strange expression, her eyes filled with some pity. Although she had expected this extremely introverted girl to be at a disadvantage in daily social interactions, ending up talking to herself in front of animals—that was a bit of a big problem.
It seemed Sunset Shimmer had forgotten that she used to be a super problem child who didn't even have animal friends.
"Although they can't talk, I can understand what they mean. This is a talent I discovered when I was comforting the Small Animals that had been frightened by the Sonic Rainboom..."
That day was a very magical experience for Fluttershy, especially for a pony as cautious and accustomed to repression as her; this experience was like finally finding the place that truly belonged to her, that feeling of sudden enlightenment.
Thinking of this, Fluttershy couldn't help but glance at her cutie mark; it was just as cute as the butterfly that caught her that day.
"Oh... um... sorry, did I talk too much...?"
"I think you can definitely say more. So, you also got your cutie mark because of the Sonic Rainboom?"
Sunset Shimmer looked surprised. How could she have imagined that she had just helped a pony on a whim, only for the other party to be connected to what she was investigating?
Now Sunset Shimmer had to believe that there really existed such abstract magic as fate and destiny in the world.
And this time, she had encountered a Pegasus; could it be that she was the one who flew the Sonic Rainboom?
As soon as this thought popped up, Sunset Shimmer killed it immediately, simply because this pony was too gentle; from head to toe, there was nothing that seemed linked to a Sonic Rainboom.
"Do you know the Pegasus who created the Sonic Rainboom?"
Fluttershy shook her head.
After that day, she had put all her heart into getting along with Small Animals, and even the courses at the flight training camp were just barely handled.
However, Fluttershy felt that the pony who could create a Sonic Rainboom must be a very amazing Pegasus, perhaps even a member of the Wonderbolts.
"Um... sorry, I think I have to go..."
Fluttershy said goodbye to them in a soft, whispering voice. Her social energy for the day was overloaded, and she was in a rush to deliver food to the Small Animals. Although she felt a bit embarrassed that she hadn't been able to help much, she really wanted to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Aurora called out to Fluttershy, and seeing her immediately freeze in place, she felt both helpless and amused.
"I'm not going to do anything to you, you don't need to be so nervous."
As she spoke, Aurora took one of the cupcakes she had bought at Sugar Cube Corner and placed it in the basket on her back along with the salad.
"Besides your animal friends, you need to eat something yourself, right? This is for you, as a little meeting gift for a new friend, and eating something sweet can also make you feel better."
She had wanted to go to Sugar Cube Corner earlier to see if Pinkie Pie was there, but she wasn't; it was indeed too early. Pinkie Pie should still be at the Rock Farm and hadn't arrived in Ponyville yet, so Aurora had just bought three cupcakes to go.
Receiving an unexpected gift, Fluttershy's little face flushed slightly, and her throat tightened again. She said the word "thank you" in a voice that was almost strangled, and without waiting to see if the others heard her, she left with a pace slightly lighter than when she arrived.
Aurora waved a hoof at Fluttershy's retreating figure, then turned to look at Sunset Shimmer, who was looking at her with an expression that couldn't exactly be called happy.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I bought your share and Twilight's."
"...That's more like it."
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