After returning from her inspection in Ponyville, Princess Celestia discovered that the sky had fallen.
Back at Canterlot Castle, Celestia saw Twilight Sparkle running through the corridor, looking extremely anxious, and almost shaking Spike off her back.
Because Twilight Sparkle often ran around the castle in such a flustered manner, Celestia didn't pay much attention at first, assuming Twilight Sparkle was just in a hurry to find her two senior sisters as usual.
It wasn't until she found a glasses case and a letter that hadn't been taken away at the door of Aurora's room that Celestia suddenly felt as if the sky over Equestria had collapsed.
However, as an elder and a teacher, she calmed down immediately and used a flash spell to intercept Twilight Sparkle, who was about to run out of the castle.
"Princess? You're finally back! Something terrible has happened!"
Upon seeing Celestia, Twilight Sparkle felt as if she had found her backbone.
Twilight Sparkle, having returned to the castle to search for her eldest senior sister without success, had seen that letter at the door of her Second Senior Sister's room. Her mood was as anxious and uneasy as a child who had spent all day at an internet cafe only to suddenly discover their family had split up, and she even felt a bit of self-reproach.
Although she didn't know exactly what had happened—since the only clues were her soul-crushed Second Senior Sister and the eldest senior sister's farewell letter—she could only roughly guess the course of events.
Perhaps the eldest senior sister had left without saying goodbye, causing her Second Senior Sister to be heartbroken, and she, the youngest junior sister, had been completely oblivious until just now!
She had been such a failure as a junior sister!
"Don't be anxious, Twilight. First, tell me where is Flying Light? Didn't she leave with Sunset Shimmer?"
Twilight Sparkle did not grasp the deeper meaning in Celestia's question and honestly answered what she had seen and thought.
"I ran into Flying Light on the road just now. She must have already known about Sunset Shimmer's departure without saying goodbye, but she couldn't make her stay... How could I not have noticed that something was wrong with Flying Light? She must be extremely sad right now. Maybe she's locking herself in The House of Academic Studies, crying alone! I have to go comfort her!"
After saying this, Twilight Sparkle tried to bypass Celestia and hurry to The House of Academic Studies.
"Wait a moment, Twilight. You cannot go see Flying Light right now."
Celestia used magic to pull Twilight Sparkle back, her expression somewhat solemn.
"Why?! Flying Light surely needs somepony to comfort her right now! If you leave her alone, what if she does something drastic?"
Twilight Sparkle was already late when the incident happened; she could not ignore the grief-stricken Aurora any longer.
"You are right, Twilight. Flying Light does need comfort, but not right now. Flying Light is not as fragile as you think. She just needs time to digest these negative emotions on her own. If you go over now, it might make her feel embarrassed."
Celestia gently comforted Twilight Sparkle, using a calm tone to soothe Twilight Sparkle's anxious heart.
"She is your senior sister, and I believe she certainly would not want her junior sister to see her in such a disheveled state. I understand your concern for her, but for the sake of Flying Light's dignity, please be patient for now."
Twilight Sparkle remembered that before Aurora ran off, she had indeed said to contact them later. Was it because she wanted to process her inner pain by herself?
"...Princess, am I just too useless? I didn't notice Sunset Shimmer's plan, nor did I understand Flying Light's feelings, and now I'm being shut out when she's at her most vulnerable."
Twilight Sparkle hung her head and sniffled.
"I must be the worst friend in the world..."
"Never think that, Twilight. You cannot let the unilateral decisions of the other two ponies affect you. You must know that you haven't done anything wrong."
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