At this moment, Sunset Shimmer stood somewhat nervously in front of a sturdy black stallion. Beneath his short, deep purple hair, a pair of dark golden eyes looked down at her, his tense face radiating an intimidating aura even without anger.
If Sunset Shimmer usually read those romance novels, she might have thought this gentleman in front of her looked just like a cold, domineering CEO.
'Is this Aurora's father? He really does look scary.'
Sunset Shimmer swallowed hard to herself.
Being stared at directly by those golden eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if everything was being seen through. Now she knew who Aurora inherited that from.
Suppressing her nervousness, Sunset Shimmer thought she should greet her uncle first.
But before Sunset Shimmer could figure out how to speak, she saw Aster's facial expression twitch slightly, followed by a smile that could only be described as cruel.
"You must be Sunset Shimmer? I heard about you a long time ago. You're quite something..."
Sunset Shimmer felt the fur on her back stand on end.
Aurora reached out a hoof and pushed against Aster's chest with some resignation, advising, "Dad, you'd better not smile. It really looks very scary."
Upon hearing this, Aster's expression suddenly turned somewhat goofy.
"My Little Meteor, don't say that about me. I'm just a little nervous."
After saying this, he reined in the strange smile on his face. Although he was expressionless, at least he wasn't as frightening as before.
"You two go inside and warm up by the fire. Dinner will be served soon."
After Aster left, Sunset Shimmer was finally able to catch her breath. Aurora smoothed the fur on her back and comforted her.
"My dad is just like that. He doesn't seem to be good at controlling his expressions. Once he smiles, it's either terrifying or very silly. That's why he basically doesn't smile when he's out, and only acts more relaxed at home, just like he did a moment ago."
'Is that expression really what he looks like when he's relaxed?' Sunset Shimmer thought to herself.
Speaking of Aster's smile, there is an interesting story that Aurora heard from Meteora.
When Aster was young, as a Manhattan pony visiting Canterlot for the first time to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, he attracted many ladies who came to chat with him because of his cold and handsome face.
Little did they know, Aster only looked cold on the outside, but inside, he was very happy that the ponies here were so welcoming to visitors.
So, to reciprocate this kindness, he gave a smile.
Then the crowd of ponies dispersed in an instant, and he inexplicably made a name for himself as a "menace" in high society for the first time.
Besides that, the biggest gain from that year's Grand Galloping Gala was that after the crowd dispersed, he and Meteora, who was the only one left behind the crowd, fell in love at first sight.
Not long after, Aster married into Canterlot.
To think her parents' romance was so dramatic, Aurora clicked her tongue in wonder. But once she thought about how this was the world of my little pony, she felt it was a very normal development.
"Let's go, let's go inside and sit for a while, and by the way, meet my mother."
They came to the living room, where the fireplace made the room warm and cozy, so they took off their scarves and coats and handed them to the waiting attendants.
A beautiful young mare was lying on the sofa. Her white fur was tinged with a golden-red hue by the firelight from the fireplace, and her golden mane was casually braided and hung by her side. In a relaxed, homey posture, she still made anyone who saw her immediately think of the word "graceful and luxurious."
'She is so beautiful.' Sunset Shimmer thought subconsciously.
Then she glanced secretly at Aurora, whose features were almost identical to Meteora's, thinking that this pony had truly inherited all the best qualities of her parents.
The beautiful young mare, who was Meteora, stared intently with her emerald green eyes at the nearly finished Hearths Warming Eve doll she was sewing. Only after she made the final stitch did she look up.
Aurora stepped forward at the right moment, touching her forehead against Meteora's to feel her mother's affection.
"You're back, why not sit on the sofa? Isn't it impolite to let your friend stand there?"
"I saw you were almost done, so I thought waiting a moment wouldn't hurt."
Aurora responded appropriately to her mother while leading Sunset Shimmer to sit on the nearby sofa.
Meteora cast her gaze onto Sunset Shimmer.
Although she hadn't started speaking to Sunset Shimmer yet, those gentle eyes full of tolerance already made Sunset Shimmer feel drawn to her.
Meteora felt a bit like Celestia, but there was an aura about Meteora that Celestia didn't have, which made her feel warm inside, while at the same time causing an uncomfortable shyness.
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