“But,” she continued, “whenever she praised you, I’ve always perceived undertones of melancholy in her voice. She could never admit it, but I’ve lived long enough to tell that something was off with my dearest student. From what I’ve gathered over the years of teaching her, your sister has been saddened that no matter how hard she tried to bond with the pony she idolized, she constantly felt rejected by him. Which, in turn, led her to believe that she needed to try harder to earn his respect. And yet, despite everything she did to get his attention, it was never sufficient; she would never be good enough to make him proud of her.”