follow-up to: >>421028

Perhaps I was wrong to make you my personal protg. Celestia said coldly as she looked down on her exhausted student in the moonlight, a grim reminder of Nightmare Moon's approaching return.

After hours of magical endurance training, Twilights magic was completely drained. Celestia was displeased with her performance.
Filly Twilight was looking forward to sleeping with her mentor Celestia as per usual, seemingly her last comfort since Celestia accelerated her education. But without her magic Twilight was unable to assist herself up the high stairs leading up to Celestias bed chamber.
Twilight was still just a filly, she struggled up each step, but her small frail body ran out of strength just short of the top. Twilight began to cry as she knew she couldn't make it on her own.

Her mentor just walked away, stranding a tearful filly Twilight on the cold staircase.

In that moment filly Twilight's heart was broken, longing for Celestias approval and affection, she finally began to fully accept that her time as a filly was over, even if Celestia wouldn't and couldn't tell her why.

Twilight was Celestia's student, she would do her royal duty, and as far as Twilight was concerned, the fate of Equestria did not rest on her making friends or her own happiness.