„Stop moving!“, Twilight shouted. She was standing in a large, round room, which walls were circled by stairs. The purple mare was staring at a door, which seemed to make fun out of her by running around the wall, avoiding her attempts to open it.
This is a bloody joke! Only one obstacle and then she had found the Crystal Hearth. And she got to find it, if she wanted to rescue the empire from King Sombra. The dark King of Shadows had returned and wanted to get back what was his own. Of course unrighfully.
Twilight's patience broke. The aura of her horn changed. Usually a light purple like her fur it became darker, black with green shimmer in it. It even looked like bubbles, creeping over it. Her eyes turned green as Twilight angrily shot a black beam straight at the crystal in the top of the door.
The door stopped moving. Instead it opened. Bright white light floated in front of Twilight. Her eyes widened in happyness. It is done. I have found the hearth. She was so confident of herself that she believed nothing could go wrong now. „Spike“, Twilight called after the little dragon, who was her companion, „I guess, I found it. I think, it is here.“
Happily the unicorn ran through the door, gasped in surprise and stopped. Her hooves were sliding over the red carpet. She was not where she had expected to be, whatever that might have been. In fact she was standing in Canterlot. The throne room to be more exact. The light of the sun shimmered in red, blue, gold, green, silver, coloured from the painted glass windows that represented Equestrian history.
What...what am I doing here? How did I come here? Shouldn't I be, I do not know, somewhere else? The mare looked around in confusion and surprise. Then a voice could be heard behind her, familiar, but cold and sharp: „What are you doing here?“
Twilight turned around. In front of her throne, with her back to the unicorn, stood Princess Celestia. The white mare was signing several roles of parchement, which floated in front of her. She did not even bother to look at her student. The quill scratched over the paper. Although the purple unicorn was glad to see a familiar figure, she felt a deep stitch of pain in her chest. She could not explain what it was.
„I do not know“, answered Twilight and trotted towards her, „I opened the door and now I am suddenly here.“
„And now you must leave“, said Celestia.
The mare blinked. „But where?“, she asked.
„It doesn't matter to me.“ Her mentor turned her head around and the dawncoloured eyes starred down at her with such a hate and resentment. „You failed the test, Twilight.“
It was as if her hearth had to stop to take a breath just like its owner, before it started to beat again. Now even faster. Twilight's eyes widened and her ears turned down. Her mouth was open as if she was about to say something, but the words stuck in her neck. This could not be true! She had prepared so much for that and now Celestia said, she had failed. No please! Not so short in front of the goal! Twilight had sworn, that she would make her mentor proud at all cost. This failure hurt more than she could ever imagine.
Celestia added sharply: „Moreover you will not reach the next levle of your studies. You won't continue your studies at all!“ This was too much! Twilight's eyes, first widened in shock, now begann to water and she started crying. The words were sharp like blades. How could Celestia say such a thing? What did I ever do to you? Haven't I worked harder than anyone else? Haven't I studied without taking a break? Haven't I said so many times „You can trust me, Princess Celestia, I can do this.“? Wasn't I her most faithful student? I was so eager to learn. I would have done anything for her!
„You did not say anything about being no longer your student, if I fail the test“, stammered Twilight. She was sobbing now. Celestia took a step forwards.
She touched the young mare's shoulder with her wing as if she wanted to calm her down. „Oh, didn't I?“, asked the alicorn disdainfully and pushed Twilight apart.
She was making her way to the door. „But what shall I do now?“, whimpered Twilight. She sat there, her head sunk and her eyes closed. Tears dropped down her face and she shivered. She felt like a lost child. „I do not know, where to go.“
Celestia answered firmly: „That is not my problem. Your luck is no longer my matter.“
„But I am your protégé!“, cried Twilight.
„Oh, were you?“ She was walking towards the door and stepped through it. „I do not have a protégé.“