//------------------------------//
// 2 Confrontation 
// Story: Destiny's Child 
// by Bronyxy 
//------------------------------//

A week or so later, Twilight received a scroll from Celestia bearing the news that they had tracked down a rogue lupus major in the Everfree and that its claws matched the dimensions of the injuries suffered by Loom’s mother.  The message went on to say that ‘appropriate measures’ had been taken to remove the threat from Equestria, but Twilight paid no more than passing interest; she no longer ventured far enough that it would cause her any particular concern.

Twilight’s regular letters to Celestia became less about friendship lessons and more about the progress of Loom, yet one at a time her friends had begun to notice that she wasn’t developing at the same pace as other foals in her peer group.  She was happy in herself, but while others were developing a vocabulary of words, Loom was still happy with only one word; her self-appointed name.

Twilight loved her dearly; more with every passing day, and concerned comments from friends about Loom’s development were not well received, Twilight always taking an overtly defensive stance.  Over recent months, she had become more than just dismissive, she had started to become rude in her denial of what was fast becoming obvious to everypony else; Loom was not developing as she should.  Twilight had reached the point where she would round on any pony who expressed any concerns, and Spike was on eggshells desperately trying not to antagonise the situation further.

The surrogate mother had by now alienated herself from all but her closest friends, and as a result, those relationships she still had were becoming strained.  She made allowances for Loom; after all who could know the horrors she had witnessed when her mother had died?  It was bound to have had an effect and Twilight wasn’t going to stand for any criticism of her foal.  Her foal.

Progressively, Twilight began to neglect all of her other duties and just focused all of her attention onto Loom, until eventually Spike was left to pick up the pieces; keeping the library running, putting meals on the table and doing all the cleaning.

Although Loom was as happy as ever, she wasn’t putting on weight like she should.  Twilight frantically read and re-read anything and everything on foal care and early years’ development and asked anypony who would still talk to her what may be the matter, but there was no satisfactory answer.  In desperation, she wrote to her mentor requesting her support, although the message read more like a demand.

Celestia received the most recent scroll from Twilight; she dreaded each one now as it bore out what she had already foreseen and now the truth had become inescapable.  Worse, Loom’s condition had consumed her student such that she had long since stopped her friendship studies and by all accounts had become something of a short-tempered recluse.

Ever since having cast her spell on Loom, she had agonised over sharing what she had found with her student.  How could she tell her?  Was it fair not too?  She had known that if she said nothing then they could be heading for an argument, but she had wanted to put it off rather than face it.  But now here it was – the desperate cry for help.  It had been inevitable, but oh, how she wished it had never happened.

Celestia personally hoof-picked two of her most trusted pegasus guards who had seen her through the successes and defeats of her recent reign and of which no word had ever leaked out.  As soon as they received personal invitations for a private briefing from their Princess, they knew something was amiss.  They stood to attention in a private chamber before the regal white alicorn as she addressed them:
“Gentlemen” she began “You have provided the most admirable service and I have always valued your dedication and discretion.  I regret I have a difficult task ahead of me today and I should like to request your drawing the Royal chariot on what may become a long journey.”
“This is not an order, but a request of two of my most trusted guards” she continued “You may refuse and I will hold no ill will against you.  Are you willing to undertake this task?”
Their answers were as immediate as they were unequivocal; of course they would.
“Thank you” she said with obvious relief in her voice “We are to fly to Ponyville.  However on the return journey, unless I say to the contrary, I want you to take a long route back over safe but unpopulated areas as I may need some … time to myself.”

Celestia dismissed the two guards to make appropriate preparations and then went back to her private quarters, dreading what lay ahead.  The clock moved relentlessly forward, although she wished time would stop, but she knew that no matter how hard she agonised, the confrontation would still happen.  Monsters she could face, tyrants she could tackle, enemies she could fight, but facing Twilight would be so much worse than any of these.  She procrastinated, spiralling down into the morbidity that had lain suppressed deep within her psyche; aspects of herself that she wished never to see ever again.

The time arrived.  When she walked out to her chariot she was heartened to see her two chosen guards harnessed up and ready.  She acknowledged them and stepped abroad, watched as they spread their mighty wings and felt the gentle exhilaration of being swept into the sky.  The panorama of Equestria unfolding beneath her was a spectacular sight, but to her, nothing new. All she could think about was the forthcoming meeting with Twilight as she drew closer with every wingbeat.

The Royal chariot touched down behind the Golden Oak library with barely a bump, the chosen landing point having been selected to avoid undue publicity.

Celestia adopted her regal persona so as not to betray her true feelings, and alighted from the chariot, her hooves automatically placing themselves dutifully one behind the other towards her destination; her mind desperately willing her body not to follow.  She raised a forehoof to knock at the door and hesitated, her inner feelings seizing command of her actions for a fleeting second.
She must do this.
She couldn’t run away.
Finally, she knocked, a lead weight forming in her stomach as the sound echoed within.

The small purple dragon opened the door and showed the Princess through into the room that Twilight had painted up as a nursery, with bright colours counterpointed by beautiful murals of ponies from Equestrian history.  Among the perfectly accurate depictions of historical dioramas, she noticed a number of images of Star Swirl the Bearded along with an equal number of the Sun Princess herself, making the weight in her stomach unbearably heavy.

“Thanks for coming Princess” said Twilight who was nursing at the time and didn’t get up.
“You certainly are devoted to little Loom” said Celestia, acknowledging the evident lengths her student had gone to in accommodating her young charge.
“You’ve read my reports Princess” said the student with palpable concern in her voice “I have exhausted every line of study I can think of.  What can you do to make her better?”

Although she already knew what she would find, Celestia lit her horn for the sake of appearances and allowed her magic to permeate through the foal before reporting.
“There’s nothing I can do” she whispered.
Twilight stopped stock still.
“What do you mean, there’s nothing you can do?”
Celestia stood impassively, fighting back the rising tsunami of emotions that wanted to break through her regal countenance.

“Twilight” she soothed “Everypony has their time.  It’s not about how long somepony can live, but it’s more about the love they bring in the time they are with us.”
“No Princess.  That’s not good enough" said Twilight, forcing to keep a lid on the anger that was clearly building within her.
“Twilight …” she began.
“NO!” shouted the student, making Loom start with surprise “I’m not having that!”
She gently placed her precious bundle into a padded basket on the floor.
“Here it comes” thought Celestia, bracing herself.

Twilight stalked towards her mentor with a look of unsuppressed rage on her face, unashamedly staring her squarely in the eye.
“You … you are the most powerful alicorn in all of Equestria.  There is no magic unknown to you.  You can cure her, if you want to.”
“Twilight, it’s not like that …”
“Then what is it like, Celestia?” She had never addressed her mentor by just her forename before, and chose this moment not only to use it for the first time, but also coated it with such dripping venom that it struck as a savage dagger blow straight to her heart.  Celestia was too shocked to respond before Twilight weighed in again.
“You have always called me your faithful student, as well I have been, but the second I ask for some recognition, some appreciation of that special status, you decline.  What am I to you?  A plaything to be toyed with when you choose?”

Celestia fought to maintain her composure, but inside she was being ripped apart, shred at a time.
“This is a young foal” continued the student “She has done nothing to hurt anypony.  She brings light and joy to everypony.  She is mine; she is a part of me.  You let her die and you are condemning me to a living death without her!”
Twilight was letting it all flood out now and it was as bad as Celestia had feared.  The alicorn felt a lump rise in her throat and had to force it back down again to prepare herself to say her piece without breaking down.

“Twilight!” she barked.  Her student simply stopped and allowed her eyes to burst forth with tears that she had been holding back.  She gasped in deep sobs as her hot tears deluged down her muzzle.  She didn’t try to hide her face, but stared accusingly at Celestia, using every tear as a weapon, each one striking hard at her soul.
“I am an immortal, Twilight.  Over hundreds of years, I have known many ponies, some of them deeply special to me.  When their time came, do you not think for a second that I didn’t want to keep them with me rather than lose them?  And if I had weakened and kept them alive, then at what point should I have let them go?  Never?  For each time you save somepony, allowing them to finally pass away becomes even harder.  The question then becomes are you keeping them alive for their sake or for yours?”
There was nothing for it; she had to hit her with her final hammer blow before her emotion got the better of her and she couldn’t continue:
“How selfish are you, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight stopped her sobbing and just stared into her mentor’s eyes and beyond, right through into her soul.
“I hate you Celestia” she said and turned back to Loom who was crying with all the noise.
“I think you’d better go now” concluded the lilac unicorn “You’re not welcome here any more.”
Celestia felt the lump rise back up in her throat as her prized student turned against her.  She knew she couldn’t force the lump back down this time and didn’t try.  Inside, the stoic immortal just wanted to wither and die, but her legs took charge and started to turn for the door.

Just then, Loom stirred and looked up at Twilight.
“Mama” she said.
Twilight held her close and even Celestia postponed her departure to see the moment.  This was only her second word, but it cemented the already strong bond with her surrogate mother and blasted Celestia right through her soul.  As the white alicorn stood, shocked, Twilight lifted her head and stared at her former mentor, raising one eyebrow in open defiance.

Celestia couldn’t speak if she wanted to, but bowed graciously and turned, ignoring the open jawed Spike whom she had forgotten was there.  Once out of the library, she forced herself to keep her composure by taking the shallowest of breaths and walked round to find the chariot waiting, climbing in with no further words.  Her charioteers knew what this meant and set off on a journey home that would give their Princess some privacy and time to recover her composure.

Once away from Ponyville airspace, she allowed the lump in her throat to finally rise up and overwhelm her.  She choked as it crawled up her throat and her eyes welled with hot tears.  Finally, all the heartache she had struggled so hard to hold in burst forth and she sobbed with the injustice that she knew Twilight felt.  Her former student was right, Loom was an innocent who deserved a chance, but she could not stand as final arbiter over life and death; what sort of a monster would that make her?

She cried her heart out for the power she had and the restraint she had to exercise in choosing not to use it, no matter what the personal sacrifice would be.  She had lost a student, a friend and the Elements of Harmony would probably never function again whilst Twilight was one of the bearers.  It was a high price, a very high price, but she had emerged with her integrity intact, and that was the quality that would be needed to ultimately hold Equestria together.

Loom finally succumbed as Celestia knew she would.  She allowed the foal to be buried next to her mother and kept an adjacent plot reserved for Twilight when her day came.  She didn’t attend the ceremony herself because she was aware of the animosity harboured by her former student, but watched from a distance, mixed emotions flooding her body.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of her actions, the die had been cast and Equestria would move on.  Celestia knew that she would now have to be more vigilant as she could not count on the Elements of Harmony.  She also knew she would never receive another friendship report from the lilac unicorn Twilight Sparkle.

The ceremony over, Celestia turned to face the day, she and Twilight departing in different directions, each with their heart ripped in two.