A Frozen Heart

Luna slowly came back to her senses, the piercing pain in her head still present. She attempted to open her eyes, but she was not yet strong enough to do so.

Then, suddenly, she could hear loud hoofsteps in the distance, becoming louder as they got closer to her. She also heard voices, hectic and shocked voices it seemed, but in her current state, she was almost deaf and was unable to clearly identify who was talking.

"Luna! Luna!" Celestia shouted as she kneeled over Luna's weakened body. "Luna, talk to me! Please!" She pleaded to her, Celestia's eyes becoming wet as a single tear flowed down her cheek.

Luna didn't reply, but was slowly able to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she immediately saw the white figure that sat next to her.

"S...sis....sister?" Luna gave out with a weak, quiet voice, almost inaudible for Celestia.

Celestia smiled as she heard the voice of her younger sister. "Yes. Yes, Luna. It's me." Celestia replied with relief.

Luna suddenly felt the pain in her head explode once more, crying in agony as it did so. Celestia watched in horror as Luna cried and groaned.

"Luna!" She called to her, "Luna! Stay with me!" She called again, grabbing Luna with her hooves, making Luna look at the face of her older sister.

Luna's eyes grew in horror as she saw the same, demonic face from before before her. The sharp teeth, the reptile-like eyes and...the blood.

"No..." Luna said in horror, slowly moving backwards, away from her sister. "No,no,no,no!" Luna said in quick succession, trying to quickly stand up but failed, smashing back down on the ground.

Celestia quickly ran up to Luna who had just hit the ground hard, afraid that she had hurt herself by doing so. "Luna, sister, what is wrong? Talk to me!" Celestia begged as Luna looked up to her once again.

"S-sister?" Luna asked in surprise as the normal, familiar face of Celestia looked at her. "I...W-what...happened?" She asked in exhaustion and confusion.

Tears of joy flowed down Celestia's cheeks as she leaned forward, embracing Luna in a tight, loving hug. "Oh Luna..." Celestia mumbled as she burrowed her face in Luna's fur. She looked back up to Luna who eyed her with both a confused and exhausted look. "I was called after the guards heard screaming in your room, I came as fast as I could." She sobbed while shaking her head from left to right. "I was so worried for you, Luna. I...I thought I had lost you for a moment." Celestia's sobbing turned into crying as she pulled her sister into an even tighter hug, her face once more burrowed into Luna's blue fur.

Luna was lost in thought while listening to her sister's mumbled sobs. Had this all just been a dream? Had she gone crazy? Was this still a dream?

She looked down to where her sister was crying. She rested her hooves on her head, caressing her mane carefully. "I...I am fine. There is no need to worry, sister." Luna told her quietly in an attempt to calm her.

Celestia let out a big sob before looking up to her, looking Luna into her eyes. "I don't want to lose you Luna." She shook her head once again. "Not you, not my sister." Her voice was bitter, something Luna had rarely heard from her Celestia who was usually joyful and lighthearted.

Luna continued to caress Celestia as they looked at each other. "You won't, 'tia." Celestia smiled at hearing the nickname, one that Luna used rarely, due to her very serious mood. "I promise, by all that is good, that you won't."

Celestia smiled, wiping the last remaining tears away. "Always remember, Luna..." She began, sobbing lightly, "That I love and care for you. Please, sister, never forget this." She said in an almost begging voice.

Luna nodded, hugging her sister dearly. "I promise I won't." She promised, suddenly feeling an odd, weak pain in her chest. "I...promise." She repeated, weaker this time as she felt a strange cold in her chest.

Celestia broke the hug, still eyeing Luna, while noticing how Luna winced in pain. "Sister...are you sure you are alright?" Celestia asked.

Luna breathed heavily, releasing frosty puffs of smoke every time she breathed out. She felt something...weird, something cold attacking her heart. A cold that was not attacking her from the outside, but from the inside, from her very heart. She felt like her very heart was freezing.

"I-I'm fine." She replied, one hoof rested upon her chest while her body began to shiver. "I'm just a bit cold, that is all." She told her, trying to not make her worry any more than she already was.

Celestia walked up to Luna and smiled genuinely. "I suppose it is getting quite cold out here." She said, making Luna realize that they still were out on her balcony, in the middle of the cold night. "Come, let me help you get inside." Luna smiled back at Celestia in reply, acknowledging her help as she rested her left hoof on Celestia's back.

Together, the two Alicorns made their way indoors, back to Luna's bed. Her bed looked just how Luna had left it, her blanket thrown off to the side of the bed while her many pillows were scattered all over the mattress. This was a regular sight for Luna nowadays, a result of her constant, increasingly frequent nightmares. There was nothing she could do, except for trying to escape them. Something that, it seemed, now was impossible as well.

"Wait here for a moment." Celestia said quietly, helping Luna sit down at the end of the bed. She walked over to the bed, picking up the different pillows and putting them back in order so that Luna could rest her head on them.

"Alright, let us get you to bed." She said, walking back up to Luna and helping her stand back up. This was all met with no resistance or vocal response by Luna, who simply did not have the strength or will to talk anymore.

Celestia walked up to the side of the bed, together with Luna. Her horn lit up lightly, carefully lifting Luna up into the air and moving her over to her bed. Celestia lowered Luna down onto her mattress, very carefully, and smiled as her sister's head softly landed on the pillows.

Celestia looked to he right, where Luna's blanket laid, which had Luna's cutie mark symbol on it. Once again she used her magic, lifting the blanket up and levitating it over to the bed, where Luna now rested. The blanket softly lowered itself on the exhausted Princess of the Night, whose eyes had almost closed themselves from lack of energy.

Celestia smiled as she pulled the blanket up a bit with her hooves, making sure Luna was warm. When she was done, she leaned over to Luna, whose eyes were now closed. "Sleep well, sister." She said, stroking over Luna's forehed for a second before walking off.

Celestia could hear a quiet snoring as she stood at the entrance of her sister's bedroom. She smiled with great joy, holding the door with her left hoof while eyeing her sleeping sister one last time. "Sleep well, indeed." She mumbled to herself, inaudible for the already slumbering Luna.

Celestia carefully and slowly closed the door, making sure to not wake her sister up. The door closed with a silent click, having Celestia take a deep breath. She looked up the door, staring at the big moon symbol that was painted on the door.

"I wish I could help, sister." Celestia said with a bitter voice. "...I wish." She mumbled to herself as she turned away from the door, slowly trotting off, down the hallway she had come from.