//------------------------------// // Frozen // Story: Empty Darkness // by GigaBowser //------------------------------// Chapter 6 - Frozen What would it feel like to go insane? It was a strange question to be asked, especially by a pony such as Princess Luna. She had lived a long, hectic life and there had been dark moments in her past when she had unquestionably lost her mind. Losing herself to the Nightmare had been the worst insanity she had ever faced. And yet, she still wondered. Nothing was ever constant or concrete. Each bout of insanity, even for the same pony, would be entirely different. If wandering this dark, depressing land forever and ever drove her to madness, it would be an entirely new experience. What would that be like for Sweetie Belle? What if she were to lose her mind? Luna turned her head and glanced back. Her young companion was sprawled across her back, sleeping soundly as the princess trotted along. The filly was worn out after a long day of traveling, and Luna did not blame her. Though it was difficult to tell time in this place, she was pretty sure it had been five days since they'd left the castle behind. It had been simultaneously a wild ride and a dull journey. They had been attacked by creatures at least once a day while they traveled. With Sweetie's new shield spell, they could now work together to protect themselves and keep these creatures at bay. There had been a few close calls, including the nasty gash Luna had gotten on her cutie mark, but at least Sweetie had remained safe. However, running from the creatures had also killed what little sense of direction Luna had. It seemed every so often, they found themselves with no idea where they were and no idea where they had come from. Ultimately, Luna realized that they were just trotting aimlessly, and the thought worried her greatly. However, they had also come across a number of environments. They had left the forest behind to suddenly find themselves in a swamp with completely undrinkable water. After they had traversed that, it had abruptly changed back into dry cracked plains. The 'biomes' of this place seemed almost stitched together artificially. The only connecting factor was that they were all harsh and unforgiving landscapes. They had not come across any more grass since the small patch they'd found nearly a week ago. At least eight days…That's how long they had been in here. Luna shivered at the thought. She felt Sweetie stirring on her back. The little filly yawned and sat up. "Did you have a good rest, Sweetie?" Luna spoke gently. "Mhm…" Sweetie said, settling herself into a comfortable position on her back. There were a few moments of silence as she looked around. "Where are we now?" Luna also gazed around, taking in the dry plains. They looked almost familiar to her, as they reminded her of the dry plains from outside of the town. It was impossible to tell if they were somewhere new, or if they had looped back to somewhere they had been previously. "Nowhere interesting…" she settled for responding. Sweetie sighed and hugged the back of her neck. "Can I have a drink?" "Sure." Luna reached out and accessed her pocket dimension. She took stock of how much water they had left and frowned. She had taken as much as she could from the river, but they were already beginning to run out. She extracted two small spheres of water about half the size of a baseball. She drank one of them, and offered the other to her companion. Sweetie drank it without complaining. Even she was in survival mode by now and knew the importance of rationing. Luna continued to trot forward for a number of minutes. The two traveled in silence, simply because there was not much to say. Morale for the both of them was dwindling fast. Luna constantly had to deal with stray thoughts that they would never end up finding a way home. When she slept, her dreams were often filled with turmoil, and Sweetie would often murmur in her slumber. "Aah…!" Sweetie gasped suddenly. Luna paused, having felt it as well. The temperature had suddenly dropped a number of degrees. This world had already been filled with such painfully biting cold before, and now it felt even colder. There had been no wind, but there had definitely been a noticeable dive in the temperature. She could feel Sweetie shivering on her back. The filly gave a chattering moan as she hugged herself tightly to Luna's back and neck, trying to share in the older pony's body heat. "C-cold…" she murmured. Luna closed her eyes and focused. Her horn glowed, but it did not glow with its usual blue colouration. Instead, it burned a bright orange colour. She furrowed her brow and concentrated as hard as she could to make the magic as powerful as possible. Slowly but surely, she felt the warmth of the heat spell spread over her, covering them both. It didn't work very well, but it at least took away some of the biting cold. "Thanks, Luna…" Sweetie murmured, hugging herself with her forehooves. "Should we turn around?" "N…No…Keep going…" Luna continued to trot forward for a while. The two gazed around in silence, searching for something interesting and not finding much. They could see their breath forming clouds in the air now. It seemed to briefly amuse Sweetie Belle, but Luna just continued to trudge forward. Why was the air getting so chilly all of a sudden? For ten more minutes or so, nothing appeared before her as the trotted on. However, just as suddenly as the landscapes had changed previously, something new was suddenly before them. Luna paused as her eyes widened in surprise. Sweetie leaned over to look past Luna's head and gasped in wonder at what she saw. "Oh my gosh!!" she exclaimed, "Snow!!!" Luna continued to gaze for a moment at the completely snow-covered landscape that sat before her. Bafflingly enough, she could see a clear line on the ground where the snow just ended. Snow was not falling from the sky, but there was a veritable fluffy white wonderland spread out before her. She felt Sweetie leap off of her back and turned to her in surprise. "Wh-!" Sweetie dashed ahead of her and charged headfirst into the snow. "Sweetie, what are you doing?" The little filly was laughing. Luna's confusion and concerns were gone in a flash as she heard the wonderful, golden laughter. Sweetie had not laughed in days. She had barely even smiled. Now, as Luna trotted forward into the snow to keep her in sight, Sweetie was grinning ear to ear and laughing in wonder. "Wheee!" she cried as she cantered through the snow, kicking it behind her as she went. Luna watched her for a few moments, unable to hold back a smile even if she'd wanted to. As the unicorn flopped onto her back and began to make a snow angel, Luna took a few more steps forward and gazed around her. The landscape made her a little dizzy to be honest. It was nothing but white snow fading into black nothingness. It didn't look real. It looked like some sort of blurry greyish mess. This world never ceased to confuse her. Just what was with this patchwork of landscapes of all different sorts? How did she just walk from completely dry lifeless plains to a snow-filled landscape? She heard Sweetie crunching through the snow and giggling, and she followed her idly. The plains were quickly behind them, and before long they were completely surrounded by snow. It was certainly a refreshing change of pace, though still very confusing. At least Sweetie seemed to be enjoying it. The way the snow appeared in the darkness now brought forth memories of cold Equestrian nights. There was a pang in her heart that felt both painful and wonderful at the same time as she remembered trotting through a snow covered Canterlot with her sister, watching the snow fall by the light of her moon. Luna reeled as something icy cold smacked her in the side of the head. She blinked in disbelief a few times as mischievous giggles filled the air. Slowly, she turned to face her grinning companion. She stared for a few moments with an unreadable expression. "Well, then…" she finally spoke, her horn lighting up, "That wasn't very smart, now was it?" Sweetie's smile faltered when she saw the huge clump of snow being levitated into the air by Luna's magic. "To think thou couldst challenge a goddess? To a snowball fight? Tis laughable…" Luna continued with a haughty smirk as she shaped the snow with her magic and brought it directly over top of the foal's head. Sweetie just looked up at it, frozen to the spot. "Didst thou really think thou couldst win?" Her horn stopped glowing, and the snow fell. Sweetie let out a shout of surprise, and then her cries were silenced. A few seconds passed as Luna and the lump of snow stood there, each completely unmoving. Then Sweetie poked her head out of the top through the hole Luna had made. She sat there staring at the princess, completely dry after the snow had fallen around her. "Um…" she said, "Okay…You win." Luna raised her head up and turned away, scoffing arrogantly at the pathetic peasant. A few moments later, the two burst into mirth-filled laughter with huge smiles on their faces. After the laughter had died down, Sweetie climbed out of the snow and trotted over to Luna, who beamed down at her. "Heh…" she chuckled, "Aren't you cold, Sweetie?" "Nope!!" the rambunctious filly proclaimed. Luna used her magic to clear a bit of stray snow from Sweetie's back. "Well, just be careful you don't catch yourself a cold, okay?" "I love the snow!" she exclaimed, prancing around in it. The filly circled the princess, and Luna could swear she'd never seen a smile as big as hers. "It is quite beautiful," she admitted, "even here in the dark…" "D'ya think we'll find something here??" "I do not know," Luna replied, "Shall we explore?" "Yeah!!!" Sweetie replied, jumping up. Luna chuckled and lowered herself down so that the filly could climb onto her back. Seeing the snow had certainly given Sweetie Belle a boost in morale. It had brightened her spirits, and Luna was happy to see it. Sweetie got onto her back and Luna began to trot through the snow. It was strange, but she didn't seem to be feeling the cold as much any longer. Perhaps Sweetie's warm energy was rubbing off on her. Perhaps the secret to surviving in a blizzard was to act like a little filly. Who knew? "I wish it was snowing, though," Sweetie said, "It'd look prettier." Luna nodded. "Yes, I agree." "And I could catch them on my tongue!" This set off a spark in Luna's mind. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Thank you for reminding me, Sweetie!" "What? Wha'did I do?" Luna reached out with her magic and grabbed as much snow at once as she could. Sweetie flinched momentarily, thinking Luna was going to drop it on her again, but then relaxed when all of the snow she had grabbed disappeared into thin air. "Huh?" Sweetie voiced her confusion. "Water!" Luna replied, "I put it in the pocket dimension. It's water that we can melt and drink." "Ohhhh!" Sweetie replied in understanding. "Well that's good, I suppose," Luna remarked, "I just wish we could find more food as well…" She then began to trot again through the snow. She continued walking, on and on and on. Thirty minutes later, and she was still walking. Though they came across nothing more than snow-covered ground, Luna did notice that the ground was beginning to incline upwards. The further they went, the steeper it seemed to get. "Are we going up a hill…?" Sweetie asked, noticing as well. "Indeed," Luna replied, "This might be a mountain." "A mountain? Ooooh…" Sweetie glanced upwards, though she obviously couldn't see anything. "You think it goes above the dark clouds?" "Possibly…" Luna had been considering the option. She was, however, unsure if she wanted to bring Sweetie Belle up there. She was worried that the shock of seeing the empty sky would be a little too much for her. Then again, they had been through quite a lot together already. "This place almost looks normal, doesn't it…?" Sweetie murmured. "Hm?" "Well…It looks just like a snowy place at dusk, or something. It kinda looks like Zermane after the sun went down." "Yes, I suppose you're right…Though the swirling darkness is still quite unnatural." She felt Sweetie shiver. "I hate it…I hate that stupid darkness…It's nothing like yours." "My thoughts exactly." There was a brief pause. "What's that…?" Luna turned back. She saw Sweetie squinting off into the darkness. "Hm?" Sweetie didn't reply right away. "Um…Nothing, I guess…I thought I saw something…" Luna followed her gaze, but all she could see was endless darkness. "You saw something in that?" "I can't see it any more…" "Your eyes might be playing tricks on you, Sweetie," Luna replied, "It was probably nothing." "Yeah…" Sweetie murmured. There was another pause, and then she spoke up again. "Should we climb the mountain?" "I'm not sure," Luna replied, "Should we?" "Well…I dunno…" She felt Sweetie fidget slightly and let out a frustrated breath. "I just dunno…I dunno what we're even looking for, so I dunno where to look!" Luna frowned. Sweetie had just voiced her most major concern aside from staying alive. What were they looking for? "Well…" she replied, "Perhaps we should-" A loud squawking noise interrupted them. They shot their heads to the left and stared into the darkness, their breaths caught in their throats. "Was that…?" Sweetie began to ask. Luna cursed and suddenly dash forward, causing Sweetie to cry out in surprise and grab hold of her neck. The princess had just barely caught a glimpse of something moving in the darkness and didn't want to stick around to find out what it was. The answer, instead, presented itself before her, causing her to slam on the breaks. A fairly large creature was stalking through the snow on thick, gangly legs. It was covered from head to toe in jet black feathers, but was accented by a dark yellow beak and the same glowing yellow eyes. The large bird stood there in the snow, glaring at her. She tried to change her direction, but ended up slipping in the snow. The creature spread its wings and began to glide towards her at an alarming speed. Standing, its height only came up to the bottom of her neck, but its wingspan somehow surpassed even hers. It looked like a cross between an eagle and an ostrich, with the plumage of a raven. As Luna struggled to regain her stance in the snow, she prepared herself for the unavoidable attack she would have to endure. She was pleasantly surprised when the bird cawked in surprise and flew back slightly, compliments of Sweetie's kinetic spell. Luna didn't even have time to thank her. She regained her balance and took off once again through the snow, fleeing from the two birds. Another appeared in front of her, making her swerve to the left. Then there was another! They were everywhere! Luna counted at least eight. "Damnit…!" Luna cursed as she angled herself towards what appeared to be the only escape route. These things were closing in on them and cutting off their escape. Luna continued to trudge through the snow as fast as she could, heading up the mountain. She could hear the crunching of the snow and the flapping of wings behind her. They appeared in her peripheral vision, and she tried her best to hit each one with a short blast. She could hear Sweetie firing off kinetic volleys from her back. Sweetie wouldn't be able to do much damage, but hopefully she could hold them back. Luna put most of her energy into fleeing. She needed to put some distance between them before she would be able to effectively fight them. Then she slipped again and ended up on her stomach. Cursed snow!! She heard the creatures gathering around her and struggled to right herself. Sweetie cried out in surprise and terror. The world became a blur as Luna did many things at once. She used her magic to levitate Sweetie straight up into the air and held her there. Then, when her back was unoccupied, she rolled herself onto it. Though this hampered her ability to move even more, it gave her a fairly clear view of her aggressors. From this position, she could aim her horn in seven out of eight directions and fire many kinetic spells at the advancing birds. Of course, as fate would have it, one of the birds swooped in from the eighth direction. Luna screamed in agony as razor-sharp talons ripped into her shoulders. Her vision was blotted out by the jet-black feathers of the creature. She fought through the pain and realized that the bird had made a crucial mistake. All it took was a few seconds to charge up the powerful kinetic spell, and then the bird was sent skyrocketing into the air. Luna ignored the fiery pain that was clouding her mind and took a split-second assessment of her current position. For the moment, nothing was attacking her, though she knew this would not last for even a second. She took advantage of this and rolled back onto her hooves, scrambling desperately through the snow to get away. She returned Sweetie to her back. It would do neither of them any good if she exhausted her magic. The alicorn winced as a few claw swipes connected with her backside, but she continued her desperate escape. These things had them completely overwhelmed. The combination of their numbers, their mobility, and the poor terrain were adding up to a very difficult fight. Luna knew she had to do something quick or they would both be killed. More talons dug into her backside, making tears in her eyes, and then they vanished as Luna heard the whoosh of Sweetie's spell dislodge it. "Aaah!!!" the foal suddenly shouted, "Luna!!" Luna whipped her head around and saw one of the birds flying through the air and diving straight at Sweetie. The alicorn reacted in the split second she was given and sent it flying back with a spell of her own, narrowly saving her passenger. A bird latched onto her chest with its talons, drawing blood. She shook her head and swung her horn, trying to throw it off. At the same time, she felt something painfully yank on her tail. Sweetie Belle screamed again. The air was filled with the whooshing of spells from the both of them. It was utter mayhem. Luna brought her head forward swiftly, slamming both herself and the bird into the snowy ground below. She was instantly dazed, but began ploughing forward through the snow as fast as she could. She felt herself trample over something, realizing that she had dislodged her attacker. Another blast from Sweetie on her back knocked loose the one on her tail. She was free, but getting pretty banged up. As her vision returned to her, she gazed ahead through the darkness. The hill was continuing to get steeper, almost as if the birds were trying to drive them higher. She had momentarily escaped from them, but she could hear them scuffling and flapping behind her, in close pursuit. If only she could- Black feathers flashed into her peripheral vision. She whipped her head to the left and fired another kinetic blast. It didn't connect with the creature, but it did force it to fall back. Luna's eyes then bugged out as she felt something slam forcefully into her right side. It instantly knocked her off balance, sending her toppling to her side onto the snowy ground. She skidded for a few meters through the snow and came to a stop in a crumpled heap, leaving her defenseless. None of this mattered to her, though, when she realized that she had lost her passenger. She heard Sweetie grunt in pain and then scream in terror. She struggled valiantly to get up, but a bird was quickly upon her, pinning her down. He blood boiled as she grit her teeth and fought back against the creature keeping her down, and then it instantly ran cold when she heard the sounds coming from Sweetie Belle behind her. The filly was crying out loudly, shouting and screaming in pain. Luna heard her sob and call for her, but the worst were the loud cries that were like a spear straight in the stomach. They were hurting her! These damn things were hurting poor Sweetie Belle! Luna grunted loudly and pushed back against her own aggressor, thrusting her horn in its direction and firing off a very powerful spell. It shot forward with the speed and force of a crossbow, eliminating the threat before her. Sweetie gave a particularly loud, tortured cry. Before she could turn around, another damned bird leapt at her and began swiping with its claws. All of the creatures in this world were either incredibly brave or monumentally stupid. Perhaps both. With another wave of her horn and another very powerful spell, the bird was gone. Sweetie Belle was crying at the top of her lungs and begging for it to stop. Luna quickly got to her hooves. She slipped again on the icy ground, but she didn't let it deter her. She quickly turned around and set forth to rescue her companion. That was when Sweetie Belle's cries stopped. The alicorn did her best to ignore the grisly thoughts in her head as she set her sights on the creatures that were before her. They were all gathered around a point, fluttering and moving around like a pack of vultures. Luna dashed forward, rage on her face and fire in her eyes. She couldn't use another kinetic spell here because she would end up hitting Sweetie too. More drastic measures had to be taken. Without any regard for her own well-being, Luna charged forth and tackled herself into the left side of the group. Many of them squawked and fell away like a bunch of feathery bowling pins. While still sprawled in the snow, she set her sights on the other half and swung her horn directly at them. She ended up nicking one in the chest, drawing blood and making it cry out in pain. They all backed off from the aggressive alicorn, but did not by any means retreat. Luna got to her hooves, kicking out as she did at some of the ones she had tackled and aimed her horn at the ones still standing. Making sure she was atop the purple spot in the snow, she let loose one of the most powerful kinetic spells she had ever performed in her life. It was almost a beautiful thing the way they were sent flying through the air. Luna quickly reached down and picked up the foal lying in the pink-tinted snow below her. She tried to be as careful as she could, but they were still in danger. She could feel stray talons swiping at her legs as the birds tried to get her from on the ground. Luna took a quick look at Sweetie. The filly's eyes were closed, but Luna could see little wisps of breath coming from her mouth. Luna realized that she must have gone into shock, and it was easy to see how. She tried to quell her churning stomach from the sight of all the blood, and she made a point not to look at that one hind leg. It definitely wasn't supposed to bend that way. Only a second later, Luna was off. She panted heavily as she dashed through the snow. She knew that she had to escape these things, and she had to do it fast. To her dismay, as she continued to run up the snowy hill, she could still hear many of them behind her. They were still coming, and there were still a lot of them. Damn it all… Luna knew she couldn't fight them. There were just too many, and there wasn't a reliable enough way to take them down. Even if there were only a couple of them, fighting them would've still taken too long. As much as she tried to think positively about the situation, reality was fresh in her mind. Sweetie Belle was dying. So she made the decision to just keep running. Luna had no idea what she was looking for or what she would find. Maybe there would be a forest or a rocky landscape that she could hide herself in. Considering the way this world seemed to be laid out, it wouldn't have surprised her. Maybe she'd find a big stick she could use to swing at them. Anything that would help. Anything she could use. She nearly slipped and fell face-first into the snow again. Her legs were shaky for a moment as she regained her balance. The snow was getting looser and slipperier as she went. This was dangerous terrain, and certainly not the place to be fleeing through. Luna's ears shot up as the seed of an idea grew in her mind. She furrowed her brow immediately after, though. How could she use it? She had found a tool, but she didn't know how she could use it to fight her opponents and assure their safety. She felt feathers brush against her flanks and a loud caw that hurt her ears. They were catching up to her. They could fly and she couldn't, and she was also going uphill. She couldn't win this fight, not if she didn't find something fast! Then she finally saw it. From out of the darkness, a small cave entered her field of vision. It had an opening barely shorter than she was hollowed out into the side of a small vertical section of the mountain. Snow was clumped all around it and atop it, but inside appeared to be completely dry. This was it! This was her only chance. She had to take it, and she couldn't afford to mess it up. She pushed herself past her limits for a quick burst of speed, running up to the cave's entrance and putting a little distance between herself and her pursuers. Then, when she was right at the cave's mouth, she stopped and raised her head up to where she believed the top of the mountain was and took a deep breath. And then she shouted as loud as she could. It almost seemed like there were visible sound waves pulsing through the darkness as she used the full power of her royal Canterlot voice. When her breath eventually ran out, she fell silent and quickly turned around. The creatures were wincing and fluttering around, glaring at her in what seemed to be confusion. For the moment they had stopped their pursuit, possibly momentarily deafened, but Luna knew they would be on her again in a moment. Before they could, however, there came a loud rumbling noise. The birds all began looking around in confusion. Some of them stared at Luna, as if demanding an explanation. Though she was exhausted and panting, she offered them a victorious smirk. They squawked at her and got ready to attack again. Luna could feel the snow shifting already. She turned around and took one brief glance up above the cave. She knew she only had a split second to act; she could hear the rushing snow getting closer. She used her magic to ensure that Sweetie was safely on her back and then leapt forward, diving directly into the mouth of the cave. Moments later, the avalanche arrived. It smothered up the cave entrance in less than a second, cutting off most of the noise from outside. Only a few surprised, panicked caws could be heard. The whole cave shook violently as the heavy piles of snow cascaded down from higher elevations, smothering everything in their path. Luna lay on the cave floor, panting and waiting. Finally, after a couple of minutes, the rumbling died down and everything fell silent. By the light of her horn, Luna stood panting heavily for a few minutes. Her heartbeat slowed down and she quickly caught her breath. Moving quickly and precisely, she got up, moved to the snow covered entrance, and fired a concentrated beam of heat at the very top of the snow. Seconds later, a tiny, nearly imperceptible hole had been carved to the outside, allowing chilly air to flow in. She then turned around and gently placed Sweetie onto the cave floor. She grimaced at the foal's injuries and used her magic to detect her pulse. Sweetie was still alive, but she needed treatment immediately. Luna closed her eyes and focused all of her energy into her horn, building up a bright glowing spell and directing it to her injured companion. The silence was painful as she let the healing spell do its job. Luna was able to open her eyes, but she still grit her teeth and held back groans. It was more taxing to perform a healing spell on another, and she was already pretty worn out from the chase. She didn't give in, though. She focused every single ounce of energy she had left in her to make sure Sweetie would be okay. Minutes ticked past. The process was going agonizingly slow for Luna. Slowly, but ever so surely, the filly began to take deeper, more even breaths. The spell was working. Luna only had to pray that she had enough in her to bring the process to completion. She ignored the pain of her own injuries. She ignored the biting cold that was making her shiver from head to tail. Nothing else mattered right now. Sweetie Belle needed her. After a few more tense minutes, the cave was filled with a sound. Sweetie was letting out long, painful moans. Luna gazed down at her, trying not to look at the blood, and saw that the filly's eyes were creaking open. She continued to moan in agony on the cave floor, gently twitching her hooves and trying to focus her eyes. Luna stepped closer and laid herself down on the floor next to her. She brought her head closer to Sweetie's and waited for the filly to see her. "Ngggh…Ahhh…L…Luna…?" "Shhh…" Luna soothed, "It's okay, Sweetie. Just hang in there, okay? You will be better soon." "Hurts…" she groaned, "Everything huuurts…" It felt like a spear made of fire was wedged in Luna's heart. She simply focused harder, pouring as much magic as she could into her spell. As the filly continued to moan and whine in agony, Luna watched as her wounds closed, her scars healed, and her injuries slowly but surely began to disappear. "Ahhhggh…." Sweetie cried out with tears streaming from her eyes. "I know, I know it hurts…" Luna spoke softly, "I…I'm so sorry this had to happen to you." Luna sniffled, realizing that she had been crying for a while now as well, "Just…L-let me make you better…okay? You'll be fine…!" Sweetie was still breathing in seething, painful breaths and moaning in pain. Luna glanced over her mostly-healed body, and saw what the problem was. She grimaced once again when she saw that her spell had not yet healed Sweetie's rear leg. "Oh dear…" she murmured under her breath. Luna gazed down at the filly, who was looking much better otherwise. All of her visible injuries had vanished, and Luna could see that her body was running a lot more smoothly. She was certainly no longer near-death, which was a huge relief. The spell hadn't removed her spilled blood, but at least no more was flowing. "Okay…" Luna spoke as she began to shift the spell, "We have to do the hardest part now, okay?" Sweetie gazed up at her with teary, terrified eyes. "H-huh…?" Luna gently shifted herself closer, bringing herself within reach of the filly's forehooves. "Just hold on, okay? It'll be over soon. You can hug me as tight as you want." Sweetie instantly grabbed hold of her. Luna wasn't sure the filly knew what was going to happen next, but she was hugging her neck tightly now with her forehooves. Luna could feel her shivering, and waves of emotional pain struck her heart. "Okay, Sweetie. Just hang on." With that, Luna focused the entire force of the spell on Sweetie's hind leg. The filly immediately cried out in agony and gripped her tightly. She cried out into the cave, pain emanating from her voice. "I know…I know…I'm sorry…" Luna murmured, "Just hold on. I'm almost done." Luna focused as much of her magic as she could. She was feeling completely drained, and felt like she would pass out soon, but she persevered for Sweetie's sake. Ever so slowly, the joint moved back into its proper position, though it was clear from her shouting that the process was anything but painless. "Almost done…almost done…" Luna felt as if she were the one undergoing this pain. The tears flowing from her eyes seemed to convey this. If nothing else, there was pain in her heart. With every agonizing cry that Sweetie let loose, it hurt a little more. All she could do was focus and not let the spell drop. This was just so barbaric, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. Finally, it was done. Luna's horn stopped glowing with magic, though it stayed alit with a bright light, and Sweetie's cries died on her tongue. The filly panted heavily, still hugging her tightly. Luna gazed down at her. Except for the dried blood, the filly was completely healed. Luna caught her own breath as well. "Are you…feeling okay, Sweetie?" Sweetie continued panting for a few moments, shivering and holding Luna close. Poignant silence passed as the chill of the icy cave settled over the both of them. "You should be all healed, I hope," Luna spoke again, "Does anything still hurt?" She could feel something wet on her chest. She realized that Sweetie was crying. "Sweetie…Sweetie, honey, it's okay. You're all better now, right?" Luna leaned her head down and nuzzled the distraught little pony. "Th-thank you…" Luna paused. "Hm?" "Thank you, Luna…" Sweetie sniffled, "Thank you so much…" "Sweetie…It's okay…" "I thought I was gonna die…They were hurting me a-and it hurt s-so bad…" Sweetie had her face buried in Luna's fur, making her voice sound muffled, but her sincerity was clear as day. "E-everything hurt…And it all went dark…I thought I was dead, a-and- and…And y-you s-saved me…" Luna was silent and she simply nuzzled the filly affectionately. "You saved my life, Luna…I was gonna die, but you saved me!" "Shhh…" "I-I knew…I knew, even if it hurt a lot, y-you would save me…" "I'm sorry it had to hurt so terribly, Sweetie. It must have been awful for you. I really wish there were something else I could have done, but…" "Luna, I'm just…I'm just so glad I have you here with me!" Luna gave a sad smile. "I'd be long dead without you…!" "Sweetie, don't talk like that." "It's true, Luna…You're the reason I'm still alive…" Luna gave a sigh and nuzzled her some more, laying down her head. Sleepiness was creeping up on her; the injuries she had sustained and not healed were sapping her strength. Sweetie also shifted herself so that she was laying down, resting her head on Luna's foreleg. "Mmmmn…" she moaned in a tired voice, "Are we safe now…?" "Yes," Luna replied, "We're safe in this cave. The entrance is sealed." "Thank heavens…" She felt Sweetie snuggle herself in closer. "Are you too cold?" Sweetie gave a dry, half-awake chuckle. "I've been cold since we showed up here," she whispered in reply, "I don't think I really notice it any more…" Luna extended one of her wings and wrapped it around the tiny filly, surrounding her in what little warmth she could offer. "Better?" Sweetie smiled. "Better…" Luna closed her eyes and felt weariness overcome her. Knowing that they were safe in this cave, or at least as safe as they could possibly be, was doing wonders to relax her. She was completely exhausted, but she felt calm and at piece as she rested. There were a few minutes of silence. "Luna…?" "Hm?" Sweetie paused before murmuring in an almost inaudible voice, "I…wanna go home…" Luna felt yet another pang in her heart. "I know, Sweetie. I do too." "I miss everypony…I miss my bed. I even miss stupid Opal…" The alicorn gave her a quick hug with her wing. "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. Okay? I will get you home safe and sound. I promise to do my best." Sweetie sniffled. "Th-thank you, Luna…" "Just get some rest for now, okay? You've been through a lot." "O-okay…" She felt the filly's head lay on her hoof and smiled softly as she relaxed once more. "I love you, Luna." "I love you too, little one. Sleep well." As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts became a little more free and vibrant. Hearing Sweetie talk of home reminded her of her own home. The image of her sister would not leave her mind, threatening to make her cry. She thought about all the fun, happy times they'd had together, and she thought about just how much she missed her big sister. She also thought about the last time the two of them had been separated. Luna wondered what Celestia was thinking right now. How did she feel with her little sister gone again? Was she trying to rescue them? Maybe she wasn't able to, and was feeling horrible because of the fact. Luna uttered a small, mournful sigh as she rested. She missed home just as much as Sweetie did, but she couldn't think about that right now. The two of them had to survive to ensure that they would even make it home. Today had been a close call, and the memory made her shudder. All she could do was thank the heavens that Sweetie Belle had pulled through and the two of them were once again safe. So many emotions, both positive and negative, were swirling through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.