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// 19. Cold 
// Story: The Name of Our Mistakes 
// by ObabScribbler 
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Luna shivered. She couldn’t help herself. It had started after she left Celestia, when the adrenaline from their argument had leeched from her. She knew she would soon need to lower the moon and put away all the stars but she genuinely wasn’t sure whether she had the energy. She reached out with her magic and caressed her beautiful night sky, feeling it answer and revelling in her connection to each bright flicker. Her night sky loved her, even if her sister didn’t. Her night sky thought she was wonderful and intelligent and pretty, even if Celestia considered her foolish and ugly. Luna had seen the way Celestia looked at her when she spread her wings. Could she help it if her feathers were falling out? Could she help it if her coat was not as well-conditioned as it used to be? Who was Celestia to judge her as ugly? Who was –

“Princess?”

Luna blinked, for a moment not recognising what she was seeing. Her forelegs trembled from the deep cold that seemed to radiate from inside her as she hooked them over the edge of her balcony. “P-P-Posy?”

Down below, Posy flinched. She probably thought Luna was mocking her, the way she had when they had first met. In fact, Luna’s jaw was shaking so much she could barely speak. She was so cold. Even the jolt of pleasure at seeing Posy was not enough to warm her.

“Wherefore a-art thou h-h-here?” she stuttered, not quite using the Canterlot voice that used to carry from peak to peak of the mountains around its namesake. 

Posy glanced from side to side nervously. Realising she was scared of being caught where she was not supposed to be, Luna clambered onto the balcony and spread her wings. Too late, she remembered her missing feathers and executed a ragged half-soar, half-plummet to the ground. She landed in an ungainly heap and struggled to right herself as Posy dashed to her side. 

“Princess!”

“Hast thou f-f-forgotten what I did t-tell thee?” Luna stood and swayed a little. 

Posy flinched again. “My apologies, uh, Luna.”

“Wherefore are th-thou h-here,” Luna asked with supreme self-control.

Posy looked down at the flowers clutched tight in her hoof. She had done them up with a ribbon. “I … I did hope to see thee. I did sneak from my quarters unseen and … and …” She stared openly. “Luna, thou art ill!”

“I … I … am … fine …” A violent tremor went through Luna. She sank to her knees. 

“Thou art not!” Posy cried. “Luna, what ails thee?”

“I knoweth not …” To Luna’s dismay and disgust, her voice was fearful. As another tremor wracked her beleaguered body, a whimper worked its way up her throat. She didn’t understand what was happening to her and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was frightened. 

And then somepony was embracing her. Posy hugged her tight, and as Luna collapsed on her side, she curled her small body around the larger pony’s as best she could. “A healer,” she whispered. “Thou art in need of a physician –”

“N-Nay!” Luna begged. 

She couldn’t let the full extent of her weaknesses be known. Celestia would surely take full control of ruling the country if she could claim her sister was too sick to rule. Luna’s paranoid mind could easily imagine Celestia casting her down from the throne. Those niggling little suspicions that had grown louder and louder in her mind over the past months now shouted at her to not let it happen. 

But Celestia would never do such a thing, whispered a tiny part of her mind. She is thy sister and loves thee. She would not betray thee. 

But she would! All the signs said so! If Luna wanted evidence she just had to look at the argument they had just had. Celestia wanted to rule alone and would trample Luna’s wishes to get what she wanted.

She wouldn’t!

She would.

Luna shuddered inside and out. “N-N-Nay …”

“But Luna –” Posy begged.

“P-Please … nay …” Luna’s head fell back, resting in the crook of her neck. “The w-warmth of thy b-body sh-shall b-be … s-s-sufficient … m-my P-P-Posy…”

Posy made a noise halfway between a sob and a squeak, curling tighter against her. Luna continued to tremble as the dreadful cold grew and grew inside her. Her legs no longer felt like her own. Her chest ached like she was breathing freezing air. She was surprised clouds of fog didn’t emanate from her nostrils. The world around her grew dark and silent as shadows invaded her vision and she felt her eyes roll up into her head. 

Celestia was out to remove her from power –

But Celestia would never hurt thee –
 
The ponies of Equestria preferred her too –

Not all of them –

They loved the sun more than the moon, the day more than the night –

“Luna … please do not die … oh please … Luna …”

At least one pony loves thee best –

Posy’s pleading was the last thing Luna heard before the darkness took her.