One Last Letter

I woke up to the sound of music. But not just any music, my music. In fact, it was the flute piece I'd composed and been working on for most of my life. A piece I'd never performed in public, and certainly never made a recording of. As I sat up and looked around the room in confusion, my brain slowly caught up. This wasn't the cheap inn I had broken into, this was a hospital room. And sitting on the bedside table was a gramophone, and a sealed letter, addressed to me. From Princess Celestia. There wasn't an iv dripping morphine into me, and I wasn't dead. Shocked, I picked up the letter, opened it, and read.

Dear Shadowed Song,

I am so sorry. You slipped through the cracks, and I didn't find you in time. All those years alone, in pain and afraid, I cannot begin to express my regret that I couldn't save you.

I know you thought that nopony cared about you. That nothing you did mattered. But I want you to know, and truly believe me, there is somepony that has watched over you your entire life. She spent every moment of the past twenty years cheering for you, and listening to your music. She did everything in her power to try and help you out. Your music floated through the night, and found her when she needed it most. In the depths of her despair, your song saved my little sister, and gave her a reason to fight back against her own nightmares.

Last night was the first time I've heard from her in almost a thousand years. Thinking you were about to die, she broke a part of the spell binding her to the moon, and implored me to come save you. She could have escaped from her banishment, but instead she used her magic to keep you alive until I got here. She asked me to tell you, please, keep making music. Keep her company until she's able to return to Equestria, and hear you in person. She loves your music, and she truly cares about you.

I would also ask you do this. Please, I beg of you. Play for my sister, and live. You've done more for her than I ever could, and thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. Once you've recovered enough to leave the hospital, I would like to talk to you, face to face.

Until then, be well. And thank you once again.

Yours truly,
Princess Celestia.

I put the letter back onto the table and laid back down, tears streaming down my muzzle. I couldn't tell if it was from the letter, or the fierce ache I could now feel throughout my body. As I listened to my music, and drifted back to sleep, I smiled, for the first time in years.