How to Save a Nightmare

Chapters

A night to remember
A dawn to understand
Salvation
Hero

A night to remember

The little unicorn filly was trembling in fear as she reached the statue of Nightmare Moon, the only feature of the clearing in the wall of trees.
She had white coat, bright red eyes and deep purple curly mane.
She looked in horror at the statue in front of her, and then noticed a smaller one at its feet depicting a pony holding something round shaped in its forehoofs.
She stood there, in the darkened Everfree forest, her eyes fixed on the smaller statue, until curiosity bested fear.
She drawled near the smaller statue and made out more particulars: it was a pegasus stallion, its coat of dark blue degrading to black towards its hooves, its mane pure white, much like the dots on his flank that made out a starry moonless sky; it was holding a stone bowl in which rested a silver necklace with a teardrop-like diamond pendant.
She thought it was strange that such a pretty necklace was in that dreadful place, so she tried to take it.
The pegasus' eyes darted open and fixed in the filly's. They were green and reptile-like, but more importantly full of spite, hatred and sadness.
The filly reared under that gaze, trying to run away from the stallion, but she stumbled and fell.

"Please, let me go" begged the terrified filly, eyes tightly shut.

"Sure, why should I keep you there?" asked a calm, deep voice in front of her.

She dared to look, and found out the pegasus, now much less statue-like, was smiling, only sadness and kindness now in his eyes. She found that smile strangely reassuring, despite the clearly visible fangs.

"Aren't you mad?" asked shyly the unicorn sitting up.

"No, not with you little miss. I thought you were someone else"

"May I ask why are you sleeping in such a place? I thought you were a statue"

"What a curious filly you are, uh? Well, here I have so many memories, here is where I live, waiting" said the pegasus sounding extremely tired.

"Waiting?" asked the curious filly.

"Yes"

"Who are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for... Well, let's say an old friend"

"You talk in a funny way mister. May I ask you name?" giggled the filly, much more at ease.

"My name is Northern Sky, but you can call me Sky if you want, and your name?"

"I'm called Rare Belle" said the filly with a slight bow.

"You are her daughter!" roared the stallion jumping on his hoofs and flaring his wings "You are the daughter of Generosity!"

The filly jumped back and tried to run away from the angered pegasus, but she tumbled again. She started cowering in fear, saying she didn't know what he meant.

"You're not Rarity's daughter?" said Sky frowning.

"R-rarity? As in princess Rarity?" asked the trembling filly.

The pegasus reached for her and gently caressed her head with his right wing.

"Sorry little Rare, I didn't mean to scare you"

The filly nodded and sat up, while the pegasus returned to the statue.

"You said princess? Well, that was to be expected: after what we did..." a sad smile crept on Sky's muzzle as he said those words.

"You know auntie?" asked Rare, fearing another outburst.

"Auntie? Are you Sweetie Belle's daughter?"

"Granddaughter"

"Wow, to think I slept that much... Anyway yes, I know Rarity and the other bearers"

"You know the other princesses as well? You must be an important pony!"

"Pony? I'm not a pony..."

"You're obviously a pegasus, so you are a pony, no?"

"Tell me, do you know what happened to princess Celestia and princess Luna?" asked Sky with a sly smile.

"They fought Nightmare Moon and died three hundreds years ago, when auntie and her friends became alicorns and the new princesses"

"Is that the official version? What a shame" he said shaking his head slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"They lied!" said Sky flaring his wings once again.

"Ya better stand back, monster!" shouted a voice above them.

A orange alicorn landed between the two of them and glared at him. She had green eyes and a flowing mane of pure gold flames.

"Oh, good night, miss Applejack, or should I say princess?" said Sky with a sly smile.

"Ya are all right, Rare?" asked the newcomer keeping her eyes on the stallion.

"Yes, I'm fine: mister Sky kept me company"

At those words Applejack's eye widened.

"Ya hypnotized her?" inquired the mare.

"What? No! It's you who has the horn between us!"

"Fine, now go back to your slumber before I decide that your life is not worth to be spared"

"Oh, you threaten me? That's so fun! You know that even without magic I'm too much for you to take"

"Ah'm stronger than three centuries ago"

"Yes, and judging by your mane you rise the sun, right? It's a moonless night, my domain! You came for the foal, take her and go away: what I do with my eternity is not up to you to decide" said the nightmare, sounding once again extremely tired.

"Applejack, why does he live here?" asked the filly.

"Because there's no place for me in your auntie's world, little miss" answered Sky sitting at the base of the statue.

"'cause he's a dangerous monster" replied the alicorn.

"I never sentenced anypony to death for his or her race!" shouted back Northern Sky.

"Still ya killed the princesses!"

"What? Why, Sky?" asked the unicorn.

"They tried to kill me and my beloved one, I had to"

"Ya're lyin'!" shouted Applejack.

"No, dear princess, and you know this right? That is because you six never came after me, because you know that I am not the murder you want me to be!"

"Applejack, why did the princesses do something so bad?" asked the filly, confusion in her eyes.

"Because I revived Nightmare Moon"

"But Nightmare Moon is evil! Why would you revive her?"

Tears started flowing out of the stallion's eye.

"Because we loved each other" he whispered.

Silence fell on the opening, broken only by the sound of the tears falling down to earth.

"Ah reckon it's time we go, Rare" said the mare, putting a hoof on the filly's shoulder.

"Little miss, before you go, take the necklace"

"No! That's what made ya a nightmare!" roared the alicorn.

"Don't spout nonsense, Applejack: the tear is just a diamond! I'm like this because Nightmare Moon cast a spell on me. But if you don't believe me, bring it to Twilight, she will tell you the same thing"

"Fine, but if she becomes like ya -" started saying the princess.

"I said don't threaten me, Applejack, I don't like killing royalties, but I'm good at it. If what your paranoia fathoms happen, then I will teach you how to 'cure' her, if that's what she desires"

The alicorn levitated the necklace off the ground where it had fallen and then the filly on her back.

"Good bye princess of the sun, good bye little Rare. Don't forget me" he said waving a hoof at the duo, in particular to the sad looking filly, who waved back at him.

A second later, there was a flash of light and they were gone, leaving the pegasus alone once again, sitting where he had been for the past three centuries.
He sighed and returned to his dreamless slumber.

Author's Note

I was feeling pretty down yesterday and this come out... I personally like where this is going, so I thought to upload it.

Let me now what you think, please.

A dawn to understand

"But where could she have gone? We searched all of Canterlot already!" half cried the white alicorn on the brink of tears.

Her deep purple mane waved furiously like a torrent in spring instead of her normal calm flow.

"She's the only family I have after her parents died in that train accident. What will I do if she's... ?" she said as sobs cut her breath and sentence.

"Calm down, Rarity, we'll find her for sure" said Twilight hugging her with both her forelegs and her wings.

Her mane kept a calm flow resembling a purple and pink fog bank dotted with stars.
While her friend wore none of the regalia she used wearing during the day, the lavender alicorn wore silver horseshoe and breastplate, plus the tiara with the element of magic, since she was technically holding court.
She kept comforting her crying friend until she heard hoofsteps in the hallway.
The massive oaken doors of the throne room opened quietly to reveal the princess of the sun, a bright smile on her face.

"Oh, Applejack! I hope that this smile comes with good news" said Twilight without letting go of Rarity.

"Sure as hay they are!" she said levitating the little unicorn from her back down to the floor in front of the duo.

"Rare Belle!" said Rarity wrapping her forehooves around her niece, as tears kept on flowing down her cheeks and her mane calmed down.

"Aren't you mad, auntie?" asked the confused filly.

"Of course I am, and a lot! But right now I'm just happy you're safe" answered the white alicorn in a dramatic tone.

"Your aunt was really worried Rare, we all were" said Twilight in a motherly tone.

"Sorry auntie, sorry princesses" said the filly hanging her head.

"Twi, Ah reckon we've gotta leave 'hem alone, and Ah've somethin' Ah want to ask ya" said the orange mare.

The lavender one nodded.

"Rarity, it was a nerve wracking day: why don't you take your niece and go to sleep?" suggested Twilight with a sweet smile.

"That's a good idea dear. See you tomorrow" answered the exhausted mare with a smile before levitating the white filly on her back and saying "Let's go Rare, this night you'll sleep with me".

Later the same night, when also the other three princesses had returned and took their leave to their chambers after Twilight and Applejack had assured them that they could held court in their place, the duo stood in the silent throne room.
It hadn't changed much in the last three hundred years: it was the same long room, with high stained glass windows telling the tales from the past history of Equestria and dark purple tapestries bordered in silver and bearing the crest of the night court and of equestrian hexarchy; the main difference was that, in the wall far from the door, at the end of the now black velvety carpet, stood three onyx thrones.
The moon princess sat in the central one, while the sun hexarch sat to her right, turning her seating into white alabaster.

"Before we start, thank you for finding the little one" said Twilight with a smile.

"It was a nice diversion and it brought me back to the good ol' times when Apple Bloom went crusadin'..." said Applejack waving a hoof in a dismissive manner.

"I know how you miss her AJ, I'm sorry" said the lavender mare hugging her friend.

"Let's not talk 'bout that, ok?" simply replied the orange one returning the embrace.

"Sure. So, what is it that needs all this secrecy?"

"It's 'bout the filly: Ah found her in the Everfree, near Nightmare Moon's statue"

"Did he hurt her?" asked Twilight fixing her eyes on the other's.

"'Course not, Ah would have told Rarity otherwise! The problem is that he gave to lil' Rare his necklace: Ah want to 'now if it's safe for her" she answered levitating the pendant in front of her friend.

"Only that?" asked the lavender alicorn relaxing a bit while she observed the drop-shaped diamond.

"Unluckily no" sighed the orange one "They talked 'bout that night"

"I don't really see the problem there" commented Twilight scanning the jewel with her magic.

"What if she goes around sayin' that Celestia and Luna murdered Nightmare Moon? Ah don't think Ah can explain what a preventive strike is to a seven years old filly..."

The moon princess stopped poking the necklace with a hoof and looked to her friend.

"Aj, I think you're overreacting: nopony will ever believe a filly babbling about Nightmare Moon being good and the late princesses being murderers. Yet, I think that having her promise not to talk about him would prove necessary to avoid a horde of foals getting themselves killed by manticores and timberwolves" she said placing a silver clad hoof on her friend shoulder.

"And Ah thought ya would overreact as ya usually do" said Applejack giggling.

"I promised Spike to behave while he tends to the dragon migration" answered the other sticking her tongue out.

After sharing a warm laugh, the orange mare said:

"Ya 'now Twi, if your court is always this lively, I'm happy to held the day one"

Twilight stepped wearily towards her quarters, her hooves clicking on the marble stairs, as the first rays of sunshine filtered from the windows.
She approached the birch doors of her room and pushed them open with her magic.
She almost jumped when she heard a quiet voice addressing her from her hoofs:

"Uhm, Twilight?" asked the white unicorn filly.

"Rare Belle! I didn't see you! What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, but I have a question and I cannot ask auntie because Applejack made me promise not to"

"I guess it's about this night then, right?"

The filly nodded, the mare sighed but gestured her into the room.
It was round, mostly occupied by the circular bed; the carpet, the curtains and the bed sheets were a light shade of purple, the walls of black marble were almost covered by birch bookshelves.
In a smaller bed, near Twilight's, was currently sleeping Spike.
It was surprising how in three hundred years he had grown only slightly and was just a bit less chubby; the main difference was that he now had a pair of leather wings.
The alicorn removed her regalia and set them of the nightstand, then she sat on the bed and levitated the filly next to her.

"Let me guess, it's about something Northern Sky said to you?" guessed the lavender mare making herself comfortable.

"Yes: he said that Nightmare Moon wasn't evil and that the princesses killed her anyway. Is that true?"

Twilight mind returned to her talk with Applejack hours ago and smiled bitterly for a second before sighing and saying:
"Yes and no"

"What does that mean?" asked the filly corking her head.

"You know who Nightmare Moon was, right? Then you know that she was fueled by hatred and jealousy and that she wanted to bring the eternal night upon Equestria. The last time she returned we, the elements and the princesses, acted guessing she was still like that. Now, we know we were wrong: she just wanted a peaceful life with her coltfriend, Northern sky, but we didn't believe her. The rest of the story is history..."

"And why does Sky lives in the forest?" asked Rare noticing that Twilight didn't like the previous subject.

"After we became the new princesses, he came and asked to be given the death sentence"

"Death sentence? What is it?" interrupted the confused unicorn.

"To put it simple, he wanted to die" explained Twilight, with a weary tone "Of course we denied it, but we couldn't simply let him go. So we exiled him. Needless to say he never left Equestria"

"That's a very sad story... Thank you Twilight, I'll let you rest now. Sleep well!" said Rare jumping down from the bed and leaving the room.

Author's Note

So, a pair of days ago I was stuck to wait for a pair of hours in the train station and so I decided to write a bit...

To all those who like this story, thank you for the support!

Salvation

Northern Sky opened his draconic eyes and, for the second time in a week, saw a white filly fixing him back. She was wearing a very familiar necklace and a wide smile.

"Good evening, little miss. After last time, I was under the impression that your aunt and her friends didn't like the idea of you coming here, just as they didn't like me" he said in a tired tone.

"Well, it's not that they don't like you... It's more something along the lines of fearing that you might hurt me. But I'm sure you will never do that: you said it yourself that you're not a murderer" said Rare Belle with a confident grin.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in me, uh? What if I lied?" he said observing her reaction.

"Twilight told me the whole story: I know you told me the truth" she said, her expression unchanged.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't the whole story, anyway you are an interesting filly, and very lucky I must add!" he said with a smile "So, what are you here for?"

"I'm here to save you!" announced Rare striking a dramatic pose.

"To save me?" he asked, his confusion rising.

"Exactly!"

"And from what?"

"But from yourself, silly!"

In the ocean of confusion in which he was swimming shone the light of comprehension.

"Let me get this straight: you want to rehabilitate me? Like they tried to do with Discord when I was still a regular pegasus? Little miss, I think you're missing a piece here: nopony in his right mind might ever accept me!" he said shaking his head.

"But I accepted you" protested the filly.

"You are an idealist, a dreamer like Celestia was. If you were an alicorn, you might have been a great princess" he said gazing the distance.

"Then you don't even want to try?" implored Rare Belle with her best puppy eyes.

"Little miss, dog eyes don't work on me" he answered flatly.

"Oh, then I'll go home. Goodbye, I guess" said the defeated unicorn hanging her head and turning around.

"Wait, you're gonna walk to Canterlot in the Everfree? That would be pushing your luck a little too much"

"I suppose so" said the filly hiding a mischievous smile.

"You're such a dirty cheater, little miss" joked Sky noticing her grin that soon turned into a giggle.

He got on his hooves and motioned her to jump on his back saying: "Come, I'll bring you there"

"Oh, what a gentlecolt" she said not caring anymore to hide her smile.

In less than fifteen minutes, Canterlot was clearly visible under the pale crescent moon, and within the next five Sky was landing in one of the many plazas of the city.

"You know, I can walk on my own" protested Rare Belle when he started pacing towards the palace instead of letting her down.

"I know little miss, but you seem to have the tendency to wander in dangerous places if left unchecked" he mocked her while walking down a large alley.

It was very long, paved in light gray stone, with crystal lamps about every 10 meters on both sides of the road, and connected the plaza in which they landed with the main one, just outside the palace entrance.
There, under a massive rampant statue of the late princesses, stood a trio of unicorn guards. They all looked alike: white coat and mane, heavy golden armor.

"Excuse me, sirs" started saying the nightmare nearing the group.

"Good night citizen. I'm sorry but we have not the time to hear you out: we are on duty to find princess Rarity's niece" explained one of them wearing a stern expression.

"Lieutenant sir, did you notice that this citizen here has fangs?" said the youngest of the three.

"What nonsense are you- Sweet Fluttershy, he has fangs! He's a vampire! Seize him!" shouted the lieutenant upon spotting Sky's fangs.

"Hey, he isn't a vampire!" exclaimed Rare Belle, poking from behind his head.

"Oh, horsefeaters" muttered the nightmare guessing what was going to happen and mentally reading himself to dash away while taking a step back.

"It's the filly, he ponynapped her and has enslaved her to his will with his vampiric powers!" exclaimed the third guard.

Northern Sky didn't wait for the lieutenant to repeat his orders and started galloping away in the direction he has come from.

"What are you doing?" half shouted the filly on his back as the first light blue magical beams darted around them.

"Flying would attract even more attention so I'm running" he explained in an annoyed tone.

"I mean: why are you running?"

"Because I'm pretty sure that they won't listen to a word we say; moreover, being a nightmare doesn't make me much more well accepted than a vampire" explained Sky with a sad tone.

After a pair of minutes of randomly turning in the smaller alleys, the nightmare finally managed to give the guards the slip by skidding in an inn, hoping to be able to avoid other troubles.

"Sky, I believe we could have a little problem here" said with shaky voice the filly on his back gazing around the room.

"What problem could possibly-" he started saying as he turned around, but he stopped seeing the room.

It was a pretty plain room, with the great number of round tables you expect from such a place; everything was made of a warm colored wood the nightmare couldn't recognize, all in all was a normal tavern.
It was the adornments which were strange: there was garlic hanging in braids from the ceiling, and between the biggest two was a large banner inscribed the words "annual vampire hunters convention".
All the sixty ponies in the room were currently looking at him, or to be more accurate, at his mouth.

"Oh, come on!" said the stallion in an exasperated tone as those who attended the convention started approaching, some of them recovering wooden stakes from inside their capes.

He didn't waste any more time in futile explanations and rushed into the streets, where he immediately took flight.

"I thought you said that flying catches too much attention" commented the filly gripping his neck in order to avoid falling.

"You're right little miss, but they cannot get me while I'm flying" explained him trying to suppress his usual tired tone.

"Uhm, I'm pretty sure I saw some pegasi in th-" started protesting Rare, only to stop and warn: "Look out, they're coming!"

He only nodded before dashing towards the castle, leaving behind a white trail and a group of stupefied looking pegasi.

The whole plan, even if hastily patched up, could have worked in its simplicity: fly as fast as possible towards the castle, leave the filly and run in the Everfree.
Yet, there was one miscalculation, or three if we want to be precise, that made the plan go terribly wrong: the trio of guards was still near the inn when Sky took flight and, hearing all the commotion and identifying its source, they didn't waste time and opened fire.

As the first magic bolts passed by his side, the nightmare started the descending route that would have made him land in the castle garden.
Unfortunately for him, those who where trying to get him weren't exactly newbie and eventually hit their target, who ungracefully landed in the main plaza at the feet of Celestia's statue.
There, having shielded the filly with his body receiving quite the blow, he lost consciousness.

When the three guards reached the plaza, the vampire hunters had already set up two piles of wood and were ready to set them on fire with the two ponies who stood tied on top.

"Stop this at once!" ordered the lieutenant with clear voice "That filly is princess Rarity niece!"

The angry mob didn't like the intrusion at all and proceeded in dealing with the trio.
A couple of minutes later, a sand colored earth pony with a large hat and a very long black coat stood in front of the pile and said: "Brothers and sisters, this night we purge Equestria from two horrible monsters!"

At those words, the crowd roared its approval and many curious faces appeared at the windows that gave view on the plaza.

"This night we burn those vampires! Light the fires!"

As Applejack entered the throne room she found a scene she had seen less than a week before: an inconsolable Rarity weeping in Twilight's shoulder.

"Please, tell me you found her again" implored the moon princess visibly exhausted.

"Ah'm mighty sorry Twi, she wasn't even in the Everfree" said the orange alicorn hanging her head.

"Why would my sweetie be in that dreadful place?" asked the white mare raising he head.

"Did you ask him if he saw her?" asked Twilight ignoring her friend question.

"Him? Wait, you're talking about the nightmare?" Rarity tried again to insert herself in the conversation.

"He wasn't there either. What could have happened?" said Applejack shaking her head.

Before the white princess could lash out or the lavender one could think of any explanation, a very loud filly cry came from outside the castle perimeter.

Between the cacophony the mob was making and the sudden surge of heat below, both the 'vampire and his supporter' regained consciousness.
Rare Belle, being a bright filly, understood in a blink what was happening and did what every foal in her predicament would have done: she started crying. Very aloud.
Northern Sky instead started trying the sturdiness of the silver chains they had used to tie him. He realized that he could easily break his restraint once it was a bit heated up, but waiting would mean killing the filly, whose cry was making her breath far too much smoke.
He let out a deep sigh knowing that his choice would bring far too much pain.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" demanded Rarity landing with Applejack and Twilight in the middle of the mob with an angry scowl, her magic empowered voice reverberating in the plaza.

"Rejoice princesses, for we are saving Equestria!" declared the one that held the rains of the crowd with a wide smile.

"Auntie!" scoffed Rare Belle from one of the two bonfires.

"THAT'S MY NIECE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" yelled 'auntie' trying to make her way through the mob together with her friends.

The vampire hunters, probably prey of fanatism-induced delirium, tried their best to stop the three alicorns following blindly their chief orders. Useless to say, many of them were hospitalized after the whole thing ended.

While all this was happening, Sky finally managed to roll down the pyre and into the raging flames.
The fire, while biting his flesh, heated the chains enough for him to break them.
Fueled by the pain he was feeling and by a surge of adrenaline, with a flap of wings he was out of that inferno and went to save Rare Belle.
As the whole crowd looked with mixed emotion the scene, the coughing filly was deposed at her aunt's hooves by a badly scorched Northern Sky, who had only the time to smile before everything went black.

Author's Note

It took me longer than I thought to come up with this chapter, I hope you all like it.

I'm currently working on the fouth and (probably) last chapter, so fear not a long wait!

Hero

"Good evening Sky, I've come once again" greeted Rare Belle emerging from the tortuous path that went from Ponyville to the clearing where Nightmare Moon's statue was.

She was clearly older now, a beautiful young mare in her early seventeen with her mane stylized as her grandma's, yet she was the same at heart. And she still wore the nightmare's pendant.
She slowly paced toward the statue and sat in front of the once pegasus with a big smile.

Northern Sky stood still, as he did the first time she went there.

"It doesn't seem that a year already passed away, uh? I mean, I remember as it was yesterday that I was sitting here telling you that I transferred to Ponyville to teach in the local school!" she said, her smile waving a little.

Again, the nightmare didn't answer, nor moved.

"But enough with the sad memories! From where I should start, there's just so much to tell" she said tapping her chin with a hoof.

She had just decided to start with her first day as a teacher in Ponyville when a rustle from the bushes behind her made her jump.

"Who's there?" she asked getting nearer to her friend.

From said bushes appeared a pair of foals, two of her students: a light blue male pegasus with very short, black mane and tail whose name was Thunder, and a leaf green earth pony filly with her long light pink mane tied up into a braid named Cherry Blossom.
They both had the typical expression wore by foals found out doing something they shouldn't.

"You two, what are you doing here?" asked Rare Belle, who didn't expect to meet anypony in the clearing.

"We're sorry miss Belle, but we saw you coming here and followed you out of curiosity. Please, don't tell our parents!" explained the colt with teary eyes.

"Fine" sighed the unicorn "But next time remember to ask permission before following somepony"

"Sure miss Belle!" they chimed in unison.

"Uhm, may I ask a question?" asked the filly blushing slightly.

"You were wondering who I was talking with, right?" guessed the mare with a knowing glare.

They both nodded.

"Is he your secret coltfriend?" asked Cherry, her eyes sparkling.

At those words, the pegasus made a gagging sound.

"I'm sorry to let you down, but he is just a friend, a very old one" answered Rare suppressing a chuckle.

"But where is he? There's nopony around" protested Thunder glancing all around the clearing "There's just us and those two creepy statues"

"Well, he is one of those creepy statues" said the mare, her mirth faded.

"Uhm, that means that he doesn't exist?" asked the filly corking her head.

"It's a very long story" said the teacher longing at Sky's simulacrum "You see, when I was your age I wandered in this clearing and here I met a pony, no, that's not quite right, for he wasn't a pony, but a nightmare"

This revelation extorted a pair of loud gasps from the two foals.

"You know, that reaction is exactly why I became a teacher, sadly I still couldn't set things right" said Rare Belle with an undecipherable smile before resuming her story.

She told them everything, from they very first meeting, to her conversation with Twilight, to him saving her life from the vampire hunters.

"We were both hospitalized right away, of course, but while I got away with just a bit of rest, his condition was far more severe: even thou he was more resilient than a normal pony, he was too badly burnt. My aunt, to thank him for saving my life, offered to use the Elements to -"

"Excuse me, miss Belle" said Cherry Blossom disrupting her teacher flow of memories "I thought that only the princesses could use the Elements of Harmony, who is you aunt then?"

"Oh, right, I just told you that I lived in Canterlot castle with my auntie. Well, I am princess Rarity niece" explained the mare as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

At those words, both of the foals clumsily bowed down to the ground and said: "We are sorry, your mastic"

"There's no need for that, I'm just a plain teacher; and it should be majesty, not mastic" said Rare with a smile.
As the two stood up once again, she resumed her tale: "Anyway, she offered to my friend to turn him to stone until they would be able to heal him"

"And he accepted?" asked the young pegasus rushing to the obvious conclusion.

"No, he refused"

"Then, how did he become a statue?" asked the filly visibly confused.

"While it's true that he refused auntie's offer, he also asked two thing instead: he begged to be petrified after he... Went to a better place, so he could be rejoined with his special somepony and still stay with me to share many pleasant memories" she concluded with a sad smile.

"And the other request?" asked Thunder after pondering for a while.

"Well..." started the unicorn.

The filly stared curiously at the envelope floating in front of her eyes enchased in a light blue aura.

"Uhm auntie, what's this?" asked Rare Belle shifting her gaze from the letter to her aunt's sad face.

"Northern Sky asked me to give it to you" explained Rarity depositing the letter on the bed her niece was sitting on.

"Oh, is he doing better? Has he already left the hospital?" asked the filly while focusing her attention in opening the envelope with her hooves.

"I think it's better if you read the letter first, dear" was the princess cryptic answer.

Rare nodded and started reading the few words on the sheet she was holding:

Dear little miss,
when you'll read those words, I'll be probably already gone to a better place, but that's not important; I just wanted to thank you for granting my only wish, meeting my special somepony again.
I heard that your aunt wants to reward me with a medal for saving you, like some kind of hero, but the real hero here is you, who saved me and rehabilitated my name in the eyes of the princesses. So, thank you kindly for everything.
Remember me, because I'll be waiting for you,
Northern Sky

The little unicorn put the letter back in the envelope and then on her nightstand before starting to cry, while her aunt embraced her with both forelegs and wings.

Author's Note

And so the story ends...
Thank you all who red this story, who liked and/or faved it, you really made my days :pinkiehappy: