The guards were marching down the road side by side in two separate columns. Not a single emotion was shown on their faces as they marched. The guards wore heavy armor that had a sun and yellow plating, showing it was a elite guard. The curve on the helmet reached high up along with the gold sides. Dozens of them were marching, as far as the eye could see.
The summer grass had departed, leaving a coat of frost in the fields. It looked like a cloud of white had just landed on the ground. Bitter-cold winds struck Celestia when she went outside. The guards avoided the small hills of snow blocking their path as they marched, but otherwise acted as if they didn't notice it at all. Particles of snow, nearly invisible against the white sky, fell softly into the blanket of white.
Very few ponies were out in weather like this. Those who were, wore their woolen scarfs and hats, trying to keep the cold at bay as they quickly scattered for shelter. The clouds overhead left no room for sunlight. Celestia knew a blizzard was approaching considering there had already been one this past month. Some ponies sipped idly at their tea while watching the guards march past them.
Looking through a glass window, Princess Celestia was pleased by the guards, and their orderly fashion. She looked at the snow, worrying about what the approaching storm might bring, hoping nothing terrible happened.
Celestia sat down on her bed, laying her hooves across her bed as she stretched and yawned, thinking back to all her meetings and ceremonies across Equestria. The founders wanted her to come for the anniversary of when Saddle Arabia was founded. Her eyes drooped down and her hair was in knots from the party in Saddle Arabia she had attended to. They had the weirdest party games Celestia had ever seen Ö like riding a bull, or barrel racing, both of which had messed up her mane and coat, leaving it with sand all in it. She hadn't mind the food or drinks, though.
She got up for a couple of stretches, releasing every tight muscle in her body, then rested her head on her hooves and stared at the glass floor. She felt a migraine kicking in, and she rubbed her temples to soothe it. She always had migraines when she was particularly depressed. She was stressed having to do multiple things at once. She would always put on a fake smile when in public even in her lowest moods. An unhappy princess would cause controversy and the ponies would bombard her with questions, demanding answers.
Celestia got up after failed attempts to soothe her headache. Looking out the window again, the guards still were marching along the pathway.
Maybe they will find my mom this time. Yea, today is the day, they will search the borders. She must be there. Alicorns live forever, don't they?
Memories started to flow in her mind about her and her mother. They had been very close, always playing games and gossiping on how cute some royal guards were. Her mother had taken her to the her Gala, and around the world, teaching her how to be a princess. Her sister, Luna, had still been very young then; too young, Celestia thought sadly, to really remember anything about their mother at all.
When Celestia was six years old; her mother had gone to a trip to Manehatten. Celestia remembered it like it was yesterday. Her mother had packed two suitcases; each overflowing with luggage. Her mother had worn dark red scarf along with a red beret Celestia gotten her.
Her mother had said she would be gone for a couple of days... a week at the most. Celestia had begged and begged to be taken along, but her mom had said it was for big ponies; Celestia had claimed she was a big pony, but her mother had simply laughed and said that she wasn't that big yet. She remembered saying her goodbyes, waving her hoof as her mother left on a giant carriage pulled by two husky stallions.
A week, her mother hadn't returned. Worries emerged among the castle staff, and her father had sent troops of guards to search. They searched from the darkest of caves to the highest of grounds. They searched around Manehatten, in every building, ransacking every item there, but it was useless. Her father had searched with the guards for weeks and weeks. They had found no luck; Finally, after twelve years, they had given up on the search. Claiming they had looked everywhere. Celestia had ordered them to start searching again. Celestia had searched with the guards, leading them to places insisting they hadn't looked hard enough. She swore that she had looked in every town, street, and field.
The guards would always claim she was dead, and that there was no hope, but she insisted to keep on searching. They had done so for the next ten years without success. Once in a while, her sister Luna would try to make her sister see reason, insisting that their mother had to be long dead, but, that only made her grief worse.
Celestia lay on her bed, lost in her unhappy thoughts, rubbing her aching temples as she tried to soothe her headache. A sudden knock at her door snapped her out of those thoughts with a groan as the loud, unexpected noise made her migraine flare up even worse than before. Wincing in pain, she dragged herself off of the bed and over to the door to give whoever it was a piece of her mind for disturbing her.
She flung the door open and found one of her own royal guards standing there. He was covered with snow, yet he was visibly sweating, and his wings were dragging the ground in exhaustion, as if he'd flown all the way across Equestria with news so important he hadn't dared waste a moment stopping to rest, or even to dust the snow off his body before bringing the news to her.
"What do you-?" she started to snap in aggravation. She stopped as she recognized a particular symbol on his helmet. He was one of her search guards. "What is it? Have you found my mother?" she asked insistently.
"No...no my princess, but w...we have found a letter from... your mother." he said, stumbling over those words which Celestia has waited so long to hear.
"Wh...where is she!"
"W...we don't know. The guards searched a distance past the border, breaking your rules. We found a carriage crashed into the ground. Two dead guards were there; along with some changelings. From the blood; it looked like they both put up a fight. We searched around the disaster site, and found this letter. There was no trace of your mother; Princess."
Celestia snatched the letter. It had pieces of it torn off, and it had splatters of blood in spots on the crumpled piece of paper. She read it, her eyes widening at every word.
My Dearest Daughter,
You know that I have always loved you with all of my heart, but I know that when you are reading this letter, I will not be in Equestria any longer. I will not spend the warm, sunny afternoons in the meadow drinking tea and gossiping any more. No longer will I be able to comfort you when you shed tears of sadness onto your soft pillow after your terrible nightmares. Should you read this, it means that I have gone from the magnificent world that I once lived in, and I will not return. Mommy has become very sick, doctors had tried to help, but nothing has worked. I have a terrible sickness that can't be cured.
You will always be my little Sunshine. You will do great things in your future when you become a princess. Mommy wants you to stay real strong for me, please take care of Lulu and your father. From the day you were born I knew I would always love you. Seeing you in my arms was the best thing in the world. I know Lulu will become great just like you too, and I will love you both forever. I am so sorry to let you down Sunshine, I will miss you so much, I don't want to lose you. No one is better than you and your father and your sister. Push forward and stay safe for your Mommy. Protect Lulu, my little Sunshine, and please do not be sad. Bring forth the new day and look to the future for more happiness ahead. I am sorry that you and Lulu can not be with me during this time, but I do not wish for my favorite fillies to cry.
On the bottom of the note there are some pictures of when you were born, and of when you were little. I was going to show you them when I got back. I was so proud of you, when you said your first words, and walked for the first time. Watching you fly, and teaching you all about magic. I remember when you cast your first spell turning Lulu into a frog. We both laughed and had a fun time.
Everpony must say goodbye someday. Cherish the good moments in life with Lulu my little Sunshine. I'm am deeply sorry I can't be here right now with both of you in my arms. Take care of Lulu for me til the days end. You will become the greatest princess in all of Equestria.
I love you forever and ever.
Lots of love, Your mommy.
As she read the letter, tears began to trickle down her cheeks. At first, she didn't want to believe it was real. But she knew what her mother's writing looked like, and nopony alive today would know that her mother always called her "little Sunshine"... She read it again, and again, weeping, then finally bawling into her hooves, the tears flowing from her eyes like a waterfall as she finally convinced herself that the letter was real. The guard left quietly, closing the door behind him, leaving his Princess alone with her grief.
There were photographs; attached to a paperclip. She looked at them in awe. These were pictures when she was a filly growing up. Pictures of her being held by her mother. Pictures of their tea time, and when they learned to fly. Her first times using magic, and hanging out on the beach.The last picture showed her mother holding her, singing a lullaby while. Celestia fell asleep in her mother's arms.
I love you mom, forever. I will never forget about you when I am in the lowest of moods. You were the light in my path when I was little. I hope to see you again one day. I miss you.
