Prologue: A filly asleep in the gardens
As I look now upon the sleeping foal in my bed, I can't help but wonder how ponies could let things like this happen. How I could let this happen. I found her this morning, shivering in the cold, trying to sleep in the Royal Gardens. I'm not sure how she got there, but I thank the lucky stars that she chose this place to take shelter, else I'd not have found her.
I was taking my morning walk through the gardens, as I always do before I must raise the sun, when I heard a soft sniffling nearby. At first, I thought that maybe I had woken one of the garden animals, but I then realized it was the sound of sobbing. And it was then I found her, curled up with nothing to cover her on a stone bench, eyes squeezed shut and tears running down her face.
And now she's here, tucked away between the warm covers of my bed, getting some much needed sleep. She's a small filly, probably no older than six, a sky-blue unicorn with warm, yellow eyes. Her blue mane was ragged and dirty when I took her back to the castle, but after a short shower and a good brush it became locks of curls. I knew she was exhausted, but I couldn't let the poor thing go to bed cold and muddy, could I? She fell asleep on my back before I could get her to bed.
A homeless filly in Canterlot? I've already written a letter to the city orphanage inquiring if they had any record of her, but the sick feeling in my stomach tells me that she has been on her own for quite a while. If she had run away from Pink Heart's Home for Foals, then she would not be in such a desolate state. Missing foals are not a trivial matter. She would have been found by now, and if not, I would know about it.
I remain at my desk, just watching her sleep, wondering what I'll do. Abandonment is not common in Equestria, something I'm glad for, which makes it likely that they either were separated or that her parents have passed away. If it is found that she has been abandoned however, I will not rest until the parents have been found and properly punished. The notion that this filly could have purposefully been put in this state makes my skin crawl. I can't imagine any mother or father who would do such a thing to their own child.
But... that isn't important right now. There is still work to be done, and this filly needs to be taken care of. I might need to reschedule a few things, like my meeting with members of the nobility over the Griffon immigrants issue, but-
The little unicorn sighs in her sleep before shifting a bit.
Or maybe I can just cancel everything.
"Celestia? Celestia, why are you still sleeping?" a familiar voice wakes me.
I crack my eyes open, and let out a yawn.
"Was I?" Another yawn escapes me as I realize that I'm still sitting at my desk. I steal a quick glance at the grandfather clock for the time. 8 AM? I jump up from my chair. "Oh goodness, I've overslept! I haven't raised the sun! I-"
"At ease, sister," Luna chides, a smug smile upon her lips. "I've raised the sun in your stead."
"You did?" It wasn't like her to be up so early.
"Yes, your early return to your chambers woke me. When I noticed that the sun hadn't risen on time, I went to check on you, and you were asleep. So, I rose the sun and let you sleep a bit longer."
"Thank you, Luna," I say, my chest feeling much lighter. Suddenly, I remember the cause of my unplanned nap. My eyes snap to my bed. The filly. "Did you see her..?" I trail off, relieved to see that the little unicorn was still asleep under the covers. The steady rise and fall of her breathing was calming.
"The filly in your bed? Yes, I did notice our surprise guest when I visited earlier. I thought it best not to wake her until you had awoken and explained the situation to me. Pray tell -- have you found a new student already?" Her eyes widen a little at her last question, and I can't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"No, no, I think I've earned a rest from being a teacher for the time being." I feel my smile fall into a frown. "I found her this morning, in the gardens. She's homeless, Luna. I couldn't just leave her."
"Why, I thought the conditions had improved during my absence," my sister says, donning a frown of her own.
"They have. Which is why her predicament is so inexplicable. A homeless filly in Canterlot? You should have seen her before I cleaned her up. She hasn't had a home for a long, long while." My stomach began to churn.
"That is strange, then. What are we to do about it?"
"Well, I've already sent a letter to Pink Heart's. Just to check if they had any record of her at all. I'd like to talk to her, once she wakes, to see how this... happened."
"I see." Luna looked over at the sleeping figure of the filly. "She looks peaceful. We should let her rest a while yet." She turns back to me, brows furrowed. "Sister, you have duties to attend to, do you not?"
"Actually," I begin, suppressing a nervous laugh, "I was hoping to cancel my appointments for the day so that I may watch over her. I'd like to be here when she wakes up. I doubt she'd like to wake to an empty room, or to a guard or maid or whoever else might wait in my stead."
"If that is what you wish, Sister. I'll send a message to Raven informing her of your... change in plans." She lets out a sigh as a small smile creeps onto her face. "You'll do well to not scare her out of her tiny hooves now, won't you?"
"Me? Scare a filly?" I feign a large gasp.
"Wouldn't be the first time, sister," she teases me with a wink. "Well, I'd best be going. This better be worth rescheduling the refugee meeting."
And with that, she was gone.
It's nearly noon, and still, she sleeps soundly.
I swear, by the time she wakes, my flanks will be glued to this blasted chair! Well, it wasn't like I could just completely shirk my duties, incredibly adorable filly or not. Luna had what could be worked on in private—paperwork, really—sent up to me soon after she left. Luckily, it didn't require much thought, as it consisted mostly of already approved plans that only needed my signature, but that didn't make it any less tedious. I let out a long-winded sigh, and chuckle to myself. Why, I feel like a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve night! While these circumstances are less than merry, I cannot help but feel excited to... to...
Well, why am I excited?
I drop my quill onto my desk and stare forward, into the wall. Surely, I am also furious about the wrong that has been done to her. I am scared for her, too, for what other harm may have happened to her. And moreover, a great sorrow weighs down my heart, a guilt that tells me that this is my fault.
But underneath all that, there is excitement, too.
Strange, I—It isn't undermining the other feelings at all. If anything, it's strengthening them, but I can tell it's something else entirely. Hm, I wonder...
WOMF
Huh? Oh dear, that came from—
I turn around to see that the filly has fallen out of bed, all jumbled in the covers and sheets still tucked in to the frame. Quiet snores still escape her, and I can't help but smile. My heart warms as I remember when Twilight was her age. She'd done the same thing, multiple times of course, never failing to leave dream land after hitting the floor in a mass of blankets and fluff. Well, if there was one thing I learned then, it's that if she doesn't wake now, then she never will.
She just needs a little... push.
I get up from my chair—Ah, yes, my flanks definitely were glued to that chair, comfy or not. Ouch, that smarts—and rest with my legs tucked beneath me near the small filly. Ha-ha, still snoring I see! Hm, she really does remind me of little Twilight...
Gently, I brush my wing tips over her, as to bring some minor annoyance to wake her. Her nose crinkled, and she began to stir.
Her big, yellow eyes crack open, little by little, and she shifts into a more comfortable position. Oh my—why, if that isn't the cutest little yawn I've ever seen! I giggle. She has filly Twilight running for her money.
She starts at the sound of my giggling, and her eyes widen. She doesn't notice me at first, but her surroundings, and begins to snap her eyes from place to place very quickly.
"Where am I?" she squeaks, though there is no fear laced within her voice. True curiosity.
"Canterlot Castle," I reply casually, and it's then that her tiny head swivels around to see me.
"It wasn't a dream?" Her mouth is agape.
"No, little one, it was not," I answer, holding back more laughter. "What's your name?"
"Oh, um, it's..." She mules over it for a while, and I can't tell if she's trying to decide whether or not to tell me, or if she's attempting to make something up on the spot. "Rain."
"Rain?" Well, that's odd for a unicorn.
"Yeah, my father was a pegasus." That statement sounded one inflection short of a question... "What's your name?"
"My name?" I can't help but laugh around this one! "You can call me Miss Celly. It is my pleasure meeting you today, Rain. Now, first, let me make sure you know you're not in trouble." I look her sternly in the eyes, though a smile is still set on my face.
"Why would I be in trouble?" Rain cocks her head to the side like a confused puppy.
"Because I'm going to have to ask you a few questions."
"About what?"
"About, you, silly," I say with a smile. "We'll start with some easy ones now. After, we can go get some brunch, and save the rest for later. How does that sound?"
"Okay," she answers simply, nodding. Her curiosity has returned.
"Well, you already told me your name, Miss Rain!" I chuckle at my own accidental half-rhyme. "How old are you?"
"How old are you?"
"Hmm, very, very old," I answer mischievously. I'd grown used to this one over the years. "Older than allllllllll of Equestria."
"I'm just 5. 5 and 3 quarters," she adds hastily at the end.
"I can't believe it!" I gasp. "You're older than me!"
"No way," she giggles. "You're like... a bajillion years old!"
I thought I'd gotten over the age guessing, but the sharp jab in my chest tells me otherwise. Stop it, Celestia. Alicorns don't get old, alicorns don't get old, alicorns don't get old, alicorns don't...
Well, at least she's loosened up.
"You got me! Just one more question, okay, Rain? Then we can go get some brunch, anything you'd like. If it's too hard to answer right now, that's okay. Just tell me, and we'll stop talking about it, okay?" Goodness, hopefully nothing traumatic...
"Okay." She nods.
"Okay." I confirm with a nod of my own. "Now, remember how I said you're not in trouble?" She nods again. "I just want to know why you were in the Royal Gardens this morning, Rain. Did someone bring you there? Were you lost?"
"Oh..." she trails off and turns her gaze to her hooves. "Um, I don't... I don't really remember." She sounds more befuddled than upset.
"You don't remember? What do you mean?" A part of myself whispers that I shouldn't push any further, not yet, but this situation is more than curious. This wasn't a silly lie told by a foal afraid of being punished for their actions -- she really didn't know.
"I don't know how I got there." She looked off toward the window, a puzzled look on her face. "I don't remember."
I decide to heed my own warnings, and refrain from asking anything else. For now...
"That's okay, Rain. I'm sure we'll get this all sorted out later." I rise up and stretch my legs a little. "Now how about you and I go have some brunch, hm?"
"Yes please, Miss Celly!" She brightens up almost immediately and jumps to her hooves with a smile.
"All right then, follow me to the kitchen, and let's see what Chef Brûlée can whip up for us."
As we walk out of my chambers and into the hallway, another voice nags me from the back of my mind.
Where did this strange filly come from?
Author's Note
And so it begins.
This is a story about family and the type of emptiness that is felt when one realizes they've been missing something vital all along...
