//------------------------------//
// The doubting 
// Story: The letter 
// by zoruatrainer66 
//------------------------------//

"I thought I wiped those off" she said quietly.

"Well you didn't." I said."Mom what were you crying for?" I ask softly, anything that can make my mom cry must be special to her,"here let me help." I say as I get up and walk to the side of her head(she was as big as an Alicorn, and I was still a filly). I snuggle up to the side of her head, then I proceed to try rubbing the tear tracks away with my hoof. When that doesn't work, I try to think of other ways to get rid of the offending stains, I think of a way, but it was a little intimate, I had only ever seen father lick my mothers face, to me that amounted to a kiss. My face reddened a little bit as I imagined my father kissing Mom, I shook my head and cleared my thoughts then asked "um, Mom? Is it alright if I... um... lick them away?"

"Of course dear, what's wrong?" She says confused at my tone in asking the question.

"Oh, it's just that I never saw anypony but Him lick your face." Mom had asked that I don't say father or dad around her. I didn't know the reason, I thought it was some sort of ritual or tradition."I thought it was like a kiss?" I said confusedly.

"Oh it's not a kiss, it's just that nopony else ever needed to." She explains, "of course you can lick them off, here." She then leans down to my eye level so I can proceed. I lick one side and then walk to the other side of her head and do the same.

"There, all done." I say with a quick nuzzle at the end. I then huddle between her forelegs and get comfortable,"Mom?" I ask, as i remember something that has been bothering me.

"Yes dear?" She responds.

I stay quiet for a while before I gather my courage to ask the question."H-how long?" 

"Hmm?" She looks towards me, " Dear, what do you mean how long?" She asks with confusion.

"I mean, how long do we have?" I say quietly,"how long until we run out of food? How long until we all... die..." I started to sniffle then, I had thought about it before but I never asked till then."I don't wanna die mom... I don't wanna... die." I said sobbing between words.

She gasps, "shh, shhhh... dear, why are you crying? We're not gonna die. We have enough food to last until help comes. We'll live, you'll see, in a month, we'll be out of this cave and in a nice house with a warm bed and good food, maybe your friends will move where we do." She then huddled me into her chest and shushes me until I calm down.

"But what if help doesn't come? What if we run out of food? What will we do when we... starve?" I get back into my sullen mood, I start to sniffle and whimper, thoughts of the pain of hunger and weakness of exhaustion slipping me further along the slope of misery.

"Now none of that!" I flinch a little as my mom uses her strict voice, she rarely ever uses that tone, when she does you know she's angry."I will not have you thinking such things do you hear me? If you cry over those things what will I do?" She then tears up."what do I do when you are crying about things you don't need to be worried about?" She nuzzles me, pulling me closer with her neck.

"You don't need to worry about those things honey, I do. I'm the queen, it's my burden not yours. I need to worry, about getting help, food and water, and keeping us alive and safe. You just need to worry about keeping the other children happy and not to think about those things, ok?" She asks, calming me and gaining nod of agreement.

"Yes momma, I won't worry about that anymore." "It's just that, I noticed everyone is getting thinner, and I heard the guards talking about how we won't get out." I tell her, "and I just don't want my friends to die mom! If they die I won't have anypony to play with, and their families will be sad..."

"Oh, honey, you don't need to worry. Like I said, we'll be out of here in no time." She said cheerfully.