Twenty-Four Hours

by Queen Cookie

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Slice of Life, Sad
Length: 950

Twenty-four hours. He had twenty-four hours to find his sister, and comfort her in her darkest moment. And maybe he'll convince her to come home.

Twenty-four hours. He had twenty-four hours to find his sister, and comfort her in her darkest moment. And maybe he'll convince her to come home.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-05 05:23:06 UTC

Twenty-Four Hours

       Twenty-four hours. He had twenty-four hours to find his sister, and comfort her in her darkest moment. And maybe he'll convince her to come home. The rain pelted his back, saying it was going to be a hard task. He didn't care. This would be the first tine he saw her after the accident. He hadn't even gone to the hospital to see her. What kind of brother was he? Why had he not been there for her? Wait, right, he didn't know the cloudwalking spell existed.

       Cloudsdale was not beautiful in the rain. In fact, it looked desolate without sunshine, or at least the occasional pegasus. Actually, now that he thought about it, he was actually kind of glad nopony was around. It would get tiring having to answer why a unicorn was in Cloudsdale, and not falling through. All he wanted to do was be there now.

       It was probably a traumatic experience. She had been trying out for the Wonderbolts, and her rival had gone too far. He had placed a rogue cloud of lightning, hidden from view, but close enough so it could do some damage. It did. It shot her down, mangling her left wing. The doctor's had tried, but... Her rival was arrested later.

       If only he had been there. If he had been there, she would have at least felt better. But no, he waited two weeks. She had probably been waiting for him to reach out to her. He was an idiot for thinking she was fine. Her life was in shambles, her dream crushed. He thought he knew her well enough, but in reality, he barely did. All he knew was that she was his sister, and he loved her.

      Now, he had to prove it. To think, after all these years, she had not earned a cutie mark. She had always assumed it was Wonderbolts related, but now what? Maybe she had earned it, and he just didn't know. That was likely, but at the same time, not. It was confusing, but he didn't have time to puzzle over it. She needed him.

      The dull, red unicorn was listening. She had not been in her apartment, and he didn't know where else she would be. He just needed to hear her voice, to where she was. The streets, though, remained empty. That is, until he heard it.

      It was faint, at first. So faint, he had barely heard it. A sob. He recognized it as hers. There she was, under the lamppost. The light illuminated her entire body. He saw the salty water pouring from her eyes, and knew what had happened. She was crying. Her dreams, though crushed a long time ago, still haunted her.

      Before he knew what was happening, a sudden sheet of magic protected her from the rain. Was there another unicorn in Cloudsdale he was unaware of? It took him a moment to realize he had done it. Instincts. She looked at him, a shocked expression on her face. She was confused, but happy.

      "You came..." she said, "I was starting to think-"

      "And leave my little sister alone?" he asked, sitting next to her on the curb, "No, never."

      "Not that I'm no happy, but how?" she asked, "Last I checked, unicorns couldn't walk on clouds."

      "Magic, little sis," he smiled, "You were a sweet foal, y'know."

      "You tell me that a lot." she said.

      "Once, when I was twenty, and you were five," he said, "There was this storm. I don't know if you remember this, but I don't like lightning. I still don't know how you knew, but you came into my room, and snuggled up right next to me."

      "I don't want to be alone again!!!" she exclaimed, "Please let me come back with you!!! To Ponyville!!! Please!!!"

      "You don't have to beg." he smiled.

      "Thank you, so much," she said, "For everything."

      The mailmare trotted down the street. To think, months earlier, she had wanted to be a Wonderbolt? It was absurd. She was happy where she was. So much had come out of moving back to her hometown. A job, a house, and a cutie mark. Two letters. She lived close to her family, and even old friends. To be honest, she was happier here than in Cloudsdale.

      A one-winged pegasus is a strange sight, and no doubt one the requires explanation. That was what her first week was dedicated to, explaining to anypony who asked. The second was spent searching for a job. Eventually, she got enough bits for her own house, and moved out of her brother's.

      It was a beautiful day, the Weather Pegasi had scheduled. A smile was allowed to cross her face, for it made her job easier. She used her one wing to open her mailbag, and retrieved two letters she knew for sure went to this address. A pony across the street grinned at her, and she did the same, adding a wave.

      She felt better here, in her hometown. Everypony was more accepting of her disability. They were willing to get to know her for her, and not her wing. It really was better than Cloudsdale, where flying was held sacred.

      It did not help, though, that the ponies who bullied her in her foalhood still lived there. In fact, they still poked fun at her, treating her as if she were inferior to them. She didn't mind, though, and continued to do her job. She didn't mind.

      Her brother had to be fifteen years older than her, meaning he was thirty-six now. When he had turned eighteen, he had claimed custody over her