The thunder crashed loudly as a bright flash lit up the town of Ponyville. The rain was heavy, but nothing that he hadn't dealt with before. With his wings held over him, none of it could drench his magnificent azure coat. Even if it could, he had a message to deliver. For her ears only...
"My, it's cold tonight," said Cheerilee, wrapping herself a little more tightly in her blanket. In doing so, she accidentally dropped the book she had been reading. Picking it up once more, she rifled through the pages until the flickering candlelight told her she was on the right page.
It was a fictional novel, meant to invoke fear into those who read it. She was alone, cold, and the room was lit by a candle as the storm raged on outside. This was the perfect atmosphere for a ghost story.
This story was that of a king long since past, mummified, and now, walking. His wings were mostly bone, and his horn glowed a light grey, blue if you looked at it in the right light. He would come into ponies homes and send them into a vegetative state through sheer fear, then suck out their souls to gain power. A bit cheesy, she thought, but enough to stimulate the imagination.
He had found the correct house. The wind was picking up quite fast, blowing all kinds of rubbish from one of Pinkie Pie's parties all over the square. He looked suspiciously at the window. The storm hadn't knocked out the power to any of the other houses, why was this one candle-lit? He shook his head and stepped up to the door.
All of a sudden, there was a bright flash that lit up Cheerilee's entire home. The resulting thunder shook her house, causing her to jump, knocking over the candle, which went out as it hit the ground. She also dropped her book, and tumbled to the floor, just as something struck her door, sending it flying open. As she stared at the figure in the doorway, her eyes grew wide.
He was thin, very thin. Bits of cloth that were wrapped around his body billowed in the harsh wind. His wings, spread wide, seemed to be featherless at the bottom. As a few flashes of lightning darted across the night sky, she could almost swear that his eyes were glowing white.Then finally, she saw the aura around his horn turn light blue as a few syllables escaped his lips. "Cheerilee?"
Cheerilee screamed, then did her best to hide under the blanket she was tangled in. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. as the figure took a few looming steps in, then hovered right over her. She closed her eyes, fearful of what was to come.
Moments later, when she opened her eyes, she saw a stallion, wearing a tattered cape, turning on the light switch. "Are you alright?" he asked, pulling some soggy streamers from his body.
"Y-yes, I suppose so," she answered, picking herself up. "Sorry, I was really getting into this horror story I was reading."
"I understand," answered the stallion, giving a slight grin. "Are you Ms. Cheerilee, the local school teacher?"
"Yes, may I help you?"
"I have some information for you. Information that I think is necessary for you to hear."
Cheerilee was a little bit skeptical. "Who did you say you were, again?"
The stallion gave another light grin. "I didn't, but I suppose I should. My name is Akaitora, and I have information to give you about your sister."
"Really?" said Cheerilee, thinking it all a joke. "That's strange. You see, I don't have a sister."
"Not that you know of, Madame." said the stallion, this time reverting his face to a more serious look. "She's your father's child."
Cheerilee was taken aback. She hadn't spoken to her father in years. The last memory she had was waving goodbye at the train station as he went to Hoofington on a business trip.She hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. Hearing of him leaving her mother and starting a new family just brought up the bile in her throat.
"I don't want to know anything about it," growled Cheerilee. "This has been news enough. I don't ever want to see him again, and I don't want to meet her, either."
Akaitora scratched the back of his head. "I'm afraid that won't do, Madame. You already know her, quite well, if I'm not mistaken."
"What?" asked Cheerilee, astounded by this information. "But how?"
Her question was answered with nothing more than a photograph. As she looked at it, she instantly knew who it was.
"Oh, my." she brought her right hoof up to her lip, staring blankly at the picture. She indeed knew this filly just as well as Akaitora had said. The problem she had now was coming to terms with it. "Are you sure this is her?" she asked, half-expecting it all to be some sort of sick joke.
"Absolutely." The word slipped off of his tongue and reverberated in her mind. Where would this leave her? What did this mean? But then another question entered her mind. One that she could have the answer to now.
"Show me proof." she said in a demanding tone. Akaitora reached under his cape and pulled out a slip of paper. Upon reading the top, she knew it to be concrete proof. Birth certificates don't lie. She had a sister.
"If nothing else, I leave you with this. Fluttershy knows where to find me." said Akaitora, stepping outside. "I'll contact you again in one week's time. Good night, Ms. Cheerilee."
All Cheerilee could do was wave as she processed the information. A sister. and one so young as that...
