Angelswift II: The Awakening

by Nevel

Chapter 1

Lance read the letter two more times, making sure that he didn’t miss anything out. Conflicted emotions swam through his head as he thought about what this meant. Lance turned around and saw both Cherry Blossom and Pinkie Pie looking at him from the doorway to the living room. Cherry then stepped forward looking up at her brother. Her face showing signs of worry. Lance had no idea how his face looked to her at this point.

“What’s wrong big brother? Who’s the letter from?” Cherry asked worried what the answer might be.

“L- Let’s go into the living room.” Pinkie backed out of the doorway to let them both passed. Pinkie’s unnatural silence would have seemed completely bizarre on any normal day. But it was like she had some sense of knowing that Lance had received some bad news. Cherry hopped up onto the sofa next to Fluttershy, Angel hopping down from the Pegasus’ mane to sit between her and Cherry. Lance sat down on the floor in front of his little sister so he could be at eye level with her.

“Lance? Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked, concerned.

“Lancie, do you want us to leave?” Pinkie asked, still standing in the doorway. Lance thought about it, but only for a second.

“No, it’s okay.” The blue haired pony looked down at his hooves. How was he going to tell her? After everything they’ve been through. What would she say?

“What is it? You’re scaring me.” Cherry said. Lance looked up at his little sister, it was worse not to tell her. She already knew something bad had happened.

“Cherry…” Lance hesitated for another second, looking for the right words. “Our father… He’s… He’s passed away.”

Cherry leaned back, straitening up, Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves and Pinkie fell to her haunches exactly where she was.

“What? You mean he’s…” Cherry couldn’t finish her sentence. Lance just nodded.

“Oh, that’s just terrible!” Fluttershy said, looking from Cherry to Lance and back again. She looked like she wanted to reach out and hug the filly, but she could barely move. Cherry leaned forwards a little.

“Was it… after you…?” Cherry didn’t want to ask the question right out, but her brother caught on to what she was asking. Lance shook his head.

“No, it was just a few days ago. It was his drinking that did it.” They were all silent after that. The fun and play that filled that house not three minutes before had now completely gone. Even Pinkie kept respectfully quite, but she was the first to speak again.

“So what you going to do now, Lancie?” Lance looked up at Cherry. She was staring at nothing in particular on the sofa, probably thinking about their father. What was she thinking about? Lance looked to Pinkie.

“Well we’ve got to go back to Los Pegasus as soon as we can. We’ll have to pay for the funeral, burial plot. Then there’s the house…” Lance drifted off into thought. Having to go back there wasn’t going to be easy. A lot of bad memories, but some good ones too, with his mother mostly. Also the times he spent with his sister. “We’ll have to sell the house to pay for the funeral. We can’t afford it as we are.”

“Would… Would you like us to come with you?” The yellow Pegasus looked to Lance. He would have said yes in a heartbeat, but this was something very important.

“I’m sorry, but I really think it should be just me and Cherry.” Lance stood up and then sat down on the sofa next to Cherry. He wrapped a leg around her and immediately she wrapped him tight into a hug. She wasn’t crying, but Lance understood what she was feeling, despite everything. How hard it was growing up with him, the struggle, the pain and the heartache. He was still their father. Lance remembered what his mother told him.

Your father is a really nice stallion. He just has a few problems. But behind that, he’s got a charming, caring side to him. You just have to find it.

Lance hardly saw that side to him. He was always drinking, complaining. Yet their mother loved him for a reason. Fluttershy stood up from the sofa but Lance barely noticed.

“If- if you need us…” Fluttershy said from the doorway. Lance didn’t respond. He just nuzzled his little sister, holding his head against hers. The front door clicked closed.

They were alone now.

- - -

The next morning, Lance and Cherry began packing a few essentials into their saddle bags. They spent the previous night just cuddled up together on the sofa, Cherry had fallen asleep but Lance didn’t want to move or disturb her. He spent the night wishing things could have been different, that they could have been happy together. There were a lot of things that just weren’t fair, but Lance had to accept that’s just how things were. Again, he’d have to be strong for his sister.

This morning they planned to leave for Los Pegasus, catching an early train. It would be late afternoon by the time they reached their fathers house. Cherry hadn’t spoken all morning, they both ate a small breakfast, not really feeling hungry, but they packed a lunch for on the train. They headed out the door with everything packed and locked up the house.

They had to make two quick detours, one past Fluttershy’s cottage. Lance needed to ask her a favour. Her cottage was only a short trot away from his house, just past a hill. The other detour was to the school. He had to let Miss Cheerilee know Cherry wasn’t going to be in school for the rest of the week. They reach the Pegasus’s home and knocked gently on the door. The Yellow mare opened the door slightly, poking her head out and then opened it all the way upon seeing who it was.

“Good morning Lance. Good morning Cherry.” She said happily. She then noticed the bags that were strapped to their backs. “Oh. A… are you leaving already?”

“Good morning Fluttershy,” Said Lance. “And yes, we’re catching the next train to Los Pegasus.”

“Okay then, you’ll take care of yourselves, won’t you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Don’t worry,” said Lance. “We’ll be alright. But actually, there’s a favour we’d like to ask of you. If you’re too busy we’ll understand of course.”

“Oh yes, anything. What can I do to help?”

“We’ll be gone for a few days. Could you watch the garden for us? You know, water the flowers?”

“Of course, that won’t be a problem at all.” Fluttershy looked down at Cherry. She was staring at the ground. “How’s she doing?” Lance looked down to his sister.

“She’s been quiet all morning. She just needs a little more time.”

Fluttershy leaned in close to Cherry.

“Cherry, don’t worry about your garden, I promise to take good care of it. And if there’s anything you need, you just tell me okay?” Cherry gave a slight nod, but she never met Fluttershy’s gaze. Fluttershy stood back up. She didn’t understand how the little filly was feeling, but who could?

“Thank you Fluttershy,” Lance said. “We’ll come by and let you know when we’re back. See you later. Bye.” Lance turned to leave down the path, Cherry staying close by his side.

“Goodbye Lance.” Fluttershy called after them. “Goodbye Cherry!” Cherry looked back to Fluttershy finally making eye contact. Fluttershy gave her a wave of her hoof as the pink filly turned back and walked down the path.

- - -

Traveling to the school was a bit out of their way, but it was something they had to do. Upon reaching the school, Lance saw that class hadn’t started yet. Miss Cheerilee was stood by the classroom door watching over her students. Lance started to walk over to her to tell her what was going on, of course they had only reached halfway before three little fillies ran up to them. Cherry’s best friends, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and the first friend she ever made, Scootaloo.

“Hey Cherry! Hey Mr. Angelswift!” They all said in unison.

“Hello girls.” He responded. Cherry Blossom didn’t say anything, other than make a murmuring sound.

“Is something wrong?” Scootaloo asked Cherry, looking between her and her brother. Cherry wasn’t going to say anything it seemed.

“I’m afraid we’re leaving town for a few days girls.” Lance said.

“What?!” Sweetie Belle squeeked loudly.

“What wrong?” Applebloom asked. Lance looked at the three fillies, than he noticed another pony coming up from behind them.

“Is everything alright over here?” Miss Cheerilee asked.

“Good morning Miss Cheerilee.” Lance said politely. “I’m sorry this is such short notice, but Cherry and I have to leave Ponyville for a few days.”

“Oh goodness, I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

“Actually,” Lance started as looked down at the ground, than he looked back up to the school teacher. “It’s our father. He’s just passed away.”

“Oh no!” Cheerilee said, stunned. The three little fillies looked up to Lance with their mouths wide open, and then they quickly ran to Cherry’s side, consoling her. Lance thought that the support of her friends might help her, but for some reason she looked like she didn’t want them to even talk to her.

Lance explained to Cheerilee that they had to head back to Los Pegasus and Cherry would be out of school for at least a week. She understood completely and then called for the students to begin going inside the classroom. The three fillies gave there farewells and well wishes to Cherry, Scootaloo was the last to leave, even asking if she could come too. But Lance had to turn her down.

They then left for the train station, leaving Scootaloo to be escorted inside by Miss Cheerilee. The little orange filly kept looking back, watching as Lance and Cherry walked away.

- - -

The train station wasn’t very busy at this time, Lance and Cherry had another twenty minutes until there train would arrive. After collecting there tickets, they both sat on a bench and waited silently. Lance didn’t know what to say. Thoughts played through his head about what he would have to do once they arrived in Los Pegasus. Lance was surprised when his sister broke the silence.

“What was he like?” Lance looked at down at Cherry Blossom, not quite sure what she meant.

“What you mean?” He asked her.

“Our dad, I never knew him for long and all those times together… they aren’t good ones.”

So that’s what’s wrong. Lance thought. She doesn’t have any happy memories to remember him by. Cherry couldn’t be sad that their father was gone and everyone feeling sorry for her was just making her feel worse about it.

“Well, I don’t know what he was like before he met our mother, but the memories I have of him are quite different to the ones that... came later.” Lance thought back, trying to think of a happy memory. “I can’t remember him doing anything that special for us. But it’s the little things that he did, before he started drinking uncontrollably…” Lance was going into an area that he thought best kept out of. He tried to think of something funny.

“Well, I remember that one night, there was a power outage, and I was still scared of the dark. I stayed next to the candle by the window keeping my eyes open, hoping for the big bright lights that I eventually got sick of seeing would come back on. I remember he snuck up behind me wearing a big goofy wolf mask and roared as loud as he could. As I spun around the candle glow made him look even more terrifying. Haha. I screamed and ran so fast, crying out for mum…”

Lance was laughing to himself but then slowly stopped. He looked at Cherry, a small smile coming onto her face. Lance thought about another memory.

“Well, there was this one time that I get a new set of roller skates. Of course I soon fell and scrapped my knee. But dad was the only one there though. He said that he wasn’t going to help me unless I stopped crying like a baby. Said I needed to toughen up. So I did my best to hold it all in, and I did. Once I stopped crying, he said ‘Good. Now up you get.’ And then he helped me back into the house.”

Cherry sat, listening to every word as Lance told her as many stories as he could. It felt good to talk about happier memories of their father, before he became a heavy drinker, before their mother passed away. Although it didn’t help that Cherry never saw this side of her father, but she seemed to be glad to know that it existed.

A train pulled into the station, A few ponies got off and less than half a dozen got on. Being a Tuesday, most ponies were either already at work or staying at home.

“You ready to go?” Lance asked Cherry.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Cherry said as she jumped down. She was in higher spirits now which was good. They made their way onto the train. By sundown, they should reach Los Pegasus.