//------------------------------// // Seven. // Story: The Light of a Candle // by Scarheart //------------------------------// Differing Ideals “Broken ribs, lacerated arm, broken arm, partially collapsed lung,” Cadence ticked off in a monotone. In front of her, sitting on the edge of a cot and sipping a cup of water, was Jakob, who matched her deadpan with unconcern. “Was there anything I missed?” The pair were in a medical tent, set up just outside Berryville. On the other side of the privacy curtain slept a certain unicorn with a broken horn. Fizzlepop lay on the bed with several tubes hooked up to a foreleg. She was snoring softly. His left arm was in a sling and had been dressed. The shirt was gone and his ribs were wrapped. A unicorn field medic, brought in via an emergency teleportation spell, was fussing over the man. “My sword broke,” Jakob lamented. “Minotaur skulls are very thick.” “Jakob,” Cadence sighed, rubbing her temple, “you fought a Berserker.” “He charged a lot.” “Jakob,” Cadence let out an exasperated sigh, “you’re not a young stallion anymore. Fighting battles should be the last thing on your mind. You have a daughter and a barony. You have responsibilities and obligations.” “I thought it was a good sword.” “Did you even maintain your training, Jakob? I seriously doubt after so many years you’d be in the best of shape to fight a Berserker.” “I will have to write a stern letter of disappointment to the blade smith.” “Jakob!” Cadence stomped a dainty hoof. “Please!” The man sighed, then winced in pain. “It was the right thing to do.” Setting his cup aside, he looked up and found a teary-eyed princess glaring at him, her lower lip quivering. “Oh.” “Don’t you ‘oh’ me!” she shouted. “You big dummy, charging into battle without thinking of the consequences! What would have happened if June suddenly found herself without her father? Did you think of that?” “She would find herself in the care of her godmother.” Cadence whipped her wing out, her primaries a blur. Jakob’s head snapped to one side, the beet red imprints of feathers clearly defined on his left cheek. The princess was a bit shocked at her own reaction and blinked at the dazed man. Recovering her wits, she hissed, “How dare you. You are that little girl’s world and you were more than willing to throw your life away just to satisfy your bloodlust!” The man glared at her, his right hand going across his chin to touch where her wing had slapped him. The field medic was wide-eyed, shifting attention between the two before excusing herself with a meek mumble. “Cadence—” Jakob began, his eyes boring into the alicorn. “Don’t,” she interrupted, “Just, don’t. I’m not saying what you did was wrong. You did a good thing. I simply can’t understand your willingness to throw your life away. I don’t know why you would want your daughter to mourn her father. As it stands,” Cadence let out a breath, “Celestia wants you in Canterlot for observation and recuperation.” “I will heal within three days,” Jakob growled. “There is no need.” “As a subject of the Crown,” the alicorn snapped, “you have no choice.” A scroll appeared in the air next to her and was shoved into the man’s chest. Jakob flinched, closing his eyes and grinding his jaw. He looked at the seal, noting Celestia’s cutie mark on the wax. He broke it by sliding a finger along the edge of the paper and unfurled the scroll by gingerly using his left hand. Ignoring the pain and discomfort, his eyes consumed the flowing script he had not seen in years. It was unmistakable. Celestia had written, her writing as beautiful as he remembered: Jakob, Get your butt to Canterlot. That is an order. ~Celestia P.S. ~ Luna has been dying to see June, and so have I. “Eloquent as always,” Jakob gave a humorless smirk and tossed the scroll aside. “You spoke to her?” “I did. She is rather upset.” “How is Fizzle?” Cadence blinked, glancing towards the unicorn’s bed beyond the privacy curtain. “Fizzle? You mean Fizzlepop?” She wiped her eyes with a feather and composed herself. “She’s a bit bruised. Mostly mana exhaustion. She overexerted herself. Minotaurs are notoriously resistant to magic. I’ll be giving her a good scolding, too, once she’s well enough.” The alicorn gave the man a scrutinizing glare, “Since when did you start giving ponies nicknames?” “Fizzlepop Berrytwist does not exactly roll off the tongue. You ponies have some odd names.” “You’re evading the question.” “She watched my back,” he shrugged. “I watched hers. She is good in a fight. I think I owe her a drink.” “I see.” “Cadence...” Jakob gave the alicorn a stern glare. “Yes?” “No.” “You like her, don’t you?” “No.” “You found somepony to relate to!” “No.” “You made a friend!” “N—” The human paused, considered the statement, “Yes? I do owe her a drink,” he nodded in admission. On the other side of the curtain, the mare stirred. Cadence was willing to let the matter drop, but her mind was already churning. Clapping her hooves together, she squealed with glee, “This is good! Something good came out of your act of idiocy! I’m somewhat proud of you!” “Thank you?” Jakob sighed and ran his good hand through his hair.  “While you were limping back to town,” Cadence changed the subject, “the guards were going through the bandit camp, looking for anything that might be important.” “They found something?” Jakob guessed. She nodded, becoming serious, “Your minotaur friend was trying to get in touch with remnants of the Storm King’s army.” The man’s surprise was evident. “So you asked Celestia for soldiers?” “I didn’t think you’d mind.” Jakob hummed, “My army consists of a sociopathic changeling queen,” he sighed, “her brood and a few old retired stallions who like reenacting old battles. I will concede to the wisdom of Celestia.” He drummed his fingers on his knee, “Cassandra is not the sort to be negligent of her duties.” Cadence fluffed her wings and resettled them. “It’s too early to tell. There will be sweeps covering the barony. The prisoners will need to be questioned once they recover from the poison,” an involuntary shudder ran down her spine. “Since you have a pretty small one to begin with, it shouldn’t take more than a week. I hope you don’t mind the sudden influx of ponies in your lands,” she smiled. “They’ll get to run around in the woods for a few days, then go home when they’re done. I would like for Cassandra and her brood to help with the search. Think of it as extended training.” “It cannot be helped,” the man sighed, rubbing his chin. “How is June?” “I gave her something to keep her mind off you running off in a half-baked scheme to get yourself killed,” the princess told him. She rose to her hooves and began stretching her back legs. He let her comment pass. “What was it you gave her?” “A candle.” “A candle?” “Well,” the princess started, hesitating as she gave him what might have been an apologetic look, “It’s a special candle. Magical. Infused with the memories contributed from those who knew Kaga. I wanted a way for June to know who her mother was. Twilight came up with the idea of creating a candle filled with an echo made from the memories of those who knew Kaga best. It won’t last forever, but June can ask questions you wouldn’t be able to answer,” Cadence’s words sped up and even shrank as the man’s demeanor shifted from curiosity, to confusion, and finally outright anger. “You WHAT?” he shot to his feet and immediately regretted it. “WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? YOU VIOLATED THE MEMORY OF MY WIFE WITH A PARLOR TRICK?” Jakob raged, hissing in agony and still managing to roar with only one good lung. “Damnation!” he fell back onto the cot heavily, uttering words the alicorn did not understand under pained breath. “It was either tell you now, or try to hide it from you as long as possible, which would be a terrible idea. I just don’t want you to do something irresponsible and hurt the relationship you have with your daughter,” Cadence said to him, concern on her features as she took one step, then another towards the man. “Don’t move around so much. You’ll just make your injuries worse.” “Why would you do this?” Jakob gasped, clutching his side. “Why would you do this without asking me?” Hurt and betrayal filled his eyes. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, “Because you can be unreasonable, Jakob. If you thought something would hurt you or break your heart all over again, you would push it away, even if that one thing could be something to help your daughter understand a part of who she is. This was for June. Not you. She has questions about Kaga. Questions you either can’t answer,” Cadence cracked open her eyelids and burned her orbs into the man’s soul, “or won’t answer.” The man was at a loss. “Get out,” he snarled. “Jakob, please.” “GET OUT!” She stared at him for a few moments, understanding but at the same time wishing Jakob would just be a bit more reasonable. He was being stubborn, as usual. The man had always been like this, but seeing the pain she knew she had caused made the alicorn’s own heart lurch in her chest. With regret, she gave him a nod and a sad smile. “I’m...sorry, Jakob. Think of me what you will, but I wanted June to know who her mother was and how much she meant to all of us.” “Just...go,” his bitterness made Cadence hang her head. Her exit was silent, leaving the man alone with his swarming thoughts. A wide-awake Fizzlepop Berrytwist tried very hard to mind her own business. June remembered...a candle. Its flickering flame dancing to life, a flare of becoming. The candle was...a candle. Cadence had given it to her, setting it on the table. It lit itself? No, the princess had set aflame the tip of the wick. The form of the little flame, how it danced and spun! The arms which sprouted from the heat and the head and burning hair coming to being. The eyes which popped open and found the girl, looking upon her and holding her gaze. The voice. “You’ve grown, June.” Though this was Equestria, June had little contact with magic, at least nothing beyond the innate abilities of earth ponies. Pegasi were rare and unicorns even more so. Being able to see magic happen like this before her eyes was a little overwhelming for the girl. It excited her and startled her. Her explosive exhale snuffed the flame out and the girl had burst into sudden tears. June remembered now. How she had fallen asleep, the girl could not remember. All she could recall was the little look of surprise from the flame and then the tears. The touch of feathers over her shoulders and sobbing into the alicorn’s chest. June couldn’t remember why she had started crying nor the reason for it. All she could think of was how awful she felt for extinguishing the flame. Then, there was the fluffy chest of Cadence, then sleep. Sitting up slowly, the girl rubbed her eyes. Looking around, she could smell the alicorn. This was the hotel, so the girl thought this was where Cadence had been staying. There was some luggage with a crystal heart emblazoned on them. The room was cozy, having a wardrobe and a stand with a wash basin next to it. There was the bed and a large, plush chair. A single painting of dogs playing poker was mounted on a wall. Bare feet padded across the floor as she wandered over to the door. June was still groggy from her nap and her thoughts kept focusing on the candle and the voice that had come from it. She remembered it being soft and gentle, like a welcome warm breeze. Turning the knob of the door, she pulled and went into the hall. She did not notice the guard outside the door. “Miss?” spoke a unicorn stallion in full armor, “the princess has asked for you to please remain in her room until she comes for you.” June shied from the strange pony in the scary armor, nearly stumbling over her own feet. The stallion remained still, though he seemed concerned, “Miss Gray, please do not be afraid of me. Princess Cadence will be here soon.” “Go away!” the girl yelled, then bolted down the hall. “Miss Gray, please!” Bounding down the stairs, June’s legs churned, and she was out the front door. What she saw forced her to skid to a stop. There were guards everywhere. Golden armor glinted in the sun. The points of spears stabbed at the air. There were hundreds of them. The ponies of the hamlet were watching them as they went down the street, the procession hauling carts and wagons. The ponies of Berryville were curious and some were upset at all the commotion interrupting their peaceful lives. These were the Equestrian Guard. June had learned about them in some of her lessons. They were the backbone of the nation’s army, the common grunt who served a noble purpose of keeping the peace and protecting ponies from all sorts of threats. What are they doing here? Marely appeared and spotted June. Trotting over, the mare was smiling, but it faded a little when she saw the girl’s face. “June? What’s wrong?” She pointed, speaking her thoughts. “Well, your daddy got himself inna fight with a minotaur, so I’m hearin’,” the mare said, giving the girl a reassuring nuzzle. “He’s fine, mind you. Jakob’s a tough stallion. A little banged up, but from the way he looked, seemed like he had himself a little fun. Him and Cassy and that pretty unicorn with the busted up horn took down some griffons, too. Came back with them guards the princess sent after them. Smilin’ like an idjit.” “Father’s here?” June asked the mare. “One of them tents over there,” Marely pointed at where there were a lot more guards working. “Field hospital.” She squinted, “There’s the princess. Lookin’ kind of out of sorts. June? June! Dangit girl, stop runnin’!” the mare called after the already running girl. The guard emerged from the hotel, his head whipping around as he searched with frantic eyes. “Where’d she go?” he demanded of Marely. “June? That-away,” she pointed in the opposite direction with a toss of her head. “Thank you, citizen!” The stallion ran off. Pleased with herself, the mare trotted off for a quick inventory and other things that needed to be done. With a herd of soldiers tripling the population of Berryville, she was going to have to order more stock. She gazed at the soldiers, observing some fine specimens indeed passing by. Marely did love stallions in uniform. “Cadence!” June called out to the princess. Her feet hurried her towards the alicorn. The pony’s ears perked up, along with her head as she turned towards the sound of the girl’s voice. There was a concerned smile, “June? Are you feeling all right?” The girl was already embracing the alicorn, who was more than happy to return the hug. “I’m sorry!” the girl mumbled into her pelt. “Sorry? For what?” “I killed the candle!” sobbed June. “Killed?” Cadence was caught off guard by the declaration. After a moment of processing the statement, she let out a soft chuckle, “Oh, sweetie, you can’t kill a flame. It can be relit. You didn’t hurt anything. The candle is fine.” “But I thought,” the girl pulled back and looked up at the princess. “I thought I…” Her expression contorted to guilt and sorrow. “I thought I had…killed the magic.” “Oh, no, no, no!” Cadence hugged June fiercely. “You can’t hurt it that way. It works like a normal candle. You light it when you need it and put it out when you don’t. You haven’t been around magic enough to understand it doesn’t work that way.” The alicorn gave the girl a contemplative look, “Or have you? No matter, I think. Oh, I think this was a bit more than you can handle. Don’t you worry, things will get better. You’ll learn how to use the candle. It’s a little scary the first time, but it gets better, I promise.” “Where is Father?” June sniffled. “Your father is a bit upset at me for the moment,” the alicorn admitted, not able to look June in the eye. “Why?” She sighed, resigned and a bit upset with herself more than anything. June could not see anything other than her smiling godmother. “Walk with me. Give your father some time to cool off. In the meantime, I’ll do the best I can to tell you what I can. Deal?” “Okay,” came the sullen reply. “Did Miss Fizzlepop come back, too?” The alicorn froze, her eyes went wide. “Oh, heavens, she heard everything,” she whispered to herself. No, she was out cold, sleeping off the mana drain. She couldn’t have heard the spat between the princess and the baron. Then again, the man’s outburst had been loud enough to make her ears ring, and possibly wake the dead. “Cadence?” the puzzled girl tugged at the alicorn’s wing. “She’s fine. A little tired from helping your father, but she’ll be all right.” Cadence smiled and used her wing to pull June in for a hug. She did not want to involve others in what should have been a private family discussion, but the man had exploded in a show of emotion not seen in years. As quiet and grouchy as he was, Jakob could be best associated with a slumbering volcano. Still, there were other things to prepare for, matters needing attending to. Though she was June’s godmother, Cadence was still a princess first and foremost. “My aunts have requested you and your father come pay them a visit in Canterlot,” she said. “Have you ever been?” “No. I’ve never left home before,” the girl said, full of curiosity. “You know, I’m not at all surprised.” “When would we leave?” “Tomorrow morning, I should think,” the princess flicked her tail. “I think it would be a fun adventure for you and you would get to meet Celestia and Luna! Both have been wanting to meet you for a long time. Both took turns holding you after you were born. Did you know that?” June shook her head. “Would you like to meet them?” After a moment of hesitation, there was an eager nod. “Why do we need to go? Is Father in trouble?” “Your father is always in trouble of one form or another,” Cadence told her. “There are a lot of things that come with running a barony that he needs to do but has not been doing. The princesses would like for him to come in and sort it out. Lots of boring paperwork to go through. It’s also an excuse to have you come in for a visit!” she tossed June a cheeky grin. “Can Fizzlepop come?” Cadence tilted her head to one side, “Why?”  “She’s nice and she’s pretty and I like her.” “You do, do you? What about your father? Do you think he likes her?” “I don’t know,” the girl gave it a thought, her brows knitting into a cute knot as she scrunched her nose, “maybe?” “The good news is,” the alicorn told her, “Fizzlepop has to come with us to Canterlot in order to see a proper doctor to have a proper checkup. A unicorn with a broken horn can develop complications when it comes to casting magic. She rarely does that and does most things like an earth pony. When she does use her horn, a doctor needs to check and see if she’s going to be okay.” June became worried, “I hope she’s okay.” “Fizzlepop is a very tough unicorn, June,” Cadence said.  A frantic-looking guard hurried past, his eyes scanning about wildly. June saw him first, and hid behind Cadence. The princess noticed this, her eyes following the guard before putting the clues together. Stifling a giggle, she nodded at the hurried salute and weak grin from the stallion. Her regal bearing was impeccable. The unicorn continued on, perhaps seeing his immediate future playing out before his eyes. “So like your mother,” she chortled when he was gone.