Eternal Night

by Lucaro

Chapter 15: Abandonment

Exhaustion tempered Cepheus’ movements as he trotted through the dense, dark forest. His hooves felt like lead, his brain tired from his constant vigilance, even his muzzle was sore from carrying the increasingly heavy feeling lantern.

Cepheus wanted to rest, as well as all the other villagers, but fear prompted them to keep moving. Some of the elderly ponies had to be carried in the luggage wagons, and he knew they would have stop and make camp very soon.

They had been traveling through this seemingly endless forest for several days now, or so it felt like. There was no way to keep time, since the forest’s canopy completely blotted out the sky. They were trapped inside a dark void with only their lanterns to guide them.

Cepheus was both grateful and wary of the darkness. He was grateful because the canopy would prevent any passing Night Guard pegasi from seeing them, but he was wary because the darkness could be hiding anything.

It was deathly quiet in the forest. No insects chirped, there was no wind to rustle the leaves, the silence was oppressive and smothered all desire to talk.

Cepheus looked at Candle trotting alongside him, and saw that she was falling asleep on her feet. Her little brother, Dusty, clung to her, especially affected by the silence.

“Candle,” Cepheus whispered.

“Hmmm?” she responded sleepily.

“Let me carry Dusty,” he said. “You need a break.”

She had been reluctant before, but now she immediately took up his offer. Cepheus scooped up the colt, and Dusty actually seemed to want to be with him.

Dusty knew his sister was tired and didn’t want to be a burden, but there was also something else. Dusty could tell that Cepheus cared about his big sister, and he wanted to get to know her stallion-friend better.

Foals were very perceptive when it came to their caretakers’ feelings, and Cepheus had a lot of experience with foals. He could connect with them with ease. Even the most inconsolable foals would immediately fall silent when he picked them up, because they trusted him.

Mother had always told him that ponies with good hearts are often good with children and animals.

The colt climbed jumped onto his back, curling up between his wings, making himself comfortable. But even though Dusty was tired, he was still keeping an eye on his sister.

Cepheus sensed that he was very protective of his sister. That was understandable. Having lost both parents, Candle was all he had left.

The white pegasus felt a small hoof stroking his right wing, and Cepheus couldn’t help but giggle. His wings were very ticklish. “Your wing feathers are so soft,” Dusty whispered.

Candle heard him and laughed. “They’re great for big, warm hugs.”

Dusty seemed to be fascinated with his wings. “It must be so cool,” he whispered, feeling all the bones underneath the feathers. “Why do you stay here?”

“What?” Cepheus asked.

“I mean, why do you stay here?” Dusty said inquisitively. “You have these wings. You could go anywhere you want. You are freer than all of us earthbound ponies. Why don’t you just fly away from this dreary place? I know I would.”

Candle seemed to be worried, but Cepheus answered him anyway. “I can’t just fly away, Dusty. My home is here. All the people I love and care about are here.”

Dusty suddenly grew bitter, and Cepheus became guarded. The colt crossed his hooves and looked away. “That never stopped my mother.”

“Dusty!” Candle scolded.

The colt shook his head, crying out. “She left us! How could she? She just flew away one day.”

Cepheus sighed, understanding. When he was a colt, he had similar feelings. He had always felt like there was some greener pasture out there, some better place waiting just for him. But he learned that the dark misery that was in this village was present everywhere.

Candle was about to speak, but Cepheus spoke first. “Dusty, your mother made a mistake. There is a darkness in this world,” he groaned in frustration. “There is something missing. I can feel it deep inside me. We pegasi are naturally curious. We explore, we seek, always searching for brighter horizons we can come to call home. We want better living conditions not only for ourselves, but all those under our protection as well.” Cepheus drew closer to Candle and put his wing around her. “Some pegasi get this wrong. It’s not the place that makes home a home, it’s the ponies that you share it with.”

Dusty and Candle grew quiet. After a thoughtful pause, Candle softly whispered. “I was just a filly, and Dusty a newborn foal. Father had recently died, and we were all mourning. Mother had said that she would be going out to get us some food, and that she’d be back by supper. I watched her fly into this forest, and that’s the last time I ever saw her.”

Dusty was bristling with anger. “She took all our money, that’s why we’re so poor.”

Candle shushed him, and they all lapsed into silence.

A family is only as strong as its weakest link, Cepheus thought.

Candle had leaned into him, and he could feel Dusty’s hooves wrapped around the base of his neck. Even then, he could still feel the bitterness smoldering within the colt.

Cepheus sighed. “Dusty, your mother was foolish. She abandoned her foals, and forgot that family is a pegasus’ greatest blessing. Take it from me, traveling with you and your sister has made me realize what a wonderful thing it is to be in the company of ponies who love each other unconditionally. It reminds me of what I felt with my own family before we were split apart.” They all listened to him quietly, drinking his every word. “Your mother didn’t know what she was missing out on by leaving. I know she still remembers you two, she probably regrets it too. It was her mistake entirely, and neither of you were to blame.”

Cepheus paused, knowing what had to be done here. “I know she has caused you two a lot of pain, but…you have to forgive her.”

“Why?” Dusty retorted. Candle also looked at him, wanting an explanation. He could see the extent of damage that had been done to her by her mother’s departure in her eyes.

“Hate is a bad thing to carry in your heart. You may hate a pair of shoes, or barley bread, but you cannot hate another pony. It’ll make you bitter. It’ll make you miserable and angry, and it’ll consume you from the inside.” Cepheu shuffled his hooves. “You see, my mother and sister didn’t like my brother. They hated him, and that deadened their hearts.” Cepheus looked at Candle and then looked sideways, seeing Dusty in his periphery. “Even righteous hate takes its toll. You need to forgive her so the wound can heal.”

Cepheus looked up, addressing Dusty. “Maybe that’s why you were always so reluctant to go outside. Because you were afraid that you might get hurt.”

Cepheus softened his voice, the way a parent does when he’s explaining something to his foal. “As long as you hate your mother, the reminder of all that pain she caused you will remain, and it’ll make you paranoid and not trust anyone with your feelings. It’ll hinder your ability to make new relationships.”

Candle and Dusty were silent, and remained so for a long time.

The air soon gained a damp, balmy feel to it. A thunderstorm was coming. When a cold breeze started to stir, he shivered. Cepheus decided it was now time to set up camp. The villagers found comfortable spots in the shelter of the massive trees. The wagons were unloaded, supplies were distributed, and attendance was taken. Candle had then approached him, exhaustion in her gait. “Here,” she said, brushing up against his barrel. “Let me put Dusty to bed.”

He breathed in the scent of her mane, putting his hooves around her in an embrace. Candle was surprised at the sudden gesture of affection. Breaking away, she took Dusty and gave him a weary look. “Cepheus, we need to talk. Come to our tent in an hour, when Dusty asleep.”

Cepheus felt a bit nervous, but smiled and nodded. “Alright, see you then.” She trotted away with Dusty on her back, but he called after her. “If you need help making your tent, just ask!”

She didn’t respond. An elderly mare approached him. “Young lad,” she said in her sweet, grandmotherly voice. “Will you help me make my tent?”

Cepheus smiled, taking the tarp from her. “Of course.”

Soon, all the tents were erected, lashed and secured, and Cepheus realized that he had no tarp of his own. Persei and Ultra Violet had taken the family tarp.

He had been so busy helping others, he had forgotten about himself. Cepheus looked around, finding everypony hidden away inside their tents. He was alone out here.

He began trotting across the camp ground, wondering if Candle would allow him to sleep inside her tent. She had wanted to talk to him about something.

I hope she’s not angry with me, he thought. Did I overstep my boundaries by telling them to forgive their mother?

Cepheus couldn’t stand it when ponies were upset with him.

The rain was coming down harder now, and he saw Candle’s tent lashed against the massive roots of a tree. The outgrowths were massive, arching many feet off the ground, providing a burrow that could accommodate two ponies. Three would make a snug fit.

Cold and shivering, he stood there, staring at the soft light emanating from Candle’s tent. He could make out two huddled figures inside.

Lightning rippled in the sky, illuminating the forest. Cepheus immediately knew he was being watched. His pegasi instincts flared, and looked up in the trees. He saw a silhouette of a pony hidden behind the dense foliage, a pair of glowing yellow eyes with slitted pupils staring down at him.

Cepheus felt afraid, and the forest was dark again. Thunder crashed in the sky.

What was that? he asked himself. He looked up, trying to hear or see the pony again, but nothing could be heard or seen due to the darkness and the sounds of the storm.

That pony had eyes like Sirius’….

Am I just imagining things? He hadn’t slept in a few days. Lightning illuminated the forest once again, and he looked up. The pony was gone. There was no evidence that it had even been there in the first place.

I need rest. I’m seeing things.

Water dripped from his muzzle, his golden mane was plastered to his forehead, and his wings were ruffled. He sneezed and shivered violently. He would get sick if he stayed out here.

Cepheus swallowed and approached the tent.

The cold, soaked, and shivering pegasus entered the snug burrow, and saw Candle and Dusty huddled together with a lantern hanging from a knob on the overarching roots.

Cepheus gave her a small smile, and settled down close to her. “Candle,” he whispered. She regarded him solemnly with her brown eyes. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”

“Listen to what I have to say first,” she said, her face expressionless. Cepheus felt nervous and listened attentively. Candle sighed, gently brushing Dusty’s mane as he slept. “You don’t have a cutie mark,” she finally said.

Caught off guard by the question, he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “I know I’m a late bloomer,” he said, rubbing his hooves together nervously. “But you can’t rush your destiny.”

Candle blinked at him sleepily. “It’s not normal….”

Cepheus began to explain himself. “I know I may not have my official talent, but I’m a hard worker….”

“Let me finish,” she cut in. Cepheus fell silent. She continued. “The way you read ponies. That’s not normal. You see right through all of us, and can immediately diagnose what’s wrong with all of us.” Candle stared at him, and sighed. “You were right about my mother. I hesitated to agree with you then, because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Cepheus asked.

“You have us both completely figured out. You know what troubles us, how those afflictions impact our lives, and what to do to make us feel better and repair the damage. It just kind of frightened me that you knew so much about us…and I’ve been thinking about it.” Candle rose from beside the sleeping Dusty, and drew so close to him that he could feel her breath against his muzzle. “I…I feel so strange when I’m with you. It feels like I have no secrets…like I’m naked. I…I…don’t know if I can handle to have somepony this close to my heart….”

Candle trailed off nervously, and Cepheus leaned forward and kissed her. Their muzzles locked together, and there was a nervous whimper from Candle. He drew back from her, familiarizing himself once again with her taste. “Forgive me if I read you again, but I understand. Like I said with Dusty, you have trust issues because of what your mother did. You don’t know it, but you have a wall around yourself. You subconsciously fear getting hurt like that again; of being abandoned. That’s why you have difficulty in allowing other ponies to see who you really are.” Candle stared at him, the lanternlight flickering in her brown eyes. Cepheus continued softly. “You shy away from intimacy, and fear that if a pony gets too close, he’ll be able to hurt you. That’s why you shut yourself off. If you don’t let anyone in, they can’t hurt you.”

“You’ve forced yourself into my heart,” she said, interrupting him. “You force yourself into the heart of everypony you care about.” She looked down, staring at her hooves. “I want you, Cepheus. I need you, but I have to know something first. You seem to be so well off…so emotionally secure. I need you, but do you need me? I feel like you would be perfectly fine without me, I…”

“I love you, Candle Glimmer.” The sincerity of his words stunned her. “I need you because of that. I wouldn’t be perfectly fine without you, not at all. You and Dusty make me feel whole, and in all honesty…I already feel like we’re family.”

Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she rushed into his embrace. “I swear,” she muttered. “You are everything that Dusty and I have ever needed. How did I manage to make an angel like you fall in love with me?”

Cepheus felt his protective pegasi instincts kicking in. He felt a strong sense of possession over not only her, but Dusty as well. They were his now.

He felt a joy in his heart, and wrapped his wings around her. They remained in their embrace for what felt like an eternity, gently rocking back and forth. Cepheus never wanted to let her go, and neither did she.

“Marry me,” he whispered in her ear.

Her sobs were renewed, her frame trembling with pure happiness. “Yes! Yes…”

Dusty immediately rose from his feigned sleep and wiggled in between Cepheus and Candle. They both laughed, and Dusty wrapped his tiny hooves around them, crying.

Cepheus felt an incredible warmth within him, and a luminance deep inside of his heart which was once kindled, now became a blaze. It filled him up and shone through his blue eyes, setting them aglow with a soft radiance.

A beautiful cutie mark now emblazoned his white flank, signifying everything Cepheus was: light and warmth.

Author's Note:

Although Cepheus and Persei are siblings, you can see the enormous difference between them. They both have a ‘fire’ within them. Cepheus has the type of fire that provides warmth, where Persei’s burns. Both have their uses. These are the two aspects of ‘passion’.

Cepheus has a prodigiously high emotional intelligence. He is also very wise for a stallion his age.

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