The carriage was of ornate design; egg-shaped, with windows dominating most of the upper half of it. It was white with gold trim, bearing Celestia’s mark on the doors of each side. A team of four pegasi honor guards pulled it, wings flapping in unison and hooves trotting on air. Their golden armor gleaming in the mid-morning light. Four wheels spun in the air as the carriage sailed with little effort through the sky. Four more armored pegasi flew in a box formation protecting the carriage.
Arrival into Canterlot was expected at sundown.
In the carriage were three passengers; a human, as well as his daughter, and a unicorn mare with a broken horn. Bags were stowed beneath the lavishly cushioned bench the humans sat on. June pressed her face into the glass and watched the world fade away as the pegasi pulled them into the air. This was her first flight. Her smile brightened the compartment as she pointed and gawked at the clouds. They were white and puffy as they floated lazily in the air beneath the carriage. The gentle rocking motion had soon put the girl to sleep, nestled up against her father’s side.
It was a good while before conversation sparked.
“Well?” Fizzlepop Berrytwist asked Jakob Gray, “What happened between you and Princess Cadenza?” Her opal eyes narrowed at him. Nostrils flared as she held her temper in check. She had worked very hard to gain the trust of the princesses. Cadence was a sweet and caring mare. Why anypony, or in this case, anyone would render her to such a state of heartbreak was beyond the unicorn’s understanding.
Which is why she was looking for answers.
Fizzlepop was a well-traveled mare, having seen quite a bit of the world in most of her years. Though she was upset with Jakob, she suspected there was more going on between the man and the alicorn. Her initial thought (which in itself was ridiculous, but crossed her mind regardless) was of an affair having come to an end. Logic dictated this was more of a cultural issue, as very little was known of Jakob’s life before Equestria. What was known, or surmised, was a hard life. Although his reckless nature would bring about a fair share of scars, most of his felt like they ran deeper… older, than his time in Equestria. Indeed, most Equestrian knowledge on humans and their society had been supplied by Kaga, to the best of her abilities, long ago. Much of it was classified, known only to the princesses.
Jakob prepared his answer, remembering his word. He told Fizzlepop about the candle and how Cadence had not come to him first. The gift had been intended for June, but Jakob was clearly confused and hurt. The explanation went on to include the princess’ inability to use her magical talent of spreading love on him and the frustration from her that followed. This in turn was the reasoning behind the creation of the candle, its ultimate purpose hidden from the other alicorns.
Fizzlepop listened and gave him her rapt attention. She said nothing, reserving her thoughts.
When he was done, she asked, “May I give my opinion on the matter?” The mare kept her voice down, mindful of the sleeping girl.
“I am willing to listen,” Jakob replied, looking worn and tired. “I am not sure if I made the right choice.”
“Huh,” Fizzlepop grunted, looking him unblinking in the eye, “I’d say you were right to call her out on not being upfront.” She shook her head and flicked an ear. “The candle sounds like something unusual... but not unheard of. Certainly doesn’t sound like anything illegal. I’ve never dabbled in complex magic like what you described, but I’m pretty sure none of the princesses would ever stoop to pure necromancy. That requires an actual body, not a couple of strands of hair. I’m not one hundred percent on that. It’s not something I ever looked into.” She pointed at her broken horn with a hoof.
Fizzlepop Berrytwist stared for a moment out the window at the passing clouds. She inhaled deeply before turning her attention back to the man.
“At the same time, however… I hate to say it, baron, but I do believe you overstepped badly,” she told him with professional detachment. “Cadenza was taught by Princess Celestia to treat the individual with respect and understanding. Ponies sometimes give in to their desire to follow their talent. I’m no therapist. I’m a soldier and a former mercenary. You were right to tell her to take the candle to her aunts, but you shouldn’t have been so bitter to her. I know a thing or two about bitterness because I’ve had my personal fill of it.”
Jakob was looking at her with a half-hearted scowl. “I feel you are not done,” he noted dryly.
She gave him a half smile, “Jakob, I consider you a comrade. You are a difficult individual to get along with. Your social skills leave a lot to be desired. I appreciate your bluntness, but when it comes to speaking to princesses, a little tact would be useful.” Fizzlepop squinted her eyes at him, “I don’t even think you were taking that fight with the minotaur seriously.”
The human shrugged with one shoulder, “If the fight had ended too quickly, then the changelings might not have had time to get into position.” He rubbed his sore side, remembering the encounter, “I needed the pain, to remember physical pain. I was not disappointed.” Jakob winced.
Fizzlepop mumbled something to herself, then sighed, “Back to the princess. Are you going to apologize to her?”
“For what?”
“For acting like an overprotective foal.”
He pointed at himself. “Me?”
Fizzlepop gave an unhappy huff, “Cadence loves you. You’re an idiot not to see that. You’re family in her eyes and you ripped it up and threw it in her face, along with her shredded heart. Sounds like something I would have done years ago, to be honest. You took the changeling’s advice and went full retard. You choose the dead over the living. Cadence never meant to hurt you, but you reacted badly and hurt her in ways you can’t even begin to imagine,” she curled her lip in disgust. Her anger faded and she sighed at him, disappointed. “Think for a moment. Cadence went to your wife’s grave. You two shared a drink and remembered her. Didn’t that mean anything to you?”
Jakob inhaled slowly, not sure what to do. “I am conflicted,” he admitted.
It was uncomfortable to be under such scrutiny. He did not have the anger or the will to refute Fizzlepop’s words. Thinking about what had transpired since first seeing Cadence, her warm smile, she had been so happy to see him.
For a long moment, the two stared at each other.
“Well?” she challenged, canting her head slightly to one side.
A knot was forming in his chest. Why am I feeling this? Why did it hurt? “I...may have overreacted,” Jakob admitted.
“Just a smidgen, I’m sure,” Fizzlepop deadpanned.
“Cadence...made a poor choice,” he struggled, looking down at June as she slept. A myriad of emotions trampled over his normally stoic face. “I have made a mistake.”
Fizzlepop flicked an ear, “You broke her heart.”
“I did.”
“Care to rationalize that?” she pressed, arching a brow.
The image of the candle filled his mind. Its face was mocking him, familiar yet alien. It was the face of the woman he had loved, but it was not her. “The candle. That flame. It hurt to see that face. She is dead, but the face made me feel…”
“Feel what?”
“...rage.” The anger that was sparked had been the old wound reopening. There had been that hollow pain of loss. Jakob hitched, his eyes blurring. Why this weakness? Weakness died in the arena. It was crushed on the battlefield. Any emotion other than anger and hate… Why am I thinking of the old ways? Those accursed days are gone! I am safe here. June is safe here. Kaga is…
“Jakob,” Fizzlepop’s voice was laced with concern, “are you all right?”
“I do not know,” he rasped, blinking wet eyes. June stirred at his side. Jakob gave her a gentle squeeze, fighting the urge to scoop her into a fierce hug. “I feel lost. Alone.”
“That child,” the mare indicated June with her snout, “is all that has kept you together, am I right?”
A single nod was given. “After Kaga died,” Jakob said, his single tear falling into his beard, “all I had was June. The ponies gave me a place to raise her. Gave me the barony. A hero, they called me. I watched my wife die before my eyes, and they called me a hero for it.” It was hard to keep his voice quiet. He did not want to wake June. “I wanted nothing from you ponies. I did not have the desire Kaga did to be among you. I only wanted to raise my daughter.”
“You could have refused,” Fizzlepop told him.
“I could not risk losing a stable place where I could raise June in peace,” he told her. “So, I accepted under the stipulation I be allowed to live without the presence of magic.”
There were all sorts of things wrong in his statement, but Fizzlepop was in no mood to nitpick. “Ponies are not like that,” snorted the unicorn with a shake of her head, “they are generous to a fault. You had the ear of all four alicorns.”
“I am not a pony, a herd animal,” he told her in a flat tone. “It is not what I wanted. I found freedom alone. I felt if I was near them, my freedom would be gone,” Jakob looked down at his slumbering daughter, “I wanted her to have the freedom growing up I never knew.”
“Being free does not mean being alone,” Fizzlepop chided him gently.
“I was born a slave,” Jakob ignored her comment, “A slave obeys. I obeyed. Those were my first memories. I was only free when I was left to my thoughts.”
The unicorn splayed her ears out. “I didn’t know.”
“Few do. Cadence might, but I never told her directly.” Jakob closed his eyes, pushing the back of his head into the padded seat, “I did tell Celestia once, when she was worried if I would be a threat to her little ponies.”
“And she let you stay?”
“She has a thing for second chances.” Jakob grunted, “I need to speak with Cadence. I need to explain.”
“You are a difficult creature, Baron Gray,” Fizzlepop observed. “I can’t even begin to fathom your life before Equestria, but I can sympathize. I was under a cruel master myself, but it was my stupid fault. Pain from a broken horn makes for poor life choices.”
Jakob grunted, gave a half-hearted smile, “I would imagine so.” His broken arm was itching again, and he could not get comfortable because of his ribs. Blinking, the man then frowned, remembering the crying alicorn. “Over a candle,” he whispered.
The unicorn yawned, “It’s going to be a long trip. Try to get some shut-eye.”
Feeling sleepy, the man propped his head in his cushioned corner and closed his eyes. Soon, he found himself dozing. As he dozed, he reflected on his life.
There was much Jakob did not understand about Equestria, even after so many years. Kaga had once admitted the magic of this land was different from the magic she used. Even she found the everyday use of magic by the ponies fascinating. The magic was everywhere, in everything. It was not sparse nor hoarded. All who could use it, did. Most users were not very strong. Others, like the alicorns, had gods-like power. So, when the opportunity arose to get away from what he did not understand, Jakob accepted the barony. Too much power, he believed, corrupted those who wielded it.
Canterlot terrified him.
No, this was not true. It was the two hearts beating as one that drove him to terror.
Kaga had embraced the alicorns. Jakob saw their power then, and trembled. In battle, he knew no fear. Fear had been bled and beaten out of him. He had known victory and defeat. Magic, however, was a mystery. Kaga was the first to show him the wonders and horrors of what it could do. She could crush armies and had done so. The warrior had thought he had seen the pinnacle of power through her.
Until he had met the sisters Celestia and Luna.
Kaga opened her eyes to a whole new world of magic. Her love of power rivaled the love she had for Jakob. She had dragged him from one adventure to the next, seeking means to expand her knowledge. Gleefully she took on tasks bequeathed to her by the alicorns others were too skittish to attempt. Yet she, along with her bemused future husband, succeeded and the rewards were more than she could have ever dreamed. She shared her accomplishments with her love, to which Jakob honestly had no idea what to do with. Wealth and power meant nothing to him, but Kaga was happy and that had been good enough for the man.
Even if being in the presence of beings who controlled the very sun and moon quivered the heart. For Kaga, fear could be conquered, and Jakob did his damnedest.
The woman met a young alicorn by the name of Mi Amore Cadenza, the adopted niece of Celestia. The pair became fast friends and were soon inseparable. It was through the young princess that Kaga learned much about pony society. Together, the pair cut a swathe of political destruction in the form of lustful sighs and broken hearts in their collective wake, much to the amusement of Princess Celestia. The sorceress was a sensation, an exotic creature who wielded magic and had won over the Princess of Love. Jakob avoided the spotlight, content to let Kaga have her fun. Any potential suitors of the human woman who ignored her polite rejection were directed towards her much larger and certainly more menacing male companion. This amused Kaga to no end, and she rewarded her husband-to-be accordingly.
In time, it was announced Mi Amore Cadenza was to be wed to her fiancé Shining Armor. Naturally, Kaga was asked to be a bridesmaid and just as expected, the alicorn’s friend accepted. Then, there was confusion, a changeling queen appeared where Cadence should have been. She and Kaga engaged in a spectacular magic duel. As this happened, Jakob found himself holding a tenuous line of defense against hordes of the changeling queen’s children, wielding nothing more than a spear picked up from a fallen guard. A unicorn named Twilight Sparkle arrived with the real Cadence in time to see Kaga create a magical blade, using it to decapitate the queen.
Soon after, Jakob asked for Kaga’s hand. She consented, but only after teasing the poor man with faux indecisiveness. Celestia wed the pair at Kaga’s request, formalizing their relationship in marriage. It was during the ceremony that the white alicorn presented the pair with their citizenship papers and Cadence formally adopted Kaga as a sister, thus deeming the woman, Jakob, and any future children as part of her family herd.
Princess Luna was an enigma to Jakob. She came off as aloof and distant and always giving the humans a wary look. She was friendly enough, though her smiles never seemed to reach her eyes. Kaga seemed afraid of the alicorn, though she would never tell her husband why, other than the cryptic, ‘mind your dreams!’.
Jakob did meet her several times as Kaga went abroad. Although terrified of the alicorn and wondering why she would bother approaching a former slave, the two eventually established a warm relationship from polite conversation and Jakob’s fascination with the stars. Her attitude towards him soon became motherly, though not in the warm manner associated with Celestia. Where some would consider Celestia a mother hen, Luna was more of a mother wolf. The latter was far more aggressive than the former.
Luna was able to establish a somewhat friendly relationship with Jakob, but was still unsuccessful in allaying all of his fears. She was able to coax him a little from his defensive stance with her night skies, spending time to teach him about the history of her nights and the stars that filled them.
She understood Jakob enough to convince her sister to let him be. Luna reminded the man she would never turn him away should he need something. The Night Princess told him this with the innuendo of a warning.
Jakob’s meandering thoughts fell upon Cadence and her anguished face. Guilt again seized him. He wanted to cry out, but there was only darkness and silence.
He felt a pulse, his dream shifting. Jakob fell into his past.
So...thou art drawing near to Us.
Jakob was a boy, moments before his first taste of combat.
We are privy to thy thoughts. We know of thy fears.
He was given no armor, but a knife was pressed into his hand.
We had hoped the passage of time would ease thy fears.
Led down a hallway, an unseen hand guided him roughly.
Thou doth dream thine dark past, of nightmares that ne’er fade.
Before him were the doors. Beyond were the muffled sounds of a vast crowd screaming for blood.
We are averse to seeing thee this way, Jakob Gray.
Stepping into the light of twin suns, the boy shielded his eyes and saw his opponent across the arena, the roar of the crowd reverberating through his core.
We made a promise, and have kept it. We only come as you have called to Us.
The other boy was like him; scared and in his first fight. Before they could come to blows, everything went dark. A feathery embrace surrounded his presence, and he could feel her.
Rest, Our sullen champion. Give unto Us thy guilt, so We might share thy burden. Thou art safe. No harm will befall thee nor thy daughter. Thou hast Our word.
The embrace was brief, yet comforting. Then, it was gone, a whisper in the wind.
Come. Find succor in Canterlot. She shall be waiting for thee. Both shalt be there if thou but accept what is offered.
She was gone, and Jakob woke up.
June had at some point pried herself from her father’s side. Unable to get comfortable, she noted Father drooling in his sleep again. He seemed to be dreaming. Sitting up, she looked over at Fizzlepop. The mare was curled up in a tight ball, her fur reminding June of a fuzzy flower. She also appeared incredibly soft and much more comfortable. Slipping from her seat, the girl slid over next to the unicorn. A hand settled on fur. Fizzlepop was very soft to the touch, but there was firm muscle beneath the pelt.
An opal eye slit open slightly and fell on June.
“What are you doing?” Fizzlepop asked warily, tensing.
“Petting you,” said the girl, unbothered by the pony’s wakefulness.
“Why are you petting me?”
“Because I have to. Your coat looks so pretty.”
“You have to,” the mare deadpanned. She did nothing to stop the child.
“Well, I like you, too.”
“Do you always pet ponies you like?”
“Uh-huh,” the girl nodded with an emphatic smile. “Marely lets me scratch her behind the ears. She loves it!”
“Hmm,” Fizzlepop hummed, unconvinced, “did you ask permission first?”
There was a pause to the petting, “Can I pet you?”
“No.”
June frowned and withdrew her hand. Her features trembled, “Oh. I’m sorry.”
Fizzlepop thought only foals were capable of such adorableness. Sitting up, the mare sighed, imagining the future regret to come. Beckoning with a hoof, she said, “Come here.”
Crawling forward, the girl found herself in the pony’s embrace, a sort of make-shift cuddle. It’s not half bad, June decided.
“One of the things suggested I do as I acclimate back into pony society,” Fizzlepop explained, her voice awkward, “was to engage in more physical contact. Helps with forming bonds of trust. Princess Cadence has been trying for a long time to help me with my own social quirks.”
June sank against the pony’s chest, loving the fluffiness. Fizzlepop was not physically a fluffy pony by any stretch of the imagination, but she still managed to feel fluffy. The mare was also relaxed, resting her chin on top of the girl’s head.
“We can work on your cuddleliness,” the girl told the mare most seriously.
Fizzlepop flicked an ear, amused, “...cuddleliness?”
There was an interruption in their conversation as a zombie-like groan sounded from the opposing seat. Both turned their attention to Jakob as he stirred. The man blinked and stretched with his one good arm, stopping in mid stretch as he beheld his daughter in the hooves of a broken horned pony. After a moment of processing what he was seeing, he spoke three words:
“We have arrived.”