The Light of a Candle

by Scarheart

Eight.

Respect

Jakob could not move his left arm. After his outburst with Cadence, the nurse had returned, glared at him a good bit, and finished splinting the arm she had been working on. She was none too gentle, considering the man had just roared at one of the alicorns considered by most ponies to be living goddesses of immense power.

One simply did not yell at a goddess.

The nurse worked quickly, then was checking Fizzlepop. After that, she was gone.

His heart was writhing in agony. Why had she not spoken to him first about the candle? Why would she do this behind his back? Jakob had planned to tell his daughter about her mother, eventually. He was not comfortable discussing the memory of his wife. The wounds still felt fresh and the sullen man seemed to swim in his own misery.

A part of him felt bad for yelling at Cadence—she was extended family, and he did like her. The princess had never been anything other than kind to him and was proud to be June’s godmother. Jakob blamed himself for many things. Keeping in contact with the Princess of Love was one of the most important ones, but there had always been distractions—something else always coming up. The man did not want to share his pain. Was he selfish to want to keep this for himself?

Getting comfortable on a military cot was impossible with bruised ribs and a broken arm set in a fixed position.

Another part of Jakob did not want to forgive... did not want to show remorse. If anything, not enough had been done. His thoughts darkened, became murderous. The past eight years had softened him, made him weak. Who gave the Princess of Love the right to make decisions? Were the others involved? If so, how deeply?

The tent was dark and muted, the only sounds were coming from the machines monitoring Fizzlepop.

“Jakob?”

He flinched involuntarily at the seeking voice.

“What is it?” Jakob asked with a grunt.

“She shouldn’t have done that. Good intentions or not,” Fizzlepop’s words rasped through the air, “there’s something going on with her.”

“How much did you hear?”

“I heard enough, big guy. I’ve known Cadence long enough to know there’s something going on. I wish I knew what it was.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, I don’t know what’s going on,” the unicorn coughed, then spat in irritation at the self-induced interruption. “Are you all right? She was merciless.”

“Wounds heal. I will live.” Jakob held his side as he sat up. “What time is it?”

“It is an hour after sundown,” a pair of harlequin eyes cast a faint golden glow in the darkness. “I have been watching. My children have been watching. An old enemy stirs. My children are afraid. The fears of a purging run rampant through their minds, remembering the aftermath of the Corrupted Queen. I do what I can to ease their fears, but a mother can only do so much for her children.”

“Bug horse? What are you doing here?”

“Me?” she stepped forward, her outline barely visible. “I am hiding. My children are hiding. Something is not right in the land of magical ponies. A terrible fright has shuddered through my hive and my children are terrified. I don’t know what it is, but I know I don’t like it.”

“Is it Cadence?” he asked, staring at the queen.

She shook her head, “Doubtful. It’s not a manipulative alicorn princess causing the unease. Alicorns have been manipulating the course of the world for centuries. Well, Celestia has. Luna has been playing catch up since her return and has settled in comfortably on par with her sister. Twilight is a sponge for knowledge of the game, but lacks the skills for application. Give her time and she will be terrifying. Cadence is still growing into her role. Granted she’s not as skilled as her aunts, but she is good at it.” The changeling brought her head down to lock eyes with Jakob, “She did trot all over you without so much as breaking a sweat.” There was no malice in her tone. “You can trust the alicorns, Jakob, as you so adamantly insist, but can you trust your own free will?”

Jakob reached out with his good hand and began rubbing one of the changeling’s floppy ears. She cooed and leaned into the touch. “Why do you fear the alicorns?” he asked.

“They are immortal,” she said simply. “Celestia has guided and manipulated hundreds of rulers from hundreds of countries in the thousand years she ruled by herself. I would not be surprised if she has been teaching Cadence. I consider myself a master manipulator, Jakob, but I am but a mere light of a candle compared to the raging inferno that is Celestia. Some play the long game, Celestia plays the eternal one.”

“She’s still better than the Storm King,” snorted Fizzlepop with a groan. “Oh, my head.”

“Are you all right?” the man asked.

“I’ll be all right. My fault for pushing magic on a magic resistant opponent. I should have known better, but he was really starting to irritate me,” a dry chuckle came from the unicorn. Jakob could hear her shifting on her cot.

“Jakob,” Cassandra spoke softly, “may I give you some advice when it comes to Cadence? I think it would help you to defang some of her manipulative attempts on you and your daughter.”

He said nothing, remaining stone faced.

“Get a hold of your emotions. Control them. She knows what buttons to push. Your wife is your biggest button. Your daughter is your second. The living should take priority over the dead. The dead never come back,” she told him, her tone blunt. Touching his knee with a forehoof, she added, “You keep your emotions bottled up. I should know. I’m a changeling. Emotions are kind of my thing. Yours are raw, painfully so. That is your weakness.” Cassandra paused, then added, “Getting angry at me for trying to be helpful isn’t exactly going to help you.”

“Why are you telling me this with her here?” Jakob jabbed a thumb to where Fizzlepop lay.

“Trust was established in battle. You ask a question to which you already know the answer, you silly ape.”

Jakob grunted as Fizzlepop groaned.

“I owe you a drink, Fizzle,” Jakob muttered.

“Fizzle, huh?" she snorted. "I just might take you up on that offer.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes, “Aren’t you two just precious? I’d love to stay, but I would really like to make sure my children are safe. They are afraid and they need their mother.” Her eyes flickered, “I’ll keep in touch once I am sure they are safe.”

Jakob nodded, “Until then, bug horse.”

“Keep your head screwed on straight, ape.” Cassandra ghosted past Fizzlepop, pausing a moment to look down on the mare. “Keep an eye on him and watch that temper of his,” she whispered softly into her ear, “All sorts of things tend to go splat when he loses his temper. Don’t let what happened with the minotaur fool you.” She was gone before Fizzlepop could reply.

“She’s something,” the unicorn managed in the darkness.

Jakob forced himself to lay down. “June adores her. I do not know why. Most children would be terrified looking at Cassandra. She is a survivor. I respect that.”

“She’s pretty blunt and speaks her mind,” Fizzlepop observed. She sighed and tried to make herself comfortable. “I don’t know about what she said about Cadence. The princess is feisty, sure, but what I heard from her conversation with you...it doesn’t sit right with me.”

“So you said earlier.”

“How close was she to your wife, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Jakob stared up at the ceiling. “We were not married yet.” A breeze from outside was making the cloth ripple. “They met soon after our arrival to this world. We could not speak the language. Cadence wanted to teach us. Learning was difficult for me. Kaga was a quick learner. They became like sisters and were inseparable.”

“How long ago was that?” Fizzlepop was genuinely curious.

“Fifteen years? Fourteen?” Jakob furrowed his brow. “Kaga learned the culture and the language and tried to make it her own. I learned the language from her. We wanted to forget where we had come from and make a fresh start. Here was a paradise we had never dreamed existed.”

“Twilight told me you were from a different world,” Fizzlepop clucked her tongue. “So, that makes you some sort of alien? What was your world like?”

“Worse,” Jakob grunted. He did not elaborate, but instead said, “Cadence took Kaga with her everywhere. They became like sisters. Kaga loved it. I would not go with them. I was not interested.”

“Cadence used to tell the story of how Kaga was one of her bridesmaids.”

A smile flickered for a moment. “Yes. She was beautiful in that dress,” remembered the man.

“Then Queen Chrysalis happened,” Fizzlepop put in.

Jakob nodded. “Then Queen Chrysalis happened,” he echoed. “Kaga found her out while Twilight had found the real Cadence. Those two arrived in time to witness Kaga taking the head of the changeling queen before the wedding guests.”

“Where were you during this?” Fizzlepop wondered out loud.

“I was slaughtering drones that had broken through the shield.”

Fizzlepop arched a scarred brow, “That must have been something.”

“It was,” Jakob rubbed his broken arm. It was hard to breath, but he found it manageable. “Once everything settled down and the real wedding was held, Cadence formally adopted Kaga as her sister. This made her a minor royal.”

“Like Prince Blueblood?” Fizzlepop suggested.

“Yes.”

“So the barony was originally the property of Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Yes.”

“So, when she came to power in the Crystal Empire, Celestia, who at the time had Cadence as her ward, became steward by law.”

“Correct.”

“Who rewarded Kaga with Cadenza’s old home to give her status a foothold in noble society,” Fizzlepop concluded.

“Which I never had interest in pursuing,” Jakob added. “I had a quiet place to raise my daughter and that was good enough.”

Fizzlepop knew the human was glossing over quite a bit, but she didn’t mind. She knew she was getting an abridged version of events from the perspective of perhaps one of the most private barons in Equestria.

“May I ask you a question?” Jakob ventured after a few moments of silence passed.

“Only fair,” she replied, eyeing a cup and a pitcher of water on a stand next to her. “I hate to ask, but could you get me some water? My magic isn’t cooperating with me.”

Jakob grunted, finding the request reasonable. As he sat up, he said, “I think I scared off the on duty nurse.”

“When you are loud, your voice causes ponies to spook,” Fizzlepop told him. “They’re pretty skittish to begin with. Give it a little more time and the nurse will come back.”

The man pulled the privacy curtain aside to see the mare on the cot reaching for the water inches from the tip of her hoof. In a couple of steps, he was pouring water from the pitcher into the cup. Fizzlepop sat up, licking the corners of her mouth.

“Do you need help drinking?” he asked, unsure as how to proceed.

“I can manage,” Fizzlepop said, wobbling a bit. Her hooves shook as she reached for the cup the human was holding.

His lips set in a thin line, Jakob shook his head. “You need help.”

Pressing the water into her hoof, he steadied her grip by keeping his hand on her hoof. Nothing else was said and Fizzlepop drank, feeling a slight flush of her cheeks. The feel of his fingers wrapped around her hooves was an odd sensation. Jakob paid attention, helping her to tip the cup, letting the unicorn lead.

In that one motion, Fizzlepop Berrytwist understood how gentle the man could be.

Jakob watched her, his face impassive, but his eyes were hawkish. “More?”

The mare shook her head once. “I’m good. Thank you.”

Grunting, Jakob put the cup back on the stand and shuffled back to his cot.

Settling back, she smirked, “You still owe me a drink. A real one.”

He fell heavily, bracing with one arm and hissing again in pain as his body jostled and bounced once.

It was about then a mauve pelted unicorn in a rumpled military uniform beneath a lab coat entered the tent. He had a stethoscope draped over his neck and wore a pair of wire rimmed glasses perched delicately on his long, thin snout. The stallion was smaller than the average unicorn and had a lopsided smile. He wore no rank insignia and his mane was a lovely shade of gold.

“Baron Gray?” he peered through his glasses, bringing up a clipboard to his eye level, “I’m Doctor Stable Heart of the Royal Reserve. I understand you had a bit of a scrap with a minotaur.” He shifted his eyes to the human, “For encountering one of those chaps, you should count yourself lucky to still be alive.”

Jakob flicked his good hand towards Fizzlepop, “She helped.”

The doctor’s smile wavered. “Commander Tempest Shadow,” he greeted her with iced words. The warm demeanor returned as he returned his focus on Jakob, “Princess Cadence has asked me to look in on you. You will be going to Canterlot in the morning. Have you eaten anything?”

“No.”

“Are you hungry? Do you want something?” Stable regarded the clipboard.

“Why did you call her that?”

Startled, the stallion blinked at the question, “I beg your pardon?”

Jakob hunched forward, right elbow on his knee as he regarded Stable. “Commander Tempest Shadow. Why do you call her that?” The cold glare he gave was unsettling. “I am missing something here and there is animosity. Why?”

Stable Heart visibly flinched, “That’s the name she went under while serving the Storm King. You didn’t know?” he asked, adjusting his glasses. “She was the one who demanded the surrender of Equestria to her master. Tempest Shadow turned our princesses into stone and pursued Princess Twilight Sparkle after.”

“Fizzlepop,” Jakob turned his stern gaze to the mare, “is this true?”

“It is,” she said, holding her head high. “I have been on probation. I have tried very hard to right the wrongs I have done. A lot of ponies have not forgiven me. I do not expect forgiveness, but I still work to be a better pony.”

To the doctor, Jakob rumbled, “She fought at my side today. We bled together in battle against the same foe. I would ask that you give her the same respect you have shown me.”

“Ah, of course,” said the stallion, “I meant no disrespect. I will have a nurse bring you something to eat.”

“Her, too.”

“Naturally,” the doctor sniffed, “I might have my personal opinions, but I am a professional and I do not neglect my patients. I apologize if I gave the impression that I do. In the meantime, I would like to examine your wounds and make sure everything has been set to allow for proper healing. You’ve got a few injuries that are quite serious. The lung alone should have you on your back.”

“It will heal.”

“Judging from the scars you have, I’m sure you have plenty of experience healing.”

Jakob smirked without mirth. “Do what you must.”

For some long moments, the doctor scrutinized over the nurse’s handiwork. He listened to Jakob’s lungs and declared they sounded far better than they should have. The human ignored him, instead choosing to stare at the mare who stared unflinching right back at him. She reminded him of a loafing cat, her eyes casual slits, blinking slowly with long intermissions between each blink.

Judge me at your own peril!

And so the two stared at each other. Jakob had adopted a far softer look and studied every feature of the mare’s face. She held a pose of stoic loafing, her ears alert and swiveling.

“Well,” the doctor announced as he was finishing up, “your bones are already knitting. Remarkable ability of yours, that healing. Makes me wonder how bad some of your past injuries were if they were enough to leave scarring like what you have.”

“Do you know where my daughter is?” the man asked.

“Daughter?” Stable stared for a moment. His brows rose, “Ah, yes, her! I’m forgetful, I’m afraid. A busy day, you see. Had to examine the prisoners. Changeling venom can cause some nasty and unexpected side effects. The minotaur is a mess. He doesn’t share your ability to recover so quickly from wounds. Quite the number done to him! Your daughter? Hmm, I do believe she is having supper with Princess Cadence at the moment. No safer place to be, I assure you. Shall I let her know you were asking for her? What is her name?”

“June and thank you.”

Stable Heart smiled, “No trouble at all. I’ll have that nurse come and bring you something to eat. Good evening.”

“What about Fizzlepop?”

The doctor hesitated, then shook his head, “She’ll be fine. Nothing some rest and food won’t cure.” He left at a much quicker pace, his smile vanishing before he did.

“How did he get into the Guard?” wondered Jakob, scratching his beard.

Fizzlepop shrugged, “He was drafted?”

Awkward silence filled the tent.

Finally, Fizzlepop let out a slow, “So,” —the ceiling was suddenly interesting to stare at while she gathered her thoughts— “aren’t you curious?”

“About what?” the human asked.

“You can’t be that dense.”

“No, I am not dense. I choose not to ask questions.”

The unicorn stared at him. “Why not? Now I’m curious!”

An earth pony nurse entered carrying a large rectangular tray on her back. There were two covered plates and utensils on neatly folded napkins. Dinner was doled out and soon the pair were alone again. They ate in silence. Fizzlepop stared at Jakob. He ignored her and attacked his food with gusto. The bowl was large. It held a salad filled with diced vegetables, fruits and shredded cheese. The unicorn had the same meal, and in a bowl just as large.

Finishing first, Jakob pushed his bowl away and stared at the tent flap. Resting his elbow on his thigh, he rubbed his chin, his fingers digging through the short beard. He wanted to see June. There were probably guards outside the door. Jakob had nothing against the ponies. He enjoyed their company, even if the man rarely showed it. Equestria had been good to him and his daughter, all in all. The peace had been paid for in full. He had gotten used to the emptiness.

Or so he had thought.

“Why not?” he brought up Fizzlepop’s question, still rubbing his chin. “You proved yourself to me today. What you did years ago is irrelevant. I did not know you then. I would assume you did things you were not proud of. You have been working to change that. That earns my respect. It is a good start.”

His inner self scoffed at his own hypocrisy. Shoving it aside, he offered Fizzlepop a small smile before it vanished like a ghost, as he was prone to do with them. A glint of interest had sparked, the mare he had just met this day proving herself to be an invaluable ally, if not a friend. A part of him wondered if Cadence was meddling with this, too, as the princess had already struck several nerves in his heart.

Was she maneuvering him to be accepting of a possible future mate?

The nurse returned, an apologetic smile on her muzzle. “Baron Gray? I have been asked by Princess Cadence to inform you Lady June Gray has turned in for the night and will not be able to see you. Her Highness was happy to hear you were asking for your daughter and promised to reunite the two of you before your trip to Canterlot in the morning.”

Jakob’s visage became a passing thundercloud. “Thank you,” he said tersely, “please convey my appreciation to the princess.”

The nurse shivered, “Yes, sir! I’m sorry sir!” She ducked out, eyes filled with fear.

“That’s two,” Fizzlepop said after a few seconds of heavy silence.

“Two?”

“Two nurses you’ve scared to death.”

Jakob grumbled under his breath and laid down on his cot.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to see your daughter,” Fizzlepop’s voice carried softly to his ears, “I’m sorry Cadence is being such a witch. I’ve never seen her do this to anypony...or anyone. I’m as confused as you are.”

The human sighed, then grunted, “When we get to Canterlot, I will be asking questions. I am wondering if the others have become like her. I am afraid I will only get more questions.”

“Do you trust Cadence with your daughter?”

He shifted, his discomfort from his injuries making the act a chore. Jakob chose not to answer. He did not have one. Has Cadence approached you about me? Are you to become another distraction for me?

Jakob Gray had his doubts and his fears. Comfort was eluding him, which meant sleep was not going to be agreeable.

Author's Note:

No editors were harmed during the writing of this chapter.

Carpal tunnel doesn't count.

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

Yes, something about this reeks. Cadence might really be falling into her aspect, "love" covers a staggeringly wide swathe of territory.

Yanderes experience "love" too...

[Orrm]

Jakob Gray had his doubts and his fears. Comfort was eluding him, which meant sleep was not going to be agreeable.

I've spoken to many a person in my life, those who hold political power and those who hold physical power and especially those in positions of peril.

A Chinese saying I picked up simplifies the entire process of comfort.

"At the end of the day, he with the biggest fist wins"

The rich man uses money to buy a strong fist. The strong fist has power with which to use.

At the end of the day, strife can be solved with physical conflict, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I've seen many men be ridiculed for killing their enemies for minor offenses, I've also seen those same men who ridiculed others get ousted because they refused to simply end the problem at its root.

Killing someone because they pose a threat to do you, instead of seeking peace, does not make you a weaker man, it makes you a living one as blades would come to pass anyway.

Never forget, the most powerful political figures throughout history have been killed by mere boys, regardless of their 'hired' fists.

A fist, takes many forms, there is a mental fist, caked with emotion and ridicule, there is a social fist, Full of vibrant constructions and judgements, and there is simply, a fist, with which you drive into someone's head to end them.

Jacob's excels at the latter, while Cadence exceeds him, as feeble as her attempts are, at the former.

At the end of the day, he with the biggest fist wins the battle.

Ensure you never fight one where you cannot use your own.

[Scarheart]

10316581
Indeed they do, and it can come from various emotions and feelings.

I really hope I can pull this off when the answers start coming for you guys. I'm excited and there's still a lot more story to go.

[ALittleUnwell]

I'm appreciating the fact that Cadance is getting called out on her behavior, and by Tempest no less. I've seen this type of crap go down in other HiE stories, and be portrayed as a good thing.

[nioniosbbbb]

You killed my Chryssie! T_T Ah that's ok. If you want a video that explains the immortal thought process and how its different than the mortal thinking process then watch this.

Basically the difference between mortal and god is the difference to get to do the things before death claims you. It's like a motivator that adjusts the pace with which you choose to live your life.

I do quite wonder how Kaga killed Chrysalis tho. Honestly I get the impression that in a world where magic vs non-magic people fight the magic one wins by default. I dunno how one may overcome it.