A Candle In the Dark
“Come on, everypony!” Pinkie shouted as she bounced through the snow in circles, leaving only a few sets of hoofprints in her wake. “Let’s hurry home! I can’t wait to have some of Mom’s rock stew!”
"Wow!" Apple Bloom cheered with excitement. She followed Pinkie and jumped off the station's edge, only to find herself half buried in the snow. Shivering, Apple Bloom looked around. "There's sure a lot of snow. Ah didn't know y'all got pegasi out this far."
“We don’t,” Limestone called as she pushed her way to the Apples. “This was from a wild blizzard.”
“Wait…” Pinkie skidded to a halt and squinted at her sister. “But we don’t get blizzards. We hardly ever get any rain!"
“Crazy huh?” Limestone smirked, and turned towards town.
The Apple family and Pie sisters trudged their way from the train station after Limestone. Snow yielded to buildings and shoveled pathways. Apple Bloom, rescued from her frosty tomb, sat on Applejack’s back while Granny Smith leaned against Big Mac’s sturdy frame and eyed the townsfolk.
“Say, there’s something a tad different about this place.” Granny squinted. “I can’t quite put mah hoof on it, though.”
Ponies walked through the shoveled streets. Some meandered, enjoying the scenery, while others trotted, carrying bags and packages - no doubt last minute Hearth’s Warming Eve shopping. There was a vibrant energy in the air, and a stallion greeted the group with a twinkle in the eye and a friendly nod.
“Wait, I know what it is!” Pinkie gasped. “They’re smiling!”
“Is that really that far out of the ordinary, Sugarcube?” Applejack quirked her brow. “Ah know ya came from a place that was… somewhat reserved... but it is that time of year.”
“Yeah, but this is different, Applejack!” Pinkie squished their faces together. “You’d have an easier time getting Rarity to mud-wrestle than for my neighbors to crack a joke! When I left for Ponyville, everypony here just seemed to be existing, but not living. Look, over there! Mr. Granite is chortling! It might not be a proper guffaw, but he’s getting there! Maud, what’s happened here?!”
Maud turned to Pinkie, and Applejack swore a razor-thin smile appeared on her face for a moment. “A lot’s happened since you’ve been here last, Pinkie Pie.”
“You too?!” Pinkie gasped.
“Mhm,” Marble chimed in.
“Come on,” Limestone interrupted. “We should get home. Mom and Dad will be wondering about us.”
The eight went through town and down the road that led to the Pies’ farm. They followed an older set of hoofprints in the snow left by the Pie sisters on their way to the train station. There was even the occasional wagon wheel rut that packed down the snow, making a narrow path for the group to walk.
Snow crunched beneath their hooves and the sun warmed their coats. They walked in silence as they crested a hill. Pinkie bounced along, but Big Mac and Granny Smith lagged at the rear of the group.
“Hoowee! Ah’m sure gettin’ mah cardio today!” Granny panted. “The doc better not be complainin’ to me none once we get back about eatin’ too much.”
“Hey! What’s that sound?” Pinkie’s ears twitched she and tried to stretch her neck over the hill. There was a faint exchange of cooing and bleeting.
“Oh, that’s just our new neighbor.” Limestone gestured. “He raises chickens and sheep.”
“Oh yeah! I remember you talking about that in one of your letters. Didn’t you say you drug him out of the river?”
“Uh huh.” Marble nodded. “Limestone pulled him out of the creek and he stayed at our house for a couple weeks.”
“Yeah. Poor guy had nearly drowned. Still can’t figure out where he came from. It’s like he just appeared out of the riverbed.”
“What’s the fella’s name?” Apple Bloom asked.
“It’s some weird foreign name… Yaka-somethin’, and no, Pinkie. He’s not a yak. He did say we could call him Sojourner, though. Apparently, it's an old tradition for his people to adopt names from the local culture."
“Sojourner, huh? Ah guess he ain’t from around these parts?” Applejack inquired.
“Limestone.” Maud blinked. “Why don’t we go visit him? We’re about halfway, and it’ll be good to take a break.”
“That’s… Yeah. That’s a good idea.”
“Hey, Pinkie,” Applejack whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Is it just me, or are your sisters actin’ a bit funny? Don’t they seem a bit more… approachable, Ah guess? It’s the same thing with everypony in town.”
“You’re right, AJ. Normally, Limestone is kind of a grumpy-pants, but she’s being downright nice. Marble is being a chatterbox, and Maud is downright ecstatic. It’s weird, but also good. I don’t know how to feel about it.”
“What do ya think is going on?”
“I don’t know, AJ, but my hooves are tingling, so we’re about to find out!”
The group crested the hill and found three buildings. A cabin, barn, and a chicken coop were nestled together with a sturdy wooden fence surrounding them. Several long humps of snow, each about fifty or sixty meters long, were about a stone’s throw away from the buildings. A dozen sapling trees stood around the field.
They trotted up to the front door and they heard singing inside, but they couldn’t make out any of the words. Limestone knocked on the door. The singing stopped. A long moment passed before a set of odd-sounding hoofsteps approached the door.
“Shalom!” The strange creature greeted them with a smile. “Bo’u! Come in! I was just about to pull out some latkes.”
The Apples and Pinkie stared at the odd being that invited them into its home. It was like some upright ape, but mostly hairless and covered in clothing. Tiny, brown, mirthful eyes watched them as they squeezed around a dining room table, and after a moment of shuffling, everypony found a comfortable place to sit. Silver and white streamers and lights were strung across the ceiling and gave the room a cheerful glow. The scent of fried food and chocolate intermingled in the air.
“What brings you over?” Sojourner looked at the Pie sisters.
"Well we were just on our way home after picking up some, uh, very extended family from the train station,” Limestone glanced at the Apples “but some of us got tired and needed a break.”
“Metsu’yan! And it just so happens I had the urge to fry some extra latkes. Yah works in mysterious ways, doesn’t He?”
“Err, yeah…” Limestone cleared her throat.
“Hey, these are pretty good!” Pinkie grinned as she stuffed her face with several latkes. “What are they?”
“Latkes. They’re sort of a pancake or patty made from shredded potatoes and fried in oil. Y’know, it’s surprisingly hard to find potatoes here in Equestria. They’re a relatively common staple where I come from.”
“And where do ya come from, Mister Sojourner?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Oh… A long ways. It’s not all that different from here. The people may look different, but no matter how far you go, people will still be people. Anyway, I’m here for the time being, so I’ll make the most of it. Ayn ma la’asot?”
“Why did you move out in the middle of nowhere?” Pinkie said between bites.
“Well…” Sojourner leaned back in his chair. “For one reason or another, my Father sent me here.”
“So he just… Threw ya out?” Applejack scrunched her face.
“Oh, no! No no no. It’s not really like that. You see… He has a job for me to do. I don’t know the specifics yet, but I’m sure He will reveal them to me in time. Until then, I’ll simply live and follow the instructions He’s already given me.”
“An’ what did yer Pa tell ya to do?” Granny Smith eyed him.
“Three simple things…” Sojourner held up his hand with a smile. “Love Him, love my neighbor, and be a servant to all.”
Sojourner’s guests glanced at each other inquisitively, but he slapped a palm on the table before they could voice any more questions.
“So!” Sojourner looked at each of his guests. “I’ve spoken enough about me. Why don’t you all tell me about yourselves?”
The night meandered on, and the guests told their stories. Their plates and glasses were kept full by their host, and Sojourner shared a few tales from his homeland and how he has acclimated to Equestrian culture. It was difficult to find livestock, he said, because many animals he's used to were sapient in Equestria. Eventually, he had settled on chickens and a sharecropping-like relationship with a herd of sheep. He purchased their wool in exchange for food, water, shelter, and a cut of the profit. They also helped out in the growing season as farmhands.
“How are you even able to grow anything out here?!” Pinkie gasped. “The soil here is dead as, well, a rock! No offense, Maud.”
“None taken, Pinkie.” Maud blinked. “But I may be able to answer your question. You see, Sojourner’s kind is able to grow food without magic. He uses a variety of sustainable farming techniques that build the soil naturally through the ecosystem. We’ve also had a lot more wild storms in the last year, that helped considerably.”
“Yeah. Equestria doesn’t seem to have the kind of irrigation tech’ that I’m used to, so I am extremely grateful for the rain. And I’ve also been blessed with a very helpful community.”
The Pie sisters smiled at this.
“Umm… Sojourner?” Marble mumbled.
“Yes?”
“I understand you don’t really celebrate Equestrian holidays, but do you… umm… observe anything else instead of Hearth’s Warming?”
"Well… As a matter of fact, it's just about time to light the candles."
“Candles?” Big Mac furrowed his brow.
Sojourner stepped into another room and returned with a strange candelabra. It was made of bronze or some similar metal, and it had nine candle holders. There were four on each side that branched out from the central one.
"Every year," Sojourner began, "my people have many celebrations. They each have their meanings, symbolism, and traditions to help us remember important events that happened long ago, and events and that will happen sometime in the future. This one, in particular, is called the Festival of Lights, and to truly understand its significance will require some historical context.
“About, oh, two-and-a-half or three thousand years before I was born… Somewhere in that area… There was a powerful king named Alexander the Great. Was he really that great? I don’t know. Never met him. He did, however, conquer a large part of the known world at the time and unified it. When he annexed the land of my forefathers, he mostly left them alone and let them assimilate in their own time.
“Alexander died young and without an heir, so his generals split the empire between themselves. The one that inherited my homeland was especially cruel, as the stories go. He outlawed our way of life, desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, and tried to force my ancestors to become Greek - like him.
“Eventually, my people had enough and rose against him. Hundreds of us against tens of thousands of Greeks. Not very good odds, was it? Well, they might have had numbers, but we had a few advantages they lacked. First, we knew the terrain. Second, we were blessed with a great leader. Third? Yehovah was with us. He had given the land to us, and at that time, we were in His favor. And when you have Yehovah’s favor… not a thing in this world can stand against you.”
“Who is this… Yeehoovah fellar?” Applejack interrupted.
Sojourner merely smiled. “Yehovah is Adonai, our Master. He is Abba, our Father. He is the King of Kings - and the one that delivered my people from the bondage of slavery. That is a story for another time, though…
“Judah Maccabee led the resistance against the Greeks. They won many battles and, with Yehovah’s aid, drove them out. Imagine… A ragtag band of farmers, priests, and scholars defeating the greatest army in the known world. It was a miracle.
“After the Maccabees won, they resolved to restore and rededicate the Temple. Now… Here’s where the story gets a little fuzzy. You see, it took eight days to do this. They had to have the golden lampstand lit the entire time. In some accounts, the priests only found enough oil to light it for one day, yet it took eight to make more. However, the oil they had miraculously lasted for all eight days.”
“Eight whole days?!” Apple Bloom gasped.
"Yup. Though if you look, the earliest account of that version is written down several centuries after it would have happened, so I'm not sure if it's true. On the flip side, though, after they rededicated the Temple, there was an eight-day celebration that was eventually formalized into a yearly tradition."
"So, uh, which one do you think is the right one?" Applejack asked.
“Well the story of the lampstand is nice, and I could believe it happening if Yehovah willed it. However, what is historically certain was the Maccabean War. And that, Applejack, I believe is the true miracle of Hanukkah. This is because that what should have been wholesale slaughter was turned into an overwhelming victory. Our way of life was preserved, and it paved the way for a later prophecy to be fulfilled. Now, to begin…”
Sojourner filled up each of the candelabra’s arms with a blue or white candle. When he finished, he took out a match and ignited it.
“Barukh atah Yehovah Eloheinu,” he said as he lit the center candle. “Melekh ha’olam. Asher noten lanu ha’nerot shel Hanukkah.”
Sojourner removed the candle and lit the others. "Blessed are you, Yehovah, our God, Sovereign of All, who gives us the lights of Hanukkah. Blessed are you, Yehovah, who lights my lamp. Yehovah, my Elohim, who lights up my darkness. Blessed is your son, Yeshua, who is the Light of the World.”
All nine candles glowed together. With each branch filled, their proximity seemed to create one singular flame that kept the darkness at bay. The ponies and Sojourner watched the flames dance, the wicks curl, and the wax flow down the base.
“Well,” Granny Smith broke the silence. “That was a mighty fine story, sonny, and these lat-keys of yours really hit the spot on a cold winter night, but we really should be goin’.”
“Lo ikhpat li! I wouldn’t mind if you stayed until morning. I have a few sleeping mats.”
“Thank ya kindly, sugarcube,” Applejack tipped her hat. “But we’ve already taken too much of your hospitality. We wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Alright, but wait just a sec’…”
Sojourner rose from his chair and retrieved a flashlight from a drawer near the front door. He handed it to Applejack with a grin.
“It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.”
“Err… Thank ya.”
The Apples and Pie sisters filed out the door, except for Limestone. She stood before Sojourner, fidgeting with her hoof, and a very faint tremble reverberated through her back. Limestone’s eyes wandered everywhere except for Sojourner’s face.
“Yes, Limestone?” he asked patiently. “Is there something you need?”
"Umm, err…" Her mouth had turned to cotton. "Yeah. About, uh, your father. You've talked a lot about him before. He's a good guy?"
“Always.” Sojourner nodded.
“Does he look after you? Teach you how… to be better?”
“He watches my every footstep, Limey.” Sojourner lowered himself to be eye-level with the pony. “He has saved my life more times than I can count, provided for my every need, and always made sure I am precisely where I need to be. My Father dearly wishes for me, for all of us, to reach our highest potential. Sometimes it is hard, yes. It can be so very very hard to live up to His expectations - His standards - but doing the right thing is rarely easy. His ways are often against the grain of the world, and the world hates what it considers to be different. But I believe with all my heart that it’s worth it. To feel His love. His grace… To know He is proud of me… No army or king can take that away. Yes, I stumble. Yes, I struggle. Sometimes He is disappointed with me, but as long as I try and seek Him earnestly, I believe He will forgive me and return me to His presence.”
“Sounds…” Limestone swallowed the lump in her throat. “Sounds pretty great. Can you… Tell me more about him sometime?”
“I would love to.” Sojourner rose and opened the door. “We should meet after your guests have gone home. I’ll try my best to answer any questions you have. Be blessed. Layla tov.”
“Good night, Sojourner.” Limestone hurried out the door.
Sojourner shut the door and stood in the empty house. The tired groan of the wind brushed against the walls, and a crackling fire answered. He wandered over to the table and started collecting dishes.
A clack drew his attention to the window next to the hearth, where a sheet of ice had thawed and cracked. Sojourner smiled as the water trickled down the window.
“Nes gadol ha’yah sham, v’akhshav gam po.”