Jakob pulled and tugged at the ropes which fastened his purchases to the wagon. He scrutinized each and every knot. The wagon was piled high with goods packed with care. There were enough supplies for the next month for himself and June. Bottles were muffled safely beneath padding and stowed in a corner, while boxes had been carefully packed around them, other heavy items on the floor of the wagon. The more fragile items were placed carefully at the top. Marely was familiar with how to load a wagon to Jacob’s strict guidelines, and the two young earth ponies —in the midst of their respective journeys of transitioning from colts to stallions— who helped pack it had learned to follow her lead. She yelled, loud and proud, whenever they made a mistake. The whole hamlet was aware when one or the other dropped the proverbial ball.

They were quite anxious as the human examined their hoofwork, his stony face left them to wonder if they had somehow failed. Marely, however, wore a pleased look and rolled her eyes as the two stallions quaked in their hooves.

The human gave one final tug at the ropes. He stood back, his hands on his hips. He gave a tilt of his chin. “It is good.”

“Glad to hear that,” she beamed. “Is the total on the bill all right?”

“It is fair.” Jakob fished a bag of bits from his belt and held it out to the mare. “There is enough extra to tip your nephews.”

The sound of clinking coin brought erect ears and broad smiles.

Meanwhile, Cadence stood off to the side and watched the transaction take place with a great deal of interest. Where else in Equestria would one witness a baron conduct business with the common pony on deliberately equal footing? Though grouchy, he was fair, listened to his subjects, and respected them. All had a voice, from the strongest to the weakest, and were equal. Jakob listened and heard them. He was approachable, she noted, despite his rather stonewall demeanor. These ponies were used to him, understood for the most part his character. They knew their business, and he was content to allow them to conduct said business as they saw fit.

But how?

He’s had eight years to establish a rapport with the ponies, Cadence reasoned. Which begged the question, How long did it take to create trust between them? Jakob can be difficult and hides his emotions, which a lot of ponies would find disturbing. The princess chewed her bottom lip. She was dying to know!

It was fascinating to see and hear the love the ponies of Berryville had for Jakob, and June. Feeling it, however, swelled the alicorn’s heart. She felt glad to witness all of this, the results of a dearly departed friend’s efforts to make something good happen in the wake of her passing.

Kaga, you would have been proud to have seen this. Cadence wiped a tear from an eye. She smiled. The delighted shrieks of foals drew her attention to the far end of the street. Off to the side, in the grass, June was in the middle of a serious game of duck duck goose. She did an admirable job as the goose, chasing a laughing colt around a circle of other foals. Her bare feet pounded the grass. Your daughter has grown to be a beautiful, healthy young lady, full of life and enjoying every minute. For all his faults, Jakob has managed to do well for all of those around him, even if he is driving us insane with his lack of communication.

Cadence did hope the woman was looking down upon this moment from somewhere and smiling.

“Ma’am?” a tactful voice rose in her ear, “are you all right?”

The princess glanced to the side, recognized the speaker. “Fizzlepop, where have you been?”

“Securing the perimeter,” came her no-nonsense reply. “Sergeant Sentry is still looking out for those reporters. It would not be too far-fetched to assume they knew they made a bad judgement call and are on their way home with their tails tucked between their legs. We are a bit too close to griffon raiders out here. I still think it was a mistake to bring so few guards, with all due respect, princess.”

Cadence turned fully to face the speaker. A pair of piercing opal eyes awaited her, owned by a unicorn mare with a dark orchid coat. Her mane was the color of red roses, standing up to a moderate length at the front, becoming shorter towards the nape of her neck. She was larger than the average unicorn, her figure athletic and well-toned. Where her horn had once been was little more than a jagged lump. Over her right eye was a vertical scar running from the base of her horn down to the middle of her cheek.

Cadence shook her head, “Raiders would be dissatisfied with their good health if they wanted to raid this barony.” A smirk formed as she looked back at Jakob. “He is the most dangerous baron in Equestria, after all.”

“There is not a lot of information on him,” the unicorn replied, unimpressed. “He has no magic, only brute strength and the ability to heal most wounds. There isn’t much personality, from what I can see. Then again, there is much more to him than meets the eye.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“All but the most basic of information about Baron Jakob Gray was purged before the Storm King invaded. Deliberately, I might add. I tried to send eyes to scout him out, but there was a schedule to keep and we had no idea this place existed. He wasn’t an alicorn and therefore not a priority target. Who would try to hide a military asset?” Fizzlepop said, her short tail swished behind her. “Right now, I can’t see how he’s this impressive warrior I’ve heard about, unless scowling can melt faces and make ponies soil themselves.”

Cadence had a memory of Prince Blueblood come to mind.

“You have no idea,” she murmured. “Does Jakob seem like a brute to you?”

“At first look? Yes. But, upon a second, he’s more than that,” the unicorn frowned. “It’s in his eyes, the way he carries himself, and the scars. He’s been in a few scrapes. Widower, father, reclusive, honorable, and the epitome of no-nonsense dealings.”

“Anything you like?” Cadence teased.

“No,” Fizzlepop rolled her eyes, “and stop trying to set me up with the first male you point me out to. With all due respect, Highness.”

“Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Why?” the unicorn asked flatly.

“To make a friend, of course.”

“I think I could get more of a friendship from a pet rock than him.”

“Please?” Cadence pouted. “Do if for Twilight.”

Fizzlepop clicked her teeth with a sigh “Fine.”

“Oh, good!” the princess squee’d. “Jakob!” she cried out “Can I introduce you to one of my friends?”

“Who is this?” the big man asked, his attention already locked on the unicorn.

She had to admit: the human had a formidable stare that could hold somepony in place. Cadence nudged her with an elbow. Fizzlepop shot her a look. “My name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist,” she began, then turned her attention back to the man, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She offered her hoof in greeting. Her smile was diplomatic, at best.

Jakob bent at the waist and balled up a fist. Reaching out, his knuckles met her hoof in a bump. “I am Jakob. Are you thinking what I am thinking?” he asked, flicking his eyes at Cadence.

“Meddling princesses should not be trusted?”

The mouth of the princess formed a large ‘o’, “I object!”

“We are going to get along just fine,” he nodded. “Cadence, daylight is wasting. I need to start heading home now before it gets dark. June!” he raised his chin and his voice, “we are leaving! Say your farewells and let us be off!”

“That’s no—”

“Princess of Love spreading love wherever she goes?” he pointed a finger at her with an arched brow.

“That’s not what I was trying to do!” She made another cute pout with the stomp of a hoof. “Fizzlepop has combat experience and I thought you would like to talk to somepony who could relate to your history.”

“This is an impressive hole you are digging yourself. Please, do go on,” he told her with a sigh. To Fizzlepop, he then asked, “Tell me, were you looking to find a mate?”

“Not high on my list of agendas,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “I can’t say I blame her. Each of the princesses have their specialties. It’s only natural Princess Cadence would want to spread love. It is what she does.”

“Indeed it is.”

Fizzlepop studied the wagon for a moment. “You intend to haul the load yourself?”

“As I always have, yes. It is not difficult.”

Having recovered from the accusations set upon her, Cadence chirped, “Jakob enjoys physical labor.”

“A warrior with endurance?” Fizzlepop asked, curiosity alighting in her gaze. “With power? What about agility?”

“I do not think I have your level of agility, from what I can guess,” Jakob said. “It has also been a while since my last battle. I do not miss it.” He went to the front of the wagon and began to put on the harness.

By now, June had finished her goodbyes and was running towards them. The girl covered from head to toe in dust and grime, a huge smile plastered on her face. She appeared tireless. Marely was waiting for her with a glass of water and a damp towel. The mare fussed over the girl as she drank before the pair exchanged hugs and said their goodbyes. June’s friends had trailed behind her, little hooves waving in farewell.

Jakob was on his way. He gave a nod to Marely.

“Come,” he announced to his daughter, “We are leaving,”

And off they went.

There was little small talk early in the journey home. The sun had begun its slow descent for the horizon and the sky was beginning to show fringes of orange. The breeze was gentle, rolling across the road and carrying a few birds with it. A cold bite flowed in the air, promising a chilly night.

Jakob and Cadence were engaged in quiet conversation and did not look like they wanted to be disturbed.

June found herself drawn to the mare with the broken horn. The unicorn walked a dozen paces ahead of Father, her eyes always scanning about, her ears erect and listening. As far as ponies went, she was the most serious one she had ever seen. The impressive scar over her eye was, well... impressive! Being the curious child that she was, the girl wanted to ask the obvious questions. The mare was pretty, especially her eyes, June thought to herself.

Skipping past Father, she was soon alongside the newcomer. “Is your name really Fizzlepop Berrytwist?” she asked when courage found her voice.

“Is your name really a month of the summer?” countered the mare with a touch of snark.

“Yep!” the girl giggled. “I was named after the month I was born in. I turn nine next month!”

“Good for you, kid,” Fizzlepop replied. “Yes, that is my name. I haven’t used it my whole life, but it was the name my parents gave me. I only began owning it again a couple of years ago.”

“June! Do not bother the mare.”

“I’m only asking questions, Father!” she called back.

“It’s fine,” Fizzlepop echoed. To June, she asked, “So, at what point are you going to ask about my horn or my scar? I know you’re dying to know. You keep staring at them.”

“I didn’t want to be rude. Father says I shouldn’t be rude to others.”

“Did he say the same about staring?”

June’s smile faded. “I’m sorry.”

The unicorn shook her head, “No, it’s all right. The scars are a story of how lucky I am, really,” Fizzlepop began, smiling. “Let’s see, I was a filly, a little younger than you by a year or two. My horn was whole and my face was unblemished. My friends and I went into the woods to play. We weren’t supposed to go in them, because the woods were dangerous and full of monsters.”

“Oh!” June exclaimed. “Why did you go in there if you weren’t supposed to?”

“My friends and I weren’t very bright,” admitted Fizzlepop with a wry smile. “We were unicorns and we had magic. What could possibly go wrong?”

June had drawn closer to the mare without knowing.

“Well, we lost the ball and it went into a cave. I went after it, because my friends were afraid of the dark. I wasn’t afraid and I was going to show them!” A bitter smile formed, then gave way to a sigh of acceptance, “In the cave was an Ursa Minor. Have you heard of them?”

“Big star bears?” guessed June.

A short chuckle emanated from Fizzlepop’s throat, “Yes, a big star bear. But this one was a cub. It was his cave and I had woken him up from his nap. By then, I had found my ball and held it up above my head in my telekinetic grip. I had conquered the dark, but had not seen the bear. He was focused on my ball, as it was bright and red. It saved my life. He swiped at the ball, but his paw was large and his claws were long. He took my ball, my horn, and left me with this.” She pointed at her scar with a hoof. “My friends ran away, leaving me behind. The shock of losing my horn made me black out.”

“How did you get home?”

“On my own. I was too small for the bear. He left me alone after the magic sparking out of the base of my horn spooked him. Unicorns aren’t very good at handling having a broken horn. It doesn’t grow back. The shock alone should have killed me, but it didn’t.” Fizzlepop inhaled deeply. “It was what started my long, spiraling road of bad choice after bad choice. I was not a good pony. The pain of having a broken horn made me irritable and always angry. My friends tried to help, but I was blinded by the pain and thought they had abandoned me to the bear. So,” she declared, blunt in her recollection, “I ran away from home. I was spiteful and the pain never went away.”

June then asked, “Why did the pain never go away?”

“The nerve cluster at the base of my horn was exposed to the air. It was very painful, like having a bad headache that is always there. Nothing you can do can quell it. There are medicines out there that help, but that would mean putting me in a coma. But, my parents did not understand this. They had never heard of a broken horn. They were still trying to figure out how to help me when I took matters into my own hooves and ran away.”

Fizzlepop suddenly felt arms wrapping around her neck. She came to a sudden stop. “I’m sorry you went through that,” the girl mumbled into her fur.

“Uh, everything is better now, June,” the unicorn stuttered as she patted the girl awkwardly on her back with a hoof. “Princess?” she turned her neck, eyes pleading.

“You’ll have to learn to care and feed her yourself,” Cadence said with an absolute straight face. “Raising a human can be a difficult, yet rewarding undertaking. I think you’re ready. I’m so proud of you!”

Jakob plowed on, swiveling his head to watch as he hauled the wagon. The man then snorted and continued on, shaking his head. A chuckle rumbled from his chest.

Meanwhile, June looked up from her hug and at Fizzlepop. “Don’t you like me?” she asked, her lower lip quivering.

“Her mother was a master manipulator.” Cadence eyed the embracing pair with a critical eye. “The apple does not fall far from the tree!”

Fizzlepop stared down at the clingy girl. The girl stared right back. “You know what,” she said, “I think we’re going to get along just fine. I don’t normally deal with kids, but I’ve been told I need to get better at socializing.”

“You and Father should sit down and talk,” June said as she let go of the mare. The pair resumed their walk. “I think he needs to talk to more ponies, but he’s always working. He helps me with my homework and spends time with me, but I think he needs to make more friends. Father just doesn’t have a lot in common with ponies, other than hard work.”

The unicorn was beginning to see June in a different light. “You’ve got some decent insight for someone so young,” she noted.

The girl grinned, “Father says sometimes I’m impossible!”

“And adorable.”

“You think so?”

“You’ve got a nice attitude, kid. There aren’t too many photographs of you on file, and they’re all baby pictures,” Fizzlepop told her. “I read up on what I could about your father when Princess Cadence announced an informal visit. I’m sorry about your mom.”

“It’s okay,” June answered with a smile. “I never knew her, but Father says she’s always watching over me. That’s why I have to be a good girl, so I don’t make Mother sad.”

The unicorn’s eyes enlarged for a moment, then she looked away. “That is a...sweet thing to say and a beautiful way to honor your mother,” Fizzlepop whispered with a small smile. “Come on, let’s not keep the others waiting.”

Cadence only wanted a few of her guards to follow, namely Fizzlepop Berrytwist, to accompany her… which really turned a ‘few’ into the singular. Flash Sentry was still off looking for the pair of reporters, others were out and about doing their jobs, and the rest staying in Berryville, spending their bits on what the locals had to offer.

Jakob had busied himself unloading the wagon, with June taking things into the cottage. Fizzlepop assisted, upon Cadence’s request. She wanted to pay her respects alone. The man had understood and pointed the way.

Cadence sat beneath the shadow of a great oak tree. The hill upon which it sat offered a spectacular view of the setting sun. Her attention was not on the descending orb. A small headstone almost buried in flowers held her attention. Cadence suspected the bouquets had grown in number over the course of the day as those who had known Kaga had paid their respects quietly. Some were from ponies she knew, most were tokens of remembrance from unknown souls.

Instead of flowers, the princess pulled from the aether a candle. It was a simple-looking candle, really. Crafted with magic from four alicorns over the past few years, it was a final gift, and it would require a fifth to create the desired effect. The Princess of Love hoped it would work. Even if it did not, the gesture, she hoped, would not be lost on Jakob. The gift was not intended for him, but for June.

Cadence felt the tears form, her lower lip quivering. She sat in the grass before the final resting place of her dearest friend. After all these years, there was still the guilt. The emotions, her cheeks grew wet. Unable to stop herself, the princess sobbed quietly. For several minutes her sorrow poured out, her blurred vision never leaving the simple, unmarked stone.

For the short time Kaga had been a part of this world, she had been a beacon. Her greatest joy had been her daughter, and Cadence remembered. The day after her passing, the Princess of Love was determined to do something for June. For a time, she had been upset, even angry at Jakob for not letting her be a part of the child’s life. She understood his hurt.

After some time, the tears slowed. Composure was regained and there was a deep breath as she closed her eyes. When they opened, she considered the candle and what it meant to her... and what it might mean for June.

The sun cast its dying rays over the land. Cadence glanced at the horizon, again, and inhaled deeply. When she exhaled, she placed the candle at the top of the stone. She smiled only when she was satisfied it would not fall.

“Well,” she began with a sniffle, “this wasn’t exactly what I had planned, Kaga. Happy birthday. I had wanted to do this years ago. Life happened, really. Everypony misses you. There is so much I want to tell you! Your daughter is beautiful, bright, outgoing and everything you could have ever wished for. You would be so proud of her!” Her eyes threatened to make water again. “I see so much of you in June. It’s uncanny and the first time I saw her, I almost thought it was you, just because of her personality!” she laughed and managed to cry at the same time. “I miss you and now I’m babbling like a foal.”

“I hate it when I’m like this,” the princess blinked away her tears. “I should tell you what’s happened since you’ve been gone…”

The moon rose as the night claimed the skies. Cadence spoke of the current events and the things Kaga would have loved to have talked about. She hoped her friend was listening.

It was midnight when she made her way down the hill, beneath the boughs of the great oak tree. Jakob was waiting for her, sitting outside the cottage in a rocking chair. Without a word, he offered her a drink and an open chair next to him.

Together they shared a starry night sky. No words were exchanged.

None were needed.

Author's Notes:

This was a hard chapter to write, but in the end, was satisfying and hopefully something you guys all enjoyed.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!