[EchoIre]

username; EchoIre
pony name; Candela Ligera Amanecer
gender; Demigirl (she/they)
magick type; Fire
prompt;







Why do they desire the position?:

Born the second oldest of eight, Candela grew up surrounded by family. And though her parents were attentive as can be, with eight children it's nearly impossible to give every one what they need. So, being one of the oldest, Candela soon stepped up to help.

Taking the 'big sister' role to the max, Candela became fiercely protective of her younger siblings. Their older brother would help out with whatever domestic stuff may be needed - as he was less prone to causing fires and typically better at drying tears, while Candela herself would push her siblings to be their best: bolstering them when they needed it, supporting them through tough decisions, and defending them if need be. During her younger years especially, Candela earned a reputation for being hot-headed and prone to fighting, simply because she would take bullies into her own hooves before going to adults.

All of this is to say that she was fostered to be a fierce protector of ponies younger and/or weaker than herself. So, when Candela got her first good look at Lunare somewhere in her early adult years and realized how young he looked, something inside her stirred for him - pity, largely. Oh, Candela knew he was older than he looked - and older than her too - but he hardly looked older than some of her siblings! And to think he spent so much time alone, and had been betrayed by his closest advisor...

Suffice to say, enough of Lunare reminded Candela of her younger siblings that, had he not literally been the ruler of her city and one of the most powerful ponies in Paledon, he likely would have found himself with a new 'big sister'. But, that wasn't the case, and Candela didn't let her mind linger over such thoughts for long. In fact, they left her mind within the next five minutes - she was at a festival, after all. But, when she received a yellowed scroll from the Magister's office itself, Candela couldn't help but imagine that far-too-young looking unicorn alone in his dilapidated castle.

It wasn't an immediate decision. Sisterly instinct alone wasn't enough to cause Candela to make such a big decision without thought, especially when considering said sisterly instinct was wildly misplaced. So, she waited.

And while she waited, she trained. Went back over rehearsed spells, studied true techniques for fighting instead of the street brawls she was so used to. In the end, it was a matter of not having a reason not to. The scroll called for all able batponies to apply, and Candela was well within that group. Aside from that, loyalty to the royals alone would likely have been enough to have her apply.

When an official guard training camp in a town near her city opened registration specifically for batponies trying for the Royal Guard, she enrolled. She wasn't desperate to become a Royal Guard, had no scores to prove or familial expectations to meet relating to it, but simply wanted to and felt she reasonably had the skills to apply. And, just maybe, she could provide some company for the solitary Magister. And if not? Then she would be doing a service to her kingdom, and would be making her family proud.

After graduating the camp, Candela found herself looking at the position in an entirely new light. It may not have been her dream growing up as it was for others, or even a path her parents guided her on, but she wanted it. After training with Metamo and Hallie, Candela couldn't imagine not working alongside them, and suddenly found herself wishing they had done more to prepare for the role, despite managing to stand about evenly with her friends in ranking.





How did they train?:

Candela seemed to have a calling towards the fire magicks from a young age. Even before they became the defender of their siblings, the young batpony was spunky and full of life with a tempestuous temper to match. They took to and interest in magick when only five years old, and excelled soon after their classes began some years later; it seemed Candela's internal fire was more literal than their parents may have thought, and the young pony proved to have quite the potential for one so young. This early skill would prove harmful to their later development, however.

Being naturally gifted and told such, Candela never put much practice into their magick. They could grasp new spells and tricks with ease, and when that ability began to falter, their spells still packed enough of a punch to be given a pass. They blew off their instructor when they were told to practice a technique more, feeling that their spells were good enough and it was pointless to start studying now. But, eventually, Candela could no longer coast off their natural talent and be better than their peers. They started getting lower scores on assessments, slowly losing the favor of their instructor as they did. Desperate, Candela finally began trying to practice and study the techniques they needed to learn, but they had no clue how to go about it. When results weren't immediate, the once gifted child found themselves bored or overwhelmed, and quit trying shortly after.

They graduated from their magic classes, but only just. Where they had once had dreams to pursue their magic further and become a mage, Candela now knew that they simply didn't have the skill for it. So, they stayed with their parents and helped run the family business. And they tried to be happy.

To say that the call for guards had saved Candela's life wouldn't be too much of a stretch. After receiving it, Candela practiced their magic for the first time in years, once-mastered old techniques and skills coming back to them easily. And for those that didn't, Candela grit their teeth and tried, refusing to quit now as they did then. They would spend entire afternoons in the rock quarries, where little could burn, pouring themselves over their old fire magick scrolls and pushing themselves to perfect what they had let pass before.

It was the guard training camp that helped them the most. Even with their fiery determination, there were some things Candela was just simply doing wrong, and couldn't work out on their own. That, and by the time the camp started advertising for students, the fiery pony was beginning to feel burned out once more: they were trying their hardest, but still weren't getting the results they wanted. The desire to give up was there, especially when they had no deep motive to join the guard in the first place, but Candela persisted enough to sign themselves up for the guard academy.

By some stroke of luck, their old magick instructor was one of the teachers recruited by the camp. Knowing their past, their former instructor sought Candela out after their first lesson together. They apologized for letting Candela slip through the cracks in their youth, and encouraged the guard-in-training to come to them with any questions that they may have. And for once, they did. With the guidance from their instructors and a renewed willingness to learn, Candela succeeded where she once struggled. Training at the camp also refined their self-learned fighting skills and built upon them, teaching Candela proper methods of combat and ho to uphold whatever duties they might have as a guard. And what the camp's instructors couldn't give them, their peers did: Metamo and Hallie, each of which they met due to enrolling in the camp, and all of whom pushed Candela to be their best self. Though Candela entered the competition to be a Royal Guard with no real skin in the game - and still claims as much now when asked - getting to know those two, working together with them and seeing their passion, made it something they truly wanted.

When the camp had run its course, Candela was one of its best graduates, with more of a fighting chance than they expected when applying. And for the first time in years, they were truly happy. There were still things to worry about, of course - such as what would happen if they were actually selected as a Royal Guard (and how they would recover if they weren't) - but for once, Candela was content.

[EchoIre]

Detailed Backstory:

Born to a well-off family of candlemakers in Empress Solaris' side of Paldeon, Candela knew no hardships in their early life. Wickston, their older brother, was only a year and few months old when they were born, and the two were nearly inseparable as they grew older. Velantino and Colzan were born shortly after Candela's second birthday, and for the young batpony it was love at first sight. Reduced nearly to tears by the sight of their tiny twin brothers, Candela had to be coaxed into leaving the nursery when Velantino and Colzan were first brought home. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows - as it rarely is with small children, let alone multiple - and by the time Candela's mother shared she was pregnant with a little sister only a few months before Candela turned five, the young batpony had learned enough about children to ask their mother to make their new little sister quieter than the twins, please.

At five, Candela started school and began to take an interest in magick. Surrounded by candles and fire and flame, it was only natural for them to gravitate towards fire magick. Magick was all they would talk about, asking their parents and any other pony they could get to listen what it felt like.

In private, Candela experimented with the candleflames lighting their room. They found that, if they concentrated, they could make the tiny flames grow and shrink in rhythm with their breath.



Candlyn was the loudest child. Candela was certain she was such just to spite them. Luckily for Candlyn, she looked cuter than either twin combined when she was sleeping, so Candela gave her a pass. Most of the time.
When she was seven, Candela's little brother Jack was born. They began to stand out from their classmates in the same year, as their schooling progressed from glorified daycare to actual teaching. While around average in matters of math and science, Candela excelled in the sports they would play with their classmates, and soon became one of the leaders of such games. Velantino and Colzan started school the same year, and Candela never missed an opportunity to run up to them and tussle their manes. They flourished at school, easily making friends and only causing minimal amounts of mischief.

Candela would claim age eight was one of their most formative years. Ceralina, her most darling little sister, was born that year, and Candela had convinced their parents to sign them up for magic classes if they brought their math grade up. This was also the time when Candela began to notice how thin their parents were spreading themselves between all seven children, and how much Wickston had been doing for them all already. Wickston was a smart pony, but always helping out with cleaning or watching the younger siblings meant he had little time to do his homework or study. So, Candela started forcing him to let them take over the extra duties every now and then - he couldn't be persuaded unless Candela took whatever task from him and told him to go study.

When they were nine, Candela stepped into the role of protector for their siblings. Funnily enough, it started with Wickston: his classmates noticed he was falling behind in his classes, and combined with his oddly gangly shape due to an early growth spurt, he was an easy target. Wickston and Candela were enjoying one of the few free moments they had from school and family together, simply window shopping while trying to find something to spend their allowance on, when one of Wickston's bullies cornered them. He got in their faces, pointing his horn dangerously towards them. He sneered insults at their older brother and demanded that they and Wickston both hand over their coins. Candela was quick to be on the offensive - how dare he call their brother stupid, first of all! Second of all, they weren't going to give their money to someone as ugly as him, and Wickston wasn't going to either!

Oh, the look of the bully's face.

Candela still remembers how he turned towards them, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, still remembers his voice as he growled "You think you're tough, little girl?"

And, much to their delight, still remembers the look on his face as they snorted flame directly into his mane.

The bully ran off to extinguish his head in a panic, leaving a stunned Wickston and a cackling Candela behind.

Once Candela's laughter subsided, the two slipped into a café to hide from the bully. Once there, Candela demanded Wickston tell her who that guy was and why he was so mean. Did they know each other?

Wickston explained that the bully - a unicorn named Ione - had been bothering him for over a year by then. He had told their mother and father, but they were so busy with the business and everything else that they had forgotten twice already. Candela couldn't convince Wickston to tell them again, and was in fact made to promise their brother that they wouldn't tell their parents about the encounter either. He claimed he wasn't bothered, the Ione was just a stupid kid, but Candela had been there. They had seen the resignation in their brother's eyes, watched how he shriveled at every snarled insult. And it burned them. But, Wickston asked them not to get their parents involved, so they didn't.

Instead, Candela themselves got involved.

Ione, after the mane incident, could be kept away with some posturing and small puffs of flame. It was others after him that proved to be difficult - Candela couldn't be around Wickston all the time, and not everybody was intimidated by a spunky foal snorting fire at them. Candela's first fight was with a pegasus named Shrike; he had cornered them and Wickston much like Ione had, but she wasn't deterred by Wickston's fiery younger sibling. Candela had resigned themselves to standing at Wickston's side and giving Shrike a withering glare, until the pegasus decided to shove Wickston to the ground.

In an instant, Candela was upon her, barreling into her shoulder to knock her off balance and slashing with their hooves wherever they could. They drew from the fire burning in their chest, breathing a true plume of flame for the first time in their life in an attempt to frighten the older pegasus.

In response, Shrike used her magic to pull the cobblestones from under Candela's hooves. When the younger batpony stumbled, she charged forward and used her superior size and weigh to shoulder to them to the ground. Another burst of flame kept Shrike from approaching close enough to kick Candela, and in an instant the botpony was back on their hooves despite how their entire left side stung with pain. Wickston was at their side a moment later, his head lowered and teeth bared.

And Shrike still charged.

Candela and Wickston walked out with quite a few cuts and bruises, but Shrike had all of that and burns. They got in trouble for that fight, but Candela didn't mind. Because Shrike never attacked their brother again. The bruises and lectures and lost allowances were all worth it, because in just five minutes they accomplished what no adult had been able to do in months.



Waxel, Candela's final sibling, was born only a week after they enrolled in magick school. Candela quickly rose to the top of their classes: to them, fire magick was like second nature, and it seemed to course through their very bones. Where most ponies in their family learned magic simply to do it or to help with candlemaking, Candela was the first in two generations to have enough potential to be a mage. And they loved it. Magick felt right to them in a way that candlemaking just... didn't.

Like before, Candela flourished socially as well. Being a friendly and enthusiastic pony at heart, it wasn't difficult to find kindred spirits among others learning the fire magicks. This, combined with their physical and magickal skill, made Candela quite popular among her classmates.

However, this didn't stop Candela from getting into scraps with her siblings' classmates. Most were put off by the image of an older, magically gifted Candela glowering at them, but those that weren't were thrashed with no hesitation on Candela's side. They grew skilled in fighting - largely thanks to the physical extracurriculars they already participated and excelled in - and got better and hiding the fights from their parents. Though, most of the time they didn't notice when their second oldest came home with a few more scrapes than usual if Candela only put a cursory effort into hiding them.

Otherwise, Candela was a fiercely supportive sibling to all of their family. They never missed a game, recital, or talent show - even if they had to sneak away during an examination. They were there to encourage their siblings to try whatever crazy though entered their head, which typically ended in an absolute mess in the kitchen or workshop. If one of their siblings was about to do something dumb, Candela was right there beside them, being dumb too (or, at the very least, watching to make sure they didn't get too hurt). They made a concerted effort to be there for each and every one of their siblings, whether that was helping mix strange scent concoctions late at night with Wickston, listening to Candlyn's songs, or racing with Colzan and Velantino.

This is all to say that Candela had time, lots of time. Far more than one devoted to their studies would have.

Candela had to practice for their sports, had to learn how to fight. They had to study the night before a math test to do good, but did fine on the classwork without really practicing it. But they never needed to study their magick. The techniques came to them in class with ease, the fire inside easily called upon and manipulated. If Candela wanted to and had the time, they would maybe practice a spell here and there, but never had to. And still, they were the top of their grade. Fire magick simply came naturally to them.

It was during their magick training that Candela met Asra. Candela had known of Asra for some time before, both having come from merchant families, but Asra was younger and never in the same grade as Candela in primary school. In fact, she was only in the same grade as Candela in magick school due to her hard work putting her at the same level as the older ponies. Candela admired Asra's tenacity, and despite having different classes (as they were studying different magicks), the two became rivals. For Candela, it was mostly a rivalry over sports: Asra's parents made her participate in sports since she was a young child, much like Candela's own, and the two ponies were even enough in skill and had a dynamic such that any match between them was electric. As for magick, Candela was always proud to best Asra (and often did in their younger years), but they wanted to see Asra thrive all the same. If there was a technique that Asra was having trouble with, Candela would offer whatever help they could - though more often than not it was turned away. This denial never upset Candela, as they were expecting it, and in fact only made them all the more delighted when Asra proved a full mastery of the technique at the next exam.

For some years, things went on like that. Candela was the top of their grade without ever really trying, supported by innate talent and an ability to quickly understand and reproduce techniques. They supported their siblings in their own fiery way when their parents couldn't, and was one of their only siblings to stay on good terms with Jack as the young batpony grew more and more hostile at the idea of candlemaking. As for Asra, the two clashed in the best of ways, Candela going all out whenever playing a game against the younger batpony, and Asra studying tirelessly to surpass Candela in magick. Candela was certain things would never change, and that they could achieve their dream of becoming a mage without ever really trying at all. They were gifted, after all, as their instructor and so many others had told them.



Eventually, there came a time when Candela didn't get a technique right away. 'It was bound to happen eventually', the batpony thought, 'what is one move when there are hundreds of others?'

And so it began.

Slowly, Candela began to fall behind. They couldn't be bothered to study what they didn't immediately get because they had never had to study before, and things still turned out fine. Surely this would be the same?

When they finally noticed they were truthfully falling behind, it was already too late.

There were nearly a dozen techniques Candela still didn't understand, and only two days until their next exam. For those two days, the batpony poured themselves over the scrolls, desperate to make up for lost time.

When the exam itself came, Candela had learned enough to still get high marks, but for the first time their grade was a full letter grade below Asra's. Candela let her gloat, complimenting the pony's form and promising it wouldn't be so easy to do net time. Promising themselves that they wouldn't let things get that bad again.

But they did.

Again, and again, and again, Candela neglected studying when they knew they should, each time rushing to cram the information last minute. And each time, it proved to be less and less effective, their grade falling lower and lower. They were on a downward spiral with only themselves to blame as they struggled to learn what they were once a master at. They fluctuated between avoiding the work and the ominous, heavy truth that they could never rank as high as they once did, or shutting themselves off from their friends and family and desperately trying to teach themselves the techniques. But without having developed a method or regiment for studying, there was no hope, not in Candela's eyes. And it showed.

In their last year of school together, Asra became more harsh with Candela. A once lighthearted rivalry turned cold as Asra would constantly harass Candela about what they had fallen behind in, always seeming to find them when they were ignoring their studies and criticizing them for it, especially when final exams were nearing and Candela had resigned themselves to barely passing if it meant they didn't have to deal with the stress of how they failed. Just three days before the final exam, Candela snapped at the younger pony, unleashing months of pent-up frustration and self-loathing onto her.

For Asra's part, she took it well. Only staring at Candela, her eyes stony and cold. And then she left, simple as that. Leaving Candela drained, frustrated, and horribly guilty.



Candela just barely passed their final examination. They were nearly at the bottom of their class.

They didn't even look Asra in the eye as she passed by.

With no chance at becoming a mage, Candela stayed with their parents and helped run their business with the rest of their family. Velantino and Culzon had already left to open a business of their own, and Candlyn had recently been recruited by a talent agency for her voice, so Candela's help was needed then more than ever.

It was difficult, going back when they had never been planning to stay there. Every day was another death of their childhood dreams, another failure. Still, Candela tried to be positive, for their family. They blew off anyone who tried to talk about their magick, even Wickston. It didn't matter. They were happy here!

Candela was one of the few who could still relate to Jack after he started loathing the family business. They encouraged him to follow his dreams and really try for them, to never stop growing, stop learning. Whenever the family business got too overwhelming for him, Candela was there to lend a sympathetic ear. It wasn't easy, trying to manage the emotions of an angsty teenager, but helping Jack - and her other siblings - was one of the few things that brought any kind of light to Candela's suddenly grey life. Most of their friends had moved away by that point, pursuing the rest of their lives, and those that stayed didn't understand the state Candela was in.

They were stagnating, plain and simple. Their failure weighed heavy on their back, and they saw no way out of the hole they had dug.

Then, one day a yellowed scroll covered in perfect calligraphy appeared in the mailbox of every batpony household in Paledon. Magister Lunare needed guards, and reading those words reminded Candela of the sad and young-looking Lunare had seen some years prior at a festival. Even from their vantage point in the crowd, Candela could see the bags under the Magister's eyes.

Candela was more than able-bodied, they reasoned. And even with their lacking skill in upper-level magickal techniques, they knew knew enough to be given a pass. What could some practicing hurt?

They weren't wholly decided for a long time - perhaps out of fear of dedicating themselves to something and failing again. But, they entertained the idea, used it as an excuse to study their old techniques and push themselves to learn what they had failed before.

When a nearby training academy opened a camp exclusively for batponies training to be Magister Lunare's guard, Candela applied. And the rest is history.




Personality:

Known from a young age for her fiery personality, Candela is not one easily defeated or silenced. She has her morals and would die by them, simple as that. This happens to mean she is quite the stubborn pony as well. While this can be a positive thing in that it's rare to see Candela give up on something, it also means that once she's set her mind on something it's hard to dissuade her from it, for better or for worse.

Loyal to a near fault, Candela would stand by her friends and family through anything. Other than nearly failing her magick classes, having to choose sides in some of the more intense arguments her siblings get into has been the most stressful times in her life. If someone she loves needs something, there is next to nothing Candela wouldn't do to get it for them. This may give her the reputation of someone who is dangerously impulsive, but truthfully she is quite a mindful pony at heart, rarely making decisions without thinking them out first. This can be difficult in the midst of a fight, but luckily Candela has developed a skill for thinking on her feet, and is surprisingly analytical of situations, other ponies, and her surroundings. If they knows she's going into a fight, Candela will prepare by learning her surroundings and her opponent. That being said, if there's no safe way to get the result she wants, Candela is all for taking risks.

Social and charismatic, Candela loves nothing more than being around friends, and seems to make them wherever she goes. She relates to others and makes conversation with ease, something she learned while training to be a merchant. She could sit and talk for hours if she had to, and between her enthusiastic flare and stories of her thrill-seeking adventures, she could manage to be entertaining too.

Despite all of this, Candela's greatest enemy is herself. Though she loves to help her friends and family, Candela rarely lets others help her and tends to shut herself off from the world when facing something difficult. In her mind, she has to overcome challenges on her own in order to be strong enough to help others with theirs. After nearly failing her magick classes in her youth, the batpony became extremely self-critical, and is now rarely wholly satisfied with her work. This leads to Candela pushing herself until she perfects whatever she's set her mind on, which has caused her to overwork herself in the past.

[EchoIre]

Asra (Childhood Rival): "Asra... She's an incredibly talented, driven pony. I had classes with her when we were younger; I always admired how hardworking she was. I lost touch with her after school, I-... I don't think we ended on the best of terms. Whatever she's up to these days, I know she's one of the best at it."

Metamo (Friend/Adoptive Little Brother): "Metamo! I met him while training to be a guard - the kid's insane, but in a good way. I really hope he gets a position on the Lunar Guard - he's trained practically his entire life for it. I really don't know who would be better for the job than him."

Pozari (Friend): "I met Pozari through Metamo - the guy sometimes watches over Metamo when he's doing his more dangerous training. I don't even wanna think about what might've happened to the kid if Pozari wasn't there to heal him. Pozari himself is pretty cool: he gets some crazy research ideas sometimes and gets me to help out, and it's always neat to see how he's manipulating fire magic. I don't know if I'll ever understand it, but it's fun to help out."

Mosaic (Acquaintance): "Mosaic and I both came from merchant families, so we saw each other a lot when we were younger, but I was never really close to her. I didn't see her around for a while, but she came back in town a few years back and opened up a flower shop. I don't see her a lot still, but I try to make sure to chat with her when I do."

Hallie (Close Friend): "I love Hallie. She and I were partnered in the training camp and we rocked it. Honestly, I don't know how well I would have done without her - she brings out the best in me! If I make it on the Royal Guard, she better be there too."












Otieno Amanecer (Father) - "My relationship with my dad is fine. Honestly, I used to be angry with my and my mom for how they handled having so many of us kids. I'm over it now, mostly. The business is difficult, and I appreciate him being there when he could be."

Estrella Amanecer (Mother) - "Same with Dad - I like my mom just fine, but I'm not sure how well we know each other, I guess? I always felt she was more disappointed in me for not becoming a mage than Dad was, but she never said anything, so... We get along okay, though."

Wickston Amanecer (Older Brother/Best Friend) - "Wickston's the best, honestly. I know I can rely on him if I need anything - he's gotten me out of trouble more than once before, haha. He's the only one of my siblings that really gets it, I think. No matter where I end up, Wickston's gonna be a part of my life. It's like... Velantino and Colzan. Wicks and I aren't twins, but we're close like that."

Velantino Amanecer (Younger Brother/Favorite Nuisance) - "Velantino is a fiend. We've had a prank war going on for years now - there's been less attacks since he moved out, but that only means what we do end up doing is way bigger. Last year, I taped glow-in-the-dark wyvern toys to the ceiling in ever room of his apartment."

Colzan Amanecer (Younger Brother/Partner in Crime) - "Who do you think got me the key to Velantino's apartment? Colzan's great - he'a quiter than Velantino, but I know we're close. If either of us have a crazy idea, the other's the first one we go to. That hasn't changed since he moved out either - I swear, he literally threw rocks at my window at two in the morning last week to get my attention because he needed fire magick for something. For what? Oh, you'll see."

Candlyn Amanecer (Younger Sister/Protégé) - "Candlyn and I are really close. Honestly, I'm nearly as close to her as I am to Wickston. She's a real fighter - she wanted to be a singer for as long as I can remember, and she finally got a chance a few years back. She's only been going up since then, and I couldn't be prouder."

Jack Amanecer (Younger Brother/Favorite) - "Jack's a... troubled guy. We all know our parents are a bit strange, but Jack's kinda angry about it. And good for him, honestly. I think he's gonna leave them as soon as he can, and I just hope he'll let me stick around him when he does."

Ceralina Amanecer (Younger Sister/Darling Baby Sister) - "Ceralina's the baby of the family. She's needs grow up some time, but... I don't want her to have to rush into it like I did."

Waxel Amanecer (Younger Brother/Lovable Goofball) - "Waxel's a good kid. He wants to help Wickston run the shop when he takes it over, so I saw him around a lot when I worked at the store. He spends a lot of time with the twins, too. I think Velantino's trying to get him to join the prank war against me."