History In the Making

I do not know what I am doing anymore. The Princess refuses to try to speak reason into the leaders again, and I fear unicorns will suffer for it. While I try to think of another way to stop the anger and hatred long enough to fix this mess, I continue to pack for something I do not know.

I wish Princess Platinum had told me why I was packing. As it stands, the most prepared I can pack is a couple of my traveling cowls, some books for keeping animals away, and a good length of rope. If there's anything I have learned in all my years, it's that you never travel anywhere without a good length of rope.

I just hope I won't have to use it to bring the Princess back to her senses.

A commotion like none ever heard before clamored out from Clover the Clevers home and down the hill she lived on. If there were more than three Unicorns living nearby, a crowd would probably have marched up to her home to find out what in the world was going on. This would have been a bad idea.

The fact of the matter is that, while most Unicorns have their fancies for learning new things, Clover the Clever was a scholar. Being the scholarly pony that she is, the cream coated mare also tended to perform multiple experiments and tests, which had every chance to turn out quite painfully. These factors, when taken into consideration, meant that, no matter the noises, no matter the sounds of elder-things escaping, and no matter the explosions, it is better to shield your home against everything and stay inside when living near a scholar.

With these things in mind, no Unicorns living near Clover's home left the safety of their houses. This became slightly more a problem when the racket continued through the night and into the morning. With no end in sight, a blue stallion who could take no more threw open his front door. As he stomped outside, he saw a small mare wearing a simple yellow coat with the royal symbol walking in the direction of his aggression. Satisfied that the state would handle the noise, the stallion promptly rushed into the closest outhouse and latched the door.

Hilltop Sprint trundled on past the houses, fearless of what may happen. To her, it was just another normal day on the job working for the Royal Unicorn Messenger Services. No job was too great, no danger too perilous, and no angry uncle too cranky that could make the R.U.M.S. turn away. Arriving at the house at the top of the hill, the messenger pony knocked at the door. When no response came, she gently pushed the door open and walked in, revealing the chaos inside.

Inside the front room alone, the mess towered halfway to the ceiling with clothes, books, and various devices. It had looked like a hurricane had swept through the room, leaving no reason as to why it had come in the first place. The messenger was almost curious to see what it was like in the rest of the house. Before she could settle such curiosity, though, the owner of the house ran into the front room.

Clover the Clever was obviously not having a good day. Where, most days, the royal advisor looked calm and composed, even when talking to the Princess, today she appeared an escapee from the local mental facility. Her mane, which normally curled around to frame her face, was wild, with some ends sticking up in odd places. Her eyes were wide though her irises were strangely narrowed. This was a mare that needed to be treated delicately.

"Good morning miss-" Was all Hilltop got out of her mouth before Clover ran over to one of the piles and started digging through it. She swore she could hear her mumbling something about 'packing' while the royal advisor dug through a pile of clothes. None the less, she had to carry on with her task. Clearing her throat, she spoke louder this time, "Miss Clover the Clever?"

Receiving no response from the other mare, she continued, "I am Hilltop Sprinter, official runner for the RUMS. I was sent by the Princess-" The magenta mare was unable to continue as Clover rushed over and grabbed her by her coat.

"The Princess sent you? What did she say? What is happening? I know not what to do!" After shaking the messenger briskly for a few seconds, Clover fell to the ground near crying. Hilltop took a moment to reorient herself before responding.

"Have you never heard of 'Don't shake the messenger'?" Hilltop took a breath and continued, "Yes, I am a RUMS runner. I was sent by the Princess to bring you and your bags to the castle's courtyard as soon as possible. So, if you would, please show me to your bags so that I may lead you there."

Clover blushed deeply. A grin seemed to form on her mouth as she looked up at the unicorn tapping her hoof against her floorboards. "Um... I-I do not really... What I mean is... I have only packed one bag." The unicorn gave a pitiful chuckle as her guest leveled her eyebrows at her.

"Well then, go get it." In almost a flash, or what possibly was a flash of magic, Clover had disappeared from the front room. Hilltop waited by the front door while the scholar quickly retrieved her bag and ran back to the front door. "Well, come on then. I was told to have you to the castle by eight, and it's seven forty-five."

Nodding Clover followed the other mare out of her house and, after locking her door, down the hill. The walk was silent, save for a single question posed halfway down the hill by the runner.

"So, what was all that commotion about, anyways?"

Clover turned her eyes towards the sky as the blush returned to her face.

"I was wondering what I needed to pack."

As eight o'clock came, Hilltop opened the door to the castle courtyard with Clover shivering under her cowl in tow. In the courtyard, the Princess paced back and forth in the middle of the building snow. For some reason, with every turn, the snow seemed to fall even heavier than before.

When the two approached her, the Princess seemed to huff indignantly before she spoke, "Well, it is about time you arrived. Honestly, the least you could do is try to be a bit early for the day that we travel." The white mare stomped her hoof down, crunching some snow beneath it.

Clover looked at her incredulously as the messenger mare cantered back into the castle. "Uh, Princess? You did not really say that we were going to be traveling anywhere. All you really said was that I might need to pack-"

"Yes, you needed to pack for traveling." The royal unicorn interrupted.

"Uh-huh. Maybe I might understand more of what is happening if you told me of what is happening. Why are we leaving the kingdom? And is this really the best time for some flight of fancy?"

"Fancy?" Princess Platinum stood aghast, holding a hoof to her chest as though she had been burned. "I assure you, this is no flight of fancy. As a matter of fact, it is crucial to the survival of this kingdom."

Clover watched as the Princess readied for her dramatic speech of love and duty. She, however, had been kept in the dark of the royals plans, and would have no more of it. "Maybe if you told me your plan first, I would not be having to ask of it now."

The sentence seemed to bring the alabaster mare back from her dramatics. "Oh, right. It is quite simple, my royal advisor. Since the lands here are cold and unable to produce food, we shall go and find a new land to settle in. One that is far away from those neanderpony Pegasi and crude Earth-ponies."

"We are going to WHAT?!" The cream coated pony shouted. She took a few breaths before responding at a normal level. "Your highness, are you sure it is a good idea to move the kingdom to a new land after all that has happened this winter?"

"Please, tell me a reason why it is not a good idea!"

"How about the fact that we do not have enough food to move everyone in the castle, much less the kingdom? Or possibly the fact that there are wild and dangerous animals out there that would eat ponies whole?" Clover the Clever lifted her whole fore-body into the air as she held her hooves up. "It is the worst idea I have ever heard of."

The Princess lifted her nose up into the air as she looked down on her advisor. "Well, it is the only thing that is left to do. You yourself have said that we would not be able to survive the winter with what food we have. As such, I have performed my royal duty to ensure the continued prosperity of our kingdom by deciding it shall be relocated. Such is my royal decree!"

Clover put a hoof to her forehead and rubbed at the forming headache that was there. It the golden manned unicorn went so far as to say it was royal decree, then there was nothing that she could do to change her mind. Sometimes it just didn't pay to work for royalty.

"Very well, then." She sighed out as she brought her hoof back down to the ground. "I guess it would be good to find a place to move my things to before packing them. So, where is this land that we will be moving to?"

"Oh, I don't know yet." With the amount of times her hoof has met her head in the last few days, Clover really started to think that her head should start charging for the tourism. With teeth clenched, The green manned pony spoke slowly.

"Then how, exactly, are we going to move the kingdom?"

"Well, of course, we are going to go find a new land for us to stay." Princess Platinum said as though she was pointing out the most simple thing in the world to the other mare.

With a sigh, Clover could only comment, "So you are sending me out, alone, into the wilderness to find a new land at who-knows-where."

The Princess could only gasp at her. "Why, of course not!"

A small smile graced Clovers face. "Oh, good. For a second there, I thought-"

"You shall not be alone on this trip." Princess Platinum interrupted as she levitated what looked like twenty bags into the courtyard. "I shall be going with you."

"You shall what?!" Clover shouted again. She quickly dropped to her knees before putting her hooves together and pleading to the Princess, "Oh, please Princess. Please tell me this is some sort of joke?"

"I never joke about such serious matters. You should know that by now, Clover. And besides, if I am not there, how will you know what lands are truly worthy of regal ponies such as myself?"

"Oh, I have an idea." Clover mumbled under her breath. Princess Platinum didn't seem to hear it as she trotted around her advisor and toward the gate, leaving her bags behind her. The cream mare almost felt lucky before the Princess called out behind her.

"Do come along now, Clover. And do not forget my luggage."