The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

Elder Dahlia just stared in shock, partially because the pony standing before her was glowing, but mostly because that same pony had just openly defied her. "Excuse me?" She huffed, completely baffled by the situation. "I don't know who you think you are, but what makes you think you have the right to talk to me like that?"

"None of that matters to me," said Clover, brimming with confidence. "All I care about is protecting the girl I love."

Dead silence reined over the crowd at his words. It may have even been a solid minute before anyone dared to so much as breathe. When ponies did start moving again, it was actually the guards who recovered as they whispered among themselves. Words of disbelief at both the impromptu public confession and the overall shock of someone so young standing up to one of the city elders would soon be circulating the rumor mill.

A lot of this also resulted in poor Azalea blushing furiously at Clover's proclamation and not having any way she could hide her embarrassment. She wasn't the only pony whose coat was changing color, Dahlia was also beginning to turn a bit red. However, this was clearly more from seething rage as opposed to adolescent affection.

"How dare you," she growled as the red glow of her own magic began to warp around her horn. "How dare you tell me what's good for my own daughter. It's high time somepony put a gutter rat like you in your place." With those words, a bolt of crimson launched itself from her horn and headed straight for the hapless unicorn.

Clover began casting his own spell before he even realized what he was doing. He had seen the bolt of magic coming for him, but he hadn't had enough time to react. As if something else was guiding his own actions, a bubble of lavender magic conjured up in front of him, the crystal strewn throughout his body glowing as the barrier fell into place.

The elder's spell impacted the shield with a resounding boom, the following shockwave being powerful enough knock a number of nearby guards to the ground.

Excitement began to flow through the young unicorn with the single exchange. Even as his own coat tingled from his proximity to the blast, his counterspell had already mostly formed, and by the time he managed another breath, it was already flying through the air at his unprepared opponent.

With how unnaturally fast Clover sent a spell back in her direction, Elder Dahlia didn't even have a chance to even register the incoming blast. However, luck was on her side that day. The attack ended up missing her by mere inches before taking a chunk out of a nearby wall. She sat there wide-eyed as she slowly looked back at the debris, more in shock than anything else. Another pony had just dared attack her!

She turned back in time to catch another shot heading for her. This time she was able to put up a shield of her own to deflect the blow. The second blast rebounded off her shield and was sent sailing between two of the guards to take yet another chunk out of the road.

A manic gleam reflected in Clover's eyes as he sidestepped Dahlia's next attack even as he blocked the shot that had been in tandem with it. A panicked shriek from behind tore his attention away from his opponent, and he looked back to see ground near Azalea's hooves blasted apart by a wayward blast. She was unharmed, but definitely shaken.

Seeing her in danger caused red to fill Clover's vision. He began channeling the new magic, far more powerful than his had ever been, through his body. Only a handful of moments had passed since the fight started, but the road they stood on was already in ruin, and if the massive ball of energy that Clover was forming was any indication, there would be little more than a crater left after he used it.

Elder Dahlia wouldn't be able to stop it, and neither would the guard she had brought with her. They had, of course, tried to restrain the young pony as soon as the fighting had started, but any and all magic they levied against him were like moths to an open flame. Even now, the only thing they all shared was the same look of dread as to what would happen when this young unicorn unleashed such an attack.

Just when it looked like the worst was about to happen, everything just stopped. Dahlia, Clover, the guards, even that ungodly ball of energy just halted in its tracks. A pale white film coated itself over everything, levitating all the ponies present into the air, much to their collective confusion. As for the ticking time bomb of a blast, the aura seemed to sap away its strength, slowly releasing it into the air until there was nothing left and it winked out of existence.

The exhilaration that had been fueling Clover's actions disappeared along with his attack. What was he doing? Had he actually just attacked an elder? Why had he done that? The thoughts raced through his head and while he tried to use the excuse that he was only protecting Azalea, he was having a hard time convincing himself of that seeing as she would've likely been caught up in the explosion. There was also something else, something that seemed to be pressing down on his consciousness as the glowing parts of his body returned to a dull color. Did that had something to do with what just happened?

Any further musings were cast aside as an old mare slowly made her way into the clearing. With her pale gray coat and even paler mane, there wasn't a single doubt in anyone's mind as to who this was. Nor was there any doubt as to who had stopped the sudden fight with the white glow of magic emanating off her horn.

"Elder Dahlia," Elder Lily said in a sedate tone. She appeared completely relaxed, like she hadn't just stopped about dozen ponies in their tracks just so she could have a conversation. "Would you care to explain why the guard have been pulled away from their normal patrol?"

"Elder Lily," said Dahlia. "It was my daughter. She had gone missing, and I feared for her safety." She scowled in Clover's direction. "This hooligan had taken her outside the city, doing who knows what to her."

Lily turned to where Clover and Azalea floated, only sparing them a moment's observation before turning back to her colleague. "They both appear to be in good health. However that doesn't explain this mess or why I arrived to find one of my colleagues fighting in the streets."

"But..." Dahlia fumed. "This young pony attacked me. You saw it. That attack would've taken a large chunk out of the city."

Lily turned again, but not to Clover. Instead she turned her attention to one of the many guards present. "Tell me," she said, "Star Sentinel, was it? Who fired first?"

The poor stallion visibly quivered as the gaze of the most powerful of the elders bore into him. To his credit, he only hesitated for a moment before answering. "Clover cast the first spell, but only to pull the young lady away from Elder Dahlia. However, she threw the first attack."

Elder Lily let out a long sigh as she carefully deposited everyone back on the ground. The ponies present went through various stages of regaining their balance, but no one dared move more than that without the elder's say so.

"Clover, Azalea," she said, startling the young couple. "I want the two of you to go and find Elder Gladiolus. Tell him what has happened."

"But revered elder..." Dahlia started, but was cut off as Elder Lily continued.

"Please escort the elder back to her home," she now addressed the remaining guards, ignoring Dahlia's outburst. "It's been a late night for everypony, and I believe some sleep would do her good."

"And then we came here," said Clover as he finished recounting his tale to Elder Gladiolus.

The dumbfounded look never once left the aged pony's face even as he continued to sip at the strange earthy beverage, a gift he said he received from the earth pony ambassador during the last summit. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to clear his drowsiness in short order.

"Sounds to me like the two of you had quite the night," he said as his features softened. "Still, I'm glad the two of you are alright. Angry mobs and strange magical happenings aside, it's not safe outside the city, especially after dark."

"What do you think it all means," said Azalea. "I mean, I sort of understand what it was Clover saw, but everything else has me a bit confused."

Gladiolus spent a long time taking in the bitter draft as he studied the young pony in question. When he lowered his glass, he let out a warm breath that was just as long before answering. "I noticed it's already well into the morning," he finally said. "The sun doesn't bother you anymore?"

"No sir," Clover said quickly, almost too quickly. The elder seemed to take notice of his quick response as he raised an eyebrow, but instead of commenting, he turned his attention to Azalea.

"My dear," he spoke with a dulcet tone, his gentle voice putting her at ease. "As much as I would like to explore this line of questioning further, I worry for your mother. Especially after receiving such a scolding from Elder Lily."

"She had it coming," Azalea scoffed without hesitation. "It's about time somepony put her in her place."

"Azalea," Elder Gladiolus locked eyes with the young mare, not even blinking as she shirked away under his gaze. "I understand what it's like to have some friction with those close to us. Trust me, I ought to know that better than anypony, but I also imagine that her concern was quite sincere."

"What should I do then, elder?" She asked as she settled back on her haunches. "I can't exactly go home now."

"I think that's exactly what you should do," he said as he continued on. "I doubt she'll get any sleep until she sees you safe and at home. Staying away from home any longer than necessary will only exacerbate the situation."

"But..."

"You've already stood your ground against her," Gladiolus said with a grin as he cut her off. "She isn't going to forget that any time soon. If you go back now and on your own now, she should still be off balance enough that she'll be far more willing to listen, even if it isn't something she wants to hear."

Azalea's eyes widened as her own grin matched that of the elder's. Without another word, she stood and bowed before making her way to the door. She only made it about halfway before being stopped again.

"Oh, and Azalea," the old pony called after her, the slightest hints of a laugh hiding from behind his beard. "While you should get yourself home as soon as possible, it would probably help your case if you don't show up still reeking of stallion."

A number of expressions flashed past Azalea's face as she parsed his words. When they finally finished sinking in, she turned red as a tomato before running off.

This time, the old pony's laughter broke free as his voice reverberated off the walls. He continued to laugh for almost half a minute, punctuated by the slamming of a distant bathroom door as the flustered mare shut herself inside.

"Oh, I never get tired of you young 'uns and the trouble you manage to get into," he said as he turned back to the equally blushing Clover. It had taken him a few more moments to catch the jab the elder had made at their expense, but it hadn't completely escaped him. "I'm gonna be rooting for the two of you," he finally said as he caught his breath.

"Now..." The elder's voice suddenly getting a bit more serious. "How are you actually feeling, Clover?" He gestured to Clover's whole body. "Everything alright with... this?" He said, not really sure how best to word it. "You said your magic's working again?"

"Yeah," Clover said somberly. With everything that had happened, being able to use magic again only felt like a small footnote in the night's events. He lit his horn experimentally, noting again how the crystal strewn throughout his body glowed along with his horn. "It actually feels a bit numb," he said, he wasn't sure how to explain that his magic now seemed to have a bit of a mind of its own. Thinking back, he hadn't actually wanted to attack Azalea's mother, but everything had happening so quickly. Maybe he had just gotten swept up in the moment?

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Gladiolus. "It'll probably start feeling better with time. So, with everything that's happened, where do you go from here?"

The question might've stumped Clover had the elder asked him earlier, but once everything had calmed down, he had the time to think on it properly. "I think..." he said. "I think I want to find out more. About what all this means," he said as he held a hoof against the glassy surface on his chest. It didn't hurt, but it also didn't properly feel like his own body anymore. "And I need to know. I need to know what it was I saw when I touched that stone."