The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

The second day of the Summit was packed. Far more ponies, this time from all the tribes, showed up to fill the seats than they had the day before. It soon became apparent that it was going to be standing room only, and that was even with some of the pegasi bringing their own seats in the form of small clouds. Given the current topic of heated discussion, it was clear that everyone wanted to see what was going to be decided at the Summit, now more than ever.

The crowd eventually quieted as the respective leaders of the three tribes filed their way in. They didn't do so with the same ceremony they had the day before, and anyone who hadn't been here quickly figured out who was who from the whispering of their neighbors. The other thing that stood out was how tired they all looked, like no one had gotten any sleep since the night before. This became extra evident when the large yellow pegasus started nodding off, only to be nudged awake by her companion before she made a complete fool of herself.

Same as before, all three of the nations' leaders reached up and removed their symbol of office. Once they were placed on the table, the second day of the summit was ready to commence.

"I would ask if everypony slept well, but I think we all know the answer to that one," said Elder Lily. "Has everypony had a chance to discuss my proposal?"

"We have," Commander Thunderhead groaned. "Most of my subordinates are completely against the idea, and I'm inclined to agree with them. Our biggest concern is, and always will be, the war effort. Even managing the weather has to take a back seat to keeping the borders safe." He sighed. "Unless we got additional support, we'd be stretching ourselves far too thin to try anything new."

It was Chancellor Thistle's turn now. "We actually had a surprisingly agreeable response," she said. "The merchants in our caravan see this as an opportunity to open new avenues of trade. However, the few farmers that traveled here with us are worried about living with other ponies, worried it will change their way of life. We can't do anything without their support. No matter how much we might gain, there's just too much to lose."

"I know the city will follow along with whatever I decide," said Lily. "Unicorns tend to follow the wisdom of the oldest among them. That's just how we've always been. But I would be remiss in my responsibilities if I didn't take the thoughts and concerns of everypony into account. Too many are ignorant of the world beyond our borders. Most of them had never even seen a pony from another tribe before two days ago."

"So any kind of unification isn't going to work, then," Thistle huffed. "Why did we even waste the energy entertaining this idea?"

"You have some sort of plan, don't you?" Thunderhead studied the elder unicorn from across the table. "I've known you long enough to know when you haven't laid everything out on the table yet."

"Insightful as ever, I see," Lily smiled back. "You're a credit to your continued leadership. You'd be correct, I do have a plan. The way I see it, the biggest obstacle we face is how ignorant everypony is of the other tribes. We could make steps to correct that through an internship, of sorts."

"An exchange?" Thistle raised an eyebrow. "How exactly would you expect that to work? The laws of diplomacy would..."

"Would have to be suspended for such a thing to even be possible," Thunderhead finished for her as he suddenly got a lot more interested. "Interesting... It has some merit. I wouldn't be completely opposed to a small experiment. It would have to be small, though. I could probably get away with sparing a body or two, I actually have a few new recruits in mind that don't appear to have the stones for combat. They'd probably jump at the chance to get out of drills," he said with a laugh. "But I'd need a few strong bodies to take their place. I'm not sure what they'd be doing, but I guess that's sort of the point."

"And what of us?" Thistle complained, looking a bit irritated for the earlier interruption. "Harvest is right around the corner. You can't expect us to give up a few good workers just so they can either live in the lap of luxury or fight in a war."

"What of your alchemists?" Asked Lily. "Didn't you once say any one of them would give up a hind leg for just an hour's access to our libraries?"

Thistle's jaw dropped at the question. "You're serious, aren't you? You'd be willing to give up that kind of knowledge to another tribe for the sake of a trial run?"

"Completely, and I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to find a few willing volunteers to help work the fields. Not everything can be learned from books, after all. We'd have just as much to gain from the exchange."

She rubbed at her chin for a moment before answering. "We could probably work with that," she said before turning back to the pegasus. "We might even find somepony willing to house the ones you have working our weather. Kill two birds with one stone."

Thunderhead nodded his approval. "That would help."

"So it's decided," Elder Lily concluded. "We'll proceed with a temporary exchange program. Any opposed?"

When no pony raised a hoof to object, they moved on to other, more mundane topics. When the Summit finally let out for the day, the exchange program was all anyone wanted to talk about, and they didn't just talk about it among their peers. Several from the other tribes had opted to stay in the city overnight, now more curious than ever to learn more about their distant cousins.

All except for Clover and Azalea. No sooner had they stepped back out onto the street, then they were approached by a messenger. Elder Lily wanted to see them.

Elder Lily had asked for them, but why? He hadn't done anything to draw attention to himself, had he? Clover thought long and hard about it. The biggest thing that stuck out in his head was the scene he had made when he had fought with Elder Dahlia. But that was days ago. Why bring it back up now?

Clover and Azalea made their way for the door leading to the back room, and were about to open it, when it swung open all on its own. A fuming Dahlia stormed out of the room, only stopping long enough to scowl in Clover's direction before stomping down the hallway.

"What was that all about?" He asked. Whatever had happened, it had apparently put the red-headed mare in a bad mood.

"I don't know," said Azalea. It seemed strange that her mother hadn't even acknowledged her presence. Whatever had upset the hot-blooded elder, it must've been bad if she hadn't even noticed her own daughter. The two of them turned back to the door, now more anxious than ever at what they would find inside.

However when they entered the room, it wasn't just Elder Lily that was waiting for them. Elder Gladiolus was there as well, but so were the pegasi delegates. What exactly was going on?

"Ah, Clover. Azalea. Glad you both could make it," said Gladiolus. "I was worried the messenger got lost in the crowd."

"They found us alright," Azalea said with a touch of concern. "Is everything alright with my mother?"

His cheery face fell at the question. "You saw her, did you?" When they nodded in the affirmative, he rubbed at the back of his head. "I'm sure she'll be alright. Just some difference in opinion."

"Ah'd say that be puttin' it lightly," said Lieutenant Dandelion from her place in the back of the room. "Dat old hen looked like she were ready to pop." The comment earned her a sharp look from her two companions. "What yer be lookin at me like that fer? Just callin' it like ah see it."

"I wouldn't worry yourself," said Elder Lily. "She's just feeling a bit protective. I would expect the same of any parent."

"So these are two you were recommending?" Commander Thunderhead said as he paced around them, his discerning eye sweeping over every inch of them. "They don't seem like much to look at. A bit scrawny, in my professional opinion."

"What's going on?" Clover felt even more nervous than he had been just moments before. The commander seemed intent on measuring his worth, for whatever reason that may be.

"Tell me, Clover," Lily started, not even phased by him being inspected like livestock. "What are your thoughts on the Summit?"

"The Summit?" Said Clover, happy for the distraction. "Well, it's interesting. Although, I get the feeling it doesn't usually get so heated."

"You'd be correct in that assumption," said Gladiolus. "Every year we usually talk about the same things. The weather, disputed territories, you know, boring stuff."

"What's with these scars?" Thunderhead narrowed his eyes at the crystal running through Clover's neck, making him just a bit uncomfortable. "At least I think that's what these are. This pony looks like he's been through the wringer already."

"Clover here's the sole survivor of the sunrise two weeks past," Lily informed him. "I'm not sure why his scars look the way they do now, but it seems to have improved his disposition."

"Really, now," his eyes widened at the news. "And you're willing to ship him off to Mount Bora? Are you sure he can handle it?"

Clover's ears perked up, not only because of the question, but because he finally understood why he was here. "The exchange? You want to send me off to live with the pegasi?"

"I'd like to send both of you," Lily nodded as she made eye contact with Azalea. "As you might've guessed, your mother isn't particularly thrilled with the idea, but I believe you two are the best choice for this task."

"We don't want to force you," added Gladiolus. "Nopony's tried anything like this before, not in living memory anyway. It will no doubt be difficult, but it would go a long ways towards helping bring the tribes closer together."

Clover felt a hoof rest on his shoulder, and looked over to meet Azalea's gaze. He could tell she felt was just as anxious as he did, likely trying to keep herself from running away. He certainly felt like it. However, when she smiled at him, he knew that through thick and thin, she would always be there, regardless of what he decided.

And then there was the vision. A small glimpse of the future, a future where all the tribes were together. He still had no idea what that shining figure was, and he might never know. But maybe, just maybe, this was what was always meant to be. He was only meant to play a minor role in bringing the tribes together, and maybe, just maybe, it was his responsibility to see where this road would end.

"When do we leave?" His mind was made up.

"Tomorrow," said the pegasus leader. "After the conclusion of the summit."