The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

Bad dreams drove Clover from his bed early the next morning, the contents of which already forgotten as he startled himself awake. Some restlessness was to be expected, this was the day he and Azalea were finally set to leave for the pegasus homeland after all, and not even the warm bed he now shared was enough to let him keep him from rising before dawn.

Speaking of Azalea, he looked over to where she still slept. She had been undisturbed by his sudden rising. A blessing, to be sure, that she hadn't suffered the same night terrors that he had. Either that or he had worn her out far more than she had him after they had both returned last night.

He shook the dirty thoughts from his head. When had he started thinking like that? Like Pyrus? A sobering thought, to be sure, although it didn't sting near as bad as it once had. Pyrus was gone. Nothing was ever going to change that, and he had his mission. To see that vision of the future come true, the same future that Elder Lily surely hoped for as well.

Okay, now he definitely wasn't getting back to sleep, not with all these thoughts and feelings rushing through him. He needed a distraction, something to occupy himself with. There were still a few hours before they were set to depart, and if he heard correctly, the library should finally be open again. It would be good to make some last-minute preparations while he still had the chance.

At least that had been the plan. Until it happened again.

The crystal parts of his body began to glow, a sensation he had become all too familiar with, and his legs began moving on their own. Wherever he had originally planned to go, his body had ideas of its own. Wherever that happened to be, he had no idea.

If that wasn't bad enough, a new sensation overtook him as his neck tensed up on him and wrenched his head in the direction of passing shelves. It was only then that Clover noticed that it wasn't just his neck, but his eyes also seemed to be moving of their own accord.

Panic quickly settled in after that. While his case may be a bit extreme, it wasn't completely uncommon for unicorns to go through phases where their magic would become unwieldly or otherwise problematic, especially when they were learning new spells. It was one thing to have your own magic act strangely, but it was another thing entirely to have your own body betray your will, something that scared Clover to no end.

He was on the verge of screaming for help, assuming he could still even manage that much, however when he sped around the next corner and ran face first into a mare who had also started the day early, the attempt was driven from his mind.

They fell into a heap. Books and scrolls and other tools of the scholarly trade from both parties collapsed around them. Clover's panicked state was brushed aside for the briefest of moments as embarrassment took its place. He did his best to untangle himself from the girl whose only crime had been to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized, almost automatically. "I wasn't watching where I was going." That was when he realized he had control of his body again. Whatever it was that had happened, it hadn't lasted long. But when would it happen again? He needed help. He needed it now. Before his magic had the chance to hijack his body again.

He ran from the library, not even stopping to see if the random bystander was truly alright. By the time she righted herself and was able to take in her surroundings, her assailant had already disappeared.

Thinking back, he really should've done this sooner. What with the fight he had with Elder Dahlia, and the vision that constantly pulled at his attention, not to mention the start of the Summit and everything else that followed, it had been the furthest thing from his mind.

So when he finally made his way back to the hospital, he was already bracing himself for the tongue lashing he was sure to receive.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," was the last thing he expected to hear from the doctor.

"Are you sure?" Elder Gladiolus asked. He had been there as well, something about having overworked himself lately. "I'd be worried too if I was losing control over my own body."

"Except I don't think that's what's happening here," she said as she shone a small light in Clover's eyes. "You wouldn't be aware of it happening if it was."

"But..." Clover started.

"Tell me," she cut back in, clearly seeing that he was still worried. "You lost control of your body in a public place, didn't you?" When he nodded in the affirmative, she continued. "It's far more likely somepony is just carrying a grudge and acting out against you. You have garnered your fair share of animosity since the sunrise. I mean, I seldom leave the office, and even I've heard the rumors."

"But what about the increased aggression?" Clover would not be deterred. "And suddenly making up new spells out of nowhere?"

"Could easily be explained by your sudden jump in mana levels. That much magic is going to wreak havoc on your insides until your body gets used to the changes," she explained. "I've personally documented several instances of the same thing happening to young unicorns who accidentally tore open new channels while they were still maturing. Mood swings and increased mental stimulation were common in all cases."

"Puberty!?" Clover exclaimed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You can't possibly be comparing this to growing pains."

"Try to calm yourself, Clover," Gladiolus consoled as best he could. "You did the right thing by bringing this forward when you did. The good news is that it's nothing serious."

"And the bad news?" Clover's ears fell along with his heart. He was starting to look forward to his trip and automatically assumed that was now off the table.

"You should still be good to head to Mount Boras, if that's what you're worried about," Gladiolus inferred. Was he really that easy to read? "At least, I think so. What do you think, doctor?"

"He should be okay," the doctor nodded along. "Provided he takes the proper precautions. I have some exercises he can work on. Should help him refocus his arcane acuity."

Clover let out a breath as he reluctantly let the weight fall off his shoulders. It was the first time he had some solid answers since his life had been turned on its head. He still had no idea how he ended up in this state, and seeing as the two other ponies in the room hadn't volunteered any answers, they probably didn't know either. Regardless, it still provided no small amount of relief for the unfortunate unicorn.

"Now, back to this new spell you said you made..." Gladiolus rubbed at his beard, clearly intrigued. "I must say, I haven't heard of any new magic being created in a very long time. Nothing revolutionary anyway. You said it came to you after seeing one of Hecate's old worksheets?"

"Um... Yeah," said Clover. "At least, that's what Elder Dahlia said."

"That's strange," the doctor rummaged around her desk. "Nopony left me a copy for review."

"Is... Is that bad?"

"It's odd, at the very least," confirmed the elder. "Unless she had a good reason to do so, all new spells are supposed to be inspected by a trained physician to make sure there aren't any adverse side effects."

"What was the spell supposed to do again? And do you have a copy of it on you?" The doctor inquired.

"I can make a copy of it," Clover said as he retrieved a blank sheet from his bag. He quickly began sketching out the complex diagrams onto the empty canvas. It would've likely been impossible for him to do so before, but for whatever reason, the spell had been thoroughly etched into his mind ever since he first drew it up.

"Fascinating..." The elder mused as he watched him work. "I must apologize to you, Clover. When you said your mental faculties had expanded, I didn't realize by how much. This is just... wow."

"It's almost a shame to let this kind of talent go," the doctor commented from Clover's other side. "Are you sure he should be running off to the pegasus city?"

"He'll have plenty of time to expand on this when he gets back," Gladiolus waved the comment off. "Besides, young ponies should be exploring the world and getting into trouble."

"Not everypony is as boisterous as you once were," she chided. "My mentor told me plenty of stories about the sorts of "trouble" you and your friends would get into."

"Well," he laughed along. "Not everypony understood our way of having fun. Always thought the elders in my day had a stick up their collective arses. Never thought I'd end up being one..."

Elder Gladiolus trailed off as Clover continued to draw up his spell. At first, his eyes widened at the intricate details he was seeing, but then a dark look began to settle over his face. "Clover..." He said solemnly, not a single trace of mirth could be heard in his voice. "Where did you learn those runes?"

"Huh?..." Clover didn't once take his eyes off his work until he finished drawing the last of the lines. "Oh? These? They were on the worksheet before I started."

Clover's quill barely left the finished page before a golden glow wrapped itself around the parchment and tore it from his grip. Elder Gladiolus heavily scrutinized the page as he floated it in front of him. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Um..." Clover had never seen Gladiolus so serious. Usually, the old stallion was very light-hearted with how he dealt with other ponies. He was level-headed, easy to talk to, and was usually forthcoming with very sound advice. Seeing him now, though... "Elder Dahlia said it was a pacifying spell."

"That's one way of putting it," the elder scowled as he bit his bottom lip. "Little Flower..." He muttered under his breath. "What are you doing?..."

"Elder, is everything alright?" The doctor looked worriedly at him. "What do you think you're doing!?"

The parchment in Elder Gladiolus' magical grip flashed along with his horn. It only smoked for a moment before fire began rapidly tearing away at the edges. Putrid smoke rolled off the burning material, and even as the doctor quickly began using a spell to direct the fumes through an open window, he didn't once look away until nothing remained but cinders.

Clover had never once seen the elder lose his temper, not like that anyway, but as he looked in his eyes, he knew something was wrong. "E... Elder Gladiolus..." He said.

The elder closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath and slowly let it out at an uncomfortably rate. When he opened his eyes again, he appeared to have considerably calmed, but the intensity that remained in his gaze didn't look like it was going anywhere anytime soon. "Clover," he said in as calm a voice as he could muster.

"Sir?" He felt an unnatural chill run down his spine at the sound of his own name.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully," he said, the looking of seriousness on his face unwavering. "Don't ever cast that spell, Don't ever tell anypony else about it, and sure as hell don't ever write it down."

"Okay," was all he could think to say. "But why?"

"Just... Don't," the elder continued to look agitated. "I can't tell you why, not now, anyway, but if you've ever trusted my judgement, trust me when I say that magic like that should not exist."

"O... Okay..." What had he created? "But, what about Elder Dahlia?"

"You let me worry about her," he said solemnly. "I hope I'm just worried over nothing. But as for you, I want you to go find Azalea and bring her to my place as soon as possible. Lieutenant Dandelion should be there, waiting to pick you up. I want all three of you out of the city as soon as you possibly can."

Clover galloped through the streets with Elder Gladiolus' words still hanging over his head. He had never seen another pony act like that before. He'd certainly seen his fair share of angry ones, but the elder had seemed straight up afraid of something. Whatever he had seen in Clover's spell had clearly unsettled him, but it felt far worse when he refused to say what it was.

He made his way back to the dorm and was a bit surprised not to find Azalea there. Over time, he'd gotten used to how much she liked to sleep in, and he'd barely been gone an hour. She should still be asleep. Worse yet, he wasn't sure where she could've gone. So Clover did the only thing he could think of, he picked up both their bags and made his way toward Gladiolus' house.

He figured if anyone could find a lost unicorn, a pegasus could.

Except that Dandelion wasn't there either. What was going on? Why was everyone acting so weird? A cold sweat ran down his face, unbidden. He wasn't sure where that had come from, but just thinking about it made him feel even worse.

Part of him knew he should probably just stay put and let the others find him, but somehow, he just knew he needed to be somewhere. Something just felt... wrong.

As if answering the question for him, the same pull he had felt that morning started moving him towards the door. It startled him for a just a moment, but the sensation didn't feel like it was trying to wrest control from him like before. Instead, the insistence was more like a feeling of certainty. Something inside Clover clicked at that moment. He wasn't sure how, but he knew where Azalea was, and she was in trouble.

He ran back out into the streets like a pony possessed. If she was indeed in trouble, then he had no time to waste.

Clover had almost made it to the home of Elder Dahlia when the front door exploded. Broken pieces of stone and wood peppered the surroundings, but Clover did not stop his advance. He had seen what had caused the damage and, more importantly, who it was that had been thrown through the door.

He ran to Azalea's still form, fearing the worst. Her unconscious body looked like it had been through the wringer from something or other. Nothing looked broken, but she would definitely have some bruising to deal with later.

Clover was about to start carrying her to safety when Azalea's eyes shot open. She clutched at him, a desperate look in her eyes. "Please... save her... save my mother..." was all she managed to say before passing out again.

Pain gripped at his heart as he looked at the broken door. Someone had hurt his precious Azalea, and now they were looking to take her mother away as well. Without any further thought, he made his way inside, afraid of what he may find.

The inside of the house had been completely trashed, like a wild animal had been let loose. Screaming could be heard from further inside, and despite the voice inside him screaming to run away from danger, Clover instead ran towards it.

He found the source of the screaming just as he tripped over something in the room. He went face first into the ground, jostling his jaw in the process as he took in the sight of Lieutenant Dandelion pounding her hooves on a red forcefield. Elder Dahlia could be seen on the opposite side of her barrier, her legs buckling with every thunderous hit from the giant pegasus.

Clover fought to climb back to his hooves before it was too late to save her. He again stumbled over whatever it was that had tripped him up before finally getting himself upright again. He only spared the briefest glance at what it was, and in that moment, his world was once again turned on its head.

Elder Gladiolus lay at his hooves, the light gone from his eyes, and his neck broken.