The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

"Is that Azalea?" Clover almost squeaked as he quickly ducked back into his seat and out of view. "What's she doing here?" He shot a panicked look in Pyrus's direction, hoping against hope that his friend would help him escape, or at least cover for him. To his growing horror, he was actually waving her over.

"What are you doing!?" Clover hissed as he desperately tried using his magic to pull Pyrus's waving hoof back down. However, Clover's efforts were in vain, for Pyrus seemed determined to get her attention.

"Helping," said Pyrus, an evil smirk on his face. "I've had enough of watching you pine after this girl without even once building up the courage to talk to her."

Clover's stomach began to tie itself in knots, and when the sweetest voice reached his ears, he dove under the table.

"Alright, Pyrus," said Azalea, the annoyance clear in her voice. She was barely a pace away from where Clover was hiding. "I'm here. Whatever you called me out for had better be worth it, or I might seriously consider throwing you off the island."

"I'll take that bet," Pyrus' smile never once faltered as the red glow of his magic reached down to grab Clover by the scruff of his neck. The poor unicorn finding himself powerless to resist his iron grip. Before he had the chance to seek another avenue of escape, Clover found himself pulled into the light and right in front of Azalea.

The change in Azalea's countenance upon seeing Clover was almost instantaneous. Her demeanor quickly softened and made way for the flustered girl in her teens. "Cl... Clover?!" She stuttered and took a hasty step back. Other than that, she seemed to have lost her ability to speak.

They both stood there, frozen, unable to find the right words. Azalea stared dumbly into Clover's green eyes while Clover did the same to her. He found himself completely captivated by her bright pink eyes and matching mane, both of them looking positively gorgeous against her cream colored coat.

With as stunned as they both were, it took almost no effort on Pyrus' part to set Clover back in his seat before gracefully making his way around the entranced mare, and guiding her to the seat opposite the frozen stallion. It wasn't until he returned and dropped a fresh set of glasses between them, the sound of which startling them both in the intervening silence, that they even noticed that he had stepped away.

"To help things along," he said, gesturing to the two cups. "Also so that I might finally be able to get a moment's peace without having to listen to the two of you continue to pine over each other like a pair of mewling kittens."

The accusation caused both of them to begin blushing furiously. They shot nervous glances at each other and shied away anytime their eyes started to meet. Clover could feel the butterflies begin to churn his insides, while Azalea started to break out into a nervous sweat.

They remained that way for a long time. So long that neither of them had noticed that Pyrus had taken his leave until Clover turned to find him, seeking guidance. Only to just barely catch the final tail swish of the impromptu matchmaker as he left the hall with his earlier cadre in tow.

Azalea must've noticed around the same time, because when Clover looked back to her, she was shifting nervously in her seat, looking like she might bolt at any moment. However, she remained planted where she was and began idly poking at the sweet liquid before her.

Nerves had already taken such a firm hold on Clover that he didn't notice that half his cup was already gone. Unicorns weren't particularly well known for their ability to hold their drink, so they tended to water down their wine quite a bit. Regardless, even as diluted as the fruity beverage was, consuming enough of it would still find the most nervous of unicons finally building up some courage.

"So… uh…" he started to say, but found himself stopping short. He wasn't off to the best start, but at least the silence between them had finally been broken. Azalea jumped at the noise while she had been taking a sip, the contents of her upturned glass threatening to find its way up her nose in that instant.

Now it was Azalea's turn to look sheepish as she barely recovered from making a mess of herself. The glass wobbled in her magic and she barely managed to set it back down. A single tear glittered in one of her eyes as she swallowed hard in an effort to keep the mouthful down.

"You're Clover, right?" She choked out. It had apparently been a near thing with the drink, if the pained expression was anything to go by. "The one who took Professor Calcium's petrifying spell and rerouted it into making white yarn?"

Clover's ears drooped and he tried to make himself look small as she brought up one of his most embarrassing moments. "She was so mad," he said sheepishly, "told me never to alter the nature of a spell like that, again."

"What?!" Azalea cried out. "Did she really? But, why?" She appeared to be incensed, but Clover couldn't understand why. "What you did was amazing. I haven't been able to get you out of my head ever since."

Another moment of stunned silence followed as both ponies processed what Azalea had just said. It definitely affected her the most, because she almost immediately buried her face in her hooves until all that could still be seen of her was her blushing ears as they poked out of her mane.

Desperate to try and salvage the situation, Clover strained his addled mind for something, anything he could say that would make her feel better. "How did you manage to do so well during the divination exams? I saw how paranoid the teachers were afterwards. They must've been looking over their shoulders for weeks after that."

That earned him the smile he was looking for. She peeked out from behind her makeshift cover, and when the corners of her mouth turned up, the warmth that Clover felt rush through him made him fear that his heart might burst from his chest at any moment. "So beautiful," he said, not even realizing that he said the words aloud until she responded.

"Thanks," she said as she idly played with a strand of hair that had gotten loose before securing it back behind one ear.

Clover felt like he could die. Why had he just said that? She was going to think he was some sort of creep for saying something like that. She wasn't going to want anything else to do with him after this.

Despite his growing concerns, the conversation continued as well as it could have for two ponies who had been awkwardly pushed together by a third. Seeing as they were both students, they mostly talked about whatever their studies were currently focused on, or which teachers tended to get under their skin. As time went on, and their cups ran dry, Clover seemed to relax a bit more. The only time she surprised him further was when she suddenly got up from her seat and made her way to stand next to him.

"Say, uh… Clover," said Azalea. She looked like she was building up the courage for something. "I need to get going before my mother wonders where I've run off to, but…" She was starting to sweat, and with how close she was standing, Clover could very clearly smell her fragrant scent. She smelled deeply of mint and honey, and while he had heard that young fillies named after flowers tended to smell like their namesake, he hadn't believed it before now.

"If you're not doing anything tomorrow, after the Sunrise Ceremony, I mean," whatever she was trying to say was taking considerable effort on her part. Not even the tongue-loosening effects of the hall's namesake seemed to be enough to make this any easier. "If you're free, would you maybe like to spend more time together? I'd like to get to know you better."

Clover couldn't believe what he was hearing. He started to feel lightheaded, and those earlier butterflies now felt like they might carry him away, if given the chance. There was only one response that he could have given in the situation.

"Yes!" He said loudly, on the verge of screaming his answer. Had he been a little more in his right mind, Clover might have at least tried to come up with a more graceful response. Azalea giggled at his enthusiasm and leaned in to place a single kiss on his cheek.

The blood rushed to his face so quickly, the young stallion might've been in danger of passing out right then and there. Luck, it seems, was on his side and this was the only time that night that he didn't stick his hoof in his mouth.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then… Clover," Azalea took a few light steps back. She was so distracted by her state of bliss that she wasn't watching where she was going and ended up tripping over the end of one of the tables. She barely managed to catch herself in time before stealing a glance back at Clover, and turning more pink than her usual color, before beating a hasty retreat.

Clover was in such high spirits that he couldn't even remember when he finally made it back outside. When Pyrus convinced him to come out, he had no idea that he'd end up sharing a table with the girl of his dreams. He honestly thought it would just be another night of keeping the other unicorn out of trouble. But oh, was he glad he had been wrong.

He felt so warm and cozy from the encounter that he barely even noticed the cold air as it pelted his coat on his way back to the dorms. Part of him had been afraid that this had all been a dream and that he'd wake up from it at any moment. However, he found himself with a fresh spring in his step when the dream refused to end.

Somehow through everything that happened, Clover managed to remember the responsibilities that he and his classmates had the next morning. Pyrus was supposed to lead the sunrising, and they were all going to be there to support him.

He unfastened his toga as he entered his room and carefully hung it up next to his bed. It wouldn't do to make a mess of it by sleeping with it on, and he wanted to look his best tomorrow. Sure, his magic wouldn't be working after the ceremony and it would probably stay that way for at least the next week, but he wasn't even worried about that.

Tomorrow was looking to be the height of Clover's young life. Not only would he be taking part in the time-honored tradition that was the pride of the unicorn tribe, but he also had Azalea's company to look forward to afterwards. He still couldn't believe it was actually happening after he'd fancied her from a distance for so long. All in all, tomorrow was looking to be the best day ever.