The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

Everything has a breaking point, and people are no exception. Even the most humble can only stand by and do nothing for so long before the only remaining option is for them to act.

Twilight was not in a good place right now. After Smokey had finished telling his story, she left without saying another word and got on the next train back to Ponyville.

Where had Clover found these ponies? And why had he felt the need to reincarnate them in this new form. Having heard everything Storm and Smokey had been through, it almost seemed cruel to do anything more than just let them rest. She wouldn't expect anyone to stay sane after what they had gone through. She certainly couldn't. Yet here they were, making the best they could out of life despite it all.

And unfortunately, Twilight wasn't done yet. There was still one more pony she had to find, and she had no idea where to find her. Whisper had directed her to Storm, and Storm had known where Smokey was, but the last one's location remained unknown. She just had to hope that Whisper might have some idea of where to look for her. Then she could finally finish this journey the little fairy had set her on. Maybe then, she'd finally understand the point of it all.

The train pulled in the station, and Twilight slowly made her way across town. When she got home, she was slightly surprised to find the library as quiet as it was. At the very least, she expected to find Spike reading comic books in the corner. He might still be doing that, but he may be doing it in some obscure corner of the archive. It did have its own collection of comic books, after all. One of the many things Clover had collected over the years. After their first visit to the archive, Twilight had to keep an eye on the young dragon to make sure he wasn't shirking his chores for another chance to look through the rare collection.

Speaking of the archive, the large door that guarded it hung suspiciously open. With how quiet the rest of the library was, it felt like she was being openly invited. With no apparent sign of the troublesome fairy, or anyone else for that matter, Twilight took a deep breath, steeled herself, and once again descended into the ancient depths beneath her home.

It didn't take long for Twilight to see that she wasn't the only one down here. As soon as she stepped out of the stairwell, she could see light coming from beyond the sea of shelves. She still hadn't even remotely explored this whole place. In fact, during the short time she had known of its existence, she only ever managed to make it a couple shelves in before she'd lose hours to whatever book or rare tome she stumbled across. However, she was currently on a mission. A mission that wouldn't allow her to sit and read peacefully before seeing it through.

Twilight was only a couple shelves away from the light when she started being able to make out voices. However, she was shocked when she immediately recognized one of the voices. It wasn't someone she was expecting to find here, but no resident of Ponyville would ever mistake this pony for anyone else.

"I'm telling you," said Pinkie Pie, sounding annoyed, yet still cheerful. "If it had to be anything else, it would be the Princess of Books. Twilight and books are like cake and icing. Both are good on their own, but only together do they make a delicious red velvet. Just you wait, one day she's gonna build a bigger library than this one."

"That would be impressive, but I still think the Princess of Merchandizing suits her better," said the voice that Twilight wasn't familiar with. "I still don't see any actual reason for her to be a princess, canonically speaking anyway, except to promote a new toy line for little fillies. Maybe she'll do something impressive someday, but I think it's far more likely she'll end up with some unsightly castle that looks completely out of place. Just you watch, it'll happen, and before the week has passed, those same fillies will have a new playset."

What were they talking about? They couldn't really be talking about her, could they? Pinkie mentioned her, but what was this talk about toy lines and playsets? Canonically? Twilight had grown accustomed to Pinkie's... Pinkieness from time to time, but whoever she was talking to seemed to not only be unfazed by it, but also seemed to be keeping up to the point she could even argue with the pink pony.

Twilight rounded the last corner to find the two ponies sitting by a fireplace with tea and a large plate of iced cookies between them. What was even stranger than that, though, was the full sized kitchen just beyond them. Why was there a kitchen in a library? The smell of sugar and warm bread filled the air, a sign that not only was there a kitchen, but it had also been recently used.

"How bout we make a bet, Pinkie?" Said the unicorn with a grey coat and red mane. She was slightly taller than the average pony, but it wasn't until Twilight saw her red eyes that she recognized her. Ret Con, the third and last of Clover's companions.

Pinkie's interest seemed to have peaked. "What kinda bet are we talking, sister?" She asked, seeming a bit suspicious.

"If she has a grand library dedicated to her first, instead of some ugly castle, you win, and I'll give you," Ret scratched her chin for a moment in thought, "Aunt Dairy's recipe for a soufflé that doesn't sink."

The gasp from Pinkie was more than audible. It was felt. "Ok then..." she said, seeming to think just as hard, "and if you're wrong, I'll give you... Granny Pie's recipe for bourbon rock candy. Usually, it loses its kick after cooking, but Granny Pie found a way around that. I usually only break it out for very special parties."

"Two seemingly impossible desserts up for grabs," Ret said with a smile. "I like this game."

Pinkie giggled along. "Yeah," said chirped happily. "This is fun!"

Twilight couldn't just listen quietly anymore. Her sanity might be called into question if she did. "What are you two talking about?!" She half shouted, breaking the tension.

Both mares turned their heads to her, smiles still plastered on their faces. "There she is," Ret proclaimed. "You were running so late, I thought you'd never show. Did you enjoy your trip to Canterlot?"

Twilight stumbled back in confusion. "How did you know I was in Canterlot?" She said.

"I got bored waiting, so I peeked in on you," drawled Ret as she crossed her legs. "Still... It seems you're a lot stronger than I gave you credit for. You made it all the way here and haven't broken. Yet." Ret looked at her with eyes that seemed to bore straight through her, like she was deciphering some greater truth. "And how have the rest of you enjoyed our miserable lives? I do hope you know that it's only going to get worse before it gets better?"

"I... Wait... What? Huh... What?" Twilight's eyes darted back and forth, even looking behind her to find someone who wasn't there. When she couldn't find one, she started to sweat profusely, the first sign of an upcoming meltdown currently in progress.

Pinkie began giggling. "Oh, Twilight," she chimed. "You're so silly."

Ret looked like she just might start laughing along with Pinkie, but never got further than a small smile. "Try not to think about it too hard, Twilight," she said instead. "I may have gotten a bit carried away after playing with Pinkie. It's rare I find anypony I can really relate to."

Pinkie bounced up from her seat, a worried look interrupting her otherwise perpetually cheerful demeanor. "Twilight," she said, far more seriously than she normally would, "I know it feels dark and lonely right now, but it'll get better. You'll see." She looked back to Ret, her smile seeming a little more forced than it had been before. "I had fun," she said. "Let's do this again sometime."

"Definitely," said Ret. "And don't worry about your friend. I'll try to be gentle." Ret had a worryingly sinister smile on her face, leaving Twilight to wonder what she was getting into.

"Okie dokie Retsie," Pinkie began prancing away, having found her spring again. "Until next time."

Ret continued to wave until Pinkie was finally lost in the sea of books. Once she was gone, however, she turned a lot more serious. "You've got courage, little filly," she said. "To investigate all this behind Clover's back. I can't imagine he'll be too happy when he finds out."

Twilight opened her mouth to defend herself, but the lighting in the archive picked that moment to change. Twilight looked around for what had just happened, but nothing seemed out of place. Just endless shelves as far as the eye could see. The only thing that looked different was...

"What happened to the kitchen?" Twilight asked. It was true. There had been a small kitchen there a short while ago, and now it was nowhere to be seen. The plate of cookies still sat on the ground near Ret, and Twilight could still smell how fresh they were, but...

"Why would there be a kitchen here?" Ret said, feigning ignorance. "This is a library. I can't imagine that would be very good for the books. Now stop changing the subject. Why are you doing all this? What is it you're after?"

"I..." Twilight paused for a moment, during which Ret got up from her seat and began moving closer to her. Why was she doing this again? She had told Whisper her reasons, but did she still feel the same after hearing more about the atrocities that Elysium committed. She still wasn't sure how all of this fit together since, by their own accounts, each of them had died at the end of their own stories, including Clover.

"It will make sense soon, Twilight," said Ret, almost seeming to read her thoughts. "How this all fits together. What we mean to each other. Just hold on a little bit longer."

That mystery aside, she wasn't blind to how much Clover was hurting. To carry the tremendous burden of the spell he had created for all these years without feeling like he could let anyone else share the load with him... Twilight wasn't sure she'd be able to do the same, and she didn't want to let carry it alone anymore.

"I want to be there for him," she said at last. "To let him know he has a friend he can count on when feels alone."

"Hmmm," Ret pondered as she finished circling the young alicorn. "Not quite the answer I was looking for, but it'll do. You're an interesting pony, Twilight Sparkle. We'll see if that'll be enough, won't we now."

There was something about the way this pony looked at her that left Twilight feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't exactly anything she said, but more like it was the way she carried herself, the way she seemed to understand far more than she let on, and the way she seemed to already have all the answers she needed, but chose to wait patiently for Twilight to figure them out for herself. Almost like how Princess Celestia would do to her.

"Very well," Ret said as she returned to her seat. "If Whisper believes you can be trusted, then I shall do the same. You've already missed your last chance to back out, so I hope you've prepared yourself."

"I'm ready," Twilight said, determination painting her words.

"We'll see," the red-maned unicorn said from behind a forced smile. "Indeed, we shall see..."

"Ret! Ret! I need you!" Panicked shouts came from the direction of the stairs, interrupting their conversation. Whoever it was that was calling for her, the enigmatic pony now sat there with her mouth closed and a puzzled expression. She lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, and for the first time since Twilight arrived, Ret looked genuinely confused.

They didn't have to wait long to see what the fuss was all about, because a moment later, a distressed unicorn mare galloped into view. She had a lightly golden coat and a brown mane that had been done up in large curls, but what stood out even more was the dress she was wearing.

It was more than just a simple dress. It looked like what appeared to be a formal gown, just like one someone would wear to the Gala. It was in a pretty forest green that matched the pony's eyes. With silver and gold accents that seemed to accentuate the mare's more prominent features as opposed to distract from them. From nose to tail, everything about her seemed to tell a tale of a well-groomed lady, even the large and silky wings that poked out from the sides of the dress appeared well cared for without a single golden feather out of place.

Wait... Wings? And a horn? Another alicorn?! When did that happen? And how did she know Ret? What bothered her even more wasn't that there was suddenly another alicorn in front of her, but that she had a sinking suspicion that she should recognize this one. Her colors looked familiar, but the only pony she knew with colors like that was...

"Clover?!" Ret shouted in surprise, completely shocked. "What in the world happened to you? I thought you said you were going to see Rarity about some formal wear, not," She waved to the whole of him, now her, "whatever this is."

"That was the plan," said the annoyed mare who apparently turned out to be Clover. "But how was I supposed to know she had something like this up her sleeve. "Where did she even find a gender swap potion strong enough to work on alicorns?"

"Wait..." Ret burst out. "That's why she wanted Smokey to make that potion?! I thought it was just so she could have some fun behind closed doors, but this..." Ret's smile hadn't once left her face. "Oh, this is so much better."

"It's not funny!" Clover shouted back. "You think I wanted to spend the afternoon trying on dresses as part of some elaborate prank?"

"As far as pranks go," Ret was trying really hard not to laugh, "that's a grade A trick she pulled on you. I can't believe you ran across town looking like that."

"Very funny," said a blushing Clover as she shuffled her wings through the dress, "now help me get this thing off before somepony else sees me, then you get back to talking to Pinkie about your..."

Clover trailed off as his eyes locked with Twilight. A range of expressions played out across her face starting with surprise, then concern, before finally settling on deep-seated suspicion. "What have you two been talking about?" The mare asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Ret casually dismissed. "Just girl talk."

"You don't do girl talk," Clover said pointedly. "I would know." She took another minute observing the two of them, during which Twilight could feel herself starting to sweat under the older alicorn's glare. There was no doubt in her mind that Clover knew, or at least strongly suspected, what she had been doing, and they weren't particularly happy about it.

However, unexpected help picked that moment to come to Twilight's rescue. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, a tiny pink light flitted down from somewhere overhead. Musical laughter filled the archive at that point, to the point it may have even been coming from the books themselves.

"Oh my gosh, Clover!" Squealed Whisper. "You're so cute."

Clover's ears fell. Apparently having wanted to avoid such an interaction. Her eyes darted around, probably trying to find a place to escape, but it was already too late. Whisper had already landed firmly on the head of the blushing pony.

"This is a new side of you," she said teasingly. "I didn't know you secretly wanted to be a princess."

"I don't... I can't... That's not the point!" Shouted a flustered Clover. "I'm sort of busy, so can we not do this right now?"

"Not a chance," Whisper said cheerily. "I never get to see you embarrassed, and I'm going to enjoy every moment of it. So," she waggled her eyebrows and gave an evil smirk, "what did she make you wear under that?"

Clover had only been slightly red before, but this... this caused her embarrassment to evolve from a warm glow to a blazing inferno. The blush that had stayed primarily at her ears had raced down her back, and even now was creeping its way up her plumage. Before another heartbeat passed, Clover was already running back the way she had come, Whisper's laughter chasing after her until both had finally vanished from view.

Ret's attempt at holding back her own laughter finally failed. She fell from her seat and rolled onto her back. The sound coming from her, while still musical in nature, was a bit coarse. It was like it was a sound she wasn't used to making, but even so, she soon found herself clutching at her stomach.

Twilight would've been laughing along with her, but the look Clover had given her was still a little too fresh in her mind. It unsettled her, like she had gotten caught with her hoof in the cookie jar, and now she was stuck waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Ret's laughter finally subsided, and she pushed herself back up and resettled in her seat. "You have no idea how much I needed that," she said, the last traces of laughter still showing. "Clover's always so serious all the time. He needs moments like this, more than he'll ever admit. Now," she pondered after taking a deep breath, "where was I?"

Before Twilight had a chance to answer, Ret once again jumped right out of her seat. "Now I remember," she said as her face became far more serious. She took a deep breath and puffed out her chest, that was all it took for Ret to go from looking like she was about to die of laughter to a overwhelming presence that commanded respect, and spoke of authority.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Lady Rhodonite of the Written Word," she announced proudly. "Keeper of Order, Sorceress of Secrets, and the last legacy of Hecate the Mad, the greatest mage to ever live." She took one last breath before looking Twilight dead in the eye.

"I was also the Leader of Pandemonium, the city of possibility," she said, "and High Priestess of Discord, the God of Chaos."