The Misfortune of Clover the Clever

Clover.

Clover.

"Clover!!"

Clover's eyes once again shot open and he gasped for air. It hurt to breathe, and the air tasted like charcoal, but his body had been denied the life-giving substance for far too long, and it wouldn't be denied any longer. His chest convulsed sharply, taking several pained breaths in the process, before his head started to clear. "What happened?" He managed to cough out.

His throat felt raw, his limbs felt stiff, and a weight seemed to be bearing down on his chest. He looked down to see what it was, only to find Azalea laying there with dark streaks running down her face as her tears mixed with the soot. "You... You're alive?" She sobbed as she pounded on his chest, each blow seeming unusually dull. "But you ran into the... and you stopped moving... How?..."

Clover's words caught in his throat as he did the only thing he felt he could and wrapped his hooves around her. What was he supposed to say? Nothing he said would probably be enough, even if he hadn't fully been in control of his own actions.

And what of that dream... vision... whatever that was he just saw? He wasn't well versed in either, but whatever it was seemed important somehow. Although not as important as the girl who was currently crying into his chest.

He held her a bit tighter, tight enough that he could feel the rapid rising and falling of her chest against his own. It took some time, but she eventually started to calm down.

"How are you still alive?" she asked as she reached out and touched his face. Her touch felt strange. Distant somehow. Like he couldn't really feel her touch, but still he felt some pressure where she was touching him. "And are you feeling okay?"

It took a moment before Clover felt he could properly answer that. It was strange. He hadn't realized it when he woke up, but aside from a slight burning in his lungs, he felt fine. Better than fine. He felt great. Even better than he had before the tragic event that took the life of his friend.

He reached up to reassure her, but stopped when he saw how the light from the remaining embers reflected off his coat. He held his foreleg further away to get a better look and noticed the effect wasn't limited to a single spot. From his hoof all the way to his shoulder, glassy lines worked their way up, catching the light like an uncut gemstone.

Azalea noticed his transfixed state and followed his gaze to the extended hoof. "Does it hurt?" She asked. Apparently, this had been an immense concern to her.

Clover shook his head, still marveling in the crystalline cracks that ran down his leg. It took a moment, but he eventually noticed a pattern to the cracks. They were in the same places that all his scars had been.

"And this?" She asked as she placed a hoof on his chest.

He looked down, and sure enough, the crystal was there as well, although it was far more concentrated there than it was elsewhere. He ran a hoof over it, marveling at how seamlessly it seemed to be fused with his own flesh. It didn't hurt. It didn't even feel all that uncomfortable as he followed the lines that branched off and started making its way up his neck. Did it extend all the way to his face, as well?

He didn't have to wonder long as the air shimmered in front of him, solidifying before casting his own reflection back at him. "Thanks," he said to Azalea. Her magic must've recovered since she'd forced herself to teleport them as far away as she had.

Sure enough, the crystal had extended to his face as well. It made sense in a way, the change did seem to be centered around his scars and his face hadn't escaped the blaze either. It crawled its way up one side, seeming to favor his left over his right. Clover noticed that it had taken on a dull purple glow, similar to the light that came off the edges of his reflection. If he wasn't so worried about what this new deformity could mean, as it even made its way up his horn to spiral into the cracks, he might have caught the gasp that Azalea let out after he started looking at his reflection.

"Clover!" She excitedly shouted, pulling his attention back to her. "Your magic... it's working again!"

It took a moment to set in, but that's when he noticed that not only was the glow a slightly different color than when Azalea used her magic, but that she wasn't casting anything at all. Clover looked in the mirror again, noticing that it was actually his own horn that was currently glowing.

"What the..." He muttered. When had that happened? He couldn't have invoked the spell, yet now that he realized the light was coming from his own horn, he clearly had. It seemed too good to be true, yet the evidence was as plain as the rising sun as both it and his spell floated before him.

The sun? Clover looked in the distance, and sure enough, there was the sun as it was lifted up over the horizon. Yet, he didn't feel any of the burning urges that had plagued him in recent days. Azalea also took notice of the situation, tensing for a moment until she realized that her new mate looked completely relaxed. "Clover?" She inquired. "Are you going to be alright?"

Clover couldn't help but smile. "Yes," he said. "I think I will."

They made their way back towards the city, neither of them realizing until this point how far they had actually run. On the way back, Clover filled Azalea in on what it was he had seen, hoping she might have some answers.

"Hmmm..." She pondered. Unlike Clover, fortune telling actually was her area of expertise. "I don't know who that glowing figure might have been, I actually would've been surprised if you could actually make it out, but the message seems pretty clear to me. A power will rise, joining the entire world as it has never been before."

So it was some sort of vision he had seen, but why him? Why was he specifically being shown this?

"Well, at least that could be one interpretation. Fortune telling isn't a very exact science," Azalea said, easily reading the look on his face. "There's been several times throughout history where a vision has preceded great change, but usually we aren't able to fully make sense of it until it's already over. I wouldn't be too surprised if something really is about to change. What with the tribal summit as close as it is."

They finally reached the tree where they had spent the night, and retrieved their discarded robes. With their roles reversed, it fell to Clover to levitate their garments until they were properly decent again. He still had marks he needed to cover up, and he was once again grateful for the cloak Azalea had woven for him, even if it now being used to cover very different marks than originally intended. He also had to pay very special close attention to make sure the crystal embedded in his chest was properly covered up.

"What does the summit have to do with anything?" Clover asked.

"Normally, I'd say nothing. Aside from it being hosted in Elysium this year," Azalea admitted before she started looking uncomfortable. "However," she continued. "I've heard there's been some... concerns regarding recent events. Concerns that the other tribes are going to be pushing us rather hard if they think we're losing control of the sun." She let out a particularly long breath. "I'm just glad we've got Elder Lily to see us through everything. I can't imagine what we'd do without her."

Getting back into Elysium wasn't particularly hard, at least not for a unicorn. While they might not have any sort of defense in place to stop someone from flying in, by land was a completely different story. Although there was no bridge in place that could be used to cross the treacherous waters, a set of runes had been arranged on both sides so that any unicorn, even if they weren't particularly well versed in spell craft, could pour their magic into the runes and let the magic inscribed there carry them across.

Clover's restored magic was more than sufficient for this task, much to the relief of Azalea, and much to the shock of the guard on duty who was soon looking forward to ending his shift after another boring night. He had been so thoroughly caught off-guard that he almost knocked himself out after a tripping over a loose rock he had been carefully stepping over all night and falling face first directly into the ground.

Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Azalea blessed their good luck and quickly ushered Clover into a nearby alley before the unfortunate pony could recover.

"Think he'll be alright?" Clover said as he looked back with concern at the guard who was even now rubbing at his nose.

"He'll be fine," she reassured him as her eyes darted back and forth. "We can't worry about him right now, though. We need to get back inside before somepony starts asking questions."

They certainly would be the target of any number of questions. Even if they didn't run into anyone they knew and even without the crystal that now very conspicuously ran all over Clover's body, they were tired, their clothes were torn, and they smelled profusely of smoke and ash. Fortunately, it was the early hours of the morning, and there wasn't a lot of traffic just yet. However, there were still enough ponies out and about that they still had to make an effort to stay out of sight.

"So, Clover," said Azalea while they waited for a particularly busy street to clear. "Once we're out of this mess, what do you want to do? I mean, your magic looks like it's working fine now, and the sun doesn't seem to bother you anymore."

Clover had to pause for a moment at her question. Truth be told, he hadn't had much of a chance to consider his change in fortune. What did he want to do? Back before everything had gone wrong, his only ambition was to continue his studies. He never had any sort of real goal in mind, but if anything he did helped better the lives of those around him, that would've been enough. But now...

"I'm not sure," Clover said as he rubbed his chin, his thoughts mulling over everything that had happened last night. "I can't get that vision out of my head. I want to know more about what it was I saw. Why were the tribes all together? What was that power that they all bowed to? Is it something that's going to happen on its own, or do we need to help it along?" He shook his head, those images would likely keep him up late into the night. "I don't even know where to start," he said honestly. "Will you help me?"

"Of course," she said as she leaned in and nuzzled his side. "I said I would stay by your side, and I meant it. Whatever happens, I'll help you figure it out."

More might've been said, but that was the moment the traffic finally cleared up enough that they could make it to the next bend. They really needed to get off the streets before someone saw them. Fortunately, his sanctuary for the last week was only one more street away. Once they were inside, they could get themselves cleaned up and work on their alibis for why they had gone missing to anyone who might have noticed. However, Clover still had no idea how to even begin explaining away his altered appearance.

All that would have to wait, because no sooner had they looked around the next corner then they found a contingent of the city guard waiting for them. They tried to duck back the way they came, but they must've been followed without noticing, for there were even more behind them, and they were closing in fast. They looked back and forth, trying to find another way out. It was clear they had already been seen with the way the second group had been following them, and they were about to make a mad bolt down another alley when a loud voice broke the silence.

"Both of you! Stop right there!" The voice commanded. Whoever it was, it was enough to get the attention of the first group, and they quickly moved to intercept them. A number of the guard ran across the street to meet them, while a few others moved to block the only road that hadn't been guarded up until then, cutting off the last of their escape.

With nowhere else to go, both Clover and Azalea were forced out into the middle of the street while a circle formed around them. One side of the circle parted to allow a single individual to make their way through. It was Elder Dahlia.

Azalea's mother pushed her way through to stand before the two of them. Her mane was ragged, although not nearly as bad as theirs, and she had large bags under her eyes, a testament to how much sleep she had likely missed.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was," she said once she stood before both of them. She only had eyes for her daughter and didn't seem to acknowledge Clover's existence at all. For her part, Azalea could only stand stock still, even as Dahlia ran forward the remaining short distance and embraced her. "I heard about the riot in the park last night and that you might've been there. When I couldn't find you... I... I... I'm just so glad you're safe," Elder Dahlia just barely managed to make out the last part through choked sobs.

Azalea could do nothing more at this point except to reach out and return the affection, rubbing her mother's back as she did so. "I'm sorry I worried you," she said. "It won't happen again."

It seemed to be just the medicine the older mare needed to hear, because she visibly began to calm down at her daughter's words, at least until she lifted her gaze to meet Clover's. Dahlia seemed to study him with the same detached interest that she had shown the first time they had met, at least until she got a good whiff of the air hanging over her daughter. Instantly, her face fell into a scowl, flaring her nostril as she glared daggers at him.

"What did you do to my Azalea?" She said, the venom in her voice thick enough to cause Azalea to flinch in her grasp.

Clover found himself unable to answer. Instead, he was just stuck staring while her eyes continued to bore into him. "She's far too good for the likes of you," she continued before he had a chance to speak. "I had hoped someone like you would be smart enough to know that."

Dahlia's tirade only lasted long enough to notice Azalea had started pushing her away. She turned her bewildered gaze toward her daughter as she left her embrace and began taking cautious steps back towards Clover. "Azalea," she said. "What are you doing?"

Azalea defiantly puffed her chest out as she practically marched the rest of the way back to Clover's side, stomping her hoof in defiance once she was next to him again. "It's none of your business who I want to be with," she said, her words cutting like a knife.

Elder Dahlia only recoiled the slightest at her daughter's words before pushing forward. "You don't know what you're saying," she said with a sigh. "You're young, naive, but we can still fix this." She took a few more steps. "Just come with me before you make any more mistakes."

"No, I won't," Azalea stomped her hoof as she continued to protest, but it was too late. The glow of Dahlia's magic had already pushed its way between Azalea and Clover, and even now, the elder mare was making her way out of the circle of guards with her daughter suspended in her magic.

Clover sat there dumbly as he took in the whole exchange. He hadn't had a chance to speak, and he could do nothing but watch as Azalea's mother walked all over her, all over both of them. How could he just stand there and do nothing? Especially after everything she had done for him. He wanted to do something, but what? However, the wall of indecision around him was broken when he looked up to see the pleading look Azalea gave him as she hopelessly reached out to him, even as she got further away.

His legs were moving before he even fully registered what he was doing. He let his magic flow through him, eliciting a few gasps when the purple gemstone laced through his horn and the rest of his body lit up as he reached for the red aura that held Azalea captive. He took hold of the elder's magic, breaking her hold and forcing himself to stand between them.

Elder Dahlia noticed immediately that someone had interfered with her magic. Her eyes widened in shock for who might dare stand against her. She turned back to face him, her wide eyes growing ever wider as she saw the violet glow and the defiant gaze of the pony it surrounded.

"Don't you touch her!" Clover declared, standing his ground against the elder.