Hope
- - - ch 25 - - -
Luna settled into her bed for a nap, but even in her sleep she had work to do. Fidgeting with her pillow till it was just right, Luna then closed her eyes, and focused on her breath. A moment or two later and she was asleep, but not unaware of herself. Stirring her magic, she let her mind drift into the dream realm.
The quiet murmur of dreamers surrounded Luna as she opened her mind’s eye. Doors stretched in every direction as she rose to her hooves. With a thought, Luna moved past thousands of dreams, then stopped with a blink in front of the one she wanted.
Clover’s door was more rust than iron, and the corners looked a bit melted. Steeling her will, Luna touched the door. Her hoof sank into the soggy thing, and with the slightest push, it opened to invite her in. There was no nightmare in Clover this time. Instead, she found herself on a dusty road. Mountains surrounded her on all sides, and the air was thick with the smell of herbs.
In the distance she could hear a pipe playing. It was a tune she had heard Clover play many times.
Luna smiled, this was the kind of dream she could work with, mold, and guide. One where she could speak to the dreamer in ways deeper than could ever be done awake. Lighting her horn, Luna hid her wings, and turned her coat the color of sand. He would not recognize her as his aunt, but rather a nameless young mare. Taking a seat beneath an olive tree, she waited for Clover to show himself.
Soon enough, Clover came into view, prancing down the road. It was however, not the Clover she was used to seeing. His dream had made him a young, lanky stallion. Saddled to his back, a ballista rattled with every step, and lolled about like a corpse. All the while he played his flute, filling the air with its song.
That song and his smile were undoubtedly Clover, and the recorder he played was the very one Celestia had given him for Hearth’s warming. Leaning against the tree, she waited for him to near.
“Is the war over?” Luna asked as Clover walked by.
“Long ago,” he said with the voice that sounded tired and old. Looking over his shoulder, Clover unbuckled the weapon. Falling from his back, it crumbled and rotted. “Do you know this road, ma’am?” Clover asked stopping in front of her. “I’m a bit lost.”
“Where are you heading?” Luna asked standing up.
Clover smiled ear to ear. “I’m going home.”
“Where would that be?”
Clover opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it as confusion wrinkled his face. “I don’t... I do not remember.”
“Well...” Luna scratched at her chin. “Do you remember what it looks like?”
The stallion turned to mist, and in his place stood the colt she knew so well. Bright eyed, he looked up at her and nodded. “It’s a castle in the clouds!”
Luna giggled. “I do know where that is. There are not many of them.” Touching the dream world with her magic, Luna made a trail leading into the mountains. “It’s this way,” she said pointing to the winding path.
Clover’s form never seemed to settle as they walked into the mountains. One moment he was a unicorn, the next an earth pony, sometimes a colt, sometimes a stallion in his prime, sometimes one of adolescence.
“You seem young, to be making such a journey,” Luna said when Clover again changed to his adolescent form.
“You flatter,” the mature stallion said. “I have walked these mountains since before you were born.” There was a tone in his voice that seemed far too old for the stallion she was looking at. His eyes were sharp, but sad too.
“Then how is it you are lost?”
“I don’t know,” the foal whined. “Nothing’s right here, this isn’t how it’s supposed to look.”
Luna pulled her magic from the dream world, letting it react to the dreamer’s slightest thought. “How are things supposed to look?”
“I don’t know,” the young stallion said, the sense of defeat pouring off him in waves. Defeat mixed with sadness as the older stallion returned. “All I remember is being tired and alone. I just wanted to die.”
The words startled Luna. "Things are better now though, are they not?" she asked, watching storm clouds darken the sunny day as the dream shifted to match Clover's mood.
Clover nodded, as if he was ashamed to admit it, but didn’t say anything. Instead he kept his eyes forward, and continued up the mountain trail. They walked in silence for a long while, till the path lead them to a ledge. Across an impossible wide chasm sat Canterlot, half covered by the clouds of Clover’s dark mood.
The foal sat down with a despondent sigh, staring across the void that separated him from home. He started to say something, but the dream world shimmered.
Some outside magic threatened to collapse the dream. Luna guessed it to be of the medical ponies applying a spell. She waited a moment to see if he would either wake or fall into dreamless sleep, but neither happened.
Instead the world shifted and pushed against her presence. Clover took a step back from her, his face twisted into a snarl. "Who are you!?"
Clover's magic came from all parts of the dream, gripped at her, and clumsily trying to push her from the dream.
Luna shielded herself from Clover’s magic, and grounded herself in the dream. “Be at peace. You know me,” Luna said, letting her disguise unravel.
"Luna?" The anger fell from him, leaving confusion on his face.
"You are dreaming," Luna said, relaxing as the dream stopped trying to push her out.
"I know, but why are you in my dream?"
"You are very sick, I wanted to check on you,"
Clover shook his head. "No, I mean how are you in my head?"
The mountain bluff beside them had turned to a coastal cliff, putting even more distance between them and the vision of Canterlot. Luna tried to shape the dream to something gentle, but Clover's will held fast.
"It is my gift and my duty to guard the dreams of my little ponies," she said over the sound of crashing waves. "I'm here to help you come back home, Clover."
Shame and grief was thick in air. Dark clouds turned into an angry storm that blotted out any view of Canterlot.
Clover turned his back to her, looking down the winding path running along the cliffside and away from the storm. “What if I told you I’m not a foal?” the stallion said walking away from her, a traveling wagon appearing behind him.
Pausing a moment, Luna examined the cart that Clover’s memories had constructed. A vardo of sorts, with all manner of herbs hanging from the eaves. On the side was painted a snake entwined around a pole. It had the look of the arcane, but Luna could not place any of it.
Another clue denied to her, Luna moved to walk alongside Clover. “Neither my sister nor I believe you to have the mind of a foal. The body and heart of one, but not the mind. You have shown us that many times over.”
The foal halted in one step, the wagon still impossibly attached to him. “And I can still come home?” His eyes glistened with hope.
“Yes, Clover—”
Again an outside magic rippled through the dream, cutting Luna off. This spell was familiar to her: it was a common sedation spell. He must have been tossing in his dreams.
The foal looked panicked as the world began to fade black. “What’s happening?”
“Do not fear, it is merely sleep. You will see me by your bed tomorrow.”
The fear left Clover, and she felt his mind welcome dreamless sleep.
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Well, this was a quick read. --And a nice one, too!
This is slightly confusing. Please update soon, I want to know what going on.
I liked this chapter better than the original. I really hope to see more in the near future
A caduceus. One of the symbols of Hermes for the greek. Considering the rest, could be linked to an occupation as a travelling merchant.
Or more probably it has been mistaken for the rod of asclepius, which would mean this has something to do with medicine or healing.
Going to guess either a nurse or Celestia put that spell on him again. Doesn't like like his fever is going down well.
Curiouser and curiouser. What many of us have suspected has come to pass as true, but more questions remain.
I shall look on with intrigue and yearning for more.
Not much to say about this chapter. Short and sweet. Perhaps a bit too short.
Clover is somehow a Celt. Calling it now.
Great chapter. I'm happy Luna helped Clover. Good luck with the next chapter. I'm happy about this update.
I dawwed and require moar
6164638
Ahh... Geez...
And I call myself a folklore buff. This is embarrassing, I meant to describe it as looking like the staff of Asclepius.
Will edit that.
Wait, is this a new chapter or did you redo an old chapter or something?
I could've sworn I read the first half before, but I know I didn't read the second part. At least, we have confirmation that Clover isn't/wasn't a child/foal (at least mind wise).
6164912
This chapter got a heavy rewrite.
Very short read, but great chapter!
New theory:
He's a former veteran reborn through magic somehow and has a form of PTSD. Thus his reactions. Would be more elaborate, but I am tired and not thinking clearly.
6164852 Only the one snake, then.
Another nice installment. :3
Damn this was a chapter! Thanks for sharing!
Interesting, very interesting.
Yay! Background information on Cover! Three cheers for character development!
Crap, i caught up!
2 snakes, econômics and trade.
1 snake, medicine and healing.
6166809
Trying to remember if the medicine & healing has the wings too. Don't think it does.
6166844 yes it does
6166985
It does? That just seems like they were trying to make it confusing then. Though given the cultural importance and such I can see how back then it wouldn't have been.
6167035
6166985
Classically, it's the Rod of Asclepius that represents the healing arts, but somewhere in time, the caduceus became the symbol of median in the U.S.
/ / /
But don't read too much into that as this story goes. For my own reasons, I wanted Asclepius's staff on the vardo, not the caduceus.
So you rewrote it. Hm. Can't say whether I like it or not.
The Rod of Asclepius, the olive tree, the background mountains, just everything keep telling us that Clover is some sort of a Greek pony.
6167048
It still bothers me that people use something associated with Hermes/Mercury to symbolize medicine. As far as I'm aware the only thing Hermes had to do with the living is taking their souls to Hades after they died.
6169527
Don't worry too much. At least they use the bowl of Hygieia the right way. Given those herbs we saw hanging around his cart this seems like a more appropriate symbol.