The Wizard in Canterbury Woods
I stood outside the throne room and waited.
There was some noblestallion having audience with her at the moment, the herald had told me, though what about I did not know. Nor particularly did I care. It had been many years since I had involved myself in these politics.
Truly, I could not quite remember the last time I had been to the palace itself. It was comfortable being back here in the Everfree though, within these walls I had once been so intimately familiar with.
It did not appear that much had changed since last I was here. Still, the same rugs and tapestries adorned the halls. The marble floors and walls were still immaculately polished. The large, ornate door I stood in front of was still as I remembered.
All that had changed were the guards and servants that walked the halls, and perhaps me. I had grown much older now.
Presently though, those doors silently swung open, taking me away from my thoughts.
The herald poked his head out and gave me a patient smile when he saw me. “Madam Clover, Viscount Greenwood’s meeting with Her Majesty is about to conclude. It will only be a few moments more.”
“Thank you.”
And then the door closed.
I let out a small sigh and glanced at the royal guard to my right. He did not acknowledge my presence in any way, and neither did his counterpart to the left.
You would think that, for a mare as old as I was, somepony would at least bring me a cushion or something to sit on. As it was, it was hard enough for me to walk around these days, and I had been waiting here for well over an hour now, standing the entire time.
Still, besides my ailing joints, I did not mind the waiting. It was to be expected. Celestia was a busy mare, after all. I had sent advance notice of my arrival, but I did not expect her to drop whatever plans she had for the day just to meet with an old friend.
Though, what I had to speak with her about was no doubt an important matter.
It was some five months ago when the news first reached me.
Starswirl the Bearded, the Royal Sorcerer, my former mentor, my dear friend, had disappeared, vanished from his laboratory here in the castle with nary a trace.
And nopony could find him.
There had been search parties of course, some even led by Celestia herself, but they had not found hide nor hair of him, both within Equestria and in our neighboring lands. He was well and truly gone, with no clue as to why.
And he would never be found, if what I believed had finally come to pass.
That was why I was here now. Celestia deserved to know what had happened to him.
She needed to know.
I knew she was distraught over his disappearance. He was one of the few true remaining friends she had left. All others, the guards, the townsponies, the nobles, treated her not as a mere pony. When they looked at her, there was only reverence and awe.
I was the only one left of the Founders. Platinum had passed away just a scant year ago, and the others much before then. Puddinghead. Smart Cookie. Pansy. And, Hurricane, in all his brash bravado and reckless decision-making, had been the first to pass, though not of old age. Instead, he had died at the tender age of forty-nine while fighting off a pack of manticores that had been terrorizing the fledgling township of Haychester.
But now, with Starswirl gone, I was the only one that remained who knew Celestia personally, from before we had convinced her to take the throne and rule over Equestria.
And, I knew that I would die soon as well. I could feel it creeping up on me.
Had Luna still been here, I would not have been worried. Together, I knew that the two sisters could have made it through anything. But now, even in the few years that Luna has been gone, I could see the burden of ruling alone begin to take its toll on Celestia. Already, she seemed much older than she had before. More tired. More sad.
I was afraid of what would happen when I was no longer here, and she would finally be alone.
Once more now, the doors opened, though this time fully.
From out the throne room exited who I could only assume was Viscount Greenwood, a haughty-looking stallion who appeared angered over whatever events had transpired inside.
He brushed past me, muttering something under his breath that I could not catch, and then stormed off down the hall.
I gave him only a passing glance before the herald came out to greet me, as unflappable as one would expect. “Madam, Her Majesty is ready to see you now.”
“Thank you.”
And so I entered the throne room with my head held high, mentally steeling myself for the task ahead. I looked ahead, up to the dais where upon Celestia sat, only to immediately feel a twinge of sorrow somewhere within my heart.
Even now, Celestia sat beside an empty throne.
Luna’s black and purple ebony throne drastically stood out amidst the whites and golds and reds that were indicative of Celestia’s crest. It was a disheartening sight that gave me some pause.
I too had counted Luna among my friends, as did the rest of the Founders. Her fall from grace hit those of us still alive harder than the rest of the country, save for Celestia herself.
We had all played a part in Luna’s decision, I liked to think. None of us had noticed anything the matter. None of us paid her any mind. None of us had noticed when she grew withdrawn and angry.
It was only when, in a flash of rage and annoyance, Luna had slain poor Puddinghead right in the middle of the castle courtyard that we realized that anything had been wrong.
And by then, it was much too late for anypony to try and change the course Luna had set down.
We only found out much later that Puddinghead had been trying to throw Luna a little party, to cheer her up, because of course that stallion had been the first to realize that Luna’s heart had grown wicked.
Some time ago, Starswirl relayed to me that, when all was said and done, Celestia made the decision to keep her sister’s vacant throne beside her. He told me that, by her reckoning, it was a way to honor Luna’s memory, as well to serve as a constant reminder of her failures to her sister, as if the Mare in the Moon, as they had begun calling it then, was not enough.
To me though, I think it was mostly that she missed her sister dearly, and desperately wanted some part of her to be near still. After all, she is still maintaining Luna’s bedchambers, for very much the same reasons, I believe.
Though Luna’s much darker throne seemed to steal my attention, I eventually broke away from it to look at Celestia instead.
Still, she too looked just as I remembered her. As young and radiant as ever, though that was only to be expected. I would almost have been jealous, if I had still cared about my own appearance in my old age.
Now, I found my hooves once again and took a few more steps into the room. I had been standing on the threshold like a star-struck filly for far too long. The throne room had brought back too many memories, many good, some bad.
The herald quickly followed behind me as I entered the room proper, the doors shutting behind us.
With practiced movements, he stood just to the side of the entryway, and with only a slight harrumph, he spoke, his voice easily filling the room.
“Presenting Madam Clover the Clever, Co-Founder of Equestria, Esteemed Former Secretary of Education and Magical Affairs, High Magus of the International Guild of Sorcery and Magical Beings, Former Head of the Department of Magical Regulation and Transportation, Former—”
“Please,” I cut him off, “That is enough. There is no need for circumstance at the moment.”
He seemed affronted. “Madam Clover, I must—”
“Sir,” I spoke calmly, “If you were to list off all of my titles, current and former, we would be here until I dropped dead. I would very much like to spend what little years I have left doing something more productive than listening to you drone on.”
One of the guards flanking the door tried to suppress a laugh, but failed miserably. He instead tried to play it off as a cough, but it was quite obvious.
The herald glowered at me, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to continue arguing, but then turned away. He ground his teeth and spoke again, the annoyance clear in his voice. “Presenting Madam Clover.” He paused here, then, “Etcetera, et al.”
I dipped my head in thanks and continued forth into the room, before coming to a halt an appropriate distance away from Celestia.
Now that I was closer, I could see the barest hints of a smile had fallen upon her lips. I fully expected she found my dressing-down of her herald amusing as well.
“Clover,” said she, her voice full of warmth, “It is good to see you.”
“Likewise,” I said, as it was.
“I was very glad when I received word you were coming. It has been…some trying months, as you no doubt know.” For just a moment, her expression shifted, slipped, but then snapped back into place. I knew seeing me must have reminded her of Starswirl.
Nevertheless, she continued, “I have not seen you in a long time. What has it been? Two years?”
I nodded in affirmation. “I believe so, yes. Even longer since I was last here at Everfree.”
“My, that is quite a long time. There is no excuse for you to stay cooped up in your home for so long, even if you are getting older!”
I shrugged. “My studies keep me busy still, not to mention all of the ponies that flock to me for advice and answers and whatever else garbage they want to ask me.”
“Ah yes.” Celestia shifted the positioning of one of her hooves slightly. “I do know what that is like.”
“True. But at least you have ponies to vet your propositions and requests beforehand. At least once a month, I have ponies show up wanting to know what the secret of the universe is, or whatever else asinine rumors and questions they think I know the answer to.”
That small smile of hers returned to her face. “Ah well, just be thankful you no longer have to deal with the politics here. I doubt very much you would want to deal with all the headaches here over a few wayward truth-seekers.”
“Oh believe me, even to this day, I thank the powers that be that I got out when I did. I never had a head for politics, even when I was serving as Platinum’s advisor. I have no desire to deal with your problems any longer.”
She nodded in thought. “Though, I do get the sinking feeling that your being here will only add to my list of problems? I assume this is not a friendly visit, is it?”
I smiled. “If anything, I hope to alleviate at least a few problems. I do not intend on causing any new ones.”
Celestia clapped her hooves together and leaned forward. “Well! In that case, I am even more excited by your presence here! You should have led with that.”
“Oh, I see how it is. You only care about me if I am of any use to you. You would not give me the time of day if this was a mere social call.”
“See? I knew there was a reason they called you clever. I am glad you understand.”
I finally broke and a gruff laugh escaped from deep within me. I smiled at her. “I have missed you, my friend.”
She bobbed her head gently. “Likewise.”
There was a brief stretch of silence, and then she straightened up, slipping back into a manner more befitting the Princess of Equestria.
She stared down at me, our banter laid aside for the moment. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
To the side of her throne, the court scribe put quill to parchment, preparing to transcribe our conversation.
This was it. I took a deep breath and locked eyes with her own. “I am here about Starswirl.”
Celestia’s entire body seemed to perk up at the words. She leaned forward slightly, all of her attention now focused on me. “Have you found him? You know where he is?”
I waffled, gently scraping my hoof on the plush rug. Of course I had to go and get her hopes up. I expounded further, “Err…not, uh, not exactly. But I do know what has befallen him. Or, at least, I have a theory.” I gave an embarrassed smile.
“Well? What is it?” Then, before I could even say anything, Celestia motioned to one of the guards standing beside her. “Go ready a platoon. I will be leading them on this search personally.”
“No!” The shout of protest escaped my lips before the guard in question even had time to salute. He stopped short, glancing between me and his princess, quietly waiting as to what exactly he should do.
Celestia blinked in surprise. “No? Why ever not?”
Her expression had been so…optimistic. I hated to even have to say these words to her, to dash her hopes so. I could not meet her gaze. “He is not…” I hesitated. “He is gone. Lost to us, forever.”
Immediately, Celestia visibly deflated, her ethereal mane almost appearing to slow to a halt. She sunk back into her throne and did not move for some moments.
“…Gone?” Was what she eventually said, her voice naught but a whisper. “He is…dead?”
I grimaced and shook my head gently. This was not going at all like I had planned. I was getting flustered. I very much needed to explain this better. “Not in as many words, Princess. He is beyond our reach.”
“What do you mean?”
I let out a deep breath. “I… It is a complicated matter. I am still unsure how to explain it properly.” I paused, then, “I have never told you about the time I first met him, have I?”
Celestia tilted her head to the side. “…I believe I was present the first time you two met.” She chuckled. “When he had discovered that you and the other Founders were responsible for vanquishing the Wendigos, he wanted to ask you all manner of questions and to perform tests of some sort.”
“No,” I corrected firmly. “See, that was the first time that he met me, but not the first time that I met him. There is a distinction between the two. I had met him before he met me.”
Celestia’s eyes met mine, but she did not say anything. I could practically see the thoughts swirling in her head as she pondered just what I meant. It was not often she knew not what to say.
So instead, I filled the silence.
“You knew him, Princess. It is a peculiar tale only fitting for a peculiar stallion such as he.” I allowed myself a small smile. “I… I have known this day would come for much time now, though I was not sure when. That is why I have waited until now. I wanted to make sure that he was well and truly gone before I said anything.”
Celestia nodded absentmindedly, and then turned her attention to the guards standing throughout the room, her voice suddenly harder than it had just been. “Please leave us alone.”
The order hung in the air for a moment before anything happened. From beside her, the scribe ceased writing and peered over her bifocals at Celestia. “Your Majesty, I must object. This is hardly proper court procedures. I—”
“It was not a request, Seneschal. The day’s open court is now concluded. Please, leave, and express my deepest apologies to those still waiting outside. We will begin again tomorrow at our normal hour.”
Then, one of her personal guards also spoke up, “Your Majesty, I too must—”
But her retort came just as quick as the last. “Sir Fauchard, I assure you that I will be just as safe with Madam Clover here with me as I would be with all of you. I would very much appreciate it if you would kindly collect the rest of the honor guard and vacate the room. If you must, you can guard the doors from the outside, but I am allowing you to take the rest of your shift off.”
Neither the scribe nor the guard spoke again, but neither did they move.
“Please,” she said again, her face blank, her voice level, “I would like to speak to Madam Clover in private. Please do not make me pull rank.”
Again, neither moved. The room itself was holding its breath.
Then, the guard sharply saluted and spun in place, turning to one of his fellow guards. He jerked his head towards the door, and every other guard in the room immediately began to file out.
The scribe sputtered for a moment, obviously upset, but then too resigned herself and followed suit.
It had not seemed like there had been so many ponies in the room when I had come in, but it took several full minutes for everypony to leave. I was a little awed, to be honest.
The sound of clanging armor and the clip-clop of hooves echoed throughout the room as the guards took their leave, closely trailed after by whatever other officials had been hiding in the corners.
Last though, was the herald. He stood at the door, his eyes casting once more around the room, and then, seemingly satisfied that we were alone, he turned and exited.
Celestia’s voice rang out, “Thank you, Barleycorn.”
He did not respond.
The grand doors closed with a thud.
And we were by ourselves.
There was silence.
Neither of us made a move.
I gazed up at the throne.
In front of me now was Celestia. Not the Princess that had just occupied the same space just moments beforehand.
She smiled sadly at me as she finally let go of the mask that had been slipping from her face since I had first entered the room. Her expression fell and her entire posture sagged as if bearing a heavy weight.
This was the pony that I knew. This was my friend.
And she was hurting something fierce at the moment.
Without a word, I approached the dais, taking each step carefully as I went. Yet, I had only taken the first few before, Celestia, in all her kindness, sprung to her hooves up and helped me up the last five steps. Even with her assistance, it still took some time. I was not quite as spry on my hooves as I once was.
Still, we made it to the top. The twin thrones. I quietly thanked her and made to move away, but she held me fast. Again, I tried to pull away, but then she began moving again, gently guiding me toward Luna’s throne.
For only a moment, I hesitated, resisted, but then allowed her to tenderly ease me down into the cushion. I did not believe anypony had sat where I was sitting since Luna herself. At any other moment, I would have been touched, but now was a time for more serious matters.
Celestia sat down beside me, in her own throne, and placed a comforting hoof over my own. She smiled at me, this one just marginally brighter than the last. “You have gotten older since last I saw you, my friend.”
I laughed at the sudden joke, only for it to turn into a sort of cough that wracked my entire body. It seemed that she still had the same sense of humor that I remembered. This sort of levity had always come easy between us.
When my fit finally subsided, I lapsed back into a few short giggles before mustering a response. “Well, I do hear that there is a certain alicorn that goes around and siphons the youthfulness out of unsuspecting ponies in the night, so that she may maintain her own appearance.”
Celestia put a hoof to her chest in mock affront. “You do know that sort of slander against the Princess of Equestria is illegal? I could have you thrown in a cell without a second thought.” She paused. “And then I could drain the rest of your youth, and nopony would ever find out.”
We laughed again and then fell into a companionable silence. I had missed this, I realized. I had been living in the hamlet of Shorne for some years now, ever since I had retired from the Princess’ inner council.
It was an easy life, but, much like Celestia was seen as the Princess, I was only seen as Clover the Clever, Founder of Equestria, student of Starswirl the Bearded by my neighbors and all the others who sought me out.
Maybe, when I was done with this, I could spend what time I had left here in Everfree. Me and Celestia were now the only two left from the time before Equestria was founded. I was over one-hundred and eighty years old now. I could think of worse ways to spend the rest of my life than in the company of a good friend.
And, maybe, I could find the energy for one final project. To ensure that Celestia would not be lonely when I was gone.
But, that was a matter for another time. For now…
“Celestia…” I tried to steer the conversation back to the topic at hoof.
She dropped her gaze from mine, instead staring out into the vast, empty room we sat in. At the pillars, the marble, the tapestries, the permanent scorch mark from one of Starswirl’s wayward spells on one of the walls. “I know…” her voice trembled, “…I know…”
I placed a reassuring hoof on her back. “He was an amazing stallion. I do not believe any words I could say will ever do him justice, but—”
And then, something unthinkable happened.
Celestia began to cry.
It was a gentle weeping at first, barely even noticeable, but then, I think the dam finally burst, and everything that she was feeling was unleashed. She turned to me, her face streaming with tears, and I wrapped her in as tight a hug as I could.
For a while, her violent, ugly sobs were the only sounds in the room.
They echoed across the stone walls.
There was not much I could do. I thought it was better for her to cry herself out, and any comforting words would only fall on deaf ears.
She had so much of this bottled up and my heart broke to think that she had nopony to speak to about what was troubling her. She was the Princess. She had to stay strong for everypony else. She could not waver. She could not cry.
But for right now, she was only a mare. A mare who, in a little less than a decade, had lost just about everypony she held dear, including her sister, who she thought would always be by her side. And now, the stallion that had practically raised her had vanished, and she never even got the chance to say goodbye.
At some point, I stripped her of all her accouterments. Her tiara. Her torc. Her shoes. She did not need them right now. She was not the Princess at the moment.
And so, I sat there with her, just holding her. I sat there until her eyes had no more tears left to give and her wails subsided into gasping breaths. I sat there until she finally found the strength to speak.
She looked up at me with red eyes, her entire body quaking in my grasp. “I-I lov-loved him so…so mu-much…”
I blinked back the tears that were threatening to form in my own eyes and gently stroked her back, struggling to find something to say to her. I was not the most eloquent or the most emotionally sensitive of mares.
“…I know…” Is what I eventually said, “I-I loved him too. Th-the world is a little bit darker without him.”
But Celestia continued her rambling unabated, as if she did not quite process that I had even said anything. “…He w-was like a…like a f-father to m-me, you know? To me…to me an-and to Lun—” She broke off, devolving into sobbing once more.
“Ssshh…” I cooed, “It is alright… Everything is alright…” I could not find it in myself to say much more, as I was devoting most of my energy to not joining her in crying, lest we two old mares end up wallowing in pity the rest of the day.
I had already expended all my own tears some months ago, when I first had heard that he had vanished. I had to keep it together now, for her sake.
“Whe-when, he disappeared, I-I… I just…I just miss him so much! I cannot… Is—” She glanced back up at me suddenly. “Is he truly gone forever?”
I nodded just barely. “I… I do not believe that we will ever see him again…”
Her eyes glistened and then clenched shut, but did not weep anymore. She sniffled loudly and wiped at her face, drying whatever residual tears remained there.
The fur all down her cheeks was matted and stuck out at odd angles, and would not smooth down no matter how hard she tried.
Streaks of mascara ran down her face, staining her pristine white coat, and now the back of the hoof she used to dry her face.
Any one of her personal attendants would have fainted at the very sight of just how disheveled she appeared, but here, in this space we shared, I hardly gave it any thought.
Celestia pursed her lips and sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. This seemed to steady her nerves, for she straightened up and recollected herself some. Then, she clutched at my own hooves and scrunched her eyes shut, as if searing the fact Starswirl was truly gone into her brain.
She breathed in once more.
And then out.
I smiled at her, but she did not seem able to match it.
She blinked.
Her next words were slow and careful, but still somewhat unsteady. “…I, err…I feel I must apologize for…for that… It was wholly inappropriate for…”
“Celestia,” I interrupted her, “You need not apologize for anything. Right now, you are only a mare who has lost someone very, very dear to her heart. Nopony would think any less of you, least of all me. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I… I…”
“Besides,” I continued on, “I am much too old at this point to care about anything like that. I do not believe in such propriety at this point in my life.”
Celestia gave a dry chuckle at that and wiped again at one of her eyes. “I do believe I am older than you by a few hundred years, young lady.”
I merely shrugged. This humor was a good course. It would take her mind off of things. “Hmm. Really? Because, to me, this seems like an old, wrinkled crone of a mare comforting a beautiful young princess who does not look a day over thirty.”
Her brow furrowed in umbrage. “You are not a crone!” Then, her eyes seemed to alight once more, and the smallest of smirks graced her mouth. “I would describe you more as a hag. Maybe even a shrew, on a good day.”
“See? I am glad we both agree.” I paused. “And, as the oldest pony in this room, nay, in all of Equestria, I think I deserve a little more respect.”
Playfully, Celestia bent over in a deep bow, as much as she could while sitting in her throne. “I am deeply sorry, Madam. Please accept my apologies.”
I straightened up, drawing myself as high as I could. I looked down at the mare, still bowing to me. I opened my mouth to speak, but could not think of anything to respond with.
I closed my mouth sharply and took a deep breath, the mood suddenly falling flat.
I think we both knew what was to come next. What we had to do.
“Celestia,” I said, my voice now very much firm, “We need to talk about Starswirl.”
“I know.” Her voice was curt, the barest hints of just how tired she was finding their way through.
“There is much to be done about his laboratory and his many experiments. And I do not think he made out any sort of will for whatever other personal belongings he had.”
“No,” she agreed, “Already, I have gone and terminated any experiments I could find. I may need your assistance later in searching for any others. You knew him better in that regard.”
“That is part of the reason I came.” I sighed. “And the other reason is…”
“This story of yours, that you somehow met him before he first met you. I imagine that it relates to his disappearance?”
“I am almost certain of it.”
Celestia nodded her head. “Then… Would you like to begin?”
“I would.”
And so, with a deep breath, I began.
“I first met him some eight years earlier than the Wendigo incident, in the woods on the outskirts of Canterbury. This is important, for it was also the very last time he ever saw me.”
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