//------------------------------//
// Gotta Get Back, Back to the Past 
// Story: Family Reunion 
// by MisterEdd 
//------------------------------//

Everypony gathered around the breakfast table, enjoying a meal of hash browns, wheat toast and scrambled eggs, all the while talking and laughing about the previous night's activities. After witnessing Clover's unexpected dance prowess, they'd each shared a dance with the stallion, ranging from a slow waltz to square dancing, although he had a little more difficulty with that style. Applejack nonetheless enjoyed herself and was more than proud at receiving a new customer of her family's cider. Unlike her usual, energetic self, Rainbow Dash had stumbled over to the table and sluggishly seated herself, an ice pack resting on her head. Spike gingerly laid out a plate for her.

"No, no...no food," she grumbled, pushing the plate away and resting her face in her folded forelegs. 

"Come on, Dash, you have to eat," Spike insisted. "It's only going to get worse for you."

"Yeah! Pretty soon, you're going to get all woozy and barfy and-..."

Applejack planted her hoof over Pinkie Pie's mouth. "Ah think she gets tha picture."  

"I had so much fun last night," Fluttershy admitted. "I had no idea Clover was so light on his hooves."

"I know right?" Upon strolling into the dining room, Starlight was more exuberant than any of them had ever seen her. "It looks like I got that from his side of the family thankfully. My mom's almost as bad of a dancer as Twilight."

"I heard that," said mare grumbled from the other end of the table and everypony laughed. 

"Oh...mine head..."

Sans his cloak, Clover trudged up into the room and flopped down into an empty seat next to Starlight. "No cider is worth the pain," he moaned and rubbed at his temples. "Did I win?" 

Fluttershy and Applejack looked at one another. "Ah'd call it a tie." 

"Horsefeathers," Rainbow muttered. "I won and you know it." 

"In your dreams," Clover countered groggily. "I was clearly the victor of our bout." 

Starlight rubbed Clover's shoulder, barely able to contain a giggle. "Sure you were, champ. Are you okay?" 

"If by 'okay,' thou mean it feels as though there's a hippopotamus dancing on mine skull, then yes, I would conclude that I be 'okay.'" 

"I could fix that, if you like," Starlight offered amusingly.

Clover waved this away. "No, this is a result of mine hubris. I might not but deal with the consequences." His cheeks puffed out and he knocked his chair over in his rush to the nearest restroom. Puking sounds erupted from the other room. 

"I won!" Rainbow moaned, raising a hoof in the air and let it flop back at her side. "Ow...."  


~*~ 


From behind the stage curtains, Starlight was pacing back and forth, rehearing her speech as she sorted through her index cards. All of Ponyville had gathered in town square for Starlight's genealogy presentation, some more eager than others to hear what she had to say. Earlier that morning, Starlight, still invigorated from last night's events and in a particularly cheery mood, had the bright idea to hold the presentation today, marking it as the second dumbest idea she'd ever had. Starlight moaned aloud  in frustration, At least time travel had been easy compared to this! 

"Are thou ready?" 

Starlight turned to Clover. She seized ahold of his cloak collar. "What was I thinking? I can't do this!"

"Of course thou can!" Clover replied, unperturbed by Starlight's outburst. "Just do what thou did during thine practice speech."

"But that was when it was just you and Sunburst! This...this is different!" Starlight parked herself onto a wooden stool and shook her head in her hooves. "I should just call the whole thing off."  

"Indeed thou should."

She jerked her head in surprise. "What?" 

Clover shrugged nonchalantly. "Thou should cancel the presentation and go on with thy life. Ne'r think back to this moment, ne'r dwell on the what-could've-been and instead seek comfort 'i giving up. Take the road of least resistance and confide ‘i the knowledge that thou avoided thy problem." 

Starlight noticed the small smirk forming on Clover's lips. "Oh, I see what you're doing." She then shook her head.  "And it's working." 

"So what shall it be, Starlight?" 

Exhaling deeply, Starlight rose from her seat. "I guess I'm going out there." 

"That's the spirit! But before thou go out there..."  

Clover's horn ignited and a orange-gold cloud enveloped Starlight. 

"What, what did you do?" 

"Fiducia compelus. How doth thou feel?"   

Confidence poured through Starlight, filling her with a sense of self-assuredness. She felt as though she could conquer Equestria...not in a tyrannical way, of course. Starlight nodded at Clover gratefully. 

"Ready to go out there and give them a presentation!" 

"Then what are thou waiting for?" 

Giving Clover a big hug, Starlight strolled out onto the stage to light applause. Her friends, along with Sunburst, were positioned in the front row, all offering her reaffirming smiles. She met Sunburst's gaze and he mouthed, "You can do it, Star." Approaching the podium, Starlight organized her index cards and took a deep breath before speaking into the microphone. 

"Thank you everypony for showing your support by attending my presentation. As many of you know, my name is Starlight Glimmer and I've been living here for the past few months as Princess Twilight's student. I've learned so much, not just from her but my friends as well, both old and new." 

She paused as Clover's words appeared in her thoughts: 

"Look with thy heart and not thy head. The answer shall become clear as day." 

She smiled and turned her index cards over. 

"The truth is, I was so ashamed of my past that I felt inadequate to others, like there was something wrong with me. I wondered if maybe I was born bad or there was something in my bloodline. So I decided to research my family's genealogy and after an exhaustive search, I was surprised by what I found..." 

The projector flipped on and the first slide appeared, showing a picture of Starlight and her parents. 

"My search started with my mother and father, Guiding Star and Firelight ..." 

For the next hour, Starlight regaled them with her family's history, no matter if it was interesting or mundane. With every new member spoken of, she felt her pride at her heritage expanding inside of her like one of Pinkie's balloons. The alchemist and the naval admiral received the most "ooh's" and "ah's" while Brass Tacks the horseshoe thief was given a healthy dosage of laughter. Starlight craned her head to find Clover smiling at her from behind the curtain. They shared an understanding nod before Starlight returned to the presentation, relieved that it was almost over. 

"My great-great-great-et-cetera-great-grandmother was one of the original chair members and founders of Canterlot's Thaumatology Society, later stepping down to pursue a teaching career. And she was the daughter of Clover the Clover and Gusty the Great. Ladies and gentlecolts, please welcome to the stage my ancestor and friend...Clover the Clever!" 

Orange-gold light burst onto the stage and Clover appeared dressed in his hood and cloak. The audience was standing now, their applause nearly deafening. He bowed and took his place alongside Starlight at the podium, stopping to whisper his congratulations. Lightly tapping the mic, Clover grinned at Starlight before starting, the crowd eager to hear what he had to say. 

"Residents of Ponyville, words cannot express my gratitude at your kindness and hospitality. Further yet, I cannot properly voice my pride for my kin Starlight." He beamed once more at her. "'Family' is more than just a word. It transcends time, distance, blood even. When I look around, I see a community, a family. There is nothing more precious than that. Remember the friends you have made and bonds you have forged and never shall any of you ever lose your way. Thank you."    

The two held each other's hooves high above their heads, the thunderous praise of their audience loud enough to be heard in Manehattan. Confetti burst from carefully-placed party cannons, raining little multi-colored squares on everypony in attendance. Throughout it all, Starlight was on top of the world. She leaned over and whispered in Clover's ear.  

"Thanks for the pep-talk, Clover. Plus the Fiducia compelus spell worked wonders!" 

Clover snickered and bent over. "I'm afraid that I had spoken a falsehood. Remember what I said about the advantageous twisting of fact?" 

"Wait, that spell was a fake?!"

"Not necessarily. You were confident enough to give your presentation, weren't you?"

Starlight narrowed her eyes but her face was anything but angry. "You sneaky trickster you." 


~*~


The ten passengers stepped off the train at Canterlot Station, finding the city as bustling and full of life as usual. Starlight helped Clover off of the train, the stallion still attempting to wrap his head around the concept of locomotion. As they approached the castle, he pointed out different locations and what used to be in their stead, giving out better facts and information about their surroundings than any tour guide. Concepts like neon lights and zeppelins baffled him but also intrigued him greatly and the others had to pull him along so they wouldn't miss their appointment. It was difficult for Starlight to kept a happy face, even with Clover's foal-like wonderment at the modern marvels around him.  

"It's going to be alright," Sunburst promised Starlight while rubbing her shoulder, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. "At least you two will have Ponyville."

"I know. It's just...goodbyes are never easy." 

Inside the throne room, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna waited for them, a conjuring ring already set up and ready for usage. At the sight of the princesses and the ring, the reality hit Starlight like a tone of bricks, her eyes already watering up. Clover taking time to bid goodbye to everypony individually certainly didn't help the situation either. Sunburst pulled her against him and nuzzled the top of her head.     

"Goodbye Lady Rarity," Clover bowed and kissed her hoof. "Remember, you'll find your prince. He's closer than you suspect," he added with a wink. 

"Goodbye Clover," Rarity sniffled. Next, he turned his attention to Spike.

"It has been real, hasn't it? Incidentally, sorry about your oven."

Spike shook his hoof. "Forget about it. We've been meaning to replace it anyway." 

Clover was suddenly hoisted into the air and squeezed in a grip that rivaled a grootslang's. 

"I'mgoingtomissyou,Clover!" 

"I...shall...miss you...as well...Pinkie..."  

He was subsequently returned to the floor and after confirming that none of his ribs were broken, found Rainbow Dash waiting for him with her hoof held out. He took it and was about to kiss it when the pegasus yanked it back. Puzzled, Clover watched Rainbow roll her eyes and grab his hoof. She tapped it atop hers, repeated the motion with her hoof then tapped them together.  

"It's called a 'hoof-bump.'" 

Clover shook her foreleg. "Fascinating." 

His hood, which laid down his back, was bobbing wildly before inflating. Out popped Discord, blowing his nose with a handkerchief. Yelping, Clover leapt away from the weeping draconequus, whose tears were forming pastern-deep puddles. Discord blew his nose, which curiously sounded like a slide-whistle and draped an arm over his forehead.

"Oh, how I hate sad endings! They always bring on the waterworks!"  

"It...it was nice to meet you, Discord," Clover managed, offering a hoofshake.

As if on a dime, Discord abruptly went from blubbering to indifferent, turning away from the stallion with his arms folded and chin held up. "Oh don't get all sentimental on me. Anyway, I suppose I'll be seeing you in a few years' time."  

"If you say so."

As Clover was saying his farewells to the others, including a hoof shake and one-limbed hug from Applejack, Discord subtly snapped the end of his tail tuft, causing an unseen object to appear in Clover's cloak pocket. He grinned and literally faded into the background.    

Finally, Clover turned to Starlight and Sunburst, looking lost at them. "There's so much that I want to say. And yet, nothing adequate comes to mind." 

"How about, 'It was nice to meet you?'" Sunburst suggested. 

"That'll do, Sunburst. That'll do," Clover agreed and hugged him, stopping to whisper something indecipherable in his ear. "Remember that." 

"I-I will. You bet!" Whatever it was, Sunburst was shaking, a heavy blushing covering his cheeks. 

"Be sure that you do." Clover sighed and faced Starlight, who was looking worse by the minute. He held out his forelegs. "Starlight..."  

She rushed him and wrapped herself around him. "I'll never forget you, Clover."

Sighing painfully, Clover caressed her mane. "I wish I could say the same." 

Starlight broke the hug and stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"He can't go back to the past with knowledge of the future," Princess Celestia answered sadly, exchanging a sorrowful glance with Princess Luna. "Before we send him home, we must erase Clover's memories of his visit here. That includes his memories of you too." 

Starlight dove in front of Clover protectively. "No, you can't! He-he doesn't have to tell anypony! If he promises to keep quiet-..."

"Starlight..."

She turned. Clover smiled sadly at her. "She's right. Any knowledge of the future, no matter how trivial, could alter the timeline in ways we can't possibly predict. Even the tiniest slip-up on my part could have drastic consequences." 

Starlight blinked through her oncoming tears. "B-but..."

"I know," Clover murmured, wiping Starlight's wettened cheeks. "I don't want this either. I don't want to forget you or anypony else here." His eyes moistened but held back the tears threatening to spill out.  "Sometimes, the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few." 

The dam burst. Starlight clung to Clover, sobbing into his chest as he held her tight. After a minute, he gently pushed her away and forced himself to smile. "Don't forget," he stated, placing a hoof over her heart. "I'll always be right here. Remember that and I'll never be far away."

Reluctantly, Starlight nodded, sniffling away the hurt. "Goodbye Clover."

"Goodbye Starlight. Be good, to yourself and to others." He kissed her on the brow and then turned to Princess Celestia, his demeanor like one on death row. "I'm ready."  

Princess Luna retrieved Starlight's brush from her saddlebags, plucked the clump of hairs from it and laid them on one of the circles before placing some of Clover's hair on the other end. She nodded at Celestia, who repeated the gesture, her horn flaring with golden energy. Clover turned around, taking one last look at Starlight and the others and closed his eyes as a magical stream exited Celestia's horn and swirled around his head in a corona of fluctuating light. Flat squares shot out of the corona, each one a moving image depicting a different memory from recent events.    

Bidding goodbye to everypony, Starlight's presentation, the party, talking to the CMCs. They all watched the memories pass by them and dissipating into crackling dust. Not a dry eye was in the throne room as they witnessed Clover's experiences vanishing like a candle's flame in the wind. Drinking a milkshake at Sugarcube Corner, meeting Rarity, Pinkie Pie welcoming him to Ponyville, all memories drawing tearful laughter from everypony, with Pinkie Pie and Rarity holding onto each other for support. Starlight clutched at Sunburst, her sobs worsening at the upcoming memories.   

The accidental destruction of the oven, befriending Twilight after mistaking her for a wench, implying a romance between Starlight and Sunburst. That last one had the two both crying while chuckling at the hilarity of the recollection. Finally, Clover's discovery of his descendant, meeting Starlight and arriving through the time vortex, ending the montage with a final black square. Celestia deactivated the spell and the corona around Clover's head exploded outwards, leaving the stallion to land on his hooves and wobble as he fought to keep his balance. He swayed back and forth with his eyes still closed.

Meanwhile, Princess Luna filled the conjurer's ring with her own light blue aura, illuminating the runes and activating the time vortex, summoning a portal of spinning orbs and crackling lightning. Cradling the inert Clover in a golden sphere, Celestia directed him over to the portal and released her hold, allowing the spinning gateway to grab the stallion and violently yank him into its maw. They witnessed Clover launched backward and growing smaller and smaller until he disappeared from sight. After a few pops, the portal flashed for a few minutes before imploding and it too was gone. The throne room was dead silent.