The Name of Our Mistakes

by ObabScribbler


13. Fate


13. Fate


The herald blew on his trumpet before he announced the next pony. Celestia fought the urge to yawn as she entered the third hour of the Sun Court. Today had been what seemed like a never-ending cavalcade of ponies and problems that made her wonder why they needed a princess’s judgement at all. Boundary disputes between farmers she could at least understand but arguments over whether somepony had insulted somepony else’s daughter and what recompense this required? Perhaps there was some merit to the idea of setting up some sort of council with representatives from the three races to listen to these sorts of problems so that she would not have to –

“Presenting Clove the Clever!” announced the herald, following up with another toot of his beloved trumpet.

Celestia raised her head. Clover the Clever? She hadn’t seen him since she and Luna arrived and he and his mentor declined Princess Platinum’s offer to accompany her to the Unicornia Province of Equestria. Both Celestia and Luna had been of the same mind that all the founding ponies should remain in positions of power within the country, though the founders themselves had agreed to defer to the sisters as absolute rulers. Platinum had been most concerned with retaining her title and had voiced the dissent that made Luna and Celestia agree to call themselves princesses rather than queens. Though they held sway over ruling the entire nation, while she governed only a small section of it, it gave the impression that they were all equal.

An unassuming green unicorn in a shabby brown cloak trotted up the red carpet towards her throne. Celestia stood and descended the steps to greet him.

“Clover! I see thy sense of fashion remains as dire as ever.”

He smiled unpretentiously, knowing she was only teasing. “Princess Celestia, thy beauty knoweth no bounds. Truly, thy loveliness hath grown unparalleled since I last laid eyes upon thee.”

“Flatterer,” she laughed. “It shall not garner thee an extra portion at dinner. Prithee, wilt thou stay and sup with us?”

“My journey hath been long, Highness, and fraught with difficulties. I would be most grateful for a crust of bread and drink of water.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Mayhap we may feed thee more ample fare than that. Herald?”

The grey earth pony bowed low. His jaunty red cap nearly tumbled from his head and he jumped to save it, nearly falling on his face when he also refused to let go of his trumpet. “Uh, yes Majesty?”

“Art there many more ponies who seek an audience this day?”

He consulted the scroll he carried with the day’s appointments on it. “A good many, Highness.”

She sighed. “Duty doth keep my name upon its lips, I fear. Clover, what bringeth thee to Everfree this day? A mere visit or some other problem for which thou art seeking guidance in the Sun Court?”

Clover shook his head. “In fact, Princess, I come hence to offer my services in the retrieval of the Elements of Harmony. I have heard rumours that they are missing, stolen by some wretch who came in the night to wrest them away.”

Celestia nodded. “These rumours be truth. Our efforts to locate them have proved unsuccessful, though Luna remains vigilant. I myself have put many fine unicorns of the Royal Guard to search the chamber, as well as what scholars and unicorn nobility live within these walls, yet they cannot identify what manner of thief was able to slip through the castle undetected, break down the door, steal the Elements and vanish with them into thin air before anypony realised.”

“My mentor did recently invent a spell that doth allow the caster to transport himself elsewhere in the blink of an eye,” Clover said pensively. “He hath named it ‘teleportation’. Mayhap your thief possesses some equal magic to this.”

Celestia gaped. “Starswirl hath truly created such a spell?”

“Well … partly. He strives to perfect it, inasmuch as he wishes to disappear from one location and reappear in one of his actual choosing, rather than simply near it.” Clover leaned in close and whispered, “One time did he attempt to take himself from his study to the garden, only to render himself within the privy hut instead! His cries of dismay and curses could be heard an entire village yonder!”

Celestia did not snigger. It was unbecoming for royalty to snigger, even at the idea of a po-faced magician like Starswirl the Bearded up to his fetlocks in dung. Nevertheless, her voice was not entirely steady when she next addressed the herald.

“Highness?”

“Fetch a servant to take Clover the Clever to the Great Hall and serve unto him whatever meal he doth desire. I shall join him shortly, upon the completion of my courtly duties.”

The herald bowed low. “’Twill be done, Highness.”

“And fetch Princess Luna also. I am confident her joy at thy presence will be as much as mine, dear Clover.”

Celestia smiled. Finally, something was going their way. With a practical, talented and experienced unicorn like Clover the Clever around, they would surely find the Elements of Harmony in no time and finally be able to punish whatever rogue had taken them.