A New Friend
- - - ch 11 day 3 part 4 - - -
Celestia stared down at the pillow by the fire. Spike and Clover were sound asleep, cuddled up together under a little blanket. It was enough to cause cavities.
“I thought I heard you come in through the balcony,” Twilight said, walking into the room from the study.
Careful not to wake ether Clover or Spike, Celestia stepped closer to Twilight. “Where is everypony?” Celestia asked with a hushed voice. “How long have they been asleep?”
Twilight looked up to check the clock. “Spike, about two hours. Clover, an hour. We should probably wake them. Rarity, Merry, and Luna all went out to do some shopping together. They’ll be back soon.”
“Thank you for coming up for this,” Celestia said, pressing necks with Twilight. She looked back and gestured towards the sleeping young ones. “Clover has been skittish around new ponies. I’m surprised he laid down next to Spike.”
“Oh, he was sound asleep when I put him down. The guard took him swimming at the community center.”
Celestia frowned. She would have to move him before he woke up.
“Luna and Merry wouldn’t tell me what you needed me to do tomorrow.” A hint of fear crept into Twilight’s voice. “What’s going on?”
“I need to help somepony.”
“Who?”
Walking back to the fireplace, Celestia gently scooped Clover up in her magic. “You’ve already met him.” Giving Twilight an impish grin, Celestia walked out of the room, with the colt in tow.
“I don’t understand,” Twilight said, following Celestia into the kitchen.
“I want to adopt him.” Sitting the colt down on a stool, she petted his mane to wake him. “Luna is going to nominate me. Only you or Cadance have the authority to acknowledge my acceptance... without getting a committee of nobles involved.”
Twilight blinked. “I... you... you want me to be on your throne and acknowledge you as Clover’s mother?”
Celestia nodded, then kissed Clover on the cheek as he began to stir.
“Of course I will,” Twilight said with a smile.
Clover gave Twilight an odd look when he finally sat up. Looking around, he made signs that he was thirsty. “Water,” he grumbled in broken speech.
Twilight tilted her head in curiosity, examining Clover, as he did the same to her. Something seemed a bit off about the colt. “Is he okay?”
“I’ll explain over dinner,” Celestia answered, leading them into the kitchen. “The short story is, he was an orphan who fell through the cracks. His speech and motor skills are severely underdeveloped.”
Twilight sat and watched Celestia get Clover a cup of water. It was a bit nostalgic; she had been about that size when Celestia had taken her in under her wing. “Can he use his magic?” Twilight asked, seeing Clover drink with his hooves.
“Not well. I have been working with him the best I can, but his levitation is still in the surging phase.”
Twilight giggled. “If you’re teaching him, he’ll be fine.”
“I can only polish potential. I cannot give it.” Taking the empty glass from Clover, she floated it back to the sink. “How are your three little students going?”
“Oh... they're not really my students. I mean, I’m just tutoring them one day a week.” She was about to say more when Spike traipsed into the room.
“Why are you all in the kitchen?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Clover said something, but Twilight couldn’t make out any of the words: he sounded surprised, but not panicked. Turning about, she found him perched on the stool to run.
“Clover, this is Spike,” Celestia said, draping a wing over Clover. He shuffled closer into her, but remained poised to flee.
“Hello,” Spike said, waving at the colt. “Is he okay?”
“He will be,” Twilight answered. Walking over to Spike, she mirrored the affection Celestia was giving Clover; partly for Clover, and partly for Spike. “Clover is going to be living with Celestia from now on.”
“Hmm…” Spike scratched his chin. “So is he some super-powerful unicorn?”
“No, Spike,” Celestia said, almost laughing. “He just needs some love and care, and I want to be the one to give it to him. I’m going to adopt him.”
Spike perked up at that. Freeing himself of Twilight’s wing, he stepped forward to get a better look at Clover. “So does that make us like step brothers, or cousins, or something?" he asked Celestia. "Twilight always says you’re like a second mother to her.”
“Spike!” Twilight yelped, her muzzle turning a shade of violet.
“We’re back!” Rarity called from the other room.
“We’re in here!” Twilight answered, eager for a distraction.
Rarity trotted into the room, and gave Celestia a little bow. Huge bags were floating in her aura; several rolls of fabric, and various other things, protruded from the bags. Luna and Merry were behind her, each carrying their own bags; Luna’s being rather small, and Merry’s only slightly larger.
“I have my sewing machine set up in my usual room. I can take measurements while Merry is finishing dinner.”
“I was not expecting you to make them tonight,” Celestia said, a bit bewildered, holding Clover tight with a wing. The sudden influx of ponies had him distracted from the dragon, but he was no less on edge.
“I assumed so, but I bought them just in case, and I’m glad I did. Princess Luna told me about tomorrow, while we were out. Young Clover will need a good formal jacket.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you very much, Rarity.” Looking down to Clover, she could see he was relying on her to give him cues on how to react to the new company. This was a role she knew well. As long as she gave the air of being comfortable, Clover would be assured there was nothing to fear.
“Okay, everypony!” Merry Hearth, said, trotting into the crowded space. “Out of the kitchen. Dinner will be on the table in forty.”
Chuckling, Celestia nudged Clover, and guided him down from his stool. “Rarity, I suppose we should leave the kitchen to Merry, and have you measure Clover.”
Spike stepped out of the way of the ponies as they filed past. He watched Twilight head back to her reading, while the rest followed Rarity. With nothing better to do, he joined the procession as Celestia and Clover passed.
The colt stayed close to Celestia, as Spike walked beside him. Clover’s scrutinizing gaze unnerved Spike, but he made a point to play it cool. Once they were in the room Rarity had set up in, Clover paused and pointed at himself. “Pony,” he said, then pointed to Spike in silence.
Spike gave him a confused look.
“He’s just now learning Equestrian,” Luna said from behind him.
“Ahh...” Spike said. Clover’s situation made a lot more sense to him now. He could imagine how hard it would be to be unable to communicate. Standing tall, he proudly pointed to himself. “Dragon.”
Clover repeated the word under his breath as Rarity ushered him over to the makeshift workspace. He obeyed her directions, though with a great deal of apprehension. Celestia’s presence seemed to be the only thing keep his anxiety from turning into fear.
Scrounging in her sewing kit, Rarity floated the measuring tape out. “Now hold still for just a moment so I-”
Clover shrieked at the tape measure as it neared his neck. Green magic flashed from his horn in sparks and bursts. Somewhere in the process of Clover taking shelter between Celestia and Spike, Rarity’s tape measure burst into flames.
Rarity frowned. “Oh my.”
Celestia’s aura covered the smoldering tape, and snuffed out the fire. “I did not see that coming. I suppose we should have gone slower.”
“I’m glad that wasn't my favorite.”
Spike gave Clover a toothy grin. “That was cool!” His offer of a fist, for a hoof bump, was met with wild eyes. The animal glare said, move wrong and get bucked in the face. “Hehe... It’s okay, no one here is going to hurt you,” Spike said, taking a slow step back, giving the colt some space.
Clover whinnied, retreating further under Celestia. She had to sit down, for fear of tripping. Letting her wings hang loose, she made herself a living cage for Clover to hide inside. Lowering her head, she let her nose rest on Clover’s head. “Shhh...”
The touch seemed to calm him as the rest of the room fell into an awkward silence.
“I’m so sorry.” Rarity whispered.
With silent grace, Luna moved next to Rarity. “‘Twas not your fault.”
A few moments later, and Celestia eased her wings back, revealing a somewhat calmer Clover. Sitting on his haunches, he was breathing in slow intentional breaths, but his eyes were still wild.
Spike moved from behind Celestia, standing where Clover could easily see him. Slowly raising an arm, he waved to get the colt’s attention.
Celestia petted Clover’s crest, as his attention snapped onto Spike. She wasn’t sure what Spike was trying, but she was willing to let him. Slowly, Spike stepped backwards towards Rarity.
“Rarity, do you have another tape?” Spike asked in a soft tone.
Rarity looked confused, but nodded. “Yes.”
“Measure me, but use your hooves.”
“But I’m more accurate with my magic,” Rarity said, reaching a hoof into her sewing basket.
“He is right,” Luna said, moving to let Clover have a better view. “Your magic can reach him from there, and he knows it. Your hooves can not.”
Spike held still with a peaceful smile, letting Rarity lay her tape on him. She measured his collar, then shoulders; writing the numbers down between each. She had thought about just faking the motions, but decided her little Spikey-Wikey deserved a little something for helping with Clover.
Picking up the tape when Rarity sat it down to write the last measurement, Spike turned to give Rarity a grin before hopping off the platform.
He rolled the measuring tape up into the palm of one claw, so that Clover could see it. The colt was still pressed against Celestia, but his expression was now of frightened curiosity. Walking forward with slow, even, steps, Spike tried his best to imitate the way Fluttershy approached scared animals. Pausing just in front of Celestia, he placed the tape measure on the ground; then took a few steps back.
Celestia could feel the adrenalin draining out of Clover as he watched Spike. When the tape was left in front of her, she nudged him forward. It was all the prompting he needed to stand back on his own hooves, and investigate what had scared him earlier. Picking up the loose end with his hoof, he watched it unroll. The numbers and divisions seemed to interest him; the last bit of fear faded away as he studied the markings. All but throwing the tape to the ground, he mumbled something to Spike, then to Rarity in a voice that sounded tired and defeated.
“It’s cool,” Spike said, again offering up his fist.
Clover tilted his head, looking at the offered fist for a second, before mirroring the pose with his hoof. Shaking his head, Clover laughed and tapped his hoof to Spike’s fist.
Luna and Celestia shared a confused look. “Spike, how do you understand him?” Luna asked.
Spike shrugged. “Bro code. Can’t explain it.” Picking up the measuring tape, he tossed it back to Rarity. “Easy with the magic, and I think you can measure him this time.”
- - -
Twilight looked up from her book. A full belly, and a warm fire threatening to put her to sleep. The cozy mood had infected the odd little family.
Merry, for her part, was content to share a pot of tea with Celestia while reading a mystery novel.
Luna had fully succumbed to a tryptophan-induced torpor, mumbling something about a nap before work, before leaning against Celestia and falling asleep.
Celestia seemed alert, though. Sipping some tea, she watched Clover and Spike by the fireplace.
Spike had conned Merry into giving him some marshmallows, and he was currently roasting them over the fire, while Clover sat next to him, nibbling on a charred marshmallow from the previous batch. The two young males seemed to have an understanding that transcended speech, instead relying on nods and smirks.
The only one in the house not gathered by the fire was Rarity. The staccato clatter of a sewing machine, echoing from a back room, told Twilight that Rarity was in a fit of passion. Twilight was sure whatever Rarity was making back there would look wonderful on Clover tomorrow.
Adoption… it was a funny thought to Twilight. Celestia was like a second mother to her. She had been about Clover’s age when Celestia first brought her into these chambers. It really didn’t seem all that long ago.
“Want a marshmallow, Twilight?” Spike asked, holding a smoldering marshmallow out towards her on its stick.
“Yes, yes I do.” Grabbing the treat with her magic, she was about to take a bite, when a golden aura stole half the treat.
“Hey…“ Twilight whined, giving Celestia a crooked smile.
“And here I thought Velvet had taught you to share.” Shaking her head in mock disapproval, she took a bit of the stolen treat. "I suppose I will have to send a letter to your mother about it.”
Twilight popped the remainder of the marshmallow in her mouth and chewed for a moment. “I’ll just steal it out of the mailbox before she gets home.”
Celestia looked at her former student with a raised eyebrow.
“Not that I ever did that.”
Spike looked back at Twilight. “Actually-”
“Nope.” Twilight interrupted, looking the dragon in the eye. “Never did that.”
“I, umm... “ Spike returned his attention to the fireplace. "I was just going to ask how long we’re staying in Canterlot.”
“You three are welcome to stay here a few days,” Celestia said.
“Rarity needs to head back tomorrow. I had cleared my schedule for a three day emergency, but I should probably go back tomorrow night. The mayor and I have a lot of work to do.”
Spike and Celestia both looked disappointed at the news.
“I was hoping to visit some of my old friends,” Spike said.
“Well,” Twilight thought for a moment. “I’m sure Mom would let you stay at the house for a few days.”
Celestia watched Spike give Twilight a hug. She had hoped to catch up a bit more, but Twilight had her responsibilities; she knew the burden well. There was never enough time.
Something warm pressed against Celestia, snapping her out of her thoughts. Clover had lain down against her, mirroring Luna on her other side. He was smiling up at her, but he had a worried look.
“I’m fine,” she said, shifting a bit to press necks with him.
Luna grumbled, as her living pillow moved. Draping her head across Celestia’s back, she reclaimed her warm sleeping place. “Guard, there seems to be a moose in my bed,” Luna said through the delirium of sleep.
Celestia’s wing shoved Luna onto the floor, letting her land with a thud. “Luna, wake up. It’s time for work.”
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Hmm, interesting.
Lol xD. Spike and Bro code
Great chapter. I loved how Spike and Clover bonded. Also I loved the Moose part at the end. That was funny. Great job. Thanks for the update.
The sisterly love between Luna and Celestia... shown by the elder rudely awakening the sleeping younger... so heart warming.. I laughed heaps at that bit.
you have an extra parentheses. You might want to read through and see if you can find any errors yourself.
5452259
I know, what in the world could the "moose" mean???
Lovely chapter!
The bro code transcends the divides between universes.
So does Spike acknowledge Celestia as his mother or rather Twilight in this fic?
That... Just made my day.
5452356 If it's anything like my situation, I have, err...HAD two of each parent. The ones that raised me got the titles of Mom and Dad. My birth parents got the words, Mommy and Daddy in front of their names. And yes, I DID come up with that when I was in single digits. Even 14 years later, the Mommy/Daddy part just sticks.
TL;DR = When you have two mothers, crap gets confusing, and FAST.
EDIT: Fun Fact, it IS possible to be your own grandfather.
Nice to see a longer chapter! Hoping for more longer ones to come
Luna sleeping on Celestia, DDDDAAAAWWWW!
5452802 More Like HERGGG
Such mystery about Clover.
That he might be a displaced and transformed person, possibly human, is not the only option. With age spells and the suggestion of his possibly being an experiment, he could be a grown pony that had his mind toyed with.
Things will start changing as Clover learns how to speak and is able to say what happened for himself.
5452291
it's an apostrophe 'twas is a shortened version of "it was"
that was so cute i have to boop your nose
i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/axlthehedgehog_2008/responses/boop.gif
stay classy
5452412
That reminded me of an episode of Futurama. *sigh* Now I have to rewatch it. Curse me and my desire to watch episodes over an over again of shows that many people don't know.
5453056 I heard about that from a song. Then I looked into it. I was kinda surprised it was even possible, let alone possible to do legally.
I have only looked at the cover and am no longer sure if it's a comedy or sad fic
I can sense the looming surprise of conflict and plot.
The comma seems...out of place.
TURKEY COMA!
5452979 actually i start to want, that he is really just a neglected little colt, i like the other options too, but i don´t think that i want him to be a Human this time. One reason is, that he is even scared about a measure tape, or still about the magic i don´t know, but i have already a story where her son is a Human.
I won´t hate it just because he is maybe a Human, i just say that i prefer a certain option right now.
It is a really nice fanfiction, maybe i read it again if it has reached a certain point in the story.
5452996 I realize that now, the way it's written made it look like you had 2 quotation marks back to back my first time time through.
Going to be interesting when they get to the point where they can ask Clover real questions.
"Clover, how old are you?"
"37."
"37 months?"
"Years."
Fear of Rarity's telekinesis and what appears to be a floating ribbon trying to strangle you is understandable. Clover's reaction to Spike is odd and is the first bit of evidence that definitely points towards Celestia's 'abuse' theory as having some substance. He was expecting to be attacked.
That said, if Clover was originally human, then it is odd that he hasn't made a connection between Spike and the legend of dragons; you'd expect a human child to at least know what a dragon is and thus then associate that with the appropriate Equestrian noun.
5453056 Reminds me of the song "I'm My Own Grandpa."
5453467 hey someone else noticed it
5453779 indeed it is. It's coffee that brings out a man's true person.
5453594
I'm not the author
5453133
I really wish there was a "feels" tag.
5453564 I get what you're saying, this isn't Clovers story, it's Celestias. Any more backstory than this for Clover isn't really needed, all we need to know is that he's (now) a very skittish child who needs someone to take care of him.
5453768 I think we have to take in consider that Clover is almost a cripple with this body he can barely get to do what he wants, this would make anyone anxious in the best case. Suddenly we've also got a bunch of strange people around of a kind he has never seen before, who speaks a language he doesn't understand and wields a force he has never imagined before.
Imagine this is you, now a rope is flying for your throat: React.
Poor little dude has had a lousy week.
Great so far can't wait for more!
5454111 thank you!
so she's in a room... with a moose
5453564 Well, let's lay out some of Clover's demonstrated oddities. Feel free to note ones I miss.
So far, Clover has:
~Shown he speaks an unknown language, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows how to read and write it
~Is exceptionally frightened of mundane interactions with ponies, despite slowly adjusting
~Was terrified of a measuring tape until he looked at it, then appeared terribly annoyed when he recognized what it was
~Appreciates his coffee black with full familiarity of preferring it without cream or sugar
~No natural development of how to grasp things with his hoof until taught, did everything by blunt grasping
~No natural development of using his horn until given direct help to realize how to mentally use it
~Obviously well practiced at deep meditation no child would normally be capable of
~Clever enough to intentionally find a book intended to teach language to foals
~Is clearly uncomfortable around most new ponies, foals included, entirely at odds with how he should be acting (kind of a repeat, but this is a major point of oddity)
~Already a practiced swimmer when he previously appeared to be struggling to walk normally
~Oddly able to share understanding with Spike he has lacked otherwise, whatever the reason
There are a wide number of possibilities as to what happened to him. The why of his strange situation and mysterious circumstances. Granted, the 'transplanted human' option seems to cover a number of things easiest, but it is by no means the only option. Add in things like age and mind spells, it's open season for what the heck is going on.
The mystery here is what is making this story so fascinating. It makes the reveal so much better, even if it's not quite what a given reader was hoping for or expecting. The buildup still makes it worthwhile.
Why is luna dreaming about moose?
5455096
I think the biggest tell-tale of him being human (and of modern western culture) is his reaction to the toilet.
He immediately identifies the room as a bathroom. He desperately needs the toilet as he hasn't used it for the whole day. He knows there should be one in there...
...but he hasn't seen a squat toilet before. He needed Celestia to confirm it's function, and even then he didn't expect the water jet.
5455096 Well if i am honest i think that he is probably a Human, i would have to read it again to be sure, but because of the things i remember i can only think of a Human right now.
Sometimes i feel like i start to read over some important points, because i read to many storys, but i guess we just can´t be to sure right now. I think i remember every one of your points, but it helps that you made that list.
5455378 As I have said previously, while Clover being a transplanted human is a good explanation, it is far from the only one.
Without going even further into the rabbit hole, simply (which is of course actually a misnomer for this) having him turn out to be an experiment of some kind is also possible. Be that via a foal very strictly educated in a specific manner, or an adult pony put through an age spell and had his head messed with.
And regardless of what happened to Clover, that's still not explaining why or how.
Fiction is awesome. Anything is possible. There's even a excellent fic that has Celestia getting shipped with Smaug in a believable way. I have no idea what spawned this idea but it's certainly an interesting read.
Write off nothing. Expect anything.
Awww. I love reading your story and I think this is my favorite fan fic on this entire site tbh.
5455468
Well said.
(Personally, I'm all for something that doesn't involve a transplanted human, but as you said....the author has brilliantly, or evilly, for that matter, left it wide open!)
What a random thing to call your older sister... a moose... Should Celestia be offended?
On another note, Spike's approach of showing Clover there was nothing to fear from Rarity's tape measure was perfect. And the fact he understands "Bro-Code" caused giggles to this reader.
stuff happened.
Sigh...
I guess I'm the only one that cringes every time Celestia needs to deal with nobles or needs help to do anything when in the cartoon she decides she's going to free Discord... I sure would want to see her convincing nobles to THAT...
5458435
I'm in your camp on "the nobles". I usually roll my eyes when authors try to use them as some cabal of villas.
In my headcanon, they have no real teeth. They are however, still important; they're the upper management of Euqestria. Celestia could have just kept Clover, and nopony would have said a word about it, but she wanted the adoption to be official. That requires paper work. She was willingly subjecting herself to the same procedures a common pony would have gone through.
5452291
He actually did it right, with " and '. Because he said 'twas, which is an abbreviation of It was.
5458583 I see. Guess I misunderstood.
Give me a second while I remove my foot from my mouth...
At just 11 chapters, this is a fantastically well done story! Great execution & style. A sheer pleasure to read. I can see you've really put a lot of thought & planning into this.
The shower scene with the scalding hot water reminded me of Daenerys...could the title "Father to Dragons" be in Clover's future?
I was surprised at the lack of translation spells as an option for Celestia to try--but such is Fancanon & I can clearly see that you're not using it for a reason. For a time, I was suspecting Changeling (using green blood as an indicator is also Fancanon), but what Luna gleened from his dreams dispelled that.
Excellent mystery to Clover's story. Really looking forward to see how this plays out.