- - - ch 16 - day 5 pt 3 - - -
Celestia rubbed the spot between her eyes again. Twilight’s thank-you for letting her run court had been to organise her office. Ledgers replaced loose stacks. Organizers held folders, letterheads, and calendars. Three file cabinets had been brought in, and everything filed by standard archival protocol.
She had no idea where anything was.
Court had gotten her out of the office for a few hours, but now she had to conquer her new work space before she went to her chambers. Thankfully, Dewey, the court archivist, hadn’t laughed when she asked her for help.
Picking up a stack of paper from her new in-basket, Celestia plucked out the particular bundle she was after, letting the rest land on the overly clean desk. She ignored Dewey’s magic straightening the pile back into the basket as she scanned the document. Her frown deepened with each page. In spite of the news it carried, she was disappointed at how thin it was. She shrugged. There was nothing she could do. It had only been a few days. It would take weeks before a comprehensive picture began to emerge.
Laying that folder down, where her now-pile used to be, Celestia picked up the report she had been looking at before court. “I need yesterday’s guard summary. And where am I supposed to file last night’s?” Celestia asked, waving her copy of the night guard’s report. The place she used to cram them was now full of spare stationary.
Dewey took the offending folder, and opened one of the new file drawers. “All daily reports go here. They’re alphabetical after that.” Dewey stuck the night report into its folder, and just as quickly pulled the previous day’s report from another file in the drawer. “Newest in back. Anything older than three months can be boxed and sent to the archive.”
Taking the report in her magic, Celestia made a mental note of the drawer. Returning her attention to her desk, she laid the report down to study it. There were no answers here, either.
If Clover had fallen through the cracks, others had, too. However he had gotten into the city was a blessing; one that other foals hadn’t gotten. Missing foal reports were now to be reported to the guard immediately—unresolved cases reported directly to the Crown after two days. Provisions to check on the foals after the loss of a parent were also going into effect, but logistics for that would take time.
Till then, she had every province sending her every known unsolved missing foal report for the last ten years. Only Ponyville and Baltimare had managed to respond so far, but she knew more would be in soon, and she’d have almost all of them within a couple of weeks. Somewhere in there, she hoped to find Clover’s past.
Ponyville’s one, and only, case looked promising. A colt about the right age, who had vanished roughly three years ago. No surviving parents, no herd mothers at all; only grandparents, that had since passed. Sadly, Celestia doubted this was Clover’s former life. Notes about the foal having been last seen near the Everfree promised a grim fate for that little one. Still, she would ask Twilight to look into it, though she knew she already was; her old student would never leave a mystery like that unexplored.
Celestia laughed, but it was a bitter sound. The little filly that used to run around her legs, was now one of the few ponies she could explicitly trust to do the right thing without prompting. Not merely doing what was expected, but striving to make the world around her a better one.
Flipping through the Baltimare report, Celestia fought to keep her hackles down. Twenty-three unresolved cases over ten years. Twenty-three of her ponies missing. Once upon a time, allowing a foal to simply wander off would have been unheard of, but the world had changed on her when she wasn’t looking.
Pulling out a scroll, Celestia penned the mayor a letter. She would have a full dossier on every foal on her desk by the end of next week. She’d also be sending a guard, and an archivist to the city.
Putting that in the ‘I’ll-need-that-later’ spot on her desk, Celestia searched the in-basket again. Ship Shape’s docking log was only a single page, and hid well among the pack of multi-paged reports, but she found it on her second pass. It was a short manifest, listing all the ships from foreign ports that had docked in Canterlot in the past few weeks. One from the eastern continent, a dozen for the griffon lands, two from Minoa, and a few more from both the zebras and Saddle Arabians.
One of the airships claiming to be from Minoa didn’t look right to her. The name was off, and the cargo wasn’t the normal kind of goods; there were far too many arcane materials. The magic of that land was one of secrets and esoterics. Fine herbs and rare minerals would occasionally make their way out of their borders, but never anything of volume or complexity. She read the manifest closer, hunting for anything that seemed dangerous, but found nothing that alarmed her.
Looking up, Celestia let her mind wander back to Clover. Her two best theories about Clover danced through her mind. Had he been on that ship, as either a captive or stowaway? As cruel as it sounded, Celestia hoped for the truth to be that he had gone mustang. It made his weakness harder to explain, but not impossible. The idea that any of her ponies had fallen victim to a slave’s collar stirred an anger that she hoped to never show again.
“Dewey, I need you to recommend ten of your best researchers to me. I will be sending them abroad, so make sure they are fine with long trips. Both to Equestrian cities, and possibly to other nations as well.”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Dewey took a notepad from her bags, and scribbled something down. “I’ll have a list for you by tomorrow.”
“It can wait through the weekend. Have it to me by the end of court on Monday.” Celestia sat the report down. She needed to clear her head, but first, she had to send a letter to Shining Armor, asking him for guards as she had Dewey for archivists. She’d match them into teams later.
“Now…” she said, sealing the scrolls, and putting them in the out-box. “For the rest of the day, I want you to show me how these ledgers and files are organised. It’s past time I learned this.”
- - -
Celestia was pleased with herself. She had managed to learn the modern filing system, and only leave an hour late. At least it was the weekend. Not that she was ever truly off work, but she had two days without court or meetings. Luna holding night court on the weekend had let her have some semblance of personal time, but it also meant seeing less of her sister for those two nights.
Celestia shook her head. She really didn’t spend enough time with Luna. If she had a hard time spending time with her sister, how was she going to give Clover the attention he needed? Changes would have to come to her schedule faster than she had planned. She would have to stop sheltering Twilight, and give her the responsibilities she craved. Twilight’s castle was due for a court of its own. Likewise, she was going to have to take Luna’s advice about her day court.
Luna was constantly telling her that five a week was too many, and that ponies were asking her to make decisions they should be making themselves. Luna was right, of course. She had known that even before her sister was returned to her.
When had her court dissolved into hearing about trivial disputes and meaningless petitions? Not that she minded helping her little ponies. She lived to guide them to their greatest happiness, but perhaps the time had come for them to again stand on their own a little more. They had defeated the windigos without her—could they rise above something like that now? Had she weakened them under her care?
Spreading her wings, Celestia took to the air. She could see the light of her balcony as soon as she was above the roofline, but didn’t fly towards it. As much as she wanted to get home, she really needed to get a little exercise in. Ten minutes of flying would make her a more relaxed pony when she got there.
The night air was cold, and falling snow swirled in the air on its way to the ground. Flapping as hard as she could, Celestia streaked into the sky, leaving the golden lights of Canterlot below her. She smiled as she pierced a snow-filled cloud. Above it, she let her momentum bleed off. The sky was crystal clear up here, the stars shined like diamonds, and the round, empty moon tried its best to warm her. A few weather pegasi were up here with her, but none of them paid her any attention. This wasn’t the first time she’d needed to blow off some steam, and the night shift took great pride in pretending not to see her. Skimming the cloud tops, Celestia let her mind go blank and her body go where it liked.
Time lost a little of its meaning in her dance above the clouds, but a little voice in the back of her mind eventually began to nag at her. She had a warm home to go to, she had a sister, a friend, and a son waiting for her. A son… it was a strange thought. She loved the little colt, but did she love him any different than any other of her ponies? She mulled the thought over in her head as she glided back to the city. The foal had only been in her life for a week, but she was already bending her routine and her schedule for him.
Landing on the balcony, the melody of Clover’s tin whistle caught her ear. It was a cheery tune, quick, with a sharp beat: a perfect dancing tune for a party.
Opening the door, Celestie peered inside. The smell of dinner cooking hit her the moment she stuck her nose through the door. Her long day, and impromptu workout, suddenly caught up to her as her stomach begged for whatever Merry was cooking.
Staying quiet, Celestia eased her head into the room to look for Clover. She wanted to watch him play his song for a moment before interrupting him. Over by a bookshelf, she saw him with the metal flute in his magic. With his eyes closed, he let the melody pour out of him. Celestia couldn’t help but nod along with the happy tune. She would have to see about getting him a proper recorder to play.
A cold wind blew against Celestia’s back, pushing the door open a little further. Clover shivered as the draft rolled over him, interrupting his song. He let the flute fall to the floor, and looked towards the open door with a mixture of annoyance and confusion, but his eyes lit up the instant he saw her.
“Mom!” he said, trying to stand faster than his legs could untangle.
Celestia jolted at the word. A confused smile spread across her muzzle as the colt found his balance, then galloped over to her. She could only absently pat his back when he wrapped himself around one of her forelegs in a hug.
The embrace only lasted a moment, before he let go and began trotting around in circles, rambling in a mix of broken Equestrian and his unknown language. “… cider … … big … dragon … … Platinum … spear … Tiger … … … snow.”
A sound caught Celestia’s attention, looking up from the excited foal, she found but Luna and Merry snickering at her from the hallway.
“He’s been like that since he got home,” Merry said.
Celestia blinked, then looked back to Clover, who had sat down against her leg, to listen to the conversation. “He called me Mom.”
“We heard,” Luna said. “It is what you wanted, is it not?”
A smile crept across Celestia’s muzzle. Mom. She had never held that title; the weight of it was second only to princess. “It is.” She nodded. “I was just not expecting it so soon. I’m surprised he even knows the word.”
“The guard took Clover home for lunch with his family. He probably picked it up there,” Merry said. “He also took him to the museum, and made him some alphabet flashcards.” Mentioning the latter, Merry pointed to the little stack of hoof-made cards sitting on an endtable. “The professor wants him reading as fast as possible.”
Celestia nodded. “I owe Green Bean a thank you.” Bending down, Celestia kissed the top of Clover’s head. Closing the balcony door, Celestia floated her regalia off, and laid them on a nearby table. “What’s this?” she asked, picking up a large parcel that had apparently come in the mail.
“It is from Rarity,” Luna said, following the box to her sister. “Clover’s coat, I would guess.”
With a smile, Merry excused herself back to the kitchen. “Dinner will be on the table in just a few minutes.”
Celestia smiled at Clover’s youthful curiosity over the box as she peeled it open. She shared in his wonder as the pulled the neatly packed coat out of its wrapping. Rarity’s work never failed to impress her. The thick, soft-blue coat was going to look handsome on Clover, and the material was heavy enough to survive being played in. Bright emerald buttons shined like his eyes, giving the heavy coat a noble look.
Hanging it on the coat rack, she turned her attention back to Clover. His mane was a mess, and a few blotches on his coat told her he had gotten into some mud earlier in the day. “Let’s go get you cleaned up for dinner,” she said, leading Clover back to the bathroom.
In the bathroom nearest Clover’s room, Celestia was glad to see a step stool had finally been brought in for him. Clover seemed equally happy to have it, as he hopped up to the sink, and turned it on like it was a well-practiced routine.
While Clover lathered his hooves, Celestia looked across the hall to the room he had taken as his own. It was still the same as all the other guest rooms; comfortable, but impersonal. She really needed to decorate the room to fit Clover. If only she knew more about what he liked. Anatomy made for poor decoration, and music only went so far.
The sound of the water being shut off brought her attention back to Clover, who now was dripping wet from nose to hooves. Grabbing a towel, she giggled.
A good toweling off later, and Celestia was leading Clover back into the kitchen.
Celestia helped Clover onto his stool. “How was your day?” she asked Merry.
“It was nice. I took the grandfoals out to lunch; let the kids have some time to themselves.“ Settling in, Merry took a sweet potato from the table, and put it on her plate.
Luna plucked a potato for herself, and some butter to dress it with. “How is your daughter?” she asked, floating a pat of butter onto Merry’s plate.
Celestia only half listened to the small talk, as she took a serving of mixed greens. She started to put some on Clover’s plate too, but paused as Perfect Diction’s words came back to her. “How do you teach the word ‘want’?”
“Do... you... want... salad?” she asked, slowly enunciating each word. She held the bowl towards him, making the gesture obvious, even if he didn’t yet understand the words.
Clover nodded with a smile. “Yes.” His accent was thick, but the word was there.
Giving him a little pile of greens, she traded the salad bowl, for the bowl of brussel sprouts. “Do you want brussels sprouts?”
Leaning forward, Clover looked into the bowl, but reeled back the moment he smelled the contents. “No…”
Celestia couldn’t help but snicker; she couldn’t stand the things, either. Turning to face her, Luna faked a haughty air while taking the serving bowl form Celestia’s magic. “All the more for me,” she said, before scooping most of its contents onto her plate.
Laughs rolled around the table for a moment, before idle conversation resumed, and Celestia took the next item to offer Clover. One by one, she offered him every item on the table. She wasn’t sure if he was picking up on what she was trying to teach him, but she thought he was.
It was in the middle of debating how to start the changes to the court schedule, that Clover proved her right.
“Want water,” he stammered, pushing his empty glass forward.
The three adults shared a smile.
“You know,” Luna said, filling Clover’s glass from the pitcher. “You're going to miss this as soon as he’s grown.”
“Maybe,” Celestia admitted. “Maybe.”
Oh dear... This story makes my heart swell like nothing else.
Clover is adorable and diabetes inducing. I love it.
I'm just waiting for some overly nasty villain to come by and ruin everybodies day. Just hope it doesn't involve death or anything.
Imagine Clover asking Celestia if he can have a baby sibling?
5692577 its no worries. I may have a messed up sense of humor, but I dont like making people upset or hurt. And i should thank you too for being civil too.
Whoever "Clover" is he's certainly more accepting of the situation than most would be, I think.
I wonder what exactly he will or won't say when he finally has a conversational level of Equestrian?
5693034 I can see it happening
Why is it that Celestia is struggling with "modern filing system"? Did she sleep while the ponies learned new things? Also.., people always treat Twilight's organizational skills as something natural, and not something she learned.
Also... There is a trend in this fandom that it's always somewhere far away with all the mysterious and cool stuff. When did Equestria get so boring?
"hackles"
"pointed to the little stack"
Wow. That was a cute chapter. I love how much clover is growing Good luck with the next chapter.
This is one of my favorite stories thus-far; it's one of the ones I immediately read the moment I see an update, and savor every word because it's too good and every chapter is too short :P Short in that I love reading it, and I hate having to wait. Like Ferrero Rochers :)
This story is very fun to read. Thanks!
awesome!!! need more update soon k.
And soon she will know why this title weight even more as princess...
A wonderful chapter. Thanks for the fast updating. Keep up the good work^^
>her face when
i.imgur.com/T49dwGD.png
5693007 Changelings, anyone?
5693483 Do changelings speak his language?
No, it has to be something from the Minos area since their language share similarities. Possibly an old forgotten people from millenae ago.
5693034 Luna would commence Operation Troll Hard if he said that. I can see it now..
5693884 Yes She would ! XD, wonder if we will ever see it from clover's perspective.
5693510 and do not forget the coffee, he obviously knows what it is and enjoys it very much, I am thinking monkeys
The Cuteness! The Cuteness is overwhelming me!!!...
the feels are building....
media.giphy.com/media/eebmNnxxtSNiw/giphy.gif
building like a mountain...
5694051 So monkeys and ponies living together in harmony? How odd, guess HiE wouldn't end too, too bad like it usually does.
I believe you meant 'leg' good sir
warosu.org/data/fa/img/0074/47/1387499569429.png
5694501 I'm honestly gettings hints that Clover is a ponified Human child. His own language that no one understands, but is easily learning theirs. Childlike innocence, playful aggressiveness (from the snowball fight). And seems to have some grasp about things that would be the same already from the start. Considering he is more happy than sad, I'm theorizing he was an orphan. He's imprinted Celestia as his mother, so he didn't have a family back home.
5693073 Maybe I will be daddy.
5693086
You have never come across a person that does things his own way even when other (read better/newer/more common) ways exist? My parents still pay their bills with checks that they drop off at each utility company they use. This requires them to drive all around town every month dropping off checks. Yet they could pay them all online in 15 minutes from their computers (which I bought for them...). Celestia isn't ignoring the new ways, she's just set in her own.
She naturally learned the standard archival protocol through reading about it? People don't just naturally know the Dewey Decimal System (for instance); they learn to use it to keep everything in its proper place and so it's consistent in every library that uses it. Which is all of them.
Not sure what you mean with this one.
this is so cute i have to boop your nose
i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/axlthehedgehog_2008/responses/princess_blackheart___boop_your_nose_by_princessblacky-d7bl0d9.jpg
stayclassy
Couple small corrections:
You've got "heckles" where it should be "hackles". Heckling is when an audience member disrupts and insults a performer.
The other is "dissolved into hearing..." which should probably be "devolved into hearing..."
5694357 I could say the same thing about crossovers. But not all of them are bad. For example, I absolutely hate creepy pasta stories, but I do not deny they were written well.
For every genre that's been created, there's always that one best among them.
5693086
Not really a struggle, she picked it up fast enough, she just never took the time to convert. Old habits die hard. And it wasn't that she was asleep, just very busy, "If it works, don't fix it," was a bit of a mantra for her.
That, is an interesting question. I suppose it comes down to the oldest of all tropes, "Here, be dragons."
5695597 Yes, indeed. Crossovers, do take a certain level of cleverness to make good.
I can imagine what I could create, but I'm still a bit aways from anything skilfully written. I have the talent and ideas to write and I do enjoy it. Skill...always a completely different story. Huh, where's a good editor when you need one?
5695728 When Clover yelled "Mother!" That was just beautiful and considering his situation and how much he understands of Equestrian, he would truly want that.
5695697
I'm missing it, what I misspell?
I love pumpkin stew, make it every fall. Getting good eating pumpkins is the hard part.
5695668
I feel that this trope fits better with Luna that was removed from civilization for 1000 years and also "old characters" that developed during a different time where things where done in a way, while Celestia feels more "ageless" than "old". I mean, she has to work with other ponies so it makes sense to me that she would pick up their perks with dealing with work as her assistants would change through time.
But don't let that comment fool you. I love this story.
To be fair, since Celestia is equestrian, "stuff from the far away lands" would be mysterious to her. Its just (at least I feel this way) it seems Equestria has lost it's magic and I rarely see a writer mentioning the wonder of the Princesses changing the day for the night and back, or really, how great it must be to have the ears of a political leader accessible. But I'm going off topic.
Normally don't comment on stories already swimming in praise, but I'll make an exception and say that I'm glad I stumbled upon this so late. Because those final words Luna told Celestia in the most recent chapter about missing those moments was probably the best way to end things for the night. The way Celestia reacted to such an event earlier to having being given that title, hearing it used on her, felt genuine and nostalgic. You captured that scene well.
You're a wonderful storyteller it seems. The only minor thing that felt off was the museum that seemed to contradict the whole 'ponies know almost nothing' of dragons, yet has a full scale of their growth cycle like 'The Evolution of Man' display we have in such types of museums.
I think the most charming way you write this story is how well it keeps it's focus and attention on Clover and Celestia. Your use of using OC's and adding world building to further differentiate the world of Equestria to better suit how their world feels over our own would be, and how fitting it feels with the way it presents itself so casually, just helps the readers stay focused on what really matters and not put so much attention to itself to become a distraction.
I think my favorite moments were with Luna and the toy shop/child center. And of course Greenbean has quite the favorite since his first appearance for me. Nice to see he grew into the role he felt so well suited for.
I think what I'm getting at is, great character building all these background pony pairings and takes on established personalities to blend in so well into this carefully crafted story you've meticulously presented us with. Thanks. I saw signs of how it could have veered in directions that could have turned me away with a rolling of my eyes, but it didn't take those routes. And the next thing I knew, 1k turned to 7k, 7k turned to 13k, and all the while I'm wondering myself "How long was this story again? Gee, I hope it doesn't end so abruptly." and then I get such a nice chapter and it ended just so perfectly snug.
Normally incomplete stories annoy me to no end. But if this story were to suddenly no longer update, I'd be okay with that. If only with how well and open ended it would be with the end to that chapter.
I've prattled on long enough in my want for sleep, but simply had to express my love of how well you put original characters to use with ponies that matter. Well done. I'm happy to have read your story. Thanks for sharing!
I think I got diabetes from this chapter and the part when he referred to Celestia as 'Mom'... SO CUTE!
HA! Well, I'll be damned. It's YOU! The Three Hazards author!
I'm honestly not surprised I was so able to enjoy this story so much. Not sure how I missed this story, but I'm glad I got into it when I did. I was a bit perplexed when I noticed I was already following you. And BAM! It all came back to me now. xD
Great job. And good night!
Diabetes +1
5695726 Same here. Except whenever I try to get creative, it seems to backfire on me, lol.
Cute.
Further proof Lina is better than Celes. Brussel Sprouts are good IF they are cooked properly. X3
(They are a guilty indulgence of mine.)
I like to imagine that Clover's accent sounds Swedish.
5693086
I don't know about how the majority of the fanstuff treats Twilight's organizational skills, but show canon clearly indicates her sorting system is totally random, illogical, and capricious. There's at least 5 times she's resorted that tree library, arranging books by subject groupings that evolve over the seasons as she thinks of a "more practical way" that actually makes it harder for anyone to find the books they're looking for--and ironically, just as bad for her trying to find things, too. The only ones who can figure out where shit is are Spike & the owl.
5697561 True dat
OMG HE CALLED HER MOM.
And put me in the "Brussels sprouts are delish" group with Luna.
Dewey
Dewey Decimal System! I'm most likely one of the few people who notice shit like this. It's sad really.
5926926
I would hope not. Pretty sure that at least the concept of the Dewey Decimal System is common knowledge; as in, most people know the term and understand it has to do with libraries and the sort. I knew of the Dewey Decimal System way before I knew how it worked.
No guesses on Dewey's last name.