Previous Chapters Next
Close
01 - Goodnight Moon1,120 words
02 - Stairway to Heaven1,719 words
03 - Looking for an Angel3,229 words
04 - What a Fool Believes7,628 words
05 - A Kind of Magic6,803 words
06 - Intermezzo - The Dark Side of the Moon5,044 words

03 - Looking for an Angel

The Eastern Meadowlands, 24th of May

It’s been three days since I started my quest. I’ve decided to write this journal to document all of this journey. I’ve put a spell on the parchment, so that if something bad should happen to me, my memories will be teleported back to the Palace.

But let’s start from the very beginning.

My name is White Clover, but everypony knows me as Clover the Clever. I’ve been Princess Platinum’s personal assistant for more than twenty years. These eyes of mine have witnessed the founding of a new land.

Equestria.

When everything seemed lost, the three tribes finally managed to overcome their disagreements, and started working together for the best. Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies, worked hard to create a bright future for their offspring. I’ve faithfully assisted Princess Platinum in the founding of Equestria, until her illness took her prematurely away. Since her death, I’ve retired from public life. I created the Academy of Science and Magic, and I’ve taught ponies of all kinds.

I thought life didn’t have any more surprises for me, until one week ago a scroll magically appeared in front of me. It was from my mentor, Starswirl the Bearded! I hadn’t had any news from him for half a century, since he declared my training complete and he left, searching for more knowledge.

Nopony knows where he went, nor what he did during all these years. And then, this came to me.

What could have been the old unicorn doing? Why ask for my presence after all these years?
Without thinking twice, I left for the East.

***

17th of July

I’ve been following the Red Star of Dusk for almost two months now, but no trace of my mentor.
I’m running low on supplies, I’m afraid I’ll have to come back.

***

18th of July

A sign, finally! While looking for some shelter, I found a cave. Inside, I found traces of somepony living here. In the deepest part of the cave there’s an inscription, it was without doubt made by my mentor.
The inscription says there’s a forest not far from here.
Starswirl must be there.

***

20th of July

I found the forest. At the very heart of it I also found my mentor. Fifty years have passed since last time I saw him. His body may bear the signs of old age, but his eyes are still as lively as they were when he was young. He took me to a small pond in the depth of the forest.
The pond is guarded by two massive stone statues, too perfect to have been carved by ponies, even unicorn magic isn’t capable of something like that.
The statues represent two winged unicorns.
When I asked my mentor what that place is, he smiled a wicked smile, then he said

“This, my faithful student, is the Forge of the Gods”(taken from Clover the Clever’s personal journal, Canterlot Secret Archives)

Drew woke up, his body still numb. He groaned, trying to move. He felt really weak.

He wasn’t on the ground anymore. He was in a bed! A damp cloth was covering his eyes, Luna must have taken him away while he was out cold. He slowly inspected himself: bandages were covering his arms and chest. Suddenly an unknown voice spoke to him.

“Feelin’ any better, sugarcube?”

She spoke with a thick accent, her voice was warm and nice. He opened his mouth to reply, but all he was able to emit was a raspy sound. His throat felt dry as sand.

“Don’t push yourself, ya’ve been out fer three whole days”

He heard hoofsteps approaching then water being poured. An arm slid under the pillow, gently lifting and supporting his head while a mug was placed on his lips.

“Here, have sumthin’ ta drink”

He greedily gulped the water, almost choking.

“Whoa, pardner! Take it easy!”

The mug was taken to his mouth once more, this time he drank more slowly. After the mug was emptied, he sighed in relief.

“Phew, I really needed that! Thanks, miss..”

“Applejack, and drop that ‘miss’ thingy. Ya can also call me AJ”

“How did I end here, Applejack?”

“Mah big brother found ya near the Everfree Forest, three days ago. Ya were trembling like a rattlesnake’s tail and muttering something about th’ moon. Yer fever didn’t get down until yesterday. Ah feared it was too late, but luckily yer one tough fella!”

“Can you take this out of my eyes, Applejack? I’d like to see the face of who was so kind to treat a perfect stranger so heartily”

“Sure thing, pardner!”

As the cloth was taken out, Drew opened his eyes. The sudden light blinded him. It took him some moments to adapt to the brightness.

Applejack was right beside him, the cloth still in her mouth. Drew thoroughly examined her. She was without a doubt the same species as Luna, even if she didn’t have a horn or wings. Her size was smaller than the Princess of the Night, her coat was a bright orange and her mane and tail blond. Three apples adorned her flank. She was looking at him with her emerald eyes. A Stetson hat was resting on her head.

“Like what you see?” she chuckled.

Drew’s face flushed a bit. “Sorry” he said sheepishly.

“Nah, don’t worry none! Ah gave mahself ya a good ‘ole look while ya was asleep, and Ah reckon yer the strangest guy Ah ever seen!”

“Fair enough. And I’m Drew, by the way”

“Nice ta meet ya, Drew! Do ya mind tellin’ me what kind of thing you are? Yer definitely not a pony.”

“Well, I’m a man, a human. I suppose you don’t have many like me around here.”

“Ah’ll be damned if Ah ever saw somepony like ya! Bet mah friend Twilight will pester ya with an avalanche of questions, better be prepared! Wanna put somethin’ in yer belly, Drew?”

A loud growl from Drew’s stomach gave the answer. Applejack giggled.

“Well, wait right here pal, Ah’ll bring ya something good! Care to meet the rest of mah family?”

“It’ll be a pleasure!”

Applejack peeped out of the door, shouting to her family downstairs.

“C’mon ya’ll, Apples! Git yer flank here and meet th’ Sleepin’ Beauty!”

A small stampede could be heard from downstairs. Two Earth Ponies rushed in the bedroom, one was a large stallion with red coat and orange mane. The other was a green coated old mare. They both had a worried look on their faces, which changed into a relieved smile as they saw their guest was awake and apparently in good condition.

Applejack introduced her relatives to Drew.

“This is mah Granny Smith, and this is mah brother Big Macintosh. Mah little sister Applebloom is at school right now, ya’ll meet her this afternoon”

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Drew. Applejack told me you found me, Big Macintosh. I’m really grateful you helped me.”

Big Mac scratched the back of his head. “Ah’m glad yer alright”

Granny Smith gently put a hoof on his chest, feeling his bulging ribs.

“Oh, poor dear, look at yershelf!” she said. “Yer all bones! Dun’ worry none, Granny will put sum’ meat on ya!” then she turned at Applejack “Shame on ya, AJ! Can’t ya see that this poor little thing needs some food?”

“Ah was about ta bring some!” Applejack replied to the old mare.

“Wait here, dearie, Granny will fix sumthin’ in a jiffy!” and then she sprinted downstairs.

Moments later, she returned, balancing a tray on her back. It was filled to the brim with food of all sorts: sandwiches, apples, fritters, a steaming apple pie and a large mug of cool cider. Granny placed the tray on Drew’s lap.

“Help yershelf, dear!”

Drew’s mouth started watering at the view. “Don’t mind if I do” he said, grabbing a sandwich. After all of the food was devoured and the cider was gone, Drew laid back to let his stomach settle.

“Landsakes! Ah was afraid ya was going ta eat the tray!” Applejack said.

“Was it good, dearie?” Granny Smith asked.

“Granny, if I wasn’t so weak right now, I’d already planted a kiss on your cheek! That apple pie was simply the best one I ever had!”

“Oohh, you rascal! Watch out or Ah mite let ya do it!” Granny Smith blushed, waving a hoof.

“Hey, Ah made th’ pie!” Applejack protested.

“Guess your brother here won’t let me kiss you so easily...” Drew said, winking at Big Mac.

“Eeyup!”

Realizing what what she just said sounded like, Applejack’s face turned crimson.

“That’s not what Ah meant! Ah’m not one of those mares that let themselves kiss from the first nice new face in town!” She pulled down her hat, trying to cover her face.

“C’mon sis! We’re just teasing ya!” Big Mac said, grinning.

They all laughed. Drew, stuffed, stifled a yawn.

“Let’s go, Apples!” Applejack said, her face still red. “There’s still chores ta do and Drew here needs a nap after all that chowin’ and drinking”

The Apples went out, one at time. Applejack was the last to leave the room. She was at the door when Drew called her.

“AJ?”

“Yes, sugarcube?”

“Thank you very much, you’re the kindest family I’ve ever met”

Her cheeks flushed again “Aw, don’t make me feel silly! Rest now, this afternoon yer gonna meet the rest of th’ gang.”

Drew closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep once more. So this is your world, Luna.

He woke up a few hours later, feeling significantly better. He lifted himself up, settling in a sitting position. Three fillies were laying on the floor, a multitude of notebooks, pencils and randomly scattered pieces of paper around them. They were too busy with their homework to notice him.

“Let me guess, one of you must be Applebloom.” he said.

The fillies turned their heads at the same time.

“Yer awake, finally!” said one of the three. She was an Earth Pony, her amaranth mane kept in place by a pink bow. “And, yes, Ah’m Applebloom! Nice ta meet ya, Drew!”

Drew regarded her with a joyous grin, then he asked:

“And you two are?”

“I’m Scootaloo” the orange Pegasus said.

“And I’m Sweetie Belle” the little Unicorn squeaked.

“Together we are THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” they shouted in unison.

“We helped Applejack and Granny Smith take care of you” said Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah, but we didn’t get our nursing cutie mark” Applebloom retorted.

Suddenly, Applejack entered the room. She gave a stern look to the fillies.

“What’s up with all the ruckus?” then she addressed Drew “Ah hope these three didn’t wake ya with them yellin’ and stuff”

“It’s not their fault, AJ, I was already up. We were just making acquaintances.”

Applejack tipped her hat. “Ready ta meet the gang, Drew? They’re all here ta see their first human!”

Drew smiled. “Better don’t make them wait!”

Less than a minute after Applejack called, the bedroom was crowded with ponies. Applejack introduced them one by one.

“...and this is Doctor Horse, he came to check on ya”

The doctor extended one hoof, Drew promptly shook it. Then he proceeded to examine Drew thoroughly, checking his heart, lungs and bandages.

“To be honest, I’ve never seen somepony like you before, but it seems your body is recovering quite well. You have no fever and your breathing and heartbeat seem regular. There’s no concussion nor broken bones. You seem to have suffered a severe case of exhaustion, and you’re clearly underweight, but I’m positive that another four or five days of rest should be more than enough to fix you up. Be sure to eat well and drink plenty of water”

“Ah’ll take care of that” Granny Smith proudly said.

“I’d like to get up and stretch my legs a little”

“That’s a good sign,” the doctor said “just don’t push yourself too hard”

Drew carefully moved his legs, slowly letting his feet on the floor. Big Macintosh came closer, ready to catch him in case of fall. He gave one last push and finally got up, wobbling a little.

“Not bad” he said, turning to the bystanders.

Suddenly, an awkward silence fell in the bedroom. Every mare’s eyes went wide as dinner plates. Cheeks flushed red. Hooves were flung before the little fillies’ eyes. It took Drew a few seconds to realize he was completely naked, and every female in the room (except the younger ones) was staring at his private parts. Big Macintosh quickly covered him with the blanket.

The doctor chuckled. “Seems like your peculiar way of walking is causing problems to the audience. My prescription is one pair of pants to wear on a daily basis.”

Drew giggled nervously, his face redder than Big Mac. That’s one nice way to greet your new friends.

***

“... and that’s pretty much how I ended here.”

After fixing Drew some clothes, the group had moved to the living room downstairs. The ponies were all curious about him, and they all sat around Drew to listen to his story.

As Drew finished, an awkward silence fell in the room. Pinkie Pie was the first to speak.

“You tried to k-k-k-kill yourself ?”

Drew sighed. “Yes, Pinkie,” maybe I shouldn’t have told them “I know it’s foolish, but I really was hopeless. I just wanted to stop feeling miserable”

Pinkie bolted on him, almost crushing his ribcage in a killer hug.

“What kind of twisted meany-pants world is yours?” she said, tears forming in her eyes. “How is even possible to make somepony feel so bad that he gives up his own life?”

“Gosh, you must come from a really awful place” Rainbow Dash added.

“Rainbow! Watch your tongue!”

“She’s right, Twilight. My world is pretty messed up, indeed. But you know what? I’ve been given a second chance, thanks to Luna, and I’m not gonna let it slip!”

“That’s talking!” Applejack proudly said.

Pinkie’s hug tightened. “Hey, you know what that means?”

“That you’ll let me breathe again?” Drew said to Pinkie, his face mildly red from the lack of oxygen caused by her grip.

“Yes!” she chimed. “I mean, no! Wait, yes, I’ll let you breathe, but this also means...”

“Let me guess, a party?” Rainbow said before Pinkie could finish.

The doctor vigorously shook his head. “Sorry to be the one ruining your plans, Pinkie, but he still needs time to completely recover.”

Pinkie gave him her best puppy eyes, without results. Drew laughed heartily. Not much later, everypony said goodbye to the Apples and Drew, promising to come back the next day.

Later that night, Drew was awoken by a familiar voice ringing in his head. He got up, then walked to the window and looked out. Luna was beneath the bedroom window. She looked concerned, but her frown turned into a smile as she saw Drew.

Paying attention on not making any noise, Drew went downstairs to meet his savior.

Luna was even more magnificent than the last time he met her. She looked at Drew coming towards her, her smile growing wider at every step. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires.

“Looks like you’re getting better, my friend.”

“Yes, the Apples are taking good care of me. They’re amazing.”

Luna’s eyes velled for a moment. “I’m sorry for having left you there.”

“I suppose you had your reasons. Besides, you left me in good hands, erm... hooves.”

Her eyes lit once again. I knew it. I made the right choice.

“I have a present for you” Luna’s horn glowed, a guitar levitated towards Drew. “It’s not the one you used, but I hope this will do”

Drew run his fingers on the wood, smiling as he traced the shape of the guitar.

“It’s beautiful”

“May I ask to listen to you once more? I think there’s somepony else interested, too.”

Luna pointed a hoof behind him. Drew turned back and saw four familiar faces peeping from the main door. Drew smiled at them.

“Can’t disappoint my audience, can I?”

He sat on a stump, his fingers plucking the chords.

Come to decide that the things that I tried
Were in my life just to get high on

When I sit alone come get a little known
But I need more than myself this time

Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe that we rely on

When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice

Hey oh listen what I say oh
I got your
Hey oh now listen what I say oh

When will I know that I really can't go
To the well once more time to decide on

When it's killing me
When will I really see
All that I need to look inside

Come to believe that I better not leave
Before I get my chance to ride

When it's killing me
What do I really need
All that I need to look inside

Hey oh listen what I say oh
Come back and
Hey oh look at what I say oh

The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go... hey oh... whoa whoa

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go
In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it’s so white as snow

Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go

When to descend to amend for a friend
All the channels that have broken down

Now you bring it up
I’m gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out

Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe what we rely on

When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice

Hey oh listen what I say oh
I got your
Hey oh listen what I say oh

The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go... hey oh
Woah woah

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow

Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go.

I said hey oh yeah oh yeah, tell my love now.
Hey hey yeah oh yeah

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, a purple unicorn was busy searching through a pile of old dusty books.