Like rolling thunder, the strikes to her door startled Sunset in the early night. From her hazy eyes, she could make out half past ten. She had spent the whole first school week like this, and hoped she could finally get more sleep, but like a recurring nightmare, she sighed weakly and rose to her feet, silently moving toward the repeating knock. When she got there, she threw her weight on the doorknob, with what little strength she had recovered, to pull open the door.
Before her, she was spirited with wonder and confusion. Adagio stood just outside in her silk gown, dressed from her neck down in a pretty purple and trimmed with a lace of sky blue around the neck and cuffs. It took Sunset by storm, as she cocked her head behind Adagio.
Sure enough, Aria and Sonata were at the bottom of the stairs; also dressed in gowns. Sonata’s was multi-layered below the waist with light, almost transparent layers of blue. Aria had a light green dress, styled with her own sigil on the left side.
A small hint of uncertainty was about them, but they were content once they saw Sunset look over. They exchanged smiles at each other, and Sunset returned to Adagio. All three of them were dressed so elegantly, yet Sunset was fully aware she was in her old clothes from the morning. But through the light embarrassment, Adagio made a gesture behind her, pointing with her thumb towards the school building.
“What’s up with you? I never thought you’d be the type to skip out on a dance.” Adagio said in a soft voice. “And why are you still dressed?”
Sunset, recovering from the muffled ringing in her ears, barely held herself when she spoke.
“Sorry. I’ve been really tired these past few days. I just need to sleep.” Sunset was almost to closing the door before Adagio had held it open. Just like Rarity or Fluttershy, she wasn’t about to walk off without at least an explanation.
“That doesn’t sound like the Sunset I know. Even after three tests and a presentation, you still had the energy to argue with us before our audition last year.” Adagio prodded. “Besides, I’d thought you’d wanna see your friends perform. They’re going on at eleven to close the show.”
Sunset’s eyes had burst open at her words. A flame had ignited from the frictious build-up of envy and fatigue that awakened Sunset from her delusions. “She lied to me? Rainbow said she called it off. I don’t believe them!” In a fit of rage, she had completely forgotten Adagio’s existence. “Why did she do it? Why?” She continued.
Adagio knew what happened, how she had, indeed, overstayed her welcome; Rainbow had all but intervened at the sight of her. Truly disheartening to one already suffering.
“That was why I left at the diner.” Adagio said calmingly. “I saw Rainbow and knew she was angry, she probably saw you and me and thought the worst.”
“Just great!” Sunset resumed, “Just when we were getting better.”
Adagio leaned in closer—a gesture that caught Sunset off guard— to a whisper, she comforted her.
“Sunset,” she said, “Are they really your friends?”
“‘What do you mean?”
“They don’t sound like it. Friends don’t lie to each other. They can be stubborn, but not mean.”
Sunset dropped her head in weakness. A feeling of utter abandon shattered her life and created a new feeling; a feeling of revenge.
“You’re right,” Sunset looked at Adagio with respect, a new hope had arisen. “I don’t need friends like them. And I’m going to tell them that myself. Right here. Right now.”
Sunset, in her fatigued, uncouth appearance, started towards Aria and Sonata, Adagio following behind her. “Wait! You’re not seriously going to go over there dressed like that, are you?”
Sunset looked down and remembered she was still in her old clothes. In any other case, she would care, but a new aura of desire took control. She continued towards the school in a slow manner, saving every ounce of energy for Rainbow and her friends. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata kept up with her as she crossed the street and past the statue.
The sound of the mixer could be heard from outside the school. Sunset was about to step onto the stairs when Adagio spoke once more.
“Sunset,” she called, ordering the attention of Sunset. “Please don’t do this. Maybe Rainbow is just a little jealous. Can’t you give her a chance?”
“What do you care?” Sunset retorted, “You tried to break us up before. What’s different now?”
Adagio slowly came near Sunset, placing her arm on her shoulder.
“Now, I want to be your friend.” She said in a low voice. “I want to live a better life.”
Sunset was shocked. Adagio’s words left her with a faint feeling of remorse, but its distance had forgotten how to feel it.
Aria and Sonata comforted Adagio, as they all knew it was a touchy subject.
“We lived a thousand years,” Aria started, “the enemy of everyone, because we needed to survive.”
“But without our pendants,” Adagio added, “We’re just three average teenage girls. We can’t hurt anyone again.”
“Who did you hurt?” Sunset finally asked.
Adagio cleared her throat and spoke with a softness, reminiscent of the last moment she had being happy. “Everyone,” She said, “We hurt everyone, because we needed to eat, and the vegetation wasn’t satisfying us, anymore. We were different. All because of her.”
“Who?”
“Her name was Clover,” she began, “I remember she told us she wanted to show us something in the basement of the Crystal Tower, said it was her greatest achievement, and it will re-shape life as we knew it.” Adagio looked down, as if she regrets the mere words expelled from her mouth. “So we came, and she showed it to us. I still remember the shine in our reflection.”
Adagio recounted the events, and Sunset had felt a growing pain in the back of her head. They had come to see Clover succeed, but it soon became her greatest failure.
“That mirror,” Adagio continued, “she put these six gems on the edges, and we all stood back as the lights blinded us. The fear was unbearable. When we opened our eyes, there was someone… something else. It snapped its claw and we were never the same. We were feared and loathed, because we were different. All because of Clover.”
“You were clad in armor.” Sunset recalled. “Just getting back from an attack on Cloudsdale. “
Adagio’s eyes widened. Everyone’s did. Regret was still imminent. “That’s right. How did you…?”
The pain continued in Sunset’s head, now turning into a striking headache, forcing her to clutch her head. “And Aria and Sonata, Princess, Chancellor… Commander!”
The trio stood back in awe. Fear overtook them. “You know who we are?”
The pain, as quickly as it rose, dissipated, leaving her broken without understanding.
“I did this to you,” she said finally. “I’m Clover.”
Adagio looked at her with confusion, but soon, her disarray straightened itself, revealing her ultimate disgust.
“Clover? I don’t believe it,” she said, “there’s no way you actually survived. It’s been a thousand years.”
“I don’t remember. I just remembered who I am.”
Aria and Sonata stayed perplexed till that moment, reviving a lost courage that was relinquished from them.
“I’m happy you survived,” she said outright. “Now, we can make you suffer like you made us.”
“What?”
“You have no idea what it was like.” Aria joined, “Imagine how you would feel if you had nobody to love. Nobody to fall back on. Not one single shoulder to cry on, and the only company are stuck with you for a friggin’ millenia.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry’s not good enough. You need to feel our torture. And we’ll make sure of it.”
Picking Adagio up, Aria and Sonata left her alone. Defenseless to the cold night that had hung over all that time. On the cold ground, Sunset just stood there. Her body relaxing from fatigue, but stressed from the memory.
One thousand years passed without her knowledge, and nothing ever prepared her to know it. But she is still without her self. Something missing to tell her who she is. All she has is a name, nothing more. Clover The Clever.
With a light crash, her bookbag fell from her shoulders. She must’ve put it on in the fatigue of a waking morning. Inside, she found her book: her contact to Equestria. She had completely forgotten she took it. Feeling the time was right, she took it out and sat herself down on the asphalt next to the monument that doubles as an inactive portal to Equestria. Pen in hand, she writes to her Equestrian friend.
Dear Twilight,
I think my signature will explain enough. I don’t know how I did it, but I survived. I’m still Sunset, but I’m not. I remember my name, but I don’t know who I am. Please, come by when you can. Scratch that, Get over here now! I need a friend. Please!
Clover The Clever
Almost with ease, her hand wrote her signature as if she had been doing it for years, but the script is foreign. Just like the book. In fact, everything appeared foreign under the night sky. Slowly remembering the past makes even the present look distant.
While in a daze of concentration, she hardly noticed Fluttershy, who had come out for fresh air a few minutes ago. When she turned her head, she saw Sunset, and went over to see her. Both had thoughts that were never said, but the scent of her perfume triggered her to see her, a faint smile was forced onto her face.
“Hey, Fluttershy. How’s it going?” Sunset tried to hold back her sorrow.
“I’m good. How ‘bout you?” She expressed, placing her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. Sunset wasn’t deceiving her.
“I don’t know.” She said simply.
“Is what Rainbow said true? She told me that you were friends with Adagio and her friends before us.”
“I guess you could say that, but we just broke up. Good riddance.” Sunset said in a huff.
“Why did you do it?” Fluttershy asked, on the verge of letting tears fall down her innocent face. “Why did you befriend them?”
Sunset was baffled. “It was so long ago. I wasn’t who I am today. I have you, now, and that’s all that matters.”
“You planned it. Messing up our performance, fiddling with our amps. You even tripped Rainbow on our way out of that stage.”
“What? No. I didn’t do that… I mean, not on purpose. I’m still learning how be a good friend..”
“Still learning. Is that your excuse? Rainbow is a good friend. She isn’t a liar.”
“I never said that. Rainbow jumped to a conclusion,” Sunset rose her voice. “I hated them, then. I hated them a thousand years ago. I hate them now! Don’t make me hate any of you… please.”
“A thousand years ago? None of us were alive that long ago. How gullible do you think I am…”
Fluttershy took a deep breath, and said finally, “I will ask you one more time. Did you befriend The Dazzlings before us?”
“They weren’t who they are now. That’s the truth.”
“I believe you,” she said softly. “I gotta go, we still have to perform. Rainbow delayed it for me cause I need fresh air before a performance. Go home and get some sleep. You need it.”.
It took Sunset the whole of the hour to return home, taking every precious second to savor what she had just done. At the clock’s hand of 1:00 AM, she finally went to sleep, hoping this was just another nightmare, and she can forgive and forget.