//------------------------------// // Chapter 34: To Woo Applejack // Story: A Search for Something More // by HAKDurbin //------------------------------// It's the school week after my birthday, and things are better than ever. After Sunset and I confessed our love for one another, we've become practically inseparable. Every day I am excited to see her with my locket always around my neck. When we're not in separate classes or with our respective group of friends, we've been at each other's side during lunch period or secretly holding hands when we sit next to each other during English class with Miss. Cheerilee. But the best time of the day is when school ends, and we can stay in the halls and do nothing but makeout. Or as my new girlfriend likes to call it, make up for lost time. We part for a moment from our current make out, and Sunset looks at me with a pleased smile as we remain wrapped in each other's arms. "Well, this was well worth waiting all day for," she says. "Yes, yes, it was," I say, smiling back. "To think that we would be like this less than a year after the whole thing with the Spring Fling. Could you imagine the old you finding out that this is what happens between her and one of her former lackeys?" Sunset laughs out loud at the idea. "I can't stop imagining how she would be horrified that I would go from using you to kissing you with love," she says. "Neither can I," I say before a thought enters my mind. "Speaking of which, you said that the kisses from our date were your very first." "Yeah, so?" Sunset asks. "Well, not that I don't believe you or anything, but are you really telling me you never had one mouth to mouth kiss when you were dating Flash Sentry?" I ask. Sunset smirks and proudly says, "Nope, not even him. It's like I said, he's a nice guy, but I never liked him, liked him. I flirted and pretended to be nice to him and everything, but when it came to kissing, it never went to more than a few times on the cheek as part of my act. Going mouth to mouth is all you, babe." "Well, it's lovely to know that you saved that for someone that you -" I begin before I realize something else. "Did you just call me babe?" "I did," Sunset says with a flirtatious smile. "I'm not normally one for nicknames, but given how cute you are when you blush, I think a name like babe is perfect for a cutie like you." "Uh, please don't," I say bashfully with my cheeks heating up. "If I don't get to say it, I'll find a new way to make you blush, Mr. Draft," Sunset says teasingly. "Perhaps you would like something to make you really turn red like sweetie-kins or honey bunny or cutie pie or cuddle -" "Okay, okay, babe it is!" I exclaim my face dark red. "That's better," Sunset says pleased. "Now, where were we?" My bashful face turns into a flirtatious one as I say, "I think I remember," before we begin kissing again until... "Hey, cut it out, you two!" We break apart to see Soarin, Caramel, and Big Mac standing next to us. "Who says you two get to make out as much as you want?" Soarin demands. "Aw, quit complaining and go make out with Rainbow Dash or something," I say before I go back to kissing Sunset. "Well, I'd love to, if she wasn't at - oh I don't know, band practice," Soarin says. Immediately, Sunset breaks the kiss and gasps loudly. "Oh my gosh, I forgot!" She says. "Rainbow and the others must be waiting for me!" "Aw, can't they go through one practice without you?" I plead. "Sorry, babe, but I'm one of the lead singers," she says, sadly before she pulls me in for one quick kiss. "We'll just have to continue this later." I groan in disappointment before I smile at her. "Okay. Text me when you're done," I say. "I will. I love you!" She calls out as she begins racing to the music room. "I love you too!" I call out as she disappears before I give Soarin a deathly glare. "Really, bro? We're trying to make up for lost time, and you're gonna pull that on me?" "Hey, we're happy you two are finally together, man, but fair is fair," Soarin says. "The Rainbooms have practice, so that means if Big Mac and I can't make out with our girls, then neither can you." "Eeyup," Big Mac says plainly. I huff in annoyance, still displeased with having my make-out session with my girlfriend interrupted. "Hey, come on, Rough Draft, you've been making out with her all week," Caramel says. "You probably kissed her over the past few days more times than you ever did in three months with Octavia. Don't you think you two should be taking it easy by now?" "Not while it still doesn't feel like we've made up for lost time, it doesn't," I answer "And believe me, if I don't feel like we haven't caught up yet, you can bet all of your characters on The Old Republic that Sunset does." "Well, that's fair," Soarin admits. "She's been waiting for this a lot longer than you have." "Heh, as the guy who gets to kiss her, I can honestly say you have no idea," I say with a proud smirk. "But enough about Sunset and me. What brings you over here, Big Mac? We don't normally see you here apart from when you help Granny at the cafeteria." Big Mac gives me a small chuckle before he responds. "Well, since the girls are at practice and I just finished my chores at the farm early, I thought you'd guys would be down for a guy's hang out," he explains. "It's been some time since I've hung out with just guys since most of my friends are long gone after graduation." I smile at this idea. "Well, I can't recall the last time we had a guys night out all semester, so that sounds like a good idea," I say. "Do you have anything in mind." "Uh, not much apart from the arcade or something like that," He admits. "Truth be told, I never really did much aside from that back when I was still going to this school." "Hey, that's alright, man, neither do we," Soarin says. "But hey, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" ********************************************************************************************* It turns out that hanging out at the arcades with Big Mac is more fun than the three of us thought. He is reasonably skilled with some of the older games, and every now and then, we would get a little competitive with him over who is the best at certain video games. He manages to hold his own, which is more than can be said for poor Caramel who tries to hit the jackpot on one of the games, still claiming, "I'm going to get it this time!" every time he loses. Occasionally, Sunset texts me between songs during rehearsal that I reply when the guys are not looking. Most of our secret conversations included asking how the other is doing and how she's looking forward to "catch up" some more, which makes me smile. Eventually, the four of us decide to take a break and grab some pizza at the dining hall with Big Mac buying. We feast for a few minutes before Big Mac decides to speak. "So, there's a reason why I asked to bring the three of you together today," he says. Soarin, Caramel, and I stop eating and look at Big Mac curiously before he continues. "I wanted to come to you guys for a certain matter," he says. "Uh, are you planning to propose to Fluttershy or something?" I ask. Big Mac's face turns deep red, and he waves his hands frantically at me. "No, no, nothing like that!" He exclaims. "Actually, it has more to do with Caramel." Caramel looks at Big Mac even more confused. "Why me?" He asks. Big Mac hesitates for a moment before he replies, "I'll get right to the point, I know you still have feelings for AJ, and I'd like to help you finally have a chance with her." Soarin, Caramel, and I stare at Big Mac in silence. Of all things, we did not expect him to say anything like that, least of all, Caramel. "W-what?" He says. "You heard me," Big Mac says firmly. "I think AJ needs to finally get out of her stubborn feelings about datin' and stuff, and I know you are the boy to do it." "But, but why do you want to help me?" Caramel asks. Big Mac sighs before he answers. "Caramel, you three, AJ, Fluttershy, and the rest of your friends are going to graduate at the end of May, and I imagine you are probably gonna want to go to a college not too far from here." I frown at Big Mac mentioning that we'll be graduating soon. Knowing that feels like getting together with Sunset now is unfortunate timing. I don't know where I'm gonna go to college, but I imagine Sunset might go to a different one. Now I look forward to seeing her again, even more, to make the most of the time we have left of high school. "Well yeah," Caramel answers. "I've been debating between Canterlot U and Crystal State, but I'm thinking of going to a community college first." "Thought as much," Big Mac says. "I bring that up because I think it's time you and AJ settle the matter of your feelings for one another. The both of you have been going back and forth on how to act towards one another and after the whole thing with Rough Draft implying that you think so much of her that you wrote a song for her -" "Hey, Rough Draft never said it was about her!" Caramel counters with his cheeks turning a little red. "And you're not saying that it isn't," Big Mac points out. Caramel stutters for a moment, trying to counter Big Mac's point, but after a moment, he accepts that he's cornered and sighs in defeat. "Okay fine, it is a song about her," he says while giving me a death glare for bringing it up. "But why would you want to help me figure things out between your sister and me?" "Because I know what it's like not to try to figure out your feelings until it's too late," Big Mac answers. The three of us look at him, confused again before Soarin asks, "What do you mean?" Big Mac sighs sadly before he answers. "Well, Rough Draft wouldn't know since he started coming here last year, but do the two of you remember Sugar Belle?" He asks Caramel and Soarin. "Sugar Belle, the student president during our freshman year?" Soarin asks. "Eeyup. The very same." Big Mac says. "Yeah, I remember a little about her," Caramel answers. "She had these curly, purple pigtails, used to sell her homemade sweets during lunch, and was adored by everyone. She was like an anti-Sunset Shimmer before the Fall Formal." "Hmmm. Well, I do recall Sunset telling me that she had a little trouble becoming popular during freshman year because of the student body president at the time," I say. "She was pretty beloved back then," Soarin says. "She sure was," Big Mac says with a small smile. "Anyway, I knew her since middle school. I was in the sixth grade, she was in the eighth grade, we went to the same youth group, and from the first day we met I had a huge crush on her." "Seriously?" Both Caramel and Soarin say simultaneously. "Seriously," Big Mac answers. "She was so kind and pretty that even though we were friends, I barely dared to say anything to her while she would talk and talk and talk. Applejack used to tease me about her all the time because she and Granny would often see me talking with her whenever they came to pick me up from youth group. We lost touch when she graduated from middle school and started going to CHS, but it was a happy occasion for me when she first saw me in the halls come my freshman year and her junior year. During that time, I started teasing the idea of asking her out, but I was so shy that I never tried anything. In retrospect, I feel I should have, cause I used to think that she liked me that way too. Whenever we looked at each other from separate sides of our high school youth group's room, she would give me a small, cute smile and give a little wave that I would return -" "Yup, she did," Soarin interrupts with a grin. "If a girl is giving you that kind of look from a distance, that pretty much states that she has a thing for you. If Rainbow Dash weren't the kind of girl who dislikes the game of romance, I'd like to think I would have caught that she was waiting for me to make a move ages ago. That kind of thing is as obvious as any hint Sunset gave Rough Draft." I glare at Soarin while Big Mac chuckles lightly. "Well, I guess it's nice to know that for what it's worth," He says with a shrug. "All the same, I never dared to say anything that would have led to asking Sugar Belle to at least dinner. I even helped her with her campaign for student body president by making campaign fliers and convincing a few students from my year to vote for her, but I never made a move on her once. We ended up seeing less of each other the next year apart from passing each other by in the halls. She was so busy with being student president, and I started to have more responsibilities at the farm. The most I saw her that year was at the end of the year, where we did get to say goodbye before she left for college. Part of me wishes that I said something about how she felt about me just for the sake of some closure. Last I heard, she got married to someone she met during college and is already expecting a baby." None of us say anything for a moment before Caramel finally speaks. "What does this have to do with my feelings for Applejack?" He asks. "Well, I know you've been crushing on her for so long, and she would kill me for saying this, but I know she's starting to develop feelings for you," Big Mac answers. Soarin and I look at each other again before we turn to Caramel, whose cheeks are burning at this point. "Q-quit joking around," he says. "I ain't joking," Big Mac says seriously. "She has feelings for you but is too stubborn and confused to admit it. Meanwhile, you are going back and forth between staying friends with her and still wanting to be more. It's high time that you two settle the matter before you go your separate ways." "But what if she still rejects me?" Caramel asks. "I don't think I can deal with that again." "It's better than not trying at all," Big Mac says. "For a long time, I regretted not saying a thing about my feelings for Sugar Belle. The only silver lining was that it helped me not make the same mistake with Fluttershy, and I couldn't be happier because of it. She's my precious ray of hope and kindness. I'd go through the shame of not saying a word to Sugar Belle a million times if that was what it took to become the one person that makes Fluttershy happy." "Awww!" I say. "That's sweet, Big Mac." Caramel rolls his eyes at this. "Of course a hopeless romantic like you would like that, Rough Draft," he says. "Hey, I may be a hopeless romantic, but at least that's landed me two girlfriends over the school year. Respect the expert, bro," I say proudly. "Didn't both girls say "I love you" first? Twice in Sunset's case?" Caramel asks smugly. I frown in embarrassment before I say, "Please continue, Big Mac." Big Mac nods before he says, "I want to help you because I can see in your eyes that you mean to treat my sister right, and I think it's high time she gets rid of her stubborn feelings about love." Caramel stares at Big Mac speechless. A small smile forms on his face before he speaks again. "I appreciate that I have your support, Big Mac, but how can you be sure that we'll get Applejack out of her negative feelings about love?" He asks. "Well, Granny and I have an idea that just might do the trick," he answers. Caramel hesitates at those words. "An idea? I don't know; I haven't had the best track record of wooing AJ based on an idea," he says. "Yes, but those were ideas from Soarin and Rough Draft who don't know how to help a guy like you woo AJ. No offense you two," he says, turning to me and Soarin, who both make gestures of saying, "None taken," before he turns back to Caramel. "Besides, who better to help you than her big brother?" Caramel hesitates. He turns to me and Soarin, who shrugs in response. "He's got a point, bro," Soarin says. "Who better to help you than her brother?" "Ditto," I say in agreement. Caramel sighs before he turns to Big Mac with a small hopeful smile. "Okay, I'll do it," he says. "What's your plan?" Big Mac smiles before he responds. "Well you're not going to like this at first, but this involves your song -" "Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope, you lost me," Caramel says immediately, his face turning red. "I plan to take that song to my grave." Big Mac chuckles lightly at Caramel's reaction. "I know it sounds like a bad idea, but I think it's the best way of showing that you want more than just friendship," he says. "You see AJ may believe that romance is nothing but silly stuff, but me, Fluttershy, Sunset, Rainbow, and the others agree that she tends to be touched when those 'silly things' happen to her. She only thinks she dislikes it because she hasn't experienced it before, and yet she seems to want to get to know you and be with you more and more since the first time you tried to make a move on her at Pinkie's party. At this point, I think all it takes is one big push, with you becoming brave enough to sing the song you wrote for her that should do the trick." "How do you know?" Caramel challenges. "You don't even know how the song goes. For all you know, it could be total crap that you wouldn't want your worst enemy to hear." "If you feel that way, Fluttershy is willing to help," Big Mac says. "My girl would be more than happy to help anyone with a song they are writing. It's just how passionate she is about music. She even helped Sunset Shimmer with writing her song for Rough Draft." "That's true," I comment. "I think Sunset has told me once that she could not have expressed what she wanted to say without Fluttershy that day." "You better believe it," Big Mac says proudly. "That's one of the things I love about my girl; she's always willing to help." Caramel thinks about what Big Mac is saying for another moment before he speaks again. "So you think that the best way to Applejack's heart is to continue to do ridiculous things to woo her," he says. "Forgive me if I find that the most far-fetched thing I've heard in trying to get with the love of my life in a while." "I don't know, dude," I say. "The love of my life was a talking unicorn from another world who turned into a raging she-demon that brainwashed us and then started secretly pursuing me even when I wanted to persecute her in front of the whole world. I think we can agree that what Big Mac is suggesting is not quite as crazy as the things Sunset did before she finally made me hers." "True that," Soarin says. "Besides, he's offering to have Fluttershy help rewrite the song. That should make it a million times better than Revan and the Soaring Revanites could ever have made it. Plus, both Rough Draft and I are together with our girls and have confessed our love for them already. Shouldn't you who has been dreaming of being with AJ longer than either of us have longed to be with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Octavia, or Sunset Shimmer combined to get that chance to do the same?" Caramel thinks about this for a moment before an encouraging smile grows on his face. "Alright, I'll do it," he announced. "Atta boy," I say encouragingly as Soarin pats him on the back, and Big Mac gives him a small smile. "So, what's the plan, Big Mac?" "Well fellas, if we could quickly make our way to Caramel's place so that Fluttershy can take a look at the song after the Rainboom's rehearsal, we just might be able to pull this off by the end of the night," ********************************************************************************************* Shortly after Big Mac gave us the whole plan, we left the arcade and met up with Fluttershy, who left Rainbooms rehearsal early to take a look at Caramel's song. She made a few adjustments and then texted Rainbow Dash, Sunset, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie to meet us at Sweet Apple Acres for a quick rehearsal. Applejack started running some errands after Rainbooms rehearsal and said she won't be home until later, which Big Mac and Fluttershy believes is just about enough time to rehearse the song to perfection back at Sweet Apple Acres. "You sure you guys can get a song ready just like that in just a couple hours?" Soarin asks. "What can I say, my doubting man? We're pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash says proudly. "You should've seen how quickly we were ready to perform one of Fluttershy's songs before fighting Sonata and her sisters at the Battle of the Bands minutes after deciding to use one despite never practicing her songs before. We'll have the song ready for AJ in no time." "Or at least we will be as soon as Mr. Draft is done snogging with one of our guitarists," Rarity says with her arms crossed as she turns to me and Sunset who are making out by the barn entrance. "Do you think you two could keep to yourself for ten minutes?" We part for a moment before Sunset smirks at her friend and says, "Don't hold your breath, Rarity." Rarity glares at me, and I shrug in response. "Sorry, Rares. What my lady says goes," I say before the kissing continues. "Humph, I'm starting to like you better when you were moping over Octavia Melody," Rarity grumbles. "Come on, Rough Draft, you said you want me to have a real chance with my crush," Caramel groans. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner you two can smother each other with kisses with no interruptions." Sunset and I part again and sigh in annoyance. "Hate to say it, Sunset, but he's right," I say. "Yeah, I know," she groans. "But you better be ready for more after this, babe." "As you wish, my sunrise," I say. Sunset gives me a skeptical smirk at the name. "Coming up with a pet name for me, eh?" She says. "It's a work in progress," I say. "I was debating between Sunny and Sunrise." Sunset rolls her eyes in amusement. "Well, then you should take this time to think of the perfect one while I'm helping your best friend," she says. "As you wish," I say before we peck each other's lips, and she returns to her spot with Caramel and the Rainbooms. They practice a few more times with me and Soarin watching them. Caramel is struggling with his voice because he usually doesn't do much singing. When we first wrote this song back when we were trying to enter the Battle of the Bands as Revan and the Soaring Revanites, he planned to have it be the first song we sing during the first round of the competition. Because he was so shy at the time, he wanted me to sing it while he was still on drums, so that way, Applejack wouldn't suspect anything since he's not singing, and the lyrics don't contain her name. Just as Fluttershy used "Music in my Soul" to express her love for music without getting attention, so too Caramel wanted to express his feelings for Applejack without anyone noticing him. So with his song redesigned to his singing voice and everything, he's feeling more pressure within each rehearsal. His voice is getting more off-key as his nerves kept getting to him. Eventually, Rainbow Dash tells the Rainbooms to stop playing in mid-rehearsal and confronts him. "Okay, seriously, Caramel, what's the big deal?" She asks. "You wrote this thing, and you should be used to how it goes by now. AJ's gonna be here any minute!" "That's what I'm afraid of," he says. "Seeing the sun set indicating that Applejack could be here soon is just driving my nerves crazy." "Really, Caramel," Rarity ridicules. "It shouldn't be that hard to just get it over with." "You don't know that," Caramel claims. "You guys don't know what it's like to be afraid to be rejected." "Uh, buddy, I felt that hundreds of times with Rough Draft," Sunset says, causing everyone to turn to her. "You think I wasn't worried about that when I started having feelings for him, knowing he still hated my guts? I was so afraid to even talk to him during Pinkie's party that I should get a medal for having the courage to ask him if he wanted to dance. It hurt when he shook his head no, and it felt like more rejection when he started dating Octavia." "What's your point, Sunset?" Caramel asks "The point is I know where you're coming from," Sunset answers. "I've been afraid of rejection and even experienced it first hand. If Rough Draft hadn't come asking for my forgiveness when he did during the Anon-a-Miss incident, I don't know what I would have done. But I know it was worth it because eventually, we started to become real friends, and he was the one who asked me on a real date. I screamed at the top of my lungs, I was so happy." "Ah, that would explain why I heard a high-pitched scream out in the halls that day," I say, smiling. "You better believe it, babe," she says, giving me a flirty look that turns my purple cheeks pink before she turns to Caramel with a serious look again. "What I'm trying to say is don't think about the negative things that could happen. Remember, the worst case that can happen is your crush hating you, and even then, there is hope. I experienced that, and in the end, Rough Draft finally became my boyfriend. " She walks over to Caramel and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Just think about what Applejack means to you and focus on that with your song," she says. "Worry about the rest later." Caramel hesitates before he takes out a deep breath and gives Sunset a small, hopeful smile. "Okay, I'll give it a try," he says. Sunset smirks and pats him on the shoulder before she walks over to her spot and readies her guitar. The rest of the Rainbooms get ready for another reversal with Caramel looking more prepared to give it his all. Soarin stands next to me, eagerly waiting for them to start. But as they are getting ready, I notice a figure standing by the farm window, watching Caramel and the band get ready. It takes a moment before I realize that it's Applejack home earlier than Big Mac planned. She notices me and quickly places her finger on her mouth, telling me to be quiet. My eyes widen at her sudden appearance, but I calmly nod my head in acknowledgment before turning to the others who have not noticed her unexpected arrival. The next thing I know, Pinkie Pie is already counting to four, hitting her drum sticks before Rarity begins the song with a decorative piano tune with the keytar. Eventually, the rest of the band follows Rarity's tune with Rainbow Dash playing bass. I turn to Applejack, who looks at Caramel intently as he begins to sing. I never knew I could meet someone like her Someone who can touch me to the core She makes all I've known a blur Day by day, she's the person I genuinely adore. Cause nobody handles things their way like her cause everyone wants their problems handled for them. Someone who stands to take matters themselves There's gotta be somebody for her like that. Instantly the world is a brand new place, Suddenly there's a hope I dream to embrace Suddenly all I can think is her conscientious face and all the family love that surrounds her. Cause nobody handles things their way like her cause everyone wants their problems handled for them. Someone who stands to take matters themselves There's gotta be somebody for her like that. And no one attends to things so strong and smart But everyone shouldn't have to live alone Some lucky guy who's worthy of her heart A special one's arms that she can call home. With the extended chorus sung, Rainbow Dash steps in for a bass solo. Caramel watches her play with a small smile, as his best friend's girlfriend carries out the heartfelt solo that he wrote many months ago. I glace at Applejack, who has a warm smile enters her face, knowing that Caramel wrote this song from his heart. Her eyes are still glued to him as Rainbow Dash finished his part, and Caramel begins to sing the bridge. Hair as long and bright as hay Eyes as green as half the apples she harvests Through the good and bad, the plenty and famine I could be one for her. Cause nobody handles things their way like her When everyone wants their problems handled for them. Someone who knows how to take matters themselves There's gotta be somebody for her like that. And no one attends to things so strong and smart But everyone shouldn't have to live alone Some lucky guy who's worthy of her heart A special one's arms that she can call home. After playing a few more notes, the song ends, and Caramel and the others look at each other satisfied with their practice performance. But my eyes stay on Applejack, who keeps her warm smile on her face as she leans on the window ledge and starts clapping, immediately catching everyone else's attention. Big Mac, Soarin, Sunset, and the other Rainbooms are surprised while Caramel is turning red all over his face as he stares at Applejack in shock. "Uh, hey sis, you're home early," Big Mac says with a nervous grin. "The construction store closed before I could get the rest of the things we need for the fence," she answers. "How long were you watching?" Sunset asks. "Saw the whole show," Applejack says plainly. Caramel lets out a quiet, nervous whimper. His entire face has turned dark red at this point, and the rest of us are unsure of what Applejack is going to say. "Caramel, can I talk to you for a second?" Applejack asks. "Outside?" "Uh, sure," Caramel says bashfully. With all the calmness he can muster, Caramel awkwardly walks out of the barn and follows Applejack to talk several yards away from the barn. The rest of us watch inside, unable to hear a thing they're saying. After a couple of minutes, I decide to walk over to Sunset, who is watching Applejack and Caramel intently. I sneak up behind her and wrap my arm around her waist while standing beside her. "Hey there," she says, not looking away but smiles, knowing I'm there. "Hey," I say. "How do you think it's looking?" "I don't know," Sunset says. "I hope she liked it." "I think she did," I say. "I saw her while you were playing." "Seriously?" she asks, turning to me. "Seriously," I answer. "I saw her right as you started the song. She gestured not to alert her presence before I could say anything. Guess that means she wanted to watch." Sunset looks at me, surprised for a moment before she smiles and turns back to watching Applejack and Caramel. "Well, that leaves room for optimism," she says. "Hopefully, that means Caramel will get what he's desired for so long." "Agreed," I say before I frown. "Speaking of which, did I really make it that hard for you when you were secretly chasing me all fall?" Sunset frowns and turns to look at me, worried. "You're not feeling guilty about it, are you?" She asks. I sigh before I answer. "Can you blame me?' I ask, sadly. "It's taken so long for me to forgive you much less begin to fall in love with you for real. Plus, it's only three months before we graduate, and we might end up going to different colleges or something. I just wish I wasn't so -" "Stop it," she instructs. "You're not helping anyone by feeling guilty. What's important is that we're together now. We had our challenges, and we ended up together in spite of them. There's nothing left to concern yourself with except you and me." I smile as she wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my right shoulder. "Guess you're right; the past is in the past," I say. "And hey, if all goes well for Caramel and AJ, they can face the problem of only having a limited time left with us. We could pretend they owe us for all the help/attempt to help that we've given them all year." "Sounds like a date," Sunset says, chuckling before she frowns. "Speaking of the past staying in the past, does the way I'm hugging you and laying my head on your shoulder make you think of you-know-who since she did do this a lot? Be honest." It takes a moment before I get what she's asking, and I chuckle. "No, no, it doesn't," I answer. "If anything, she favored my left shoulder as opposed to my right, which you are getting comfortable on." "Good to know," she says with a smile. "From now on, this shoulder is my spot, and the other is forbidden." I snicker and ask, "Did you just declare my left shoulder as tainted?" "Hey, the less I remind you of your ex, the better," Sunset says seriously as her grip around me tightens in a possessive manner. "She quickly replaced you with some Prench nobody leaving you a hollow version of yourself, and I'm never going to forgive her for that. Besides, you're my cute, nerdy boyfriend now, not hers, and I will make sure you do not forget it." I smile at her determination and kiss her forehead sweetly. "I couldn't forget that if my life depended on it," I say. "As you said, the only thing to concern ourselves with is you and me." Sunset lifts her head and looks at me sweetly, and our lips connect until Rainbow Dash jumps at our moment. "Hey, I thought we told you two to cut it out!" She rebukes. "Oh, grow up and go make out with Soarin, Rainbow," I ridicule. "Besides, the show's over, and we're just waiting for AJ to finish talking to Caramel." "Um, that's not entirely true," Fluttershy says quietly as she points at Caramel, who is walking toward us with his head down while Applejack enters the house. We look at him worryingly as he stops just a couple feet away from us. "Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asks. For a moment, there is no answer, and we grow worried. Before any of us can say anything else, however, Caramel slowly lifts his head to reveal the biggest grin that his face could muster. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded both raspy and high-pitched. "S-she asked me to...to dinner," he manages to say. It takes a moment before we all break into words of amazement at this news. "Oh my gosh, did she seriously?" I exclaim. "Y-yeah, she did," Caramel stutters starting to look a little dazed from this information. "She said that I was a little off on the high notes and some of the lyrics still needed work which given what Fluttershy had to work with, I think we all can agree on. But she thought it was sweet, and she wanted to say more, during dinner." "Atta boy, Caramel!" Soarin cheers. "You did it, man! You wooed Applejack! You got her to ask you on a date!" At that moment, Caramel's big grin turned into a face full of shock. We all look at each other in worry again as he starts stuttering. "A-A-Applejack...asked...m-m-me... on a d-d-d-" "Uh, Caramel, I'm happy for you and all," Rainbow Dash begins, concerned. "But please keep yourself together before you-" *WUMP* "...faint." ********************************************************************************************* Caramel is out like a light bulb, so Soarin decides to take him home, and Rainbow Dash reluctantly joins him while the rest of the group decides to disband for the night. Sunset and I get on her motorcycle and head to my house, planning to watch a movie while making out. Eventually, we make it to my front yard, and she parks on the sidewalk. I reluctantly let go of my girlfriend for a moment for us to hop off and take off our helmets before we rejoin in each other's arms and walk over to my front porch. "So, what do you feel like watching?" I ask. "I don't know. Do you have any good romance films we can watch while we 'make up for lost time?'" She asks. I chuckle at her query. "I'm sure there are one or two romantic comedies in our film collection that will do the trick," I assure. "Good," she says with a pleased smirk. "We've been interrupted too many times today, and I intend to keep you in my arms until -" Suddenly, she stops walking. I turn my head to her to see her looking confused. "What?" I ask. Sunset points down past me to the bushes next to the driveway. I look at the bushes confused until I notice that there's a small, wrapped box with a green bow under one of the bushes. Sunset and I look at each other, confused before I pick it up and find a note tied to the wrapped box. "What does it say?" Sunset asks. "Just my name," I say, even more confused. "Is this a birthday present that was dropped during your party or something?" She asks. "No, everyone invited was there and had a gift for me," I say. "So that leaves the question of who's it from." "Maybe what's inside will give us an idea," she suggests. I hesitate at the idea of just opening this mysterious present, but it does have my name on it, so I decide it's worth a shot. I pull off the ribbon and tear off the purple wrapping to see a white box inside, I open it, and I see... "A necklace?" Sunset asks. "Not just a necklace," I say excitedly. "It's a necklace with the symbol of the Jedi Order during the Old Republic era. This is awesome!" Sunset looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "You like this instantly, don't you?" she asks skeptically. "Well, not enough that I'm going to wear it," I say with a nervous chuckle. "Obviously, I'm gonna stick to wearing my locket, thank you very much. This, on the other hand, is still cool. Maybe I can find a spot for it next to some of my other Star Wars stuff on my desk." "Well, I'm glad you like it," Sunset says with a bright smile before her concerned look returns. "That said, I wonder who gave it to you. Are you sure there isn't anyone we know who knows how much you like Star Wars or that it was your birthday?" "Not really," I say. "The only other person who would know about my love for Star Wars is...well...you-know-who, and it wouldn't make sense because she still hates me as far as I know, and I never told her or my old friends when my birthday is. Plus, even if it were her, that still wouldn't explain what it's doing under one of my mom's bushes." Sunset frowns at this. "I wonder who could have left this for you," she says. "I do too," I say as we continue to stare at the necklace still kept inside the box before I shrug. "Well, we can ask the others tomorrow and see if they have any ideas. Besides, what are we still standing here for? There's cuddling and kissing to do." Sunset's concerned face turns into a flirty one, and she wraps her arms around me again. "Then lead the way, babe," she says. "As you wish, my sunshine," I say. Sunset looks at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow "Is that what you came up with?" she asks. I smile as I wrap my arms around her and lean my head until our foreheads touch. "Given how you have been my bright ray of hope and happiness since New Year's Eve, I'm going to say yes," I say sincerely. "You truly are my sunshine." Sunset blushes at my words, and I chuckle mischievously. "Look who's blushing now?" I taunt. Sunset looks away, trying to hide her blush, but her cute, bashful attempt only makes me laugh and kiss her on the cheek. "I love you," I whisper in her ear with a singing voice. Sunset turns her head back to face me and gives me a loving smile. "I love you too," she says back, happy to say those words to me. I smile as our lips meet again, and we carefully make our way to the front door and enter my house to watch a movie while we kiss and cuddle for the next couple hours.