3rd person P.O.V.
"You finished already, Doc?"
It's been two days since the Friendship Games, and the E.M.R. has been hard at work. Vinyl and Doc have been adjusting future weapons and means of defense in Vinyl's basement. Currently, Doc is making the final touches on a giant machine that looks like a giant microwave with a large container, and a scanner plugged into it.
"Patience, my friend," Doc says, not looking at Vinyl as he tinkers with the machine. "We only get one shot at this, and we do not want to mess it up."
"I'm sure you won't, cuddle muffin," Derpy says, who is standing next to Doc holding a case of tools for him while he works. "You're good with all this tech and math stuff."
"Thank you, dear," Doc says before he gives Derpy a quick peck on the cheek, making her blush before he goes back to focusing on the machine.
"Yeah, well, you better be right about that, Derpy," Vinyl says with her arms crossed. "After that other Twilight nearly destroyed the world, we need to be prepared more than ever in case something worse happens."
"But how do we know that there will be another magical attack?" Lyra asks while sitting on a couch with Bon Bon as they wait for Doc to finish making his machine. "I mean, what happened at the Friendship games was only because our world's Twilight found out how to steal magic and didn't know what was going to happen when she used it."
"That might be, but she still turned into Midlight Sprinkle or whatever the Rainbooms are calling that thing she turned into, and that drove her to nearly destroy the world," Vinyl says. "We can't take that chance to let the Rainbooms handle this themselves anymore if people can take their magic and they almost got eaten by man-eating plants."
"They were pretty lucky that Rainbow Dash was able to transform so that she could fight off those things without her guitar," Bon Bon admits. "Not to mention how all of them still had enough magic for Sunset Shimmer to turn into whatever she turned into to stop Midnight Sparkle."
"Exactly," Vinyl says. "We don't know what is going on with their magic, and neither do they. We need to be prepared more than ever if anything close to what happened at the Friendship Games happens again."
"Funny how you're acting so hostile to the Rainbooms again despite helping Rainbow and Pinkie Pie with their music during the Friendship Games," Bon Bon says skeptically.
"Eh, what can I say? I'm cautious, but the DJ in me can't deny a good beat," Vinyl says, shrugging before giving Bon Bon a skeptical smirk back. "Besides, you're the one to talk about acting out of character after you and Flash Sentry baked a loaf of bread in a cake baking contest at the decathlon. Seriously, you're all about baking sweets, and the best you come up with is bread with some sprinkles on top?"
Bon Bon blushes nervously and avoids eye contact from Vinyl.
"Flash never baked before, and he looked so cute when he was ashamed to admit it, so I wanted to help him with something simple," she says.
"And a loaf of bread was your choice in the middle of a big competition?" Vinyl ridicules. "Heck, even making Prench bread would have made more sense with or without those stupid sprinkles since that's like, the candy of bread."
"Now, now, let's not bicker about who did what during your school's competition with Crystal Prep," Doc says while still focused on the machine. "What matters is whether or not we can finally defend ourselves."
"Doc's right," Derpy says. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to be brainwashed or falling into another world or worse while the Rainbooms can lose their magic."
"And I don't want that to happen to you either, my dear," Doc says before securing one last screw. "And now, we can get this beauty started. Vinyl, the device if you'd please."
Vinyl nods before she opens her backpack and takes out a bag containing the remains of Human Twilight Sparkle's pendant.
"Incredible," Doc says as he stares at the remains. "So this world's Twilight Sparkle built this and was able to detect the energy and drain it from the Rainbooms just like that?"
"Pretty much," Vinyl says. "We saw her do it to Applejack and Pinkie Pie at the tri-cross relay and the welcoming party respectfully. "
"Speaking of which, are you sure the Twilight in our world and the Rainbooms aren't wondering where the pendant is?" Derpy asks worryingly.
"Nah, they have no way of knowing that I swiped it while Sunset Shimmer and our world's Twilight were fighting each other," Vinyl says. "By the looks of things, they think it was obliterated when Sunset Shimmer smashed it into the ground and transformed into that thing she turned into. Guess this pendant is much sturdier than she thought."
"Amazing," Doc says, excitedly as he takes the bag from Vinyl. "I'd love to find out how this other Twilight Sparkle figured out the secret behind all that special energy."
"You might get a chance," Lyra says. "I heard that our world's Twilight is transferring to CHS."
"I say, that sounds splendid," Doc says excitedly. "I'd love to know how she made it. I could write a book on this brilliant gizmo."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure you could," Vinyl says, waving her hand impatiently. "Let's get this test going, already."
"Actually, what is the purpose of this machine again?" Lyra asks, confused.
"Well, without going into too much science mumbo-jumbo, we're going to try to extract what magic that is still in that pendant and fill it into that container that is attached to the back of the machine," Vinyl explains. "With that much magic collected as opposed to just scraps of it from Sonata, he should have all the energy he needs to complete our gadgets and weapons to fight magic."
"That's the general idea," Doc confirms. "I can't guarantee I'll have it figured out right away, but just from the reading I got when you showed this thing to me, I know that it'll tell me more than running tests on Sonata ever could."
"Exactly," Vinyl says. "So, everyone, get ready to witness the ability to contain magic so we can finally -"
Vinyl stops mid-speech as she notices something. She looks at Lyra and Bon Bon, who are still sitting on the couch and then at Derpy and Doc, who are standing next to the machine and then looks around the whole basement.
"Hey, where's Tavi? She's supposed to be here for this," she says.
"She's upstairs," Bon Bon says, pointing at the staircase. "She wanted to practice her cello or something while we wait."
Vinyl turns to where the staircase is and sighs sadly.
"Yeah, or something," she says.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMMSBS0qwPk
Upstairs in Vinyl's living room, Octavia sits in one of the chairs as musical background plays on her phone, and she plays her cello. Every note she plays on her cello is low and sad as she moves her bow back and forth smoothly. She stares at the setting sun from the family room window as her face remains focused yet depressed. Her body movement is devoted to the music she's playing, but her mind and heart are focused on only one thing.
Rough Draft.
She doesn't want to say it to the others, but the boy has been on her mind. Many emotions dominate her thoughts as she plays high and low notes throughout her song. Frustration, anger, confusion, sadness.
Love.
As she plays the final notes in her song, a tear falls down on her cheek. She sighs heavily as she puts down her cello and wipes away the tear, despite knowing that more is coming. After she sniffs, trying to ignore the tears, she uncuffs her bowtie from her collar and places it on her lap. She reaches under her shirt and takes out a heart-shaped sapphire necklace wrapped around her neck. Her eyes are glued to the jewel as she struggles to crack a smile at the sight of it. Her tears continue to fall as she reluctantly remembers the day that she first laid eyes on it almost four weeks ago.
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"What are you saying, Octavia?"
Octavia pinched the area between her eyebrows as she sighed. Her phone is placed in her ear as she sat on her bed, struggling to speak.
"I'm saying I can't do this anymore, Treble Clef," she said sadly. "This has nothing to do with you. You'd been so kind and understanding, and I appreciate everything you've done but -"
"But what?" Treble Clef interrupted. "Your mind is still on a guy who cheated on you? You're breaking up with me because you're not over a guy who went behind your back on you with that Shimmer girl?"
"I know. I know. It sounds completely immature and foolish," Octavia said, stressed.
"No, you don't know," Treble Clef said, frustrated. "If you did, you would be hearing yourself and realize how wrong this is. Day and night, you've been talking about how this guy was so sweet and caring before you found him in the arms of another girl on a MyStable video. You say you're starting to get over him and then bam, you find another way to talk nonstop about this tramp."
"Rough Draft is not a tramp," Octavia countered angrily.
"See you did it again!" Treble Clef shouted. "Why, Octavia? Why is it so hard for you to get over a guy who cheated on you with a girl you established he still has feelings for?"
"I don't know!" Octavia yelled. "I don't know why I'm not over him, okay? I don't know why I can't fight this urge to want to see him again or to stop being angry at him for cheating on me with Sunset Shimmer. I've been fighting between sticking to my decision and regret dumping him every day. All I know is that for whatever reason, I am not over Rough Draft, and I should never have brought you into this whole thing. I was frustrated and confused and trying to get away from my problem when I went to Prance, and Vinyl suggested I get to know you when we saw you eyeing me at your father's cafe. I don't want you dealing with me being this emotional mess over someone I can't get out of my head no matter how hard I try."
For several seconds, nothing is said.
"You know what? You do what you want," Treble Clef said. "If you want to keep daydreaming about your ex-boyfriend, that's your problem. I wash my hands from this."
"Treble -" Octavia said before she hears a click sound. She sighed in frustration as she placed her phone on the bed stand.
"Well, that went just about as well as expected," she said to herself as she laid down on her bed sideways, sad about what she felt she had to do.
Suddenly a knock is heard on her bedroom door.
"Octavia, can I come in?" Alto asked on the other side of the door.
Octavia sighed before she reluctantly said, "Yes."
The door opened to reveal a sympathetic Alto entering the room. He closed the door and walked over to sit next to Octavia on her bed, looking at his daughter sadly as her back is facing him.
"Couldn't help but hear you yelling on the phone," He said. "That was Treble Clef, wasn't it?"
Octavia nodded her head, yes, sadly.
"Did you two break up?"
She nodded her head again.
Alto sighed sadly and rubbed Octavia's back comfortingly.
"I'm sorry, kiddo," He said sympathetically. "He seemed like a nice guy."
"He was," she said quietly. "I just had to end it."
"He was nice, but you had to end it?" Alto asked curiously.
Octavia got up into a sitting position next to her father and sighed heavily.
"Father, I don't know what to do," she said. "I think I did the right thing by breaking up with Rough Draft, but there's a part of me that practically screams to consider that he was telling the truth. I'm stuck between trying to get over him for good and wanting to run over to his house and beg him to take me back while practically crushing him with a hug. I don't know what to think, what to say, how to feel, or what to do. It's all just confusing."
Alto frowned as he listened to his daughter's words intently.
"Dearest, are you sure Rough Draft was cheating on you with Sunset Shimmer?" he asked.
"How can you ask that? I showed you and mother that video," Octavia ridiculed. "That was Sunset Shimmer walking Rough Draft home the night he said he had to stay at home to work on an essay."
"And yet they only hug at his front porch before she leaves," Alto stated. "Somehow, I doubt that counts as cheating."
"I know, but he still lied to me to spend time with this girl that he keeps struggling to control his feelings over. How could it be interpreted as anything else?" Octavia countered.
"Maybe he was telling the truth about getting you a present even though you said you didn't want one, and she just happened to be helping him?" he suggested.
Octavia glared at her father and accused, "You're not going to take my side on this, are you?"
"Octavia, I have never really been on your side despite what you and your mother said the night you told us you broke up with him," Alto said. "And deep down, I don't think you've ever really been on your side either."
Octavia said nothing to respond to Alto's statement. She looked away from her father, who stared at her compassionately and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. Then a thought entered Alto's mind, and he bit his lip before he spoke.
"Octavia," he began. "Did your mother and I ever tell you the time before we were married when the two of us broke up?"
Octavia lifted her head and looked at her father in shock.
"W-what?" she stuttered in surprise.
Alto chuckled with his mouth closed as he looked at his daughter with a sad smile.
"I thought not," he said. "It's not a time in our lives either one of us wants to remember."
"What happened?" Octavia asked curiously.
Alto sighed before he started his tale.
"It was about three years before we got married. We had already been dating for about a year while playing for the Manehattan Symphony Orchestra. I was one of the violinists while your mother was on the piano. We were so in love that it used to drive the conductor mad how often we would glance at each other when we should have been waiting for our cues for whatever long and complex symphony we were rehearsing. It even used to make your grandfather jealous of how we were so inseparable like he was with your grandmother before she passed away."
Octavia couldn't help but smile at the mentioning of her grandfather before Alto continues.
"Then one day shortly after a concert, your mother was approached by a childhood friend. He was congratulating her for her performance and even gave her a bouquet, and she looked so flattered that I felt jealous. She assured me that he is just a friend and nothing more, but I was suspicious that he was after something more even though he knew we were together. Shortly after that, she met him for coffee to catch up. Your old man made the not-so-wise choice of following her and spying on them from a distance. They were laughing and talking about some old memories. But then I overheard something that angered me. He offered your mother a spot in his band that he was touring with. He was practically begging her to come with him while your mother was looking at him speechless."
"Oh dear," Octavia said worryingly. "Please tell me you didn't make a fool of yourself in public."
Alto chuckled again before he answered, "No, but I did make a fool of myself at home. I left the cafe before I could hear her answer. I confronted her when she came home, and it got ugly fast. She was furious that I was shooting on her while telling me that she had said no to him, and I just kept on accusing her. Eventually, she had enough and suggested that she take the job after all, and in my anger, I agreed. The next day, nothing was said as she packed her things and went out the door, and I just watched."
"What happened then?" Octavia asked.
"For a while, nothing," Alto answered. "Days went by, and I didn't hear so much as a word from your mother. I hated how we ended things, but I was also so mad at your mother even though I foolishly didn't accept that she didn't do anything. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned into months, and then one day, I heard that your mother was visiting Manhattan with her band. Your grandfather came to visit me to tell me that she was around the neighborhood. I paid no mind to his words until he started scolding me for starting the feud. I argued with him that he didn't understand, and he countered how he understood plenty. He told me the times where he and my mother used to fight badly, and there were times where it looked like even they were not going to work out. But they kept holding on because they knew that love is something that is hard and takes a lot of work and trust, but as long as you keep holding on, it will be worth it in the end."
"What did you do?" Octavia asked.
"Nothing at first," Alto said. "Your grandfather left, and I was alone with his words. I fought with my mind for about an hour or two before I finally broke down and wept, accepting that he was right, and I needed to get your mother back. I burst out of my apartment and began searching the whole city for her. I managed to catch her right before she was getting ready to catch a train. I was practically on my knees, apologizing to her."
"And that's when she accepted your apology, and everything was alright, right?" Octavia assumed.
Alto sighed sadly.
"No, no, it wasn't," he said. "She was relieved to hear me say all those things, but she was very hesitant to trust me. She asked me how she could know that nothing like this would happen again. I was tongue-tied at that question at first, but then I remembered what your grandfather said and told it to her. She remained reluctant at first but eventually agreed to stay in Manehattan. But that didn't mean things were immediately okay after that. Your mother was still uneasy being around me for a while, and it took many grand balls and dinner dates and ditching orchestra rehearsals to come when she desired at the risk of my career for things to feel like what they were before. Even then, I feared that it would never be enough; that maybe after being distant and angry with each other for so long, there would still be a rift between us even though we were together again."
Octavia frowned, disheartened by her father's words. It was hard to hear that her parents' relationship isn't as perfect as she believed to be.
"Did you ever feel like you were truly happy again?" She asked, afraid to hear what the answer to her question might be.
Alto smiled, looking at his daughter and answered, "Yes, when your mother asked me to marry her."
Octavia's eyes widened as she stared at her father, surprised.
"You mean she proposed to you and not - " she began before Alto interrupted her.
"My child, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but did you really think it was me who asked to be married?" He asked, amused.
Octavia thought about it before she smiled.
"No," she said. "I guess even when I was little, I figured she asked you to marry her, and she might have even threatened to use the pout on you if it looked like you were going to say no."
Alto laughed loudly.
"I suppose watching her use it on your old man so frequently throughout your childhood would give you that mindset," He said before his calm demeanor returned. "Anyway, when she proposed to me, that's when I knew that we made it. We just finished a dinner date at my apartment, and I noticed your mother was acting nervous about something. Before I could ask, she grabbed something out of her purse, got out of her seat, walked over to the other side of the table where I was, and asked me to be her husband, holding out a ring. It took a moment before my mind caught up with what was happening, and I said yes. You should have seen the way her eyes lit up at that moment. She practically forced the ring onto my finger before kissing me all over my face and hugging me tightly. Neither of us was willing to let go of the other that whole night. My heart started to feel whole again ever since then, and it only felt more and more complete as our wedding day drew closer. In the end, nothing made us happier than when we finally said our 'i do's until you were born."
Octavia smiled at her father as he pulled her into a side hug.
"When we first saw you wrapped in a blanket and sound asleep, that's when we became happier to be together than we ever thought we could be," he said. "To have just a tiny precious life be the product of our love mended was something truly amazing. From that day on, we wanted nothing else than to see you always happy. Why else do you think your mother threatened Rough Draft to treat you well when you two went on your date in Crystal City?"
Octavia kept her smile at these words before it faltered at the thought of Rough Draft again.
"But what happened between Rough Draft and me isn't the same, father," she said. "Mother didn't have feelings for that man when you were acting jealous, but Rough Draft was going back and forth with his feelings towards Sunset Shimmer after she tricked him into thinking she loved him."
Alto's smile faded, and he sighed.
"Wait here, I'll be right back,' he instructed as he got up and left the room.
Octavia waited for her father patiently for a few minutes before he came back carrying a Christmas bag with a card tied to one of the handles. Octavia stared at the bag curiously as Alto sat next to her again and placed the bag on her lap.
"I don't know what happened the night that Rough Draft was with Sunset Shimmer, but I have a good feeling that whatever he did that night didn't involve cheating on you," he said.
"What are you talking about?" Octavia asked curiously.
"I watched Rough Draft put this on our front porch a couple of days after you two broke up," Alto said plainly. "He looked pretty down before he left with that Sonata girl. I made sure to get the bag before you or your mother did because I knew you would have just thrown it in the trash, and your mother was so angry at him that she would've thrown it to the fireplace or something of that nature. So, I figured I'd keep it safe until you were in a somewhat calmer state of mind about him."
Octavia stared at the bag, contemplating Alto's words. Alto placed his hand on her lap before he spoke again.
"Octavia, I judged the love of my life foolishly, and I almost lost her forever because of it," he said. "Please don't fail with mending your relationship where I barely succeeded."
Without another word, Alto stood up and left the room, leaving Octavia alone with the Christmas bag. For about ten minutes, Octavia did nothing. Her eyes were glued to the bag as she debated what to do with it in her mind. For all she knew, this was a trick for Rough Draft to get her back despite cheating on her. Her hands clenched into fists as she bit her lip, trying to reach a decision.
"Oh blast it," she muttered under her breath as she untied the card and opened it, reading the contents intently.
Dear Octavia,
I know you hate me right now, and I don't know if you will even open this or the presents inside, but I wanted to give them to you regardless. I want you to know that I am very thankful for everything you have done for me, and it breaks my heart that our relationship is over. I know you think it's your fault; that you think you pushed me into cheating on you, but I will never stop saying that I didn't cheat on you. I wanted to give you something to show my love this Christmas even though you said not to, and I agreed to work together with Sunset Shimmer with finding presents while you thought I was at home. I know you think some attraction drives me to Sunset Shimmer, and maybe in hindsight, it makes sense given the way I've been around her in the past, but I hope a day will come when you realize that the only one I will ever care about is you. If it does, I'll be waiting for you. Until then, and you may do with your gifts as you will, and I hope you enjoy the last pages of our story.
Love now and always,
Rough Draft (Darling)
Octavia tried to control her emotions as she read further and further into the note. Each word was hitting her harder than the last as she read to the very end. When she finished, she placed the card on her bed stand before reaching into the bag. She took out a stack of notebook papers stapled together with the words "Our Story" written on the top paper. A small smile started to grow on her face as she dared to open the first page. The smile continued to grow as she began to remember the first two parts of the story. She caught herself laughing when she got to the part about "Jedi Master Rough Draft," talking about Darth Blumblood. But then she got to the ending, and her smile fell. She knew Rough Draft wrote the sad ending shortly after she broke up with him. Her eyes were starting to water as her heart was beginning to accept the truth.
Then she remembered that the card said there was another gift. She dug into the bag again until she felt a little case. She took it out of the bag and examined it curiously before she undid the lock and opened it carefully. She gasped in shock and almost dropped the case when she saw a heart-shaped sapphire hanging on a silver chain inside. Her mouth quivered as she realized he specifically bought her the same kind of necklace her grandfather gave her grandmother when he confessed his love to her. She started choking out sobs as she lifted the necklace from the case and examined it before holding it close to her heart.
"Oh, darling," she sobbed. "Darling, what have I done?"
She wept bitterly as she laid herself on her bed sideways, tears falling out of her face as she cried. Pain and regret filled her heart as her mind suddenly remembered the crushed look on Rough Draft's face when he practically begged her to hear him out. She began to cry harder and harder with each passing minute, eventually catching the attention of her mother, who entered her room without knocking.
"Octavia, sweetie, what's the matter?" Tempo asked, worryingly as she rushed to her daughter's side.
"Oh mother, I am such a fool," Octavia sobbed as she sat back up. "R-R-Rough Draft was telling the truth! Look!"
She passed the necklace and the card to Tempo, who examined them carefully. It took about a minute before she realized what Octavia was talking about.
"Oh, sweetie," Tempo said sadly as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. Octavia laid her head on her mother's chest as she cried hard.
"W-w-why? Why didn't I listen to him? Why didn't I just...just -" Octavia whimpered while Tempo shushed her quietly.
"I know, sweetie, I know," Tempo said calmly.
"A-and now it's been months since we've seen each other, and he probably really hates me and -" Octavia continued before Tempo broke the hug and forced Octavia to look at her in the eye.
"Then you know what you have to do, don't you?" Tempo demanded. "Go out there and get that boy back. If you realized your mistake, then you need to make amends right away."
"But I took so long to realize I was wrong, and who knows how he feels about me by now," Octavia countered.
"Doesn't matter," Tempo said firmly. "He said in that card that he'll be waiting for you and you shouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Go to him, Octavia. Work it out."
Octavia looked at her mom hesitantly before she sniffed one more time and smiled.
"You're right, mother," she said. "I must not keep my darling waiting. But first I need a little something to express my apology. Perhaps something to say thank you for the necklace."
"That's the spirit," Tempo says encouragingly. "Go get him!"
"I might be late for dinner, mother," Octavia said as she placed the sapphire necklace around her neck and rushed out of the room. "Rough Draft and I might have some catching up to do if I succeed."
Octavia raced out of the house and made the long run to the mall and went inside a necklace store.
"Now, let's see. If I was to get him a necklace in return, what would it be?" She asked herself as she started browsing through the cases of necklaces. "It's got to be something simple yet meaningful. Maybe another heart to match mine or a locket or maybe - no way!"
Her eyes widened as she looked at a necklace containing the symbol of the Jedi Order. Octavia grew excited as she stared at the logo.
"I can't believe my luck. He would love this!" She said to herself ecstatically before calling out to the person behind the desk. "Excuse me, I would like to buy this necklace, please."
The man behind the desk walked over and saw the necklace she was pointing at.
"Ah, certainly. We don't get much call for this one in particular," he said.
"Well, this is for a guy that’s very special to me," Octavia explained. "He's really into Star Wars."
"Ah, this is for a guy, eh?" The man said smirking. "In that case, would you like to have his and your personal marks inscribed on the back? It costs a little more, but it is a popular thing to add when giving one of our necklaces to someone special. In fact, my coworker helped a girl do the same thing a couple of days ago with a locket she was buying as a birthday present for a boy she loves."
"Oh, really? How sweet of that girl," Octavia said, smiling before taking out her phone and looking for a good picture of Rough Draft. "In that case, could you inscribe the treble clef on my skirt and the mark on his shirt?"
The man looked at the picture of Rough Draft she was holding out on her phone and smiled.
"Absolutely, just give me about an hour, and I'll have it right out for you," he said.
"That would be wonderful, thank you," Octavia said appreciatively.
So, she waited eagerly as the man went to the back of the store to carry out her request. She practiced what she was going to say to Rough Draft as she waited.
"Rough Draft, darling - no. Don't start with darling right away. Rough Draft, I am so sorry. I should never have said those things to you, and I want us to get back together. No, that's far too plain. Maybe if I just started with a kiss? No, that would be weird. It would be wonderful, but he would be confused."
Finally, the man came back from the back of the store, holding the necklace.
"I hope you'll find this to your liking, madam," he said kindly as he turns the Jedi Order symbol around to reveal Rough Draft and Octavia's personal marks imprinted perfectly on the back.
"Fantastic," Octavia said, beaming. "Is there any chance I can have it gift-wrapped?"
"Absolutely," the man says, smiling.
He placed the necklace in a box, wrapped it up and put a bow on top of it. Then he brought it to the cash register, where Octavia paid for it in cash and thanked the man behind the desk again before she raced out of the store. By the time she left the mall, it was getting dark, and the moon was shining. But all that was in Octavia's mind is running straight to Rough Draft's house.
Finally, she turned to the corner of his block and grew excited yet nervous with every step. She still didn't know what to say, but she was confident that she was going to be with the love of her life again. The very thought of finally having Rough Draft in her arms and resting her head on his shoulder as he holds her close again filled her with hope.
But as she was walking to his driveway, she heard someone talking. She slowed down until she was standing next to the bushes to find Sunset Shimmer talking to Rough Draft with an intense look on her face. Rough Draft was listening intently, though he appeared to be taken aback by what she's saying. Suddenly, Rough Draft placed his finger on Sunset Shimmer's lips and gave her a heartfelt smile. He said something back to her that surprised Sunset Shimmer but then made her smile back with tears in her eyes. Octavia only had a moment to realize what just happened before Sunset Shimmer wrapped her arms around Rough Draft's neck and pressed her lips against his.
Octavia's voice died in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to do or say anything but watch as Rough Draft looked surprised at Sunset Shimmer's actions before his eyes began to close, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back. They part for a moment to say a few words to each other before Sunset Shimmer goes in for a deeper and more passionate kiss. Octavia's heart crumbled slowly with each kiss and with each tear of joy that was falling down Sunset Shimmer's face. She didn't even realize that her present fell out of her hand as hot tears started to run down her face as she took a couple of steps back before turning around and running away as fast as she could.
She wept the rest of the night away.
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"I thought you said you were going to get rid of that."
Octavia snaps out of the memory and turns around to see Vinyl. The DJ looks at her with her arms crossed and a disapproving look on her face. Octavia realizes she is still holding the sapphire before she puts it back under her shirt and cuffs her bowtie back on.
"No, you said I was going to get rid of it," she corrects. "I just didn't say anything so that the argument would end."
Vinyl sighs, disappointed.
"Tavi, you can't keep acting like this," she says. "Rough Draft has been dating Sunset Shimmer for a month now, and you still wear that thing like you can't accept that you're too late."
"That's because I don't believe it's too late," Octavia says. "Sunset Shimmer may have my darling now but-"
"He's not your darling, okay?!" Vinyl snaps. "You guys are broken up! Over! Kaput! He gave you time, and you ironically ignored him long enough for him to fall in love with her anyway. Secretly wearing a necklace he got you isn't going to bring you two back together."
"I know it won't!" Octavia snaps back. "But it's all I have left of him apart from the pictures I kept on my phone. It's the one thing that proves how much he loves me. I don't want to forget about him, Vinyl, I want him back."
"He doesn't love you anymore," Vinyl says. "He's all lovey-dovey, smoochy-woochy with Sunset Shimmer now. You shouldn't be dwelling on the past Octavia."
Octavia's eye twitches as she glares at Vinyl angrily.
"And why should I listen to you, Vinyl?!" She barks. "You're half the reason any of this happened in the first place! You were the one who kept pushing me to try to get over him when we went to Prance; you suggested that I give Treble Clef a chance just because he was glancing at me, you practically forced me to hang out with him so much that I would start a distant relationship with him even though I told you a thousand times that I didn't want to start dating again."
"Yeah? Well, you're the one who told Sonata that things were going well between you and Clef when she tried to talk to you about dumping Rough Draft," Vinyl counters.
"Because you made me!" Octavia counters back. "You practically glared at me just when I was giving the slightest hint that I was listening to her. I wanted to hear her out. I wanted to hear someone say I was wrong to break up with Rough Draft, and the more Sonata talked, the more I wanted to apologize to him for everything. But you were there to convince me that it's all in my mind, and so I claimed that things were going well with Treble Clef to make Sonata believe I completely moved on."
"Because I knew you would relent even after I reminded you everything you told me about what happened between him and Sunset Shimmer," Vinyl claims. "You've been manipulated one too many times already by Blueblood alone, Tavi. I can't bear the thought of you going through that again by Rough Draft or Sonata or anyone else."
"Is that why you took the video?" Octavia asks, glaring.
Vinyl pauses before she replies.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she says.
"Yes, you do," Octavia snarls. "I did some digging up after my father gave me Rough Draft's presents and discovered that it was you who uploaded that video to your MyStable and shared it to Anon-a-Miss to be posted for everyone to see."
Vinyl doesn't say anything right away. Then she sighs and answers Octavia with a sad look.
"Okay fine, you got me," she confesses. "I saw Rough Draft and Sunset Shimmer at the mall from the store I work at in the mall, and I got suspicious. When my shift was over, I tracked them down and took the video, thinking that he was using you just like Blueblood. I couldn't show it to you right away because there never was a good time. You were so inseparable with him, and I didn't want to show it to you with him around. Then the whole Anon-a-Miss thing happened, and since it looked like a good place to frame someone and I wanted to make him pay for cheating on you, I uploaded it so that he was ashamed for cheating on you with who we all thought was Anon-a-Miss. I figured Sunset Shimmer was so cruel again that she would have no problem posting the video so that Rough Draft would be rightfully outcast as well as dumped. "
"So you just jumped to that conclusion without any hesitation," Octavia accuses.
"I thought I was doing the right thing, Tavi," Vinyl defends. "Besides, you were the one who told me how he kept swinging back and forth on his feeling for Sunset Shimmer. It just made sense that maybe something more was going on. You saw how happy she looked when she was walking him home."
"But you still didn't come to me or even try to hear his part of the story!" Octavia yells.
"And neither did you!" Vinyl yells back.
The two friends glare at each other for a minute, not moving an inch. Finally, Vinyl sighs sadly.
"Listen, Octavia, I know you're right," she says apologetically. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. Everyone has made horrible choices during the whole Anon-a-Miss thing. We all want to go back in time and try to undo what happened, but we can't. The damage is done, and Rough Draft has moved on and found someone else. There's nothing you can do about it. He's completely over you."
"No, he isn't," Octavia says confidently. "I know what I saw when I saved his life during Midnight Sparkle's attack. When I called him darling, I saw those emerald eyes gleam with a shred of hope that motivated him to reach out to me. His love for me is still there, and it saved his life that day. He suppressed it long enough to fall in love with Sunset Shimmer, but it's not gone."
"But you two still had that awkward conversation before he ran back to Sunset Shimmer," Vinyl counters. "Somehow, I doubt that's a good reason to be hopeful."
"It's a good reason to be hopeful because it means there's still a chance," Octavia says. "If Sunset Shimmer can make him happy for the rest of his life, fine. But if anything happens between the two of them that leads to them breaking up, that's when I will go after him and make sure that this time we stay together with our relationship restored."
Vinyl raises her eyebrow at her best friend. She sighs again reluctantly before looking at Octavia sympathetically.
"I can't lie to you what I think your chances are and I stand by how unhealthy it is to hold on to that necklace, but if by the slightest miracle they break up and you try to get back with him, you have my support," Vinyl says sincerely. "God knows I owe you both that much and more after everything I've done."
Octavia smiles at Vinyl appreciatively.
"Thank you, Vinyl," she says.
Vinyl smiles back before she remembers what she's up here for.
"Hey, enough with the mushy stuff," she says, waving her hand. "Doc has the machine ready, and we're waiting for you."
Octavia rolls her eyes and smiles at Vinyl's sudden change of mood.
"Alright, I'll be down in a minute," she says.
Vinyl smiles, satisfied with her answer, and leaves. Octavia puts her cello back in its case and proceeds to walk downstairs, where the rest of the E.M.R. are waiting. But then she stops walking for a moment. She pauses before she uncuffs her bowtie and takes out the sapphire necklace again. She stares at the heart-shaped jewel lovingly before she kisses it gently.
"I miss you, darling," she whispers before she puts it back under her shirt and proceeds to the basement.
********************************************************************************************
Back in the basement, Doc, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon wait patiently as they hear Vinyl walk down the stairs. She enters the room and sighs again as she takes out her shades and pinches the area between her eyebrows.
"Is Octavia going to be alright, Vinyl?" Derpy asks, sadly.
"I don't know, Derpy," Vinyl says. "She's still pretty distraught over Rough Draft dating Sunset Shimmer."
"So, you must feel pretty guilty about that video, huh?" Lyra asks.
Vinyl raised her eyebrow at her teal friend, and Lyra shrugs in response.
"You were taking a while, and we all heard you two yelling," Lyra explains.
Vinyl glares at Lyra before her face turns crestfallen, and she hangs her head.
"Yeah, I do," she admits. "I wish I thought things through. It just looked like Rough Draft was cheating on her, and I couldn't think of anything else but revenge for my best friend. I hate myself for not remembering that Rough Draft isn't Blueblood, but instead, I broke the hearts of both of my friends."
"We all did, Vinyl," Doc says. "Everyone here knew about Rough Draft's complicated feelings toward Sunset Shimmer. It just wasn't hard to look at that video and come to the conclusion that he was betraying Tavi."
"But instead, we just ended our friendships with Rough Draft, Soarin, and Caramel Bear over nothing," Bon Bon says sadly.
"Yeah, we hurt four of our friends thinking we were helping one," Derpy says as she shed a tear.
Doc quickly wraps his arms around his girlfriend, and Derpy quietly lays her head on his chest as the rest of the group looks away from each other in shame.
"Couldn't we just apologize to Rough Draft?" Lyra asks. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to get our friend back."
The rest of the group nods in agreement until Vinyl says, "No."
"No?" Doc asks, surprised. "Come now, Vinyl, it has been a long time, but the least we can do is make amends for hurting our friend."
"But do you really think we can be friends with him again?" Vinyl challenges. "Even if we apologize, do you think we could be friends with Rough Draft or Caramel or Soarin again without us also wanting to try to get Rough Draft and Octavia back together?"
Doc, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy stare at Vinyl for a second before they hang their heads.
"No. No, we could not," Doc says. "Rough Draft and Octavia were probably the best thing that happened to our group, and I don't think either of us can bear to be friends with Rough Draft again without desiring to tell him that we want him to get back together with Tavi."
"Exactly," Vinyl says. "We all want them back together more than anything after what happened, but we can't interfere with Rough Draft's new relationship just because we want things back to where they were before. It wouldn't be fair to Octavia, it wouldn't be fair to Sunset Shimmer, and it especially would not be fair to Rough Draft. Besides, rumor has it Sunset Shimmer has practically forced Rough Draft to pretty much never even speak of Octavia again. If she's feeling that way over Octavia just because of this misunderstanding, what do you think the odds are she wouldn't be okay with us trying to befriend him again when where Octavia's friends?
"Things between the Rainbooms and us will probably be fragile enough if Doc's machine works," Derpy admits. "But is there any hope that Rough Draft and Sunset Shimmer might break up and Octavia might get him back?"
"Not likely," Vinyl says. "Those two have been as inseparable as Rough Draft was with Tavi. It will take a miracle for them to break up, and yet Octavia just said that she will pounce on the chance to make amends with Rough Draft if that happens."
"Well, maybe we should too," Bon Bon suggests. "If things don't last with Sunset Shimmer, then we all work together to apologize to him, become friends with him again, and help him and Tavi get back together with their love made stronger than ever!"
"I second my bestie's suggestion," Lyra says enthusiastically.
"Hear, hear," Doc says proudly.
"I'll make a whole basket of apology muffins for the occasion," Derpy says excitedly.
"Maybe one of us will also get another chance with Caramel Bear while we're at it," Lyra says to Bon Bon, earning a giggle from both of them.
"I think he's dating Applejack," Vinyl says. "Or at least he's gone on some dates with her or something."
"Just gone on some dates and not officially dating her?" Lyra asks before she and Bon Bon chuckle mischievously, making Doc, Derpy and Vinyl roll their eyes. "Sounds like that light-brown hunk of cuteness is still up for grabs."
"Sure does," Bon Bon says before she and Lyra see the others staring at them disapprovingly, and she clears her throat. "Anyway, regardless of that, I say we should never give up on our friends until it's over."
"Agreed," Vinyl says seriously. "As long as there's hope, I intend to make amends with the love Rough Draft and Octavia still have. All in favor?"
"Aye!" Derpy, Doc, Lyra, and Bon Bon say simultaneously, shaking their fists in the air.
"Thank you, you guys."
The five of them turn to see an appreciative Octavia entering the room.
"You were listening the entire time, weren't you?" Vinyl says plainly.
"Yes, I was," Octavia says with a small smile. "And I appreciate your support. I know you all only did what you thought was the right thing to do for my sake, and I can't thank any of you enough for everything you all have done for me ever since I moved here. I'm glad that I can count on all of you to have my back if I get the chance to get back together with Rough Draft."
"Aw, don't worry about it, Tavi," Derpy says with a sweet smile. "It's what friends do. Right, cuddle muffin?"
"Too right you are, dear," Doc says as he puts his arm around his girlfriend.
Octavia's smile brightens before she turns to Lyra and Bon Bon and frowns.
"Though I must ask you not to try to pursue Caramel again, you two," she says. "He wants to be with Applejack, and he always will, so please leave the poor guy alone."
"Aw, but Tavi ..." Lyra and Bon Bon whine before Octavia gives them a disapproving glare like a mother scorning her children.
"I mean it," she warns. "He told you himself that he always wanted to be with her, and based on what Rough Draft told me, things are finally looking like they may become a couple. If you care about him, then you won't get in their way, just like I won't get in the way as long as Rough Draft is with Sunset Shimmer. Understood?"
Silence fills the room before Lyra and Bon Bon hang their heads, and reluctantly say, "Yes, Tavi."
Octavia gives them an approving smirk before Vinyl interrupts.
"Hey, enough about who pursues who already," she says. "We got an experiment to execute."
Everyone nods in agreement, and they huddle together while Doc gives all of them safety goggles. Vinyl grabs her pair of goggles as Doc walks to the center of the room and clears his throat.
"Right, I'm not an expert on making speeches, but I would like to thank you all for taking part in this opportunity," he says proudly. "If all goes well, the energy we contain with this machine will tell us all we need to know to make the final adjustments of our weapons and other means of defense against 'evil magic.' We do this right, and the next crazy nut that tries to attack your school or anywhere else will be down for the count before the Rainbooms even find out there's trouble in the first place."
"Sounds great," Vinyl says eagerly. "But, we'll never know all that until we turn this thing on."
"Quite right, Vinyl," Doc says. "Beginning energy transfer now."
Doc flips a switch, and a loud hum came from the machine. The noise grows louder until sparks start coming out from the pendant placed inside the jar. The sparks continue until the pendant begins to glow and a white orb forms from inside it. Derpy hides behind Doc nervously, and he, in turn, puts his hand on hers for comfort as they watch. Lyra and Bon Bon huddle together, worried about what's going to happen while Vinyl bites her lip, and Octavia stares at the machine with a worried look.
Suddenly, a high pitch noise screeches all over the room. All the magic around the pendant shoots out a beam through the hose and the jar. Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy yelp in fear, and Doc mutters, "Don't blow up. Don't blow up." Finally, all the energy is in the container, which starts glowing deep purple, and the machine powers down. For a minute, no one moves a muscle as they stare at the magic trapped inside the container. Then Vinyl starts laughing joyously.
"You did it!" She shouts.
Everyone cheers as loud as they can. Lyra and Bon Bon jump up and down excitedly like little girls. Vinyl hugs Octavia while Octavia pats her on the back, taken aback by her excitement. Doc lifts Derpy up in the air and spins her around laughing maniacally before he puts her down and smothers her with kisses, making Derpy blush but giggle at the spontaneous affection.
"Alright, alright, let's test it out," Vinyl suggests.
Doc lets go of Derpy and nods in agreement. He rushes over to activate the scanner attached to the machine and starts pressing buttons rapidly. Finally, he reads his findings and laughs out loud.
"Just as I suspected. Now we can keep watch of anyone with 'magical' properties whenever we want from here to Crystal City!" He exclaims. "Just in a manner of seconds, this baby is already showing twelve signals of people with those special properties!"
The celebration immediately ceases as Vinyl, Octavia, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy look at Doc confused.
"Twelve?" Vinyl asks. "What do you mean there are twelve people with magic? There's only six of the Rainbooms."
"Maybe our world's Twilight Sparkle and Sonata still have some magic in them," Lyra suggests. "Come to think about it, I did notice that the Twilight Sparkle's dog in our world can talk, so maybe he has some magic too.
"Maybe, but Sonata isn't here anymore, remember?" Vinyl says. "The police took her away for something far away from here weeks ago."
"Well, I don't know what to tell you guys," Doc says, shrugging. "I can't show who specifically who the people appearing on the radar are yet, but my readings are stronger than they ever were at the Dazzlings trial, so there's no mistake here."
Everyone looked at each other, confused and concerned with this news.
"Guys," Octavia says nervously. "If the Twilight Sparkle in our world still has magic, her dog can magically talk, and Sonata is still miles away, who are the other four people with magic?"