The next day, I talk to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Sonata, Caramel, and Soarin about the events of last night, excluding the E.M.R.'s discovery about this unknown person with magic. Obviously, they were uneasy when I confirmed that they gained new members thanks to their popularity, but they are also glad to hear that I convinced Vinyl and the others to have a private chat to reforge the alliance between both sides.
Eventually, however, I announce that I'm going to meet Octavia at Sugarcube Corner for milkshakes and to have our talk after school today. Clearly still wishing I was still with Sunset Shimmer, they gave me forced smiles and said they support what I'm doing when they actually don't. I frown at them, disappointed that, while Sonata seems happy to hear this, not even Caramel and Soarin would encourage me with her.
After school ends for the day, I bump into Caramel and Soarin before I exit the building. They both gave me concerning looks as I approach them.
"So when are you going to meet Octavia?" Caramel asks.
"I'm on my way to meet her right now," I say. "Please don't tell me you two are thinking of finding a way to stop me or something."
Both of them wince at my accusation before Soarin speaks.
"We aren't going to stop you, Rough Draft," he says. "But we want to ask if this is what you really want."
"Of course, it is. Why wouldn't it be?" I ask.
"It's just that as much as we give Tavi credit for regretting her mistakes, we're also worried about whether or not this is the right thing for you," Caramel says. "You just got out of another serious relationship, and it sounds like you're thinking about jumping back into another serious relationship now that she knows the truth. We don't doubt that Octavia loves you and all, but maybe you shouldn't rush into that."
"I'm not," I insist. "Octavia and I both know we can't be together again on the fly. Even if this talk goes as smoothly as we hope, it'll be only one small step towards giving our relationship another try. Just because I want to try again does not mean we're going to be making out and cuddling by the end of the day."
"But you hope to," Soarin says. "You're already thinking about stuff like that with her again, aren't you."
I hesitate before I give him a reluctant answer.
"Okay, I do a little," I admit. "As much as I should wait, part of me doesn't want to. And you're right, Caramel, I did just get out of another relationship, and I have spent a lot of time apart from Octavia devoting myself to that relationship. That's why I want us to take it slow. Like Sunset before her, Octavia and I would have to take time to fix things while a part of me still wishes Sunset would come back. She knows how much Sunset meant to me, and she's willing to wait."
"Still, we want you to be careful with what you're doing," Soarin says. "In fact, answer me this; if Sunset came back and wanted to get back together with you, who would you choose between her and Octavia?"
I frown at this question and bluntly answer, "Doesn't matter. Sunset Shimmer is gone."
***************************************************************************************
After that unpleasant talk, Soarin and Caramel say their goodbyes, and I am finally able to continue walking to Sugarcube Corner.
As much as I hate to admit it, Soarin's words get to me. Who would I choose if Sunset came back and wanted to get back together with me just as much as Octavia? The more I thought about it, the less of an answer I had. Ultimately, I shake my head at the thought and focus on meeting Octavia.
After a few minutes, I make it to the cafe. I stand in front of the glass entrance and see Octavia already sitting at the two-person table where we had our first date. She is facing the entrance, but her eyes are looking away as she appears deep in thought. I notice that she's wearing her necklace outside of its hiding spot, which makes me smile. I sigh before I open the door. As soon as the bell above the door rings, Octavia's eyes turn to me, and she gives me a sweet smile. She walks over to meet me and gives me a brief but tender peck on the lips.
"You're late," she says. "That's a first."
"A wizard is never late, Octavia Philharmonia Melody, nor is he early," I say with a smug grin. "He arrives precisely when he means to."
Octavia rolls her eyes and, with a smile that says, "You're just saying that because you know, I will call you a dork for making that reference."
"So?" I challenge. "I figured you missed it."
Octavia gives me a heartfelt smile as she caresses my cheek.
"Well, you're not wrong, dork," she replies.
We stare at each other for a moment before we both start chuckling.
"I have to admit, I miss that too," I say.
Octavia smiles before she gestures for us to sit down.
"I already ordered for both of us," she says. "I figured you would like a blueberry milkshake again."
"And I assume you would order strawberry just like last time," I say as I sit down.
"You know me so well," Octavia says with a flirty smile that makes me blush.
For a couple of seconds, we don't say anything until Octavia clears her throat.
"So, did you have fun with that apology party last night?" she asks.
"How did you know about that?" I ask, confused. "Vinyl said you were supposed to be clueless about that."
Octavia rolls her eyes and says, "Rough Draft, I love Vinyl, Derpy, Doc, Lyra and Bon Bon like they're my second family, but with that comes knowing when they're up to something. I didn't tell them to do anything that involved all of them apologizing to you, but it's clear that they were going to do it while I was at the concert anyway."
I stare at her, still surprised before I smile.
"You always did have a way of being smarter than the others," I say.
"And don't you forget it," Octavia says proudly.
"Yes, love," I say.
Octavia smiles and lightly blushes at hearing me say her nickname again. Then her smile turns into a concerned frown.
"How is your arm?" She asks.
"It still hurts, but my scars look cool," I answer.
Octavia shutters and politely says, "Please don't bring up your scars. I'd rather not think about them while watching you get shot is still fresh in my mind."
"Sorry," I say apologetically.
"It's alright," she says.
"Speaking of that, though, Vinyl showed me a picture of you cuddling next to me when I was unconscious at the hospital," I say.
"I sure did," she says. "And believe me, if Sunset Shimmer wasn't on her way, I would have stayed there until you woke up."
"And how would you have explained the cuddling to me?" I ask.
Octavia hesitates before she admits, "I don't know. I was more focused on making sure you were okay and making the most of the time I had with you before Sunset Shimmer came. After all, I was the one who watched you lose consciousness while you were bleeding profusely."
I frown as I see Octavia look away sadly before I take her hand and squeeze it gently.
"Hey, let's not to worry about that," I say encouragingly. "We're here to talk about what's going on now."
Octavia takes a moment before she looks at me and smiles.
"You're right, darling, this is about us right now," she says. "So, where would you like to start?"
I scratch my chin in thought before I answer.
"The first thing that comes to mind is where we stand with our friends between the E.M.R. and the Rainbooms," I say. "While I'm starting to be friends again with Vinyl and the others, I would like to figure things out between you and the Rainbooms."
"Are you sure?" Octavia asks, concerned. "I'm not saying no, but they are Sunset Shimmer's best friends, and it might not be right to be around them while they may remind you of her."
"I understand that," I say calmly. "But they are still my friends, and two of them are Soarin and Caramel's girlfriends. So if we get back together, then I'll want them to join in our happiness just as much as Vinyl, Doc, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon."
Octavia stares at me, still concerned for a few seconds before she sighs and says, "If that's how you feel, then I'm sure we can figure something out. I told you that we would have to work hard on our relationship, and if finding a way to stay friends with your ex's friends is going to be part of it, then so be it. I want to be less skeptical than I was before our break up."
I nod while smiling at her, and she smiles back. We stare at each other for a moment before I decide to speak again.
"So, how do you want to handle graduating and going to different colleges?" I ask.
Octavia frowns and says, "I haven't thought about that. I mean, I have already applied to Manehattan University to work on a degree in music there, and I assume you might be going to a different one?"
"Yeah, I recently applied to Fillydelphia University," I confirm with a sad face. "Mostly because it's affordable and has a decent writing program, unlike something like Manehattan University."
Octavia gives me a sad, worried look before she takes my hand.
"Then we will have to make the most of summer before going to college," she says. "If all goes well between us, I'll visit you from MU as often as I can. It's only a couple of hours away by car, and I'd rather visit you than you visit me. I only want to associate myself with Manehattan as far as college, and then I'm here in Canterlot to stay. Does that sound okay to you?"
"Yeah, that makes sense," I answer.
We don't do anything but stare at each other for a couple of minutes before Mr. Cake comes over and brings us our drinks. We politely say thank you and quietly take sips of our milkshakes before we look away from each other, trying to think of something else to say. After about another minute, I sigh and let it out.
"I miss you, Octavia," I say quietly before we both look at each other in the eyes. "I guess even when I was happy with Sunset Shimmer, a part of me still missed you. I never really realized it because I was, or in some way still am mad at you for turning your back on me and then replacing me with another guy. You broke my heart really bad when Sonata told me about you and this Treble Clef guy. And yet a part of me still felt guilty about ironically falling in love with Sunset after claiming that there was nothing between her and me. It's my fault that this -"
"No," Octavia interrupts. "None of this was your fault."
"Yes, it was," I say. "I lied to you, I went against your wishes, I didn't try hard enough to let go of the past between another girl and me, and I'm sorry about that."
"I'm the one who should be sorry," Octavia pleads. "I let my suspicions get the best of me and didn't listen to you when you tried to explain yourself. I should have known better not to trust you after everything you've done for me. Even when I hated you and I was dating Treble Clef, all I could think about was you. Call Treble Clef and ask him if you want. I knew I made a mistake, and I can't express how sorry I am for taking so long to realize I was wrong and caused so much heartache on both of us."
"Well, I guess in the end, there's blame to share, really," I say. "Not just us, but Vinyl for taking the video, the Crusaders for making the Anon-a-Miss account, there's just so many variables connected to what happened that day."
"Indeed," Octavia agrees. "But with that much said, the important thing is that I know the truth, and I want to try again."
I hesitate before I say, "I want to try again too, but at the same time, I'm still going through another tough breakup. How do I know you're willing to go through with me ever thinking about Sunset Shimmer again after ending up falling in love with her anyway?"
Octavia frowns for a moment before she takes my hand again and gives me a small smile.
"Because 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," she says. "At least that's what my grandfather told my father."
I smirk at Octavia and say, "Somehow, we always find a way to bring your grandpa into our relationship, don't we?"
Octavia chuckles and says. "What can I say? He meant a lot to me, and I really wish you could meet him. He would have loved to see how much you cared for me when we were together. Not to mention taking his idea of giving the one you love a similar necklace."
"True that," I say as I look at her sapphire necklace hanging around her neck. "Speaking of which, did you wear that under your shirt since the day you opened your gifts?"
"Every. Single. Day," Octavia says proudly. "And don't even think of saying it's weird when you were the one who ended our story with me turning out to be some ghost the whole time."
"Hey, come on, I was in sorrow," I beg playfully. "Besides, it's still an original ending compared to any of my other stories, which I thought you'd like."
Octavia raises her eyebrow before she smiles and says, "Well, you're right about that. Despite killing me off, I'm always glad to see you push yourself as an artist."
"I hoped you would," I say, smiling back.
*****************************************************************************************
After another hour of talking, Octavia and I decide to head out and take a walk to the park. We exit Sugarcube Corner before Octavia takes my hand to stop.
"Actually, I need to use the ladies room for a second before we go," she says. "Wait right here?"
"Of course," I say, smiling as she goes back inside.
All in all, I think the talk went very well. I'm feeling more comfortable with Octavia again, and it's looking like maybe we can find a way to get back together.
But as I think about getting back together with Octavia, I think about Sunset Shimmer. How would she react to this? Would she be happy for me? Would she be upset? Would she rightfully regret leaving me? I know it doesn't matter now, but as I am spending time with my first girlfriend, there's a part of me that feels like Sunset Shimmer is out there somewhere calling out to me.
"Rough Draft!"
Yeah, like that except...not so distinctly.
"Rough Draft!"
I frown in confusion and look around to see nobody around me. I start to wonder if I'm imagining things until a large shadow zooms above me. I look up and my mouth drops in shock to find Sunset Shimmer flying high above me with her wings of fire. She spots me in the distance and dives until she reaches the ground and starts running toward me with her wings and tail disappearing as soon as she touches the cement. I only have a moment to say, "Sunse -" before she smashes my lips together with hers and wraps her arms around me so tightly that she lifts me off the ground. I stand still in shock and yet can feel my heart leaping with joy to feel her lips again, just like with Octavia. Eventually, Sunset puts me down and looks at me with tears in her eyes before she starts kissing me all over my face.
"Oh. Baby," she says, kissing me with every word again. "I'm. So. Sorry. I. Should. Never. Have. Left. You."
"Sunset," I begin before she puts her hands on both of my cheeks and looks at me dead in the eyes, her eyes red from her tears.
"Rough Draft, I'm so, so sorry," she cries. "I know what you're thinking, and you're right; I should never have left you and our friends. I was just so worried about you after you got shot, and Octavia kept saving you instead of me, and got scared that I might lose you, and I just thought I did what I had to do. But oh babe, I have never been so wrong in my whole life. I shouldn't have run from my worries; I should be facing them with you. I wish I didn't put you through so much pain realizing it. Please forgive me."
With that, she goes in for a deep kiss. I don't resist because her grip on me is strong, and part of me doesn't want her to let me go. When we finally part, I am in a daze for a moment before I shake the blissful feeling out of my mind and look at Sunset seriously.
"Look, Sunset," I begin uneasily. "There's something you should -"
"YOU!"
Oh, great.
Sunset and I turn our heads to see a livid Octavia standing by the open door, giving Sunset a deadly glare. Sunset glares back as she lets go of me while Octavia storms towards her.
"You have a lot of nerve coming back!" Octavia growls. "You have no right to be anywhere near him after what you did!"
"I have more right than you do!" Sunset snarls. "I've come to get my Rough Draft back!"
"He's not going anywhere with you!" Octavia barks. "I told you what would happen if you let him go!"
"Wait. What?" I ask, surprised.
"So? That doesn't mean you get to decide whether or not he comes back to you," Sunset counters.
"And you do after deceiving him again?" Octavia shouts.
"At least I did it thinking about him rather than replacing him with some Prench guy," Sunset yells.
"Okay, can I say somethi -" I begin before two voices simultaneously shout, "SHUT UP, BABE!" and, "QUIET, DARLING!" at me before the fight continues.
"Hey, you have no right to call him that again," Sunset growls.
"I can call him that whenever I want," Octavia counters as she lifts her necklace and shows it proudly. "I have this to show how much he loves me. What do you have to prove that he cares squat about you?"
"How about this?" Sunset shouts as she reveals that she's wearing her rose necklace. "This is his promise to me to always stay by my side."
"Funny, I seem to recall, you keeping him from being anywhere near you for some time," Octavia mocks. "You think just because you came back, he's going to give you another chance?"
"Why not? I'm asking for it after only a couple weeks as opposed to several months, unlike someone I know," Sunset mocks back.
"Okay, that's enou -" I try to say before I am interrupted again.
"I don't care how long it took you. Rough Draft is patching things up with me," Octavia screams.
"Well, too bad because he's going back to the makeout train with me!" Sunset barks.
"The dickens he is, witch!"
"More likely than he's gonna come to you, cow!"
"ENOUGH!"
Octavia and Sunset stop their fighting and turn to see me frustrated.
"Look at yourselves!" I rebuke. "Do you really think I'm going to decide> to be with either of you through a yelling match? You're both better than that! Octavia, we still have ways to go before I could really consider whether or not we can try again. Sunset, you tricked me again and left me alone to depression with nothing but a note to explain yourself. Neither of you have any reasons to get back together with me on the fly! I just...just..."
Without another word, I turn around and run as fast as I can, unable to take any more. Both Sunset and Octavia call out to me, but I ignore their calls. I'm just so confused and frustrated that I don't know what to do but run to the first place that comes to my mind.
***********************************************************************************************
I knock on the front door to the Apple house and wait eagerly for someone to answer the door. Thankfully, Granny Smith opens it with a surprised look.
"Why, Rough Draft, what a pleasant surprise," She says. "Did you just decide to visit or -"
"Is Sonata around, I need to talk to her," I plead.
Granny looks at me surprised again before she points to the barn and says, "She's feeding the pigs right now, but why do ya -"
I don't let Granny finish as I start racing to the barn. I pull the door open to find Sonata dressed in farming attire and dumping slob into the pigpen as the pigs start eating. She turns to me, and her eyes light up immediately.
"Hey, buddy, wassup?" she greets bubbly. "I'm just starting to learn how to do chores around here since I'm gonna be an Apple soon. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, it's wonderful, Sonny," I say impatiently. "Can I talk to you about something? I kinda need to rant right about now."
Sonata looks at me curiously as she puts down her bucket and walks over to me.
"Sure, Rough Draft. What's the matter?" she asks. "Did something happen during your talk with Tavi?"
"You could say that," I say.
For the next few minutes, Sonata and I sit down on some stacks of hay, and I explain everything to her. My talk with Soarin and Caramel, how things with my discussion with Octavia went, Sunset appearing all of a sudden, and Octavia and Sunset fighting before I lost it and fled the scene. Sonata listens intently, but her face goes from focused to shocked by the time I get to Sunset suddenly there kissing me and crying for forgiveness. When I finish, Sonata keeps staring at me for a minute before she finally speaks.
"Is this for realzies?" she asks.
"Yup," I answer.
"Sunset has come back from Equestria?"
"That's right,"
"She just came back after leaving and closing the portal, making it a really long time before it can open again?"
"Looks like it."
"How?"
"I don't know. I wasn't able to ask her that."
"Well, that would be nice to know."
"Mmmmm."
"And now both of your ex-girlfriends want you back really, really, badly to the point of screaming their heads off at each other over who should be your girlfriend again?"
"That is correct."
Sonata keeps staring at me before she leans her back against the wall and stares at the ceiling, contemplating the information.
"Holy moly," she says.
"That's an understatement," I say.
"I can't imagine how you're feeling, buddy," Sonata says before she scratches the back of her head nervously. "Of course, that's partly because I don't know how you're feeling."
I give her a sad smile before I sigh heavily.
"Honestly, Sonata, I don't know how I feel either," I say. "I feel like I'm a mixture of angry, confused, happy, and sad."
"Do you have an idea of who to pick by any chance?" Sonata asks.
"No. Yes. Kind of. I don't know," I say, running my fingers through my short hair frustratingly. "This morning, I woke up, and life was looking simple enough. I was going to have a talk with Octavia about our relationship, and if things went well, we would be working our way to get back together, and right up until we were about to leave the cafe, things were looking like that's what was going to happen, and I was glad. But then Sunset comes in, and she's kissing me and hugging me with everything she has to express how sorry she is, and part of me is glad that I could pick up where I left things off with her like the last couple weeks never happened. The only thing I do know is that I love both of them, but my heart can't decide on who I should choose. They are both filling me with joy after showing that they both regret their mistakes and they want me back, but at the same time there has been too much time spent apart from Octavia, and I'm still pissed that Sunset tricked me and left me alone again no matter how good her intentions were. I don't know what to do."
"Well, why did you come to talk to me?" Sonata asks.
"Because you're the only person I can think of who isn't biased about this, Sonny," I answer. "Vinyl, Derpy, Doc, Lyra, Bon Bon, and their new recruits would tell me to take Octavia back while Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Caramel, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight won't hesitate to try to encourage me to forgive and forget what Sunset did. You, on the other hand, said that your loyalty goes to whoever wants me back and makes me happy, and right now, that's both of my ex-girlfriends, which is leaving me unable to decide what to do."
Sonata frowns sympathetically and pats me on the shoulder, and I sigh heavily again.
"How did it come to this, Sonny?" I ask. "The idea of finding love was supposed to be simple. You know? You find one special person, you fall in love, you get married and raise a family and never leave each other's side until you die. I never in all my lonely days in Applelosa dreamed that I would find two special people who I deeply love and who deeply love me back. Why can't it be just one person I fell in love with like Rainbow Dash and Soarin, Derpy and Doc, Applejack and Caramel, Fluttershy and Big Mac or Pinkie Pie and Cheese? How did I end up with two beautiful, wonderful girls who both make me happy in their own special way?"
"What do you mean?" Sonata asks with a cute, curious face.
I give her a small smile before I say, "Octavia makes me happy because she loves me despite not being nearly as skilled or as passionate with my writing as she is with her cello. She also encourages me to slowly change for the better, whether it's my writing or getting over my grudge with Sunset. Sunset, on the other hand, is the opposite; she does want to see me grow as a writer, but at the same time, she's just happy to see me be just the way I am. She accepts that I'm not flawless, and all her experience about the Magic of Friendship probably influenced her to view me as someone special no matter what I am. So I guess the ultimate question is, do I want to be happy with someone who helps me evolve, or do I want to be happy with someone who treasures me for being me?"
Sonata looks at me perplexed with my question.
"Gee, that's a major toughie," she says, scratching the back of her head. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Rough Draft. I really do."
I smile and wrap my arm around her waist in a friendly hug.
"That's okay, Sonny," I say. "I didn't expect you to give me a clear answer. Thank you for listening."
"Aw, anytime, buddy," Sonata says cutely as she pulls me into a big hug with both her arms making me chuckle at her bubbly attitude.
We continue our friendly hug for about a few minutes before someone knocks on the barn door, and two familiar voices are heard from the other side.
"Rough Draft? Babe, are you in there?" Sunset asks.
"Darling, please answer. We want to talk," Octavia begs.
I frown as I reluctantly say, "Well, time to get back to the music."
"I got your back, buddy," Sonata says supportively.
I give her an appreciative smile before we stand up, walk over to the barn door, and open it to reveal Octavia and Sunset look at me shamefully.
"How did you two find me?" I ask.
"Well, we were going to your house first, but then we realized you probably knew that we would try to find you there first," Sunset answers.
"And from there, we brainstormed where you would go where you would talk to someone who's on neutral ground on your relationships with us, so it was a matter of finding Sonata to find you," Octavia finishes.
I smile briefly and say, "You two know me a little too well."
"It comes with being the two women who love you," Octavia says with a proud smile while Sunset nods in agreement with her signature smirk.
We stay silent for a moment until I say, "Well, I'm listening."
My two exes look at each other as shame covers their faces again before they turn back to me.
"Listen, Rough Draft, we're sorry about how we acted," Sunset says apologetically.
"Indeed," Octavia concurs. "We went a little overboard at the cafe."
I smirk and say, "Not to sound rude, but a little?"
Both girls chuckle nervously before Octavia says, "Okay, fair enough. We went majorly overboard."
"That's better," I say pleased.
Sunset smirks before she and Octavia look at me seriously again.
"We realize that we put you in a complicated spot, and you're right that we should have handled that better. We both are on uneasy terms with each other, and we let our emotions get the better of us, and we're sorry."
No one says anything after that for several seconds. Then I sigh and give both of them a small smile.
"Apologies accepted," I say.
Octavia, Sunset, and Sonata smile at me before the awkwardness rests in.
"So..." Octavia says, rubbing her arm nervously. "What do we do now?"
I frown at this question.
"I don't know," I admit. "You both love me and want to get back together with me, and I love both of you, and I really don't know who to choose if I should choose at all. You both mean so much to me, and there are a lot of ups and downs in both relationships."
Sunset and Octavia nod in agreement.
"It's a matter that shouldn't be decided in a day no matter how much Sunset and I wish it would in our favor," Octavia says calmly.
"Agreed," Sunset says. "I guess we just need to give you time to choose. But I think we all know that Octavia and I want to keep trying to mend our respective relationships with you while you try to decide."
"Understandable," I say. "So I guess while finals are coming and all that jazz, we should...I don't know. Take turns with who I spend time with or something?"
Both of my exes hesitate and look at each other concerned.
"How do we decide how that works?" Octavia asks.
I scratch my chin in thought until I get an idea and turn to Sonata.
"Sonny, since you're on the neutral ground with my love life, how about you be the judge during this...period of figuring things out," I suggest. "So you decide if both sides are spending an equal amount of time and aren't trying anything that could boost their chances."
Sonata grins and excitedly says, "Ooo, I like this idea."
I smile at her enthusiasm and turn to Octavia and Sunset.
"Does that sound fair?" I ask.
"I think it makes enough sense," Octavia says. "But if we're trying to go for equal amounts of time, then both you and Sonny should eat lunch away from the Rainbooms to avoid extra time with Sunset."
"Fine," Sunset says. "I'll see what I can do about my spot at English, too to keep it fair."
"Does that satisfy the judge?" I ask.
"I think so," Sonata says. "And since you just had your talk with him today, Octavia, that means that tomorrow is Sunset Shimmer's turn to spend time with Rough Draft."
Octavia frowns, clearly wishing she could continue spending time with me.
"Fine. That's fair enough," she says.
I nod in understanding. Everything seems okay until Octavia asks, "Can I at least kiss you good night?"
I look at her awkwardly, and Sunset glares at her. Sonata, however, shrugs and says, "Well, Sunset did kiss him a bunch when she approached him, so I think it's acceptable."
"Sonata," Sunset rebukes.
"Sorry, Sunset, but fair is fair," Sonata says sympathetically. "We need to keep things balanced, and we kind of declared today as Octavia's day."
"Indeed," Octavia says with a cocky smirk. "So, you might want to look away, Ms. Shimmer."
Sunset turns to me, and I give her a sympathetic look as a way of saying, "I'm sorry," before she looks away. Octavia walks over to me and turns her cocky smile into a sweet one before she caresses my cheek and goes in for the kiss. I can't help but kiss her back while she presses her lips against mine tenderly, trying to make every moment of it last before we part.
"You can look now," she says, with her eyes glued to me.
Sunset Shimmer turns to look at me and sighs, obviously displeased.
"Okay, so should we plan something for tomorrow then, Rough Draft?" she asks.
I think for a moment before I say, "I don't know. I think we should decide on somewhere to talk. You still have a lot of explaining to do after all, and I think that should be the focus for tomorrow."
She frowns sadly and says, "Okay. I do owe you that after everything I've done."
I nod in agreement before I awkwardly say, "Well, I better get home. I'd like to get my thoughts straight before doing any of this starting tomorrow."
"I think that's a good idea," Sonata suggests.
"I love you," Octavia and Sunset say simultaneously as I'm leaving.
"I love you too," I say, looking at both of them as I walk away.
*********************************************************************************************
Third Person P.O.V.
Octavia, Sonata, and Sunset Shimmer keep their gazes on Rough Draft as he walks home until he is out of their sights. As soon as he's gone, Sunset Shimmer and Octavia turn to Sonata worriedly.
"Sonny, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sunset Shimmer asks.
"Can you think of a better one?" Sonata challenges. "I'm not really smart like you three, but I know how much you both mean to him and everything you've done to him both good and bad, and he's going through enough emotionally with both of you wanting him back as it is. Look at it this way, play by the rules, and you'll both have an equal chance of making him your boyfriend again. From there, I simply pray to the Lord that the one who is for him will win in the end. I mean, you both want his happiness whether you're part of it or not, right?
"Of course I do," Sunset insists. "Even when he was with Octavia and still hated me, his happiness is all I ever wanted."
"And I told you before that if you're the one he's supposed to be with, I will not interfere," Octavia concurs. "We both can't stand being away from him anymore, but as long as he chooses someone that is meant to make him happy for the rest of his life, then one of us has to stand aside if not chosen. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Sunset says, offering her hand. Octavia shakes Sunset's hand, and Sonata smiles at the gesture.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you two can handle this fairly," She says. "Now if you two would excuse me, I still have some chores to do. I'll see you both tomorrow."
"Of course. Good night, Sonny, Ms. Shimmer," Octavia says with a curtsy.
"A good evening to you too, Sonata and Ms. Melody," Sunset Shimmer says with a bow.
Without another word, Sonata goes back inside the barn while Octavia and Sunset leave Sweet Apple Acres in separate directions.
As soon as they are far away from each other, however, Octavia turns her head to see the distant figure of Sunset Shimmer and grins mischievously.
"I'm going to make you jump for joy when he comes back into my arms safe and sound, you manipulative witch," she hisses before she continues her walk.
At the same time, Sunset turns around to glare menacingly at Octavia from a distance.
"You're going to pay for trying to take him from me again, you inconceivable cow," she growls before she continues her trek home.