A Search for Something More

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 12: An Olive Branch

It's been a couple of weeks since the talk I had with Soarin and Caramel, and true to my words, I have kept silent about believing to be in love with Octavia. But it has been harder to do since then. The more Octavia and I spend time together after school playing music and writing stories or have movie dates or hanging out with Vinyl and the rest of the E.M.R., the more I'm sure that I love her. I'm even convinced that she loves me back based on the way she smiles at me, encourages me, and appreciates me watching her play her cello. I might be getting my hopes up, but I like to believe that all of those things say a lot.

It wasn't long before I was able to let Caramel and Soarin in on the E.M.R. Octavia, and I took them to Vinyl's house where we broke it to them what we've been doing and what really happened after the Dazzlings escaped. Obviously, they were upset that I lied to them, but Rainbow Dash was there to help them understand that we didn't want to hide this from them and that both of us personally requested that we let them in our secret group in case a magical being attacks the school again. Eventually, they both forgave us and agreed to join the E.M.R., and the group welcomed the two of them with open arms.

Though I feel like we should keep an eye on Lyra and Bon Bon. They have been constantly checking out Caramel and addressing him as "Caramel Bear." I hope they aren't going to actually fight over him like Rainbow Dash suggested.

Thankfully Vinyl's parents' lawyer was able to apply for an appeal for Sonata and because she gave the police information about Adagio and Aria (magical stuff aside) and because of her good behavior at juvenile hall, it looks likely that she'll get the appeal and have the Apple family look after her. We've been visiting her whenever we can, but since they only allow two people to visit at a time, we've been taking turns.

Today Octavia and I are visiting Sonata. The school bell rings, announcing the end of school for the day, and I immediately put my stuff into my backpack and head to the front entrance of the school to meet up with Octavia. I exit from the front entrance to find her waiting for me at the bottom of the steps as usual.

"Hello darling, how was school today?" Octavia asks after greeting me with a kiss.

"It was about the same," I answer. "Though I do like that I haven't been getting any detention recently. It looks like you're becoming a good influence for me not to get in trouble from Ms. Harshwinny."

"Yes, you have been receiving less of her wrath since we met," Octavia says with a pleased smile. "So, are you ready to meet Sonata?"

I take a moment to think about it before I say, "Mostly. I feel nervous, given that I was the one who tased her."

"I'm sure she understands, Rough Draft," Octavia says. "Besides, she wants to change her ways, so it's working out for the best."

"Yeah, that's true," I say.

Before Octavia can say anything else, she feels her phone vibrating inside her skirt pocket. She picks it up and grumbles when she finds out who the receiver is.

"What?" I ask.

"It's my mother," she answers, annoyed. "Wait here. I'll be over in the corner."

She walks away and answers the phone. I watch her get into the phone call, wondering what her mother is calling her for when suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Sunset Shimmer standing behind me with a nervous smile. My face immediately turns sour, and she flinches at my reaction. But then I remember how Octavia wants me to change my attitude, so I try to soften my mood.

We stand there facing each other before she finally speaks.

"Hi," she greets.

"Hey," I say with little charisma.

"I heard that you and Octavia are about to visit Sonata," she says.

"Yeah, that's right," I say.

"Are you nervous about seeing her?" she asks.

"A little," I answer. "But Octavia assures me Sonata won't make a thing about me tasing her."

"I'm sure she won't," Sunset Shimmer says. "I mean, she didn't exactly show me any venom when I visited her with Fluttershy a week ago, and we were kind of mortal enemies during the Battle of the Bands, so you'll be fine."

"Right," I say.

An awkward silence fills the air again for a few seconds before Sunset Shimmer clears her throat.

"Listen," she begins. "I know we're still not in the best of terms, and I know that you're only trying to be less angry with me just because Octavia wants you to. And I get that by the way. It's pretty much your job as her boyfriend to make her happy, so no judgment."

"Well, I'm glad we can stop beating on the around the bush with that," I say.

She gave me a small smirk before she continues.

"But with that said, I really would like us to be on better terms," she says. "I know you're not going to forgive me anytime soon, but I'd like to give you something to show that I'm sincere. Call it an olive branch."

She takes her backpack out, opens it, and pulls out a tattered green notebook. I stand there stunned as she hands it over to me, and I take it at a loss of words.

This is the notebook she took from me during the Spring Fling.

"Y- you kept it," I finally say after a minute. "I thought you threw it away after you scanned all my stories and turned me into a laughing stock."

"Part of me wanted to," Sunset Shimmer admits. "But then I decided I wanted it as a part of my collection of 'past accomplishments' or something of that nature."

"Oh, there's a whole collection?" I ask half-amused.

"Well, not exactly," Sunset Shimmer says reluctantly. "You see, this is the only item in the collection. I never had anything else. Just this."

"Oh, so I was your only big accomplishment, huh?" I retort.

Sunset Shimmer winces at my comment, and I instantly regret it.

"Sorry, force of -" I begin.

"No, no, I led you into that one," Sunset Shimmer interrupts. "But in all honesty, I don't know why your notebook was my only trophy."

I raise my eyebrow her, and she waves her hands defensively and says, "I'm serious. Despite everything I did before the Fall Formal, this was the only thing I kept as a memento. I guess what I'm trying to say is deep down, not everything that happened between us was a lie. It may have been an act, but I've accepted that not all of the memories I made with you were fake."

I keep my eyebrow raised.

"Oh come on, Rough Draft," she protests. "I may have been evil, but even I genuinely enjoyed some of the time we spent together.

Remember the time we went to get ice cream place and the server put so much ice cream on our bowls that we couldn't put the lids on?"

I continue to look at her suspiciously while I admit, "Yeah, I do. It was a hot day and so we were trying to get to her apartment as quickly as possible. I was carrying both of our bowls and the ice cream was melting fast and was getting to my pants."

"And by the time we got to my apartment, your pants were stained with ice cream from top to bottom and we had a good laugh at that," Sunset Shimmer finishes with a smile. "Good or evil, that is a fond memory for me and I know you had fun too."

I'm still looking at her skeptically before I eventually give in.

"You're right." I reluctantly admit. "Some of those moments were pretty good, and I do kind of miss them."

Sunset Shimmer smiles and says, "It's moments like that where I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again except make it all real. Maybe we could have become great friends if I hadn't used you like that."

Her smile turns into a frown as we look away from each other uncomfortably for a minute

"So, did you tell the Rainbooms about what I did at the Spring Fling?" I ask.

Sunset Shimmer chuckles nervously as she scratches the back of her head.

"Yeah, I did," she says.

"How did they take it?" I ask.

"They were pretty shocked to learn that you were behind the whole thing except for Applejack, who said she found out that night and told you off back then," she answers. "The rest of them are not pleased, but they understand that you regret it and it's all in the past. Well, most of them."

"Let me guess, Rarity?" I ask, unsurprised.

"Yeah, I would stay clear of her for a while if I were you," Sunset Shimmer says.

"That pissed off, huh?" I ask.

"She may be debating on whether she should poison you or drown you," she answers.

I stare at her a little scared before she quickly says, "Kidding!"

I sigh in relief and say, "Don't scare me like that. I know she is obsessed with fashion and all, but I didn't think she would make that much of a deal over a dress."

"Well, fashion is her passion," Sunset Shimmer says. "She worked hard on that dress, and we broke her heart when we ruined it."

My frown returns and I glumly say, "Yeah, we did."

Sunset Shimmer grows worried at my reaction.

"Are you still guilty about the Spring Fling?" She asks.

"Not as much as I used to be," I answer. "It haunted me during the remainder of the school year and most of the summer, but Soarin and Caramel were there to help me cheer up. It doesn't make me feel any less ashamed that I did it, though."

"What about Octavia and everyone else that the E.M.R.?" Sunset Shimmer asks.

"About the same," I answer. "They're not thrilled about what I did, but they acknowledge that I regret it. Plus, Octavia wanted to cheer me up after I told her."

Sunset Shimmer gives a small smile before it changes into a face of concern.

"Speaking of Octavia, how are things going between you two?" She asks.

"Oh, they're going very well," I say with a boastful smile. "She's been a great girlfriend, and I'm happy to be together with her."

Sunset Shimmer's concerning face doesn't change.

"Are you sure about that?" she asks. "I mean, to be honest with you, I'm surprised that you two got together after she laughed at you at Sugarcube Corner."

I raise my eyebrow at her again.

"Spying on us, were you?" I ask suspiciously.

"No, you were a little loud when you spat out 'I write Star Wars fan fiction,'" Sunset Shimmer answers plainly. "But seriously, I am surprised you two made up. I could see from the service counter how much she hurt you when she laughed."

"Well, it did hurt, but she apologized for what she did," I say. "In fact, she has been supporting me to slowly start writing original content as opposed to Star Wars fanfiction."

"Wow. Really?" Sunset Shimmer asks, surprised. "That's awesome. She must care about you a lot."

"Yeah, she does," I say.

Sunset Shimmer notices my smile and smirks.

"And clearly, you really like her too, don't you?" She says teasingly.

My smile disappears, and Sunset Shimmer frowns and asks, "What's wrong?

"Nothing," I say, but she isn't buying it.

"Rough Draft, we used to hang out all the time, remember?" she says. "I can tell when something is up with you. I know you don't like me, but you can't hide what you're feeling from me. Maybe I can help you with your problem."

I sigh and reluctantly answer, "Okay, the thing is I think I'm falling in love with Octavia, but Soarin and Caramel told me to wait until I'm sure that she feels the same way. But the more I'm with her, the more I want to walk over to her and say 'I love you,' but at the same time, she might not feel the same. So, I'm stuck with trying to figure out my feelings. "

For a moment, Sunset Shimmer doesn't say anything. Then she places her hand on my shoulder and says, "I think you're doing the right thing by waiting."

I give her an unamused look and sarcastically say, "Gee, you really want to be in good terms with me."

"Sorry, but it's true," She says sympathetically. "Hate to break it to you, Rough Draft, but you're the biggest hopeless romantic I've ever met to the point that you would jump into thinking you're in love when a girl appears to be interested in you. I'm not saying what you think you have with Octavia isn't there, but believing yourself to be in love can lead you to do inconsiderate things if you're not careful. That's part of why I made you a part of my plan for the Spring Fling, and that's what made it easy for me to manipulate you to do whatever I wanted. Granted, what you have with Octavia is not the same as what happened between us, but maybe you should give her a little more time."

"But how much longer do I need to give her?" I ask. "Should I wait until it's been at least three months like you did or something?"

"I don't know what you should do, Rough Draft," Sunset Shimmer admits. "I don't know everything about your relationship with her, and I don't know everything about how she feels about you. It's just something the two of you are gonna have to figure out yourselves."

I sigh disappointedly with her answer.

"I guess you're right," I admit.

We don't say anything for a minute until Sunset Shimmer clears her throat.

"So, back to the olive branch," She says nervously. "Can we make peace?"

I look at her skeptically and ask, "Before I can give you a full answer, I gotta know. Why do you care if I'm nicer to you?"

Sunset Shimmer winces at my question. She looks away as if everything else is more interesting than me while I continue.

"Is it because you don't want anyone to hate you anymore, and you want everyone to be your friend or something? I know I'm pretty much the last person who doesn't believe you, but -"

"I miss my friend," Sunset Shimmer spits out, startling me. "Please understand, Rough Draft, I never knew what it's like to have friends until after the Fall Formal. Before I was spending time with you, the only thing that came close was the time I spent with my mentor back in Equestria. I know I was tricking you into thinking I was in love with you, but now I've spent the past several weeks accepting that you were the first friend I ever had, and I miss the fun we had. I miss the laughs, the memories, you reading your stories to me. Those were all great times with the first person I befriended, and I didn't even realize it until it was too late. Now that I understand how important friendship is, it hurts that of all the people still do not trust me, it's you. It breaks my heart that you of all people still look at me with hate, believing that I'm still the conniving girl who used you to win a crown made of plastic. I know I took too long to realize it, and I don't know how else I can make you, but I want you to know that I miss my friend, and I want to start again with him."

Nothing is said for a couple of minutes. I stare at her, surprised by her words. As much as I want to deny it, I can see pain and sorrow in her eyes. It makes me want to say that I forgive her for real, and we can become friends again, but then I suddenly remember how those same eyes once changed from sweet and friendly to eyes of pride, and a lust for power, making bad memories flood in my mind again.

But then I look at the notebook that she stole from me. She could have set it on fire and leave it to burn in an empty trash can after she disposed of me, but she kept it. I look through the pages to make sure that none of them are damaged or torn out. Then her words, "You were the first friend I ever had," start to echo in my mind I think hard about that, and in a twisted way, I guess that was true for me too. Like I said to Octavia, I never had a real friend before I moved from Applelosa, and I never really hung out with anyone until Sunset Shimmer asked me to go to the movies with her. I thought I was falling in love, but even then, she was the closest thing I ever had to a real friend. Funny how both of us were the closest thing to having a friend while she was deceiving me.

I take a deep breath before I give her my decision.

"I can try to be nicer to you," I say awkwardly. "It's going to take more than this to trust you, much less become friends again. That being said, I can't deny that I am surprised that you kept this for so long, and I appreciate that you gave it back. Granted, I technically still have them on MyStable since you posted everything, but I appreciate the thought. I'm trying to be less mean either way for Octavia's sake, but I think this has earned you a real chance to prove yourself."

"That's all I ask for," Sunset Shimmer says with a hopeful smile before I continue.

"But I'm warning you Sunset Shimmer, I can't guarantee that there's a chance that we can be friends again," I say. "Even if you prove to me that you changed, there's a chance that too much damage has been done. Plus while you're embracing magic with the Rainbooms, I'm in a group where people are afraid of magic like me. I don't know how things are going to turn out between the Rainbooms and the E.M.R., but I think I can say things probably will never be the way they were before."

"Understood," she says before adding with a smirk, "At least we can have a less awkward conversation than the one Octavia made us have the day after the trial."

I laugh and say, "Yeah, no kidding. I appreciate that she's trying to help us make up and all, but that was really awkward."

"You can say that again," Sunset Shimmer chortles.

The two of us laugh until tears start to come out of my eyes. Eventually, the laughter dies down, and we sigh in relief.

"Well, I'm glad we can have this talk," Sunset Shimmer says.

"Yeah, I guess I am too," I say. "Though I imagine Octavia would not be a fan of making fun of my forced apology."

"I most certainly am not."

I freeze for a moment before I reluctantly turn my head to see Octavia standing behind me, giving me a disapproving glare with her arms crossed.

"Uh, hi, deary," I say nervously. "How long have you been done with calling your mom?"

"Long enough to know how you feel about me helping you apologize to Sunset Shimmer," She says bluntly.

"Uh, did you hear the part where I said I appreciate what you're doing?" I ask with an uneasy chuckle.

"I think I might have missed that part out," she replies.

I turn and look at Sunset Shimmer, who is covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Little help?" I ask.

Sunset Shimmer scratches her chin, pretending she's thinking before she responds, "You know what? I don't think I'm going to interfere. This is a boyfriend and girlfriend dispute, and, oh, what do you know? We're not even friends, so I'm not obligated to help."

"What?!" I exclaim. "You back me up here righ - ow! Ow! Owie! Owie! Ow!"

Octavia grabs me by both of my ears and announces, "Come, darling. Sonata is waiting for us," before she drags me away as I whimper in pain. I take one last look at Sunset Shimmer, who is still trying not to laugh.

"I'll get you for this, Sunset Nicole Shimmer!" I exclaim, shaking my fist in the air.

"I'm sure I will, Rough Muriel Draft," Sunset Shimmer replies while snickering.

"Hey, you promised (ow!) you would never speak of my middle name!" I shout.

"Well, I was evil back then, and I might have crossed my fingers, so it didn't count!" She replies mockingly.

"Oh man, you have (ow!) so much much to answer for Sunset (ow, stop pulling!) Shimmer!" I yell.

Octavia continues to yank me by my ears until we are a couple of blocks away from the school. She lets go of my ears, and I start rubbing them, trying to soften the pain.

"You know I mean it when I say I appreciate that you're trying to help me be a better guy, right?" I ask.

"I know," she says. "But I also don't like to be made fun of by my boyfriend."

"Fair enough," I say.

With that, we start walking to juvenile hall for a couple of minutes before Octavia asks, "What's with the notebook?"

"Oh yeah, Sunset Shimmer gave it to me. It's the one that she took after the Spring Fling," I explain.

"Wait, the one she used to make you a laughing stock at you? I didn't know she kept it around," Octavia says, surprised.

"Neither did I," I say. "She said she kept it as a memento, and she considers me her first friend even though she didn't act like it back then."

Octavia smiles and says, "See, darling? She's not the same girl you knew back then."

"Well, I'm not ready to go that far completely, but this is a good start," I say.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Octavia says pleased. "Plus, I would like to see what stories you wrote back then."

"Uh, yeah, that's not gonna happen," I state. "I'd rather not show you stories that are corny and overly simple like the one I showed you before we started dating."

"Aw, come on, Rough Draft. Don't deny your girlfriend her wish to see your work," she pleads. "I promise I won't laugh."

"You will try, but you probably won't succeed," I say.

Octavia huffs before an idea comes to her mind, and she whispers in my ear, "We can make out later."

I blush at her words before I take a deep breath and say, "Against my better judgment, no."

Octavia groans.

"Very well then, I shall have to put this into practice," She says.

"Put what in -" I begin to ask before she grabs my arm tightly and gives me an adorable puppy eye pout. Just like with Pinkie Pie, I clutch at my chest, feeling a pain in my heart. My knees wobble, and I lost my footing, but she still holds on to my arm. I manage to say, "O-Octavia, dearie, let's talk about this." But my attempt is met with a sad whimper which, like before, made it worse.

"Alright, alright! You win! You win! You win!" I finally shout, and Octavia's pout turns to a pleased smile while still hugging my arm.

"Thank you, darling," she says innocently.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I grumble. "Seriously though you can do that too? I thought that was something only Pinkie Pie or Applejack's sister and her friends can do."

"Really? I didn't know Pinkie Pie can do it," Octavia says. "It's just something I picked up from my mother. She pulls it on my father all the time."

"She gives him a sad pout to practically force him to her way?" I ask bewildered.

"Indeed," she answers. "She taught me how to use it, so now I can do the same to you."

"Wow. You're kinda cruel today," I say.

"Oh hush, you like me way too much to do anything about it," She says while still hugging my arm.

I make an uneasy chuckle in response. She's right that I can't bring myself to do anything about it, but I can't help but feel sure I more than like her. I hate to admit that Sunset Shimmer made a strong point about how quick I am to judge about love, but it's hard to be patient.

"Anyway, " Octavia begins suddenly snapping me out of my thoughts. "Your middle name is Muriel?"

I frown at her question before I grumble, "It's a family name, and that's all I'm going to say."

Octavia laughs at my response.

"Oh, Rough Draft," She says before she gives me a tender kiss on the cheek, and I smile at her appreciatively before we continue walking to visit Sonata together.

Author's Note:

Merry (belated) Christmas everyone!

So for a while I noticed that there hasn't been as much focus on Sunset Shimmer as I want there to be. Her role in the story gets bigger later on, but I wanted there to be some focus while we're not there yet. So with that in mind, I wanted to write this chapter so that we have more development. I hope you all enjoyed it!

The girl making her dogs apologize is something my sister, Jenny does to our two dogs Scout and Sadie. They fight sometimes and Jenny will pretty much do exactly what Sunset said word for word.

Also Rough Draft's middle name is a F.r.i.e.n.d.s. reference. Chandler is one of my favorite characters of all time and so I wanted to reference him by giving Rough Draft his middle name and having it also be his family's name.

Here's the scene where Chandler's middle name is found out. It's at 1:00

As always, thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!