A Search for Something More

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 19: Rumors

It's been two days since my present hunt with Sunset Shimmer, and things are still hectic over finals week. When Octavia quizzed me the next day, I managed to get about three-quarters of her questions right, which wasn't to her satisfaction, but she admitted that it was better than I was doing before. We continue to study together with our friends after class, and I start doing better as time goes on.

Tuesday night, it starts snowing. By the time my mom drops me off, the school building is covered in a blanket of snow. The next thing I know, two arms wrap around my left arm, and the head of my beautiful girlfriend is resting on my left shoulder. I turn my head to see her face so serene as she looks at the view of our school.

"Pretty sight, isn't it?" I say with a loving smile.

"Divine," she says with her eyes not leaving the view. "There's just something about watching the snow falling that's so beautiful to see around this time of the year. It's like watching one of those old black and white movies."

"Is that why your coat looks like something from the 40s?" I ask teasingly.

Sure enough, Octavia is wearing a deep blue buttoned coat that looks like something that came from that period.

"Oh, and you're the one to talk about clothing, Mr. Draft," She replies as she lifts her head and smirks at me. "Let me guess, that symbol on your hoodie has something to do with the Jedi or some other Star Wars related thing?"

Yup. I got the symbol for the Jedi Order during the time of Revan and the Old Republic on my black hoodie.

"Ah, what are you complaining? My nerdy side is one of the things you love about me," I claim.

Octavia rolls her eyes and says, "Well, you're not wrong, darling," before she kisses me on the cheek.

I smile at her as we enter the building and walk through the halls while I say, "So are we studying again after school?"

"Actually, I was thinking of a little Christmas shopping after school," Octavia answers.

"Oh? For who?" I ask.

"Sonata," She says. "I hear she's going to study for finals at Bon Bon's place with her and Lyra, so Vinyl suggested that we use the opportunity to get her something on behalf of all of us to show how we care."

My smile grows as she explains her plan.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," I say.

"Yes, I thought you might approve," she says pleased with my response.

We enter the school and walk through the halls until we have to go to our separate classes.

"Should we meet at our usual spot outside?" I ask.

"Indeed," Octavia confirms. "My mother is going to pick us up and drive us to the mall. Naturally, I'm paying, but I expect you to contribute to gift ideas."

"Well, I shall do my best not to disappoint you, love," I say as we teach the end of the hall.

"I know you will," Octavia says, smiling sweetly before we press our lips together. "I love you."

I smile as I caress her cheek and say, "I love you too," before we go to our separate classes.

I can't wait to give her that necklace.

*********************************************************************************************

At lunchtime, I sit in my usual spot with Soarin and Caramel. Sonata is eating with the Rainbooms today, so it'll just be the three of us. I'm about to dig in when I notice Caramel isn't touching his food.

"Hey, Caramel, are you alright?" I ask.

It takes a couple of seconds before he answers sadly, "Not really, Rough Draft."

"What's wrong," I ask.

"You mean you haven't seen it yet?" Soarin asks.

"Seen what?" I reply.

Soarin takes out his phone and taps on the screen a couple of times before he gives it to me. I look to see his MyStable app on a red and yellow page of someone named Anon-a-Miss.

"What am I looking for?" I ask

"Look at the top post on the page." He says.

I look, and I see a post that leaves me just as confused.

Did you know when AJ was a kid she loved playing with pigs? OMG! She sat in the mud for hours! Her whole family calls her "Piggy Wiggly" cause she loves them so much. What a Pig!

I turn to Caramel and ask, "Are you upset because the post is calling her a pig?"

"No! Well, yes. I mean, that's part of it," Caramel explains. "But other students are calling her by her nickname in a mean way. I've talked to her about it, and she told me not to worry about it and that it's just something that will pass, and she's not letting it bother her, but, well, it bothers me."

I look at my friend with a sad smile.

"Maybe you're worrying too much for Applejack. Don't forget she's a strong-spirited girl," I suggest.

"I know. That's what I love about her. But that doesn't mean I’m okay with people making fun of my AJ like that," He says.

Soarin and I look at him concerned before Soarin says, "Uh, Caramel, Applejack isn't your girlfriend. She's still not interested in dating, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Caramel replies reluctantly. "But I like to dream. I feel like I'm close enough to that point, even though it may never happen. I'm just enjoying the fact that we're starting to become good friends. I think I have at least enough merit to be a little annoyed that people are using her family nickname against her."

"Maybe, but that still sounds like you're getting a little carried away," I suggest.

"Oh, like you're the one to talk," Caramel challenges. "There's rarely a lunch period anymore when one of the subjects you talk about isn't somehow about Octavia."

Soarin makes a small chuckle and shrugs at me.

"He got you there, bro," he says. "You do like to talk a lot about her a little too much these days."

"Yeah, but at least with Octavia, we are together both love each other. I think that merits a little talk about her every so often with my friends," I point out. "Speaking of which, Soarin, how are things going between you and Rainbow Dash?"

Soarin doesn't say anything at first. Then his face looks uneasy as he answers.

"Slow. Very, very slow," he says. "Honestly, I'm happy we're together, and she likes me back and everything, but I feel like we should be taking the next step. I'm aware that she's not much for romance, but I kinda want to start kissing her, you know?"

I nod and say, "Yeah, I get it. You guys have been together for a while now, and it feels like you've been taking things a little too slow. Maybe it's time you take the initiative again like at Pinkie Pie's party."

"Yeah, I'm down for that," Soarin says. "But how do I make that move?"

"Don't look at me, man, she's your girlfriend," I say. "You have to think about that yourself. Better yet, maybe ask the other Rainbooms for some ideas. I mean, who else besides you knows her better than her best friends?"

Soarin scratches his chin in thought.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," he says. "I could start with Fluttershy since she knows Rainbow the longest."

"Sounds good to me," I say encouragingly.

"Now talking to either of them is going to be hard," Soarin says.

"Why's that?" I ask.

"Because according to Rainbow Dash, she and the Rainbooms are doing a series of slumber parties after school throughout the week for Sunset Shimmer. Apparently, they're doing this as a way to celebrate the holidays together with her. They started with Pinkie Pie's house last night, and I think they're doing the next one at Rarity's tonight."

"Oh, nice. Glad they're doing that for her," I say.

Immediately, Soarin almost chokes on his drink while Caramel's sad face transforms into a look of shock.

"Sorry, run that by that again?" Caramel asks.

"I'm glad they're doing that for Sunset Shimmer," I repeat.

Both of them look at me in shock.

"Rough Draft, we've been trying to convince you for months, and you've only been 'trying' just because Octavia asked you to. What in the world succeeded where neither us or your girlfriend didn't?" He questions.

"Well, you remember how I told you guys I was going to go back on my deal with Octavia and get her a gift anyway?" I ask with my friends nodding in response. "Well, I went to the mall last night and bumped into Sunset Shimmer, and we had a little talk, and she helped me find the perfect gift for Octavia."

"And that's what all of a sudden changed your feelings for her?" Caramel asks skeptically.

"Yeah, I don't know how to explain it," I say. "We decided to help each other with finding gifts for Octavia, and the Rainbooms and we kind of had a heart to heart chat about my attitude towards her and then she gave me the idea for Octavia's gift and then helped me pay for it and, well, I guess I started to feel a little more comfortable around her after she did that."

"So paying for your girlfriend's Christmas present is what it took as opposed to regretting her deeds and saving our lives from Sonata and her sisters," Soarin says unamused.

"Well, I guess some time spent with just me and her was all it took," I suggest. "Like maybe I just needed time with her that didn't have to do with magic or coming to me just to convince she's good or just small talk like we've been doing in the past. Maybe just doing something together and talking it out is what it took."

"You want to stick with that story?" Caramel asks.

"I don't know. Maybe. I wish I could explain it better, but at the same time, what does it matter as long as I'm starting to believe she's good?" I suggest. "Heck, since Octavia was so keen on making me change, maybe telling her this after I give her, her gift could be like a bonus gift or something."

Both of my friends look at me skeptically before Caramel reluctantly says, "Well, you're probably right that Octavia will want to hear that. Speaking of which, though, what did you get her?"

I smile as I take out my phone, open the pictures app, and select a photo I took of the necklace. I hand my phone to Soarin, who looks at it with Caramel looking next to him.

"Whoa, did you really get her that?" Caramel asked, surprised.

"I sure did," I say proudly. "Sunset Shimmer chipped in because it cost more than we thought because of some error on the ad for it, but I knew that this was meant to be the gift for my Octavia."

"That's awesome, man," Soarin says excitedly. "When are you going to give it to her?"

"I'm still not sure about that," I say. "But, I'm sure I'll think of something before its finals week."

But before he could say anything else, the bell rang, announcing that lunch is over while all three of us realize we're not done with our food.

"You know, we need to work on eating before we dive into a conversation because this is getting ridiculous," Soarin says with a sigh before he and I wolf down our food and start scurrying to our classes again.

"Eh, I wasn't very hungry anyway," Caramel says glumly before he takes his food to the nearest trash can.

***************************************************************************************

"Oh, my goodness, that was the greatest thing I've ever eaten in my life!"

Octavia and I just started to shop for Sonata's gift with Tempo following behind us. We were about to start about ten minutes earlier, but when we entered the food court, Tempo immediately wanted to try out some of the food there, eager to try 'normal food' as she puts it.

"Indeed, that was rather good," Octavia agrees before she turns to me. "You should have told me the pretzels here are this good, darling. We could have found a way to grab some when we were spying on Caramel, Lyra, and Bon Bon."

I scratch the back of my head as I try to think of something to say since I don't want Octavia to know about Sunset Shimmer and me shopping for her present yet.

"I didn't know they are this good either. I kind of just heard about them from a couple of people, and since Tempo wanted to try something new, I thought we'd give it a shot," I half lied.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Tempo says happily. "It's so much fun to try new things like this. I could eat these pretzels all day, but I want to keep my figure."

"Well, we need to focus on Sonata anyway, mother, so perhaps we should keep our eyes on the task at hand," Octavia suggests.

Tempo sighs and says, "Yes, we must not keep that girl present-less, should we, Tavi?"

Octavia groans and says, "Mother, please. Only my friends can call me Tavi."

"Aw, but it sounds so nice," Tempo says in a pouty tone. "Honestly, I feel like your father, and I should have come up with a nickname like that for you years ago. It sounds so obvious."

Octavia groans in annoyance as she rolls her eyes. I smile as I tell her, "Don't worry, love, at least you won't be hearing me call you that."

Octavia looks at me with a smirk.

"Right you are, darling. Cause if you did, I'd make you wear the maid dress again for a week if you're lucky," she warns.

"Uh, noted," I say with a nervous chuckle as we head to the nearest store with Tempo walking behind.

We start with a clothing store, thinking maybe we could help Sonata find a new outfit or something.

As we look through different clothes, I decide to strike another conversation with Octavia.

"So, Sonata seems to be having the time of her life living with the Apples, huh?" I say.

"Yes indeed," Octavia says, not looking at me. "In fact, I was helping her study at Sweet Apple Acres while you were working on your essay, and I noticed that Granny Smith liked to check on us to make sure she's doing okay."

"That adds up," I say as I look through the clothes. "I've seen Granny Smith give her an extra apple when we're at lunch, much to Sonata's delight. Clearly, she's grown very fond of our new friend."

"Obviously," Octavia says while looking at a pile of skirts. "The whole family has been working hard to make Sonata feel welcome and help her with becoming good now, but it's clear that Granny Smith is starting to love her like she's as much her grandchild as Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh."

"Well, you won't see me complaining," I say with a small smile on my face. "I don't know about you, but it's warming my heart to see Sonata be in a better place after she told us what she was going through with her sisters for a thousand years."

"I couldn't agree more, darling," Octavia says.

After that, we continue to browse in silence until another subject comes into my mind.

"By the way, have you heard about this whole Anon-a-Miss thing with Applejack?" I ask.

"I did," Octavia says, still not looking at me as she browses. "Please don't tell me you think Sunset Shimmer is Anon-a-miss."

I frown in confusion and ask, "You thought I was going to?"

"Of course," Octavia says bluntly. "After all, that MyStable page is red and yellow, and there are rumors that she's behind it."

"Huh. I never thought about that," I admit. "In any case, I doubt that she's Anon-a-Miss."

Octavia stops going through a rack of blouses and looks at me, befuddled.

"Who are you, and what the dickens did you do to my loving but skeptical boyfriend?" She asks.

I chuckle a little at her query. First, Caramel, and Soarin, and now Octavia.

"Well, you're the one who wants me to have an open mind about her, right?" I ask.

"Well, yes, but this is a sudden change of mind," she says. "What happened to taking a while before you would begin to trust her?"

I try to think of something to say that would kind of explain my change of heart without giving Octavia any idea about her gift.

"Well, I didn't say I am completely there, but on the way home to do my essay after I walked you home the other night, I bumped into her, and we ended up talking about the whole matter between us. Long story short, we had a serious chat, she made a few good points, and I started to feel a little more sure that she changed."

Yeah, not the most reliable explanation in the world, but given that Sunset Shimmer's help with the necklace played a big part in my change of heart, it's the best I can do.

Octavia raises her eyebrow and says, "Not that I don't believe you, Rough Draft, but that sounds far too simple to be the reason why you started to do what I've asked since Sonata's trial."

"Well, we both know the road to being on good terms with her was going to be convoluted regardless, so as long as I start to see the error of my ways, it doesn't matter now," I claim. "Besides, even if she is behind the Anon-a-Miss profile, what good can it do her? It's not like she could somehow get her magic back by making fun of Applejack's family nickname."

Octavia keeps her suspicious look for a moment before she sighs and nods in agreement.

"That's true," she says as she looks away from me and goes back to looking at the blouses. "I'm no expert in magic, but I'm sure it's hard to use something like MyStable to turn someone into a dragon or something,"

"Do you really think magic from Sunset Shimmer's world could turn someone into something like a dragon?" I ask with a chuckle.

"With all the magic stuff going on, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some evil magic that can turn someone into a Balrog," she replies.

At that moment, my eyes widen, and I turn to Octavia with a big smile on my face. Noticing my silence, she stops browsing and turns to me with a confused look.

"What?" She asks.

"You just made a Lord of the Rings reference," I say gleefully.

Octavia rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, well date a nerdy guy long enough, and you'll remember a few things like that, I suppose," she says as she turns back to looking at the clothes.

But I'm not going to leave it at that. While Octavia is searching, I walk up behind, wrap my arms around her, and give her a surprise kiss on the cheek. Octavia responds with a "Hey!" and a glare when I finish, but I just look at her with a loving smile.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too, you big dork," she says, sounding annoyed while smiling before she gives me a playful shove saying, "Now get back to your section."

*******************************************************************************

Eventually, we find a scarf and a new hoodie for Sonata and decide to call it a day. Tempo drives us to my house, and Octavia walks me to the front door when something clicks in my mind.

"Hey, before I forget, what are you and your family doing for Christmas?" I ask.

"Oh yes, I haven't told you, have I?" She says. "My parents and I are going to Prance with Vinyl and her parents. It's a tradition for my family to travel to a different state or country to celebrate the holidays, and Vinyl's mother happens to have a gig at the same time, so we're going together. I wish I remembered to tell you that sooner."

"Oh, that's okay," I say assuringly. "We're just gonna have to make sure we have one more date before you go. When do you leave?"

"We leave the Monday after finals," she answers. "So we'll have the weekend after to do something, and from there, we're just gonna have to text and Skype each other whenever we get the chance."

"Agreed," I say with a smile. "Heck, maybe you can find out what's the big deal about them starting the whole using-tongue-while-kissing thing."

"Now, why would I do that, Mr. Draft?" She says with a flirty smile. "Are you hoping to find an excuse for us to try it?"

I blush furiously.

"No!" I exclaim. "Seriously, I'm just making a joke about -"

Suddenly it hit me, and I glare at Octavia that she responds with a smug look on her face.

"You did that on purpose," I say.

"I most certainly did," she says proudly. "And your blushing is as adorable as ever."

My blush grows, but my glare remains.

"You're lucky I love you," I grumble.

Octavia replies with an amused chuckle.

"No, you're lucky I love you," she counters.

I keep glaring for a few seconds before I smile.

"You're right, love. I am lucky. I still don't deserve you," I say.

Her smirk turns into a loving smile before she wraps her arms around my neck and says, "Maybe not, but I'm still yours, and you are mine, and that's all that matters."

"Agreed," I say before I wrap my arms around her waist and our lips meet. We eventually part due to lack of air and stare at each other's eyes while I say, "Goodnight, Octavia."

"Goodnight, Rough Draft," She replies sweetly. "See you in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," I say before we reluctantly part, and she gets in Tempo's car, and they drive away.

Just you wait, Octavia. Soon you will really see how much I love you.

Comments

[diablo4000]

Well you're going down the Amon A miss road...Let's see how things go, and what happens.

[Windsor]

Great... Anon-a-Miss. I was hoping this AU wouldn't have to deal with it. Well, fingers crossed that someone -other than Rough Draft- believes that Sunset isn't Anon-a-Miss.

[CSC]

Ah no! Anon-A-Miss! Great........THAT road.......good thing Rough Draft isn't skeptical of her anymore.

[rillegas08]

I don't really understand everyone's hatred for Anon-A-Miss. I wonder how many dislikes this fic got because of it. I know when I posted the chapter of my fic where Twilight goes back in time where she's revealed to be Clover the Clever, I got a bunch of dislikes right after I uploaded it.

Anon-A-Miss is actually the perfect device to show A) how Rough Draft has changed since the beginning of the fic, B) his struggle between his old wounds and knowing Sunset is better than everyone thinks she is, and C) to give Sunset an ally during the debacle that she wasn't shown to have in the comic.