A Search for Something More

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 26: A New Look

I am woken up by my alarm clock, and I realize that I fell asleep while looking at pictures of Octavia and me on my phone. My phone is at 23%, so I quickly plug it into its charger before I take a shower. When I come back after breakfast to unplug it before leaving, the battery is only at 51%. I groan and decide to leave it off during school so the battery can last through most of the day. After my mom drops me off at the school front entrance, I met up with Caramel and Soarin, and together, we head to our first class.

"Man, it feels weird that the three of us are going to the same class, doesn't it?" Soarin asks.

"Yeah, I mean, I've been hoping this eventually happens for so long, and when it finally does, it feels too good to be true," says Caramel.

"Yeah, it does," I agree. "Speaking of which, any luck with sharing any of your last two classes with Applejack? I forgot to ask when we were at the arcades."

Caramel looks away for a moment trying to hide a smile.

"Yeah," he says. "We both got history with Ms. Harshwinny."

"That's awesome, man," I say. "I mean having a class with Harshwinny sucks, but at least you have a class with Applejack. Now you can work on being at least good friends with her."

Caramel nods in agreement before Soarin speaks with a raised eyebrow.

"Speaking of becoming good friends, I couldn't help but notice you being all friendly with Sunset Shimmer while Rainbow and I were at practice," he says. "You two looked like you were having a deep conversation at the benches."

"What?! How did that happen?!" Caramel shouts. "When did you start trying to be nice to her?"

I chuckle a little before I explain.

"I guess I forgot to mention what happened at New Years, didn't I?" I say. "When I was at the Apples, Sunset Shimmer and I made a... game of sorts to work on getting to know the real her. So, yesterday that led to her talking about where she came from and why she came to our world."

"Oh, cool. What did you find out?" Caramel asks.

I think about it for a moment before I answer.

"It's complicated," I say. "But the general gist is Sunset Shimmer was a magical unicorn who wanted to bring magic here to rule her pony world."

Both Caramel and Soarin stop walking and look at me with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"You say that like you're not weirded out by it," Soarin says.

"Oh, I am. Believe me," I say. "But some of that is practically the tip of the iceberg compared to all the other stuff she told me."

"How so?" Caramel asks.

"Uh, maybe you should ask Applejack or Rainbow Dash," I answer. "It's a little hard to explain, and I think they can probably do it better since they are her best friends."

Caramel and Soarin look at each other and shrug, feeling okay with the idea.

"Fair enough," Soarin says. "So you're finally moving on from what happened at the Spring Fling, huh?"

"Well, yeah, I pretty much have," I answer. "If anything, I feel better having forgiven Sunset Shimmer, and now I have learned why she was the way she was before the Fall Formal. I just wish I didn't lose Octavia in the process."

Both of my friends frown at the last thing I said.

"Yeah, I can't imagine how you're feeling, bro," Soarin says sadly. "Octavia is a pretty awesome girl, and you two were really happy together. I hope Sonata can talk to her and Vinyl, and the other E.M.R. guys."

My eyes widen in realization.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that she was doing that," I say before I frown again. "Then again, if she made any progress, I might have heard something from Octavia by now."

"Not necessarily," Caramel suggests. "Maybe she did, and Octavia will want to talk to you in person or something. After all, talking about it through a phone call or texting isn't the best way for a couple like you two to make up."

"That's true," I say. "I guess I can hope that that's the case. And hey, if we do get back together, we can move forward on our relationship with me not having a fuss over Sunset Shimmer anymore. It would be a pleasant change for both of us."

"Speaking of Sunset Shimmer, here she comes right now," Soarin announces as he points behind me.

I turn around to see Sunset Shimmer walking down the halls happily. I wonder what has gotten her so cheerful when I realize she's walking straight towards us.

"Good morning, gentleman," she says to the three of us.

"Uh, morning, Sunset," Caramel says, taken aback by her demeanor. "You seem rather cheery today."

"Indeed I am," she says before she looks at me. "Mr. Draft, may I have a word with you?"

I stare at her, confused. I turn to Soarin and Caramel, who shrugs in response, and I turn back to Sunset Shimmer and say, "Yeah, sure," awkwardly.

Sunset Shimmer's smile brightens and she gestures me to follow her. I silently obey as she leads me to the corner of the hall.

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?" I ask.

"Well, I have some good news for you," she answers. "I had a little talk with Rarity and convinced her to finally back away with her being venomous towards you."

"Seriously?" I ask bewildered.

"Seriously," she says plainly. "In fact, she suggests that the three of us should go together for my makeover."

"Your makeover?" I ask.

"Yes, I decided to make today the day I take your advice, " she announces. "Rarity and I are going to the salon where I will change my hair, and then we're going to the mall where we're gonna look for a new outfit for me, and she insists that you come."

I look at her perplexed with her news.

"Uh, that's very kind of her to offer, but I don't think that sounds like something I can help with," I say. "I mean isn't getting your hair done and stuff more of a girls thing?"

"Yes, but it would mean a lot to Rarity if you contribute in some way as something of an apology for being so cold to you," Sunset Shimmer says.

"How is that an apology?" I question.

"Let's just say Rarity is usually not the kind of girl who lets others give her a second opinion," she answers. "She's very reluctant when people disagree with her fashion choices. So to have someone be allowed to contribute, especially a guy, is kind of a bigger step for her than I'm making it sound."

I stare at Sunset Shimmer suspiciously.

"Okay, I guess that's something," I say reluctantly. "But how did you convince Rarity to stop being so mean to me? Did you say she owes you for abandoning you during the Anon-a-Miss thing?"

Sunset Shimmer smirks in response.

"No, that's what the old me would do," she says. "I merely pointed out that she's treating you the same way everyone in school treated me before the Battle of the Bands, and how it took so long for you to finally forgive me and how it was miserable for me on both accounts. That made her plenty guilty for being so cold to you just because you were the one who dumped water on her head at the Spring Fling."

"Well, if that helped her see the error of her ways, then great, I guess," I say skeptically. "But I still don't think I would be much help for something like helping choose an outfit."

"Aw, come on, Rough Draft, don't be a wimp," Sunset Shimmer says. "Who says you can't help just because you're a guy? After all, this whole makeover thing was your idea in the first place."

"That's true," I admit before she elbows me playfully.

"Besides, you used to check me out plenty of times when I was pretending to be your friend. You can put up with doing it again while I try out different outfits," she teases.

"Hey, I did not," I retort, blushing.

"Buddy, you couldn't keep your eyes off me," Sunset Shimmer teases. "I don't think even Flash glanced at my beauty that much, and he was my boyfriend."

"Well, excuse me if having a girl give me more than a sideways glance for the first time in my life warranted a few glares once in a while to confirm that it was happening," I counter.

"Excuses, excuses," Sunset Shimmer says with a wave of her hand. "I had you right where I wanted you, and you know it, nerd."

I open my mouth to deny it before I look and scratch the back of my head in defeat.

"Yeah, you did," I say, earning a chuckle from her.

"Nice to see you man enough to admit it," Sunset Shimmer says. "Anyway, we're meeting Rarity at the salon and then heading to the mall together for my new outfit. Think you can handle being around two pretty girls for a couple of hours?"

"Do I have a choice?" I ask.

"Not really," Sunset Shimmer answers, as she starts walking away. "See you at lunch, Mr. Draft."

I groan uneasy as I walk back to Soarin and Caramel, who look at me confused.

"What in the world were you two talking about?" Soarin asks. "You were blushing halfway through that conversation."

I take a moment before I say, "Apparently, Sunset Shimmer convinced Rarity to stop acting so cold to me and wants me to join them in this makeover thing that I suggested to Sunset Shimmer. As for the blushing, she was teasing me about something back when we were 'friends' before the Spring Fling."

Both of my friends look at me, confused.

"Well...that... sounds like a sudden change of attitude for Rarity," Caramel says.

"You think?" I ask. "I'm all for making peace with her right away, but there's gotta be something more to this. Heck, Sunset Shimmer, and I agreed that there has to be a more personal reason why she's been cold to me over the Spring Fling."

"Well, if you're hanging out with her after school, then you should ask her," Soarin suggests.

"I'll pretty much have to," I say. "I'd rather not just let the cold shoulder over the past couple weeks go just like that. I wanna know what the big deal was."

"I'm sure you'll find plenty of opportunities while surrounded by a couple of girls having makeovers, R.D.," Caramel teases. "And remember, if someone asks if you want a manicure, just say no."

"Yeah, yeah, very funny, Mr. Shy Guy," I say elbowing Caramel as the three of us proceed to our first class.

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

The school day goes by with Rarity indeed appearing kinder to me than usual during lunch with the Rainbooms, Soarin, and Caramel. Rather than looking away from me coldly with an over-dramatic "Humph," she instead gave me a friendly greeting like the rest of the girls. I politely say hi back, then sit down next to Sunset Shimmer and ask if the same Rarity greeted me. Sunset Shimmer just chuckled and said she's sure and told me to leave it alone. I reluctantly obey and eat my lunch until I noticed Sonata wasn't sitting with us. I ask Applejack where she was, and Applejack just says she's having lunch with Vinyl today. It sounds like Sonata is trying to butter Vinyl up so she can talk to Octavia, which makes me smile, thinking that might lead to getting Octavia to change her mind.

During English class with Ms. Cheerilee, Sunset Shimmer was looking forward to this makeover thing with Rarity. She looks like she's brainstorming ideas for a new look while not paying attention to Ms. Cheerilee's lecture. I can't help but smile because it reminds me of the good times from our fake friendship, where she was excited for us to do something together. It's nice to see her excitement be for real for once as opposed to be part of her master plan for pony world domination.

When class ends, and everyone else is heading home, Sunset Shimmer turns to me and asks, "Ready to meet with Rarity?"

I hesitate before I answer, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"That's what I thought you'd say," she says as she gestures me to follow her. "Come on. I'm going to drive us there."

With that, we walk over to the parking lot to Sunset Shimmer's motorcycle and start riding to the salon. Even though I've ridden on her motorcycle recently the night I got Octavia's necklace, I find myself enjoying it more this time. I guess being friends with Sunset Shimmer again helped make riding it fun for the first time since before the Spring Fling.

The Spring Fling.

That name should be making me frown again right now, but strangely enough, it isn't. In fact, that name hasn't given me the same sting as it used to in weeks as if all the pain from everything that happened doesn't exist anymore. I guess forgiving Sunset Shimmer was all that I needed to move on from the past in a way that makes me feel...free, I think. Free from the past, free from myself, and all the hate I had against Sunset Shimmer. It feels good.

Eventually, we make it to the Canterlot Salon and Sunset Shimmer parks in front of the store. We take off our helmets before looks at me, confused.

"What are you so happy about?" she asks.

I realize that I have been smiling and shake it off.

"Oh, it's nothing," I answer. "Just a little deep in thought. That's all."

"Oh, must've been a nice thought," she says.

"Yeah, it was," I say.

"Well, I'm glad to see you were smiling like that, Rough Draft," Sunset Shimmer says, smiling sincerely. "It makes me happy to see you happy."

"For the first time since the Spring Fling, I believe you, Sunset Shimmer," I say.

Her smile widens, and she hugs me unexpectedly. I feel I should be used to this given the unexpected hugs she's given me in the past month, but since I'm still not entirely used to this new Sunset Shimmer, I don't know what to expect sometimes.

"You're addicted to hugs: real or not real?" I ask.

Sunset Shimmer breaks the hug and says, "Not real."

"Are you sure?" I ask suspiciously. "You seem to be fond of hugging me out of nowhere ever since you dropped me off at my house after buying Octavia's present."

Sunset Shimmer smiles kindly and says, "Well, I can't help it if I'm happy to have my very first friend back, and he's happy again despite what he's going through. Doesn't that warrant a big hug now and then?"

I smile at her words.

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?" I answer.

Sunset Shimmer keeps smiling, looking at my green eyes intently, and I smile back, looking at her cyan eyes before we both snap out of it.

"Well enough mushy stuff," Sunset Shimmer jokes. "Rarity is waiting inside."

"Yeah, let's not keep her waiting," I agree as we go inside to find Rarity waiting for us at the front desk.

"Sunset, lovely to see our lady of the hour arrive," she greets, hugging Sunset Shimmer before turning to me. "Ah, Mr. Draft, so good to see you again."

"Uh, likewise, Rarity," I greet awkwardly, still taken aback at her strange change of attitude towards me.

Rarity nods before saying, "Don't worry, darling, we're all going to have fun helping our dear Sunset find a new look."

I grimace at the word 'darling,' and my face falls. Rarity looks at me confused until Sunset Shimmer puts her hand on Rarity's shoulder.

"Better lay off on calling him 'darling,' Rarity," she says. "That was Octavia's nickname for him when they were dating."

Rarity looks at Sunset Shimmer, shocked by this news.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," she says apologetically, though I am unsure if she means it, judging by how she said it.

"It's okay. you didn't know," I say plainly, eager to get Octavia out of the conversation. "Let's just focus on Sunset Shimmer right now."

"Oh yes, quite right, darli - er, dear," Rarity says before turning to Sunset Shimmer. "So, have you thought about what you want to do with your hair?"

Sunset Shimmer smiles and says, "Well, I've mostly been thinking of just making the colors of my hair lighter. I like my hair as it is, but maybe lighter shades would give a better sense of showing that I'm in a better, brighter place."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Rarity says. "Would you say so, Mr. Draft?"

I stare at Rarity, getting a feeling that she forced herself to bring me into the conversation before I reply.

"Yeah, I think that makes sense," I say before turning to Sunset Shimmer. "But is that going to be hard for the salon people to do? I mean, your hair has a very...complex look."

Suddenly, the blue woman with pink hair at the front desk squeals with laughter, startling Sunset Shimmer and me while Rarity smirks proudly, knowing what's on the woman's mind.

"Oh, what a cute mindset you have, sweetie," The woman at the front desk says in a thick Russian accent, giving me a sweet smile that makes me blush. "We can handle anything here at the Canterlot Salon. Why, we once had to dye a woman's hair from black to a plaid pattern with hair almost twice the length of both of your friends' hair. Ms. Shimmer's hair is going to be an exercise at best."

"Um, plaid hair?" I ask, confused.

"It was in style for a short time," The woman explains. "Anyway, we'll be ready for your friend in just a minute."

"Wonderful. Thank you, Lotus Blossom," Rarity says before turning to Sunset Shimmer and me. "In the meantime, have you thought about what you would want your new outfit to be?"

"Not completely," Sunset Shimmer admits. "I just know that I'd like to wear boots and a motorcycle jacket still. Definitely no dresses. They're not my thing."

"Understandable," Rarity says plainly. "As much as I love dresses, I realize that not everyone likes them. "

"Yeah, I can vouch for that," I say before my eyes widen, and I cover my mouth, hoping no one listened.

Unfortunately, Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, and Lotus Blossom all turn to me confused. Rarity, in particular, raises her eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" She asks.

"Nothing!" I say frantically. "I was dozing off right there and thought you were talking about something else."

Neither of them buy it as Lotus Blossom is smirking while both Sunset Shimmer and Rarity give me suspicious looks.

"Rough Draft, neither of us have to be Applejack to know you're lying," Sunset Shimmer says. "What did you mean when you said you can vouch for it?"

"It's nothing," I claim. "It's best that neither of you bother yourselves about it."

"Rrrrroooouuuugggghhhh Dddrrrrraaaaafffffttttt," Rarity says warningly. "We're friends now, and friends have to be honest with each other."

I stutter, trying to think of something to counter that argument, but Sunset Shimmer nods, backing up Rarity's words, confirming that they're not going to let up.

"Alright," I sigh, defeated. "But what I say doesn't leave this room, got it?"

"Got it," both Sunset Shimmer and Rarity say simultaneously.

"Lotus Blossom?" I ask.

Lotus Blossom moves her fingers from one side of her mouth to the other, indicating that her lips are sealed. I sigh as I enjoy whatever shred of dignity I have left before I start to explain.

"Do you two remember how it was partly my idea for Caramel to go on a date with Lyra and Bon Bon at the same time?" I ask.

"Well, of course I do," Rarity says. "That poor boy was lucky we were there so that Applejack could save him from those two."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly devoid of punishment either," I say. "When Octavia found out what Soarin and I more or less suggested, she decided to punish me by making me wear a maid outfit from one of her former maids back in Manehattan every day after school while she was trying to help Caramel prepare for that 'double date.'"

All three of them look at me dumbfounded for a moment before Sunset Shimmer asks, "So, your girlfriend made you wear a maid outfit?"

"That's about the size of it," I reluctantly admit.

The room is silent for a moment before Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer laugh out loud, holding each other in support. Even Lotus Blossom tries to hide a giggle as my face turns as red as a tomato.

"Yes, my ex made me wear a dress. It's funny," I say sarcastically. "Can we get on with Sunset Shimmer's appointment now?"

Lotus Blossom nods and gestures Sunset Shimmer to follow her, still trying to control her giggles. Rarity holds on to her gut as she sits down on one of the waiting chairs and takes out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"It wasn't that funny," I retort.

Rarity giggles before she brings herself together and calmly responds.

"You're right, it wasn't that funny," she says. "I'm sorry, Rough Draft. That was childish of us. I did want us to start over with me more mindful of your feelings, and I've already started poorly. Please forgive me."

I sigh and say, "Alright, I forgi -"

But then something hits me while I stop in mid-sentence. Rarity said herself that friends have to be honest with each other, and if she feels so sure to make that claim, then perhaps she could enlighten me on why she was acting so cold to me all this time. A mischievous grin grows on my face as I walk over to Rarity and sit on the chair next to her.

"Tell you what," I begin, "Since you said that friends have to be honest with each other, then I'll forgive you if you explain to me why you've been so bitter to me since before finals week."

Rarity is taken aback by my proposal and looks away from me.

"I don't think that is necessary," she says plainly.

"Well, I do," I say firmly. "I'm glad you stopped acting so cold to me, but you still were even though I already apologized, and you forgave Sunset Shimmer. So I need to know what it was about ruining your dress that was so upsetting? Is it just that you worked hard on that particular dress or are you just upset whenever anything happens to a fashionable dress or -"

"You destroyed my chance for true love!" Rarity spits out.

My eyes widen as I stare at an angry Rarity, speechless.

"What?" I manage to ask.

Rarity sighs and calms down again.

"Listen, Rough Draft," she begins. "I understand that you were just tricked by Sunset Shimmer to sabotage me, and I know you mean it when you say that you regret what you did and liked my gown before you ruined it, but that's not entirely why I've been despising you. It's not that you ruined my dress or prevented me from becoming the princess of the Spring Fling again, but you ruined my chance to be with the boy of my dreams."

Newfound guilt fills me inside. This whole time I didn't just destroy something valuable to Rarity; I ruined a chance she had to fall in love with someone special. I look down and frown as it hits me that I ruined an opportunity for someone to find love just so that I could greedily grasp what I thought was my chance for it.

"Anyone I know?" I ask.

"No," Rarity replies. "He doesn't go to CHS. He lives in Manehattan, where I hope to start my fashion career. He is beloved by everyone around him, and his taste in things fashionable rivals that of mine. I thought I would never get the chance to see him in person until graduation, where I could go to college at Manehattan University, where I know he's going to go. But then I found out from a friend of mine in Manehattan, Coco Pommel, that he was going to the Spring Fling at our very school. He was visiting his aunts, had just recently broken up with this popular cellist from his school, and it sounded like he was having trouble getting over her. Thus, the Spring Fling was my opportunity to not only become a princess again but to gain his attention so that we can finally be together. Oh, it was like a gift from heaven learning that my wonderful, beloved Bluey just happened to be Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna's nephew."

Wait. Bluey? Nephew? Cellist?! Don't tell me she's talking about -

"I wasted no time," Rarity continues abruptly. "I spent most of my savings on the materials I needed to make the perfect dress that would leave him staring at me in awe. I imagined him seeing me on stage as his aunts put that crown on my head. He would run over to me, having instantly forgotten the girl he was mourning over. The moment he makes it on stage, our eyes would meet, our hearts would melt and the rest of the night would be nothing but spending precious time falling in love. Oh, I would have given everything to start such a courtship with Blueblood, the Prince of Manehattan. That would've been the best night of my life if you and Sunset hadn't -"

But I don't give Rarity the chance to finish. I covered my mouth the entire time she continued her story, trying to hide the snickering coming out of my mouth. But the moment she confirmed that it was Blueblood of all people that she's crushing on, I can't stop myself from roaring with uncontrollable laughter. Rarity turns to me, appalled at my laughter. Her mouth hangs agape before she purses her lips, and her white face turns red in anger.

"Rough Draft, how dare you mock me!" She barks. "I would think a fellow hopeless romantic like you would understand a woman's desire to be with her gentleman!"

But the word 'gentleman' only makes me laugh harder. I fall off my seat and curl into a ball, holding on to my gut. I then start banging on the floor with my fist while Rarity stands up and gives me a death glare with her arms crossed.

"Really, Rough Draft," she ridicules. "What is so funny about a girl wanting to be with the most handsome gentleman in the world?"

"Gee, I don't know," I sarcastically say in mid-laughter. "Maybe because your so-called 'gentleman' is the most stubborn, spoiled, egotistical, person I've ever met."

"What?!" Rarity shrieks. "How could you say that about my Bluey Poo?!"

"Because Octavia is the cellist that dumped his arrogant butt," I laugh out.

Rarity stares at me in shock.

"Y-your ex-girlfriend was the one who dumped him?" she asks, bewildered. "But why? I remember when I saw him far in the crowd right before you dumped all that water on my head, and I knew his eyes were the eyes of true love. How can any girl have the nerve to resist him?"

"Because those 'eyes of true love' are eyes of manipulation," I say as I stand up and face Rarity. "You see, Rarity, Octavia was just like you; she crushed on Blueblood endlessly, and she was in bliss when they were dating. Then one day, she overheard him talking to his friends and found out he was using her for his social status. He only pretended to love her so that she could be the perfect trophy wife through her beauty and her rising popularity as a cellist and nothing else."

Rarity's eyes widen, and her mouth hangs open again as she takes in the information I'm giving her. I sigh, having calmed down before I continue.

"I met him in person the night Octavia, and I confessed our love for each other. Octavia was upset to be anywhere near him, she hated him so much. He didn't care that I was her boyfriend or that we had just confessed that we love each other in front of everyone in that ballroom. He even had his own bodyguards drag me away just so that he could forcefully kiss her, ignoring the fact that she didn't want anything to do with him, and he almost used his bodyguard against me again after we announced our love had Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna not intervened. He was that determined to get what he wanted just for the sake of his popularity. Even if you did catch his attention at the Spring Fling, he just would have dated you just out of your popularity as a soon-to-be-famous fashion designer. As far as I'm concerned, Sunset Shimmer and I saved your white, fashion-obsessed butt from unbelievable trouble."

Rarity is speechless. She looks as if a piece of reality was torn apart with this news.

"So you're right, you shouldn't have acted so cold to me, you should practically be thanking me for dumping water on your head," I continue. "And if you don't believe me, I'm sure Octavia would spare at least an hour not having any prejudice against 'friendship magic' or whatever you girls call it to make sure you know how horrible Blueblood is until you're saying it in your sleep."

Nothing is said for a minute. Lotus Blossom returns to the front desk and starts typing on her computer, ignoring our conversation. Finally, Rarity takes a deep breath and speaks calmly.

"Well..." she begins hesitantly. "If what you say is true, then I owe you a bigger apology than I thought, Mr. Draft. I still wish you didn't ruin one of my dresses, but I know you were tricked into believing you were falling in love with Sunset, and it sounds like you saved me from a similar fate. So... thank you for telling me this, and I'm sorry that I've been mean to you while you've been grieving over Octavia Melody."

"You're welcome, and thank you," I say politely. "Are you going to be okay, though? You look pretty devastated."

Rarity hesitates, blushing in embarrassment before she says, "I'll be okay. I think. I just need to burn a shrine that I have in my room."

"You have a shrine of Blueblood in your room?" I ask a little weirded out.

"It's not uncommon, Mr. Draft," Rarity claims. "Blueblood is very famous among girls like me who either live in Manehattan or are a Manehattan girl at heart. I have one, Coco Pommel has one and so do all of her friends at her school. Why I would bet on my latest frock that even Octavia had one once upon a time."

I shudder at the thought.

"I hope not," I groan. "By the way, you should do your friend a favor and let her know what I told you. The more girls like you know the truth, the better."

"Hmmm, that's a good idea," Rarity says, scratching her chin. "We simply cannot let anyone fall under Blueblood's spell as Octavia did if we can do anything about it, now can we?

"No, we can't," I agree.

Both of us are quiet for a moment before Rarity clears her throat.

"So, with all that out of the way, could we try to be friends for real?" she asks.

I think about it before I say, "I promise not to ruin any of your dresses again if you work hard never to call me 'darling' for both of our sakes; me because I'm still mourning over Octavia, and you because if we get back together, I don't think she'll take kindly to you using her nickname for me."

Rarity giggles at my proposal and says, "Deal."

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

Rarity and I waited for about two hours before Sunset Shimmer's hair is done. Sure enough, it looks exactly the same, but the red and yellow in her hair are much lighter than they were before. Both Rarity and I like the results, and Sunset Shimmer herself looks very happy with it. We then proceed to the mall - Rarity with her small car and Sunset Shimmer and me with her motorcycle, where we first stop at a motorcycle store where Sunset Shimmer ordered new boots and leather jacket online for pickup at the store. They were both a lighter black with a yellow streak on both sleeves of the jacket and the top of the boots. When she tries them on and poses in front of Rarity and me, we both like them too, thinking, the yellow streaks give both the boots and the jacket a sharper and more friendly personality than her current ones. We then walk to a clothes store nearby and decide to separate with Rarity browsing on one side of the store while Sunset Shimmer and I browse on the other side. Sunset Shimmer mostly sorts through the clothes and takes a shirt or pair of pants and shows them to me for suggestions.

"Ooo, how about these black ones with a chain?" she asks, showing a pair of pants to me. "They would give something of an awesome look, wouldn't they?"

"Hmmm, yeah, but they would make you look more like you're part of a motorcycle gang," I critique.

"Good point. Not quite fitting for someone who wants to show they are their own person," Sunset Shimmer says.

"You're determined to having pants be part of your new look, huh?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, I'm done with skirts. I never really liked them," Sunset Shimmer says with a wave of her hand. "Besides, I'll stand out as one of the few girls in our school wearing pants."

"That's a good point," I say. "I think I can count with one hand the number of girls in our school who wear pants."

Sunset Shimmer smirks as she keeps browsing.

"Speaking of standing out, care to explain what was so hilarious while I was getting my hair done?" she asks.

"Oh, you heard me, huh?" I chuckle.

"Rough Draft, the whole salon heard you," Sunset Shimmer replies. "If your voice were higher pitched, I would have mistaken you for Pinkie Pie."

I chuckle again before I ask, "Well, has Rarity told you about a guy named Blueblood?"

Sunset Shimmer makes a grim face before she replies, "She's brought him up once or twice. And by once or twice I mean she shows me her shrine to that pretty boy every time I visit her house, complete with saying in detail from which magazine she got each photo she has framed on the wall and showing her binder full of cut out interviews of him."

I shudder at the thought of anyone having something like that over a guy like Blueblood before I continue.

"Well, it just so happens that Blueblood was Octavia's boyfriend before me," I explain. "And he's also the biggest manipulative jerk who only dated her for her popularity as a cellist."

"Seriously?" Sunset Shimmer asks, surprised. "That must have been a shock for Rarity."

"Oh, but I haven't said the best part," I say. "Blueblood was at the Spring Fling shortly after Octavia dumped him and Rarity made that dress to try to impress him, not knowing that he would've done the same to her had she succeeded in making him her boyfriend if it weren't for us."

Sunset Shimmer stops looking at the clothes and stares at me, surprised.

"Are you serious?" she asks, bewildered.

"Yup," I say, grinning. "So it looks like our little mission to make you Princess of the Spring Fling was kind of a blessing in disguise for Canterlot's favorite teenage fashionista this whole time."

Sunset Shimmer looks at me in surprise. Then a smile forms of her face before she starts snickering.

"Wow," she manages to say between the laughter. "Talk about irony."

"I know, right?" I say, chuckling back. "To think that my former rival for Octavia's affections was there that night having recently been dumped by her. What are the odds?"

Both of us start laughing out loud for about half a minute before we start to calm down.

"Well," Sunset Shimmer begins having collected herself. "Sounds like if you and Octavia get back together, you will have something pretty amusing to tell her."

"You think?" I ask with a smirk. "It's not every day you can say to your girlfriend, 'Oh, by the way, that thing that I was ashamed to talk to you about when we first started dating? That turned out to be a good thing because it spared someone from getting with your snooty ex-boyfriend.'"

"No, it isn't," Sunset Shimmer agrees. "By the way, what do you think of this shirt?"

She takes out a long-sleeved golden shirt from one of the hangers and holds it in front of her and looks at me curiously. I scratch my chin and shake my hand as a way of saying, "Meh."

"You're right; it matches the yellow streaks on my jacket and boots a little too much," she critiques.

"Sunset! Sunset!" Rarity calls out running towards us. "I've got it! I've got the perfect outfit!"

Sunset Shimmer and I turn around to see Rarity holding out a dark blue pair of pants and a light blue shirt with short sleeves and yellow see-through silk at the bottom.

"They're a perfect contrast for the black in your boots and jacket," Rarity says. "Plus, dark blue means you're a girl of integrity and light blue shows you're a person of trust and understanding: a perfect combination to show you're a force for good."

Sunset Shimmer takes the clothes and looks at them carefully. She turns to me with a smile, and I say with a shrug, "Speaking as a nerd, blue is a common color for showing you're a good guy. Just look at Obi-Wan Kenobi with his lightsaber."

Sunset Shimmer chuckles at my reference before she looks at the clothes and says, smiling, "You know what, Rarity? I'm gonna try them on."

Rarity squeals in excitement as Sunset Shimmer takes her new jacket and boots from the store bag she was carrying and runs over to the fitting rooms.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Rarity squeaks as she and I walk over to the fitting rooms. "She's. Going. To. Look. Fabulous!"

"Easy there, Rarity," I say, chuckling. "Calm down before you hurt yourself."

"Oh, I can't help it, Rough Draft." Rarity says. "Helping a friend find the perfect new outfit for them fills me with energy. I just know it in my bones that people are going to love her new look."

"I sure hope so," I say. "After the talk we had yesterday, I would be pretty shocked if anyone had the nerve to -"

Before I can finish, however, the curtain for Sunset Shimmer's fitting room flies open, and she walks out wearing the light blue shirt and dark blue pants along with her new jacket and boots. Rarity and I stare in awe as Sunset Shimmer walks over to us and poses.

"So guys, what do you think?" she asks.

"What do I think?" Rarity asks. "Darling, you look wonderful!"

Sunset Shimmer smiles at the compliment before she turns to me and asks, "How do I look, Rough Draft?"

I stand there, agape in her new outfit before I snap out of it and say, "You look like a hero."

Sunset Shimmer smiles brightly at my words. I smile back until I wonder if I just saw her cheeks turn pink right before she turns to the employee and says, "I'll take them."

The employee smiles and says, "Excellent. Would you like us to paint your personal mark on the shirt or the pants?"

"Neither actually," Sunset Shimmer answers before she turns to me and smiles. "I don't need my personal mark anymore."

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

After her clothes were purchased, Sunset Shimmer races to the nearest bathroom to change completely into her new outfit and put her old outfit in her store bag. Afterward, she invites Rarity and me to a group photo so she can show her new outfit on MyStable before we leave the mall. We then meet at Sunset Shimmer's two-story apartment to hang out and watch a movie. Sunset Shimmer checks her phone every few minutes while watching the movie and smiles to see everyone on MyStable giving her compliments on her new outfit and hairdo, which makes me and Rarity smile. After the movie, Sunset Shimmer walks Rarity and me to her front door as we get ready to leave for our respective homes.

"Well, thank you for coming, you guys," Sunset Shimmer says, smiling. "I appreciate your help."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Sunset," Rarity says, beaming.

"Yeah, I'm glad to have helped and see that everyone is reacting well to your new look already," I say, smiling before turning to Rarity. "And Rarity, I hope you have fun burning that shrine."

Rarity blushes in embarrassment before she clears her throat and turns her head away from me with her chin up.

"Yes, well, I make no promises that I will, Mr. Draft," she replies. "It's not going to be easy letting go of a project that took a couple of years to make."

"Fair enough," I say about to turn around and leave until Rarity walks over and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"And Rough Draft," she begins in a serious tone. "I hope you get Octavia Melody back. Truly."

I smile kindly and place my hand on top of hers.

"Thank you. I appreciate that, Rarity," I say.

Rarity looks at me sadly and is about to say something else when a voice screams out my name.

"ROUGH DRAFT!"

We turn around to see Sonata running towards us, looking like she's been crying for a long time. My heart sinks as I get the feeling she has recently tried to talk to Octavia and our friends at the E.M.R.

"Sonata, what's wrong?" Sunset Shimmer asks as Sonata runs over and hugs me tightly.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" She screams. "I'm sorry, Rough Draft, I'm so, so, sorry! I tried to talk to them but-but-but."

"Hey, easy there, Sonata," I say, trying to sound calm even though I'm afraid of what happened. "Just start at the beginning."

Sonata sniffles before she takes a deep breath and starts from the top.

"Okay, so after school, I meet up with Vinyl at her place to meet up with Tavi, and everyone else in the group," She began. "I-I-I tried to talk to them, but none of them were listening to me."

"So they're still going to believe that post over me," I say sadly. "Well, isn't that just fantastic."

"N-n-no, it gets worse!" Sonata stutters.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Sonata sniffles some more and looks afraid to tell me what she knows. Whatever it is, it's practically killing her to know the news much less have to tell it to me. The suspense starts to get to me before Sonata let's out five words.

"Octavia has a new boyfriend!"

Comments

[CSC]

This is why I love ironic humor.

*sees ending*

*sharp inhale* Ouch. And I thought for sure Sonata would be shunned by the EMR after that discussion.

[Windsor]

Great... I am starting to wonder if Octavia ever really liked Rough Draft. But I can't say I am not surprised, heck, when I read that she went on a trip with Vinyl, I thought those two would come back as a couple. I do not exactly ship Vinyl and Octavia, but they seem to be a very popular pairing for some reason.

And those EMR mongrels are really, really knuckle headed idiots. After everything they still believe Rough Draft cheated on Ms. Grayskin? Ugh, I never liked them to begin with and you are giving me reasons to see this annoyance of a group as even more detestable.

Still, good job with the chapter. I am curious about what events will follow next.

[Guy With No Name]

Some group of friends, eh?

[rillegas08]

8382462
My guess is the popularity of the ship has to do with such different styles of music they're associated with. The fun part is finding ways for two people who seem to have nothing in common to find more and more common ground where they become romantic interests, personalities aside in the case of people like Blueblood.