• Published 18th Oct 2016
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A Search for Something More - HAKDurbin



Rough Draft is a senior in Canterlot High who writes fan fiction and dreams of finding love. He's also the only person in the entire school who still doesn't believe that Sunset Shimmer is reformed.

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Chapter 49: A Long-Waited Round of Aplologies

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this!" Rainbow Dash shouts.

It's the day after Octavia approached me, and Sonata, Caramel, Soarin, and the Rainbooms have been ecstatic that I'm speaking to them again but surprised to see me wearing the Jedi necklace Octavia got me. They confirmed that Octavia approached them before she came to talk to me, but apart from Sonata, they haven't hesitated to say that they're not happy with the idea of Octavia and I possibly getting back together.

"I have to agree," Rarity says bluntly. "I simply cannot believe that that you're even considering it."

"Why not?" I ask. "What's wrong with maybe patching things up between Octavia and me? I thought you guys would be at least a little happy about this. I mean, she got me out of my depressed state, she clearly wants me back and meant it when she says she still loves me, and apparently, you guys were on board with her using her love to snap me out of it, knowing that she wants me back. So what's the matter?

"We are glad to see you happy, Rough Draft, really we are," Applejack says hesitantly. "It's just that...well..."

"We wish you were still with Sunset," Fluttershy says.

The others nod in agreement except for Sonata, who is sitting next to me as we eat and watches us intently while I frown at Fluttershy's words.

"Sunset Shimmer is gone, Fluttershy," I say sadly. "Believe me, a part of me would want nothing more than to see her pop out of that portal, beg for forgiveness, and we would remain together forever. But the fact is she left me and closed the portal for another thirty moons or whatever. Meanwhile, I find out that Octavia realized her mistake and wants me back. It's not a sure thing, but maybe I should pursue this."

The Rainbooms frown sadly at this, while Soarin and Caramel pat respective girlfriend's backs to comfort them.

"Why is it such a big deal that I could get back together with Octavia anyway?" I question. "Just a few months ago, you guys where all hoping things between the two of us would patch up, and now you're thankful that I'm not depressed thanks to her but hate the idea of us dating again like she's a disease. Wouldn't Sunset Shimmer want me to be happy with someone else while she's so certain that I can't be with her?"

The girls look at each other reluctantly before Twilight speaks up.

"It's not just that everyone here is still mad at her for breaking up with you, Rough Draft," she begins. "There's a lot more to it than that."

"What?" I ask confused. "What could be making all of you girls so -"

Suddenly, I realize that it's all of the girls save for Sonata, who are speaking their minds like this, and I frown as it becomes clear.

"This isn't just about Octavia," I say. "You're acting uneasy because she's part of the E.M.R."

The Rainbooms look down, unsure of how to respond, which answers my question.

"Okay, I know you girls have every right to be unsettled about them becoming capable of defending themselves against magic because they stole Twilight's pendant, but we don't know if it's anything against you."

"It's not just that, Rough Draft," Applejack says. "Their group has become a little popular ever since Sunset left, and you've been grieving."

"What? How?" I ask. "I thought their group was supposed to be a secret."

"It was," Rainbow Dash says. "But word got out that it was them who saved you from Sonata's sisters, so they kinda became famous despite people not knowing that they used magic resistant weapons to fight Adagio and Aria."

"And we've heard rumors that they have gained something of a fan base," Rarity says reluctantly. "On top of that, it appears that their fans might be joining their ranks."

I stare at Rarity, dumbfounded by this information.

"So, you're telling me that while I've been mourning that my girlfriend left me, my ex-girlfriend is building an army with her friends?" I ask.

"We don't want to confirm or deny anything since they're rumors, but it's possible," Applejack says. "Sunset was our leader unofficially, and she left not long after Vinyl, Octavia, and the others proved that they can defend themselves against magic without using it. Now some people think they're more reliable than us if we get attacked by another magical being."

"Oh, now that's ridiculous," I say. "Why would they stop trusting the people who saved their lives multiple times and know more about magic than anyone in our world than some people who just figured out how to fight magic by themselves? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well, think about it, Rough Draft," Caramel says. "We know a bit about magic, but Sunset was the real deal when it came to truly understand it. She was the key to defeating the Dazzlings and Midnight Sparkle, and like Applejack said, she was kind of our leader. Without Sunset, the Rainbooms have nothing while the E.M.R. had just saved your skin without using magic."

I frown at Caramel's logic.

"Well, it's not like they're going to go after you girls, right? I mean, their group was made to fight dark magic, not magic in general," I say.

"Yeah, but what worries us isn't that they don't don't trust us and therefore the Magic of Friendship," Pinkie Pie says sadly.

"Exactly," Applejack says. "We have magic through our friendship, but it's the friendship part that's most important. So we're worried about the idea that some of our other friends are beginning to abandon us because of one thing."

"Heh, when you put it like that, it sounds like we might be experiencing what it was like for Sunset when we abandoned her during the holidays," Rarity says glumly. "How ironic. "

I give Rarity a sad smile and say, "Well, maybe through Octavia, I can set the record straight about what's really going on over there. I mean Lyra and Bon Bon were the ones who mocked Sunset into leaving saying she's no longer needed, but if what Soarin and Caramel told me this morning about Octavia blowing up over that, having no idea until you told her is true, then it's possible that they did that on their own accord and the other E.M.R. guys have nothing against you."

"Do you think that's possible?" Fluttershy asks.

"It's a long shot, but I think it's worth clearing up," I say. "Besides, if Octavia still loves me, then she knows I will disapprove if she or Vinyl and the others so much as twitch the wrong way against either of you. After all, you're all my friends, and two of you are the loving girlfriends of my two best friends."

"Darn right," Rainbow Dash says proudly as she hugs Soarin tightly much to his amusement.

"You said it, partner," Applejack says before kissing Caramel on the cheek, making him blush before they stare at each other sweetly.

I smile at the affections of both couples before I continue.

"If things are going to work again between Octavia and me, she'll have to live with knowing that you guys will still be in my life. Besides, Vinyl and the other E.M.R. guys may have saved my life, but they still owe me a huge apology for abandoning me during the Anon-a-Miss incident. Just because Octavia might get her darling back doesn't mean they're off the hook."

"Good," Rainbow Dash grumbles. "After months of not talking to you even after they saved your butt, they better go out of their way to show that they're sorry."

I nod in agreement before I frown and say, "Back to just Octavia, though, do you guys really prefer we don't get back together?"

Everyone looks at each other nervously except for Sonata, who is still silently watching us talk. Finally, Caramel decides to speak for everyone.

"Listen, Rough Draft; we want you to be happy. Really, we do. If Octavia turns out to be the one for you after all despite what happened in December, then she has our blessing the moment you get down on one knee and propose to her how many years down the line," he says. "Having said that, we still want Sunset to come back somehow, and she turns out to be the one for you. We realize there's a gazillion to one chance of that happening, but we prefer to hope."

"Yeah, what Caramel says," Soarin concurs. "Don't misunderstand us, we know how much Octavia lit up your life when you were together, but we think Sunset lit up your life a little more. So as long as Octavia makes you happy with all your heart or whatever romantic expression you prefer, we will support both of you like Caramel. But if by the slightest chance the stars align, the air turns into gold and Sunset comes back without her book, all bets are off."

Everyone but Sonata nods in agreement. I frown at their words and sigh sadly.

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed to hear that you feel that way," I say honestly. "I'm not saying I don't understand why, but if Octavia and I patch things up, I hope you guys will eventually support us from the bottom of your hearts. Meantime, I'll see if I can talk with Vinyl and the other E.M.R. guys about these rumors."

"We'd appreciate that, Rough Draft," Rarity says, smiling, and the others nod in agreement.

I smile and nod back until I frown and turn to Sonata.

"Sonny, you've been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time," I say. "Care to give your two cents?"

Sonata hesitates and rubs her arm, debating with herself.

"Honestly, I'm neutral right now," Sonata says. "While everyone has made good points, the fact is both Tavi and Sunset have both made you happy and have hurt you really, really badly. So right now, I'm siding with whoever wants to get together with you and keep you happy, and right now, the only girl who fits that bill is Tavi. I'm scared about these rumors too, but I guess I'm more worried about you than that, buddy."

I give Sonata a sad smile and pat her on the back.

"I appreciate you're honesty, Sonata," I say sincerely. "You're talking like a true Apple."

Sonata blushes at the compliment before the school bell rings, announcing that lunch is over.



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




A couple of hours later, school ends for the day. I pack up my stuff, give a sad look at Sunset Shimmer's empty desk before I exit Ms. Cheerilee's classroom. Even though I'm thinking of trying to patch things up with Octavia, I'd be lying to myself if I said I didn't still wish Sunset Shimmer would come back. I feel tempted to wait for her to return someday, maybe wait until the portal reopens in three and a half years and expect her to return then. She'd probably be a middle-aged mare in Equestria by then, but maybe she'd have a younger body still if she came back at that time. Or perhaps she'd still be older, and we'll figure out a way to make it work together. But then there's the other voice in my mind that is reminding me that she's not coming back, she probably wouldn't want me to be alone like that just on account of her, and Octavia is here now wearing the necklace I gave her and wants to be my girlfriend again.

I smile, thinking about getting back together with Octavia. There was no lie in those beautiful violet eyes of hers; she still loves me. As I walk down the halls to the exit, my smile grows thinking of when she kissed me last night. She made the most of every single kiss as if they could be the last, and when she hugged me, she never wanted to let go.

But the question is, do I love her back? I think my heart says yes, given the way I was happy to be with her again, but I don't think I love her the way she does. At least not in the way that makes me completely eager to be together with her again. We would have to work hard for both of us to feel the same way for each other, but Octavia sounds willing to do that, which is good. I feel more comfortable knowing that she understands that we can't automatically be together again after spending five months apart. Meanwhile, I should see if I can have a good heart to heart chat with -

"Hey, Draft!"

Speak of the DJ.

I turn around to, sure enough, find Vinyl Scratch running to me.

"Vinyl," I say bluntly. "What's up?"

Vinyl hesitates before she asks. "Can we talk? Like, secretly talk?"

"Why?" I say with a raised eyebrow.

"Just go with it, please," she begs. "I'd rather not speak out in the open."

I keep a skeptical face before I sigh.

"Fine," I say. "I think the music room is empty."

"Great, let's go," Vinyl says impatiently.

She grabs my hand and drags me across the halls to the music room. Vinyl looks around to make sure we're alone before she closes the door and turns to me.

"What's going on, Vinyl?" I ask impatiently.

Vinyl sighs before she says, "Look, I want one thing clear, so you don't get suspicious: Tavi does not know I'm doing this. Right now, she's at a concert at Crystal City with her folks, and as far as she knows, the rest of the group and I are just studying for finals our respective homes. So, I want to make it clear that I'm doing this as the leader of the E.M.R. and as someone who wants to be your friend again. I'm not trying to butter you up to get back with Tavi."

I raise my eyebrow as I slowly say, "Ooooookay."

Vinyl nods before she frowns and sighs, unsure of where to start.

"Well, there's no other way to say this, so I'll just come clean," Vinyl says. "Rough Draft, it's my fault that you and Tavi broke up."

I stare at her, confused, yet still suspicious.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

Vinyl sighs again and bites her lips before she spits it out.

"I'm the one who took that video of you and Sunset Shimmer."

...

"What?" I manage to say.

"I took that video," Vinyl repeats. "I saw you and Sunset Shimmer walking past the store I work at, at the mall, and I got suspicious. Tavi used to tell me how you were going back and forth with your feelings toward Sunset Shimmer and, to be fair; she was kind of right to. I mean you two did ironically end up falling in love and -"

I clear my throat, making Vinyl chuckles sheepishly.

"Right, I'm going off-topic," she says. "Anyway, I saw you passing by the store with her and Octavia said you were staying at home for some paper or whatever, so I thought something was up. I got someone to cover the rest of my shift, and I secretly followed you guys to your house. I took the video, planning to show it to Tavi, but then the Anon-a-Miss thing started, and it looked like Sunset Shimmer was behind it, so I decided to post the video online, thinking Sunset Shimmer wouldn't mind publishing it since it looked like she was evil again."

"Why did you think that was a good idea?" I ridicule. "Why didn't you talk to me about it or at the least -"

"Because I was mad at how it was looking, dude," Vinyl interrupts. "You lied to my best friend saying you were going to stay home before going to the mall with another girl that you have a history with. I didn't just want Octavia to break up with you; I wanted you to be publicly humiliated for doing that to her after everything she had been through before you dated her. That's why after you two broke up, I convinced her to try going out with that Treble Clef guy even though she didn't want to, and that's why I made sure she told Sonata things between the two of them were serious. I knew she wanted a second opinion about your break up, but I didn't let her think that because I still thought you cheated on her."

"So when Sonata claimed that Octavia still loves me, she was right?" I ask.

"Of course she was right, you knucklehead," Vinyl ridicules. "That's why I practically gave Tavi a death glare to make sure she lied to Sonata to make sure she didn't see you in a positive light. She went through enough crap with Blueblood deceiving her, and the idea of her wanting to get with another guy who played her heart again was horrifying to me. I didn't do any of this to be cruel, Rough Draft. I thought I was doing the right thing for my best friend, but I have never been so wrong in my life. Everyone in our group hates that they supported Tavi dumping you. I mean, do you have any idea how devastated we all were when we learned that you were telling the truth all along? That we pushed away the best thing that ever happened to our Tavi for nothing?"

At this point, Vinyl doesn't know what else to do except hang her head in shame. I stand there speechless while talking in all of the information.

"Well, say something, please!" Vinyl begs.

I don't know what to say at first, but then I take a deep breath and say what's on my mind.

"Thank you for telling me this," I begin. "This does make the perspectives of you and Tavi a little more three dimensional. Although, why did you guys disappear after I got shot? Are you so devoted to keeping your group's agenda a secret?"

"Actually, we were with you when you were unconscious," Vinyl says. "After the police took you to the hospital and the doctors patched you up, we stayed with you with your parents' permission. Octavia refused to be away from you until we had to leave to avoid conflict with Sunset Shimmer."

"Prove it," I say skeptically.

"I knew you would say that," Vinyl says, taking her phone. "That's why I took this."

She takes out her phone, opens it and hands it to me. I hesitate before I take it and look to see a picture of me unconscious and patched up with Octavia cuddling next to me and staring at my motionless face with a sad look.

"She was by your side as soon as they put you on that bed," Vinyl says. "I tried to convince her to leave you alone what with you still dating another girl and all, but she refused to let you go. She probably wanted to see you wake up if Sunset Shimmer wasn't on her way to see you. That's how much she still loves you, dude."

I keep on staring at the photo on Vinyl's phone. A small smile briefly enters my face before I realize something.

"So, why did both of you decide to come to me now if you've both known for the past couple of months?" I ask.

"Octavia couldn't bring herself to," Vinyl says. "She couldn't bear to speak to you again, even if it was just to apologize without her giving in to her feelings and trying to take you back. As long as you and Sunset Shimmer were together, she wouldn't want to come close to you for fear of doing something that would interfere with your relationship. She knows that your happiness must come first."

"Is that really why she's been staying away from me?" I ask skeptically.

"Think about it, Rough Draft," Vinyl says. "Think of how she couldn't stop herself from calling you darling when she saved you from falling into that portal or when she was trying to keep you conscious when you were bleeding from that gunshot. I had to remind her to not interfere with your relationship with Sunset Shimmer for her to leave your side at the hospital when Sunset Shimmer was coming. As for why the rest of us haven't said anything, we couldn't apologize without expressing how much we want you two back together either. We all regret what we did, and after a while, we started to realize how things for us as a group have been less cheery since your break up. Even when Octavia was in a distant relationship with Treble Clef, he didn't make her happy like you did."

"How do I know you're not just saying this to help Octavia get me back?" I ask. "For that matter, if Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy, and Doc feel this way, then why aren't they here to back you up? "

"Buddy, if you didn't believe that she feels that way, you wouldn't have kissed her back the way she said you did last night or let her kiss you again, " Vinyl says with a smirk. "As for the others, they're waiting for us at my place."

"Waiting for us?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know I'm asking a bit, Rough Draft, but if you don't have anything else planned, I'd like for you to come with me to meet the others at my place," Vinyl says.

"Why?" I ask suspiciously. "What is it about having everyone else apologize to me that makes it hard to do right here at school? Are you afraid the Rainbooms bugged the whole building to spy on you guys or something?"

"What? No, of course not!" Vinyl says, waving her hands before she gives it a thought. "Okay, now that you mention it, I wouldn't be surprised if Pinkie Pie has done that, but regardless, it's not the Rainbooms we're worried about."

"Vinyl," I begin warningly. "You better not be lying to me. I've heard from the Rainbooms how you stole Twilight's pendant and might be gaining more followers. If you are planning anything against my friends -"

"We're not, I swear!" Vinyl shouts. "We have no quarrel with any of the Rainbooms! Our reasons for having you meet the others back at my place is another matter entirely."

"How?" I demand.

Vinyl sighs in frustration before she replies, "Look, I know how all of this sounds right now, but you're gonna have to trust me. Just come with me, and I swear on all of my records everything will be explained."

I keep my suspicious glare at Vinyl for several seconds before I accept that I should trust her. I want to find out what's going on with the group anyway, and if Octavia and I get back together, she'll want me on good terms with her friends just like I do with her and the Rainbooms.

"Fine," I say with a sigh.




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



The drive to Vinyl's house is mostly quiet. Most of the time, I might ask Vinyl another question about things with the E.M.R., but she just responds by saying it's better to wait until we get to her place to answer the question, which is a little annoying. Having said that, though, it is nice to ride the Wub Mobile again. It brings back some memories like when Octavia and I were riding back to Vinyl's place after capturing Sonata. To think that it was only eight months ago since that day. After everything I've experienced with Sunset Shimmer, it feels like it's been much longer than that.

When we park in Vinyl's driveway, I thought I saw someone peeking through the living room window. I turn to Vinyl curiously, but she seems to be hiding whatever is on her mind with her shades. We get out of her car and walk towards her front door until Vinyl steps in front of me.

"Okay, before we go in, I just want you to know that what you're going to experience in there was not wholeheartedly my idea," she says.

I give Vinyl a confused stare before I reluctantly say, "Oooooookay."

Vinyl nods her head before she opens the door and gestures me to come in first. I hesitate before I go in. I'm about three steps inside when I'm suddenly startled by thunderous applause coming all around me. I look around my surroundings to find dozens among dozens of CHS students clapping their hands and cheering in front of me with Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy, and Doc standing in front of me with a banner hanging above them saying, "We're sorry, Rough Draft!" I stand bewildered as I look around to see so many people from school here, including Mystery Mint, Cloud Kicker, Blossomforth, Carrot Top, Trixie and the Illusions, and Sandalwood and his hippie friends.

Finally, the applause dies down, and Vinyl puts her hand on my shoulder and stands next to me, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"So..." I begin. "Explanations, yes?"

"Yeah, this is, and I swear I didn't come up with the name, your apology convention," Vinyl says bashfully.

"My what?" I ask.

"Yeah, I know how that sounds, but just bear with us, okay?" Vinyl says. "That's the name we came up with by majority vote."

"Everyone is here to apologize to me?" I ask.

"Pretty much, " Vinyl answers. "See, when we became famous for rescuing you, you kinda became famous with us. With people knowing that Sunset Shimmer's boyfriend was the person we were rescuing and that you were also Octavia's boyfriend who captured Sonata, people kind of saw you as something of a key player for the E.M.R. A good luck charm if you will."

"And you let them think that way?" I ask.

"Well, technically they're not wrong," Vinyl says, shrugging. "After all, you were the E.M.R. member who captured a Dazzling, and it was through rescuing you that we proved that we can fight magic, so that does mean all of our success points to you in some way or another."

"Uh, okay, I guess that makes sense, but how did they find out about all of that?" I ask.

Vinyl, hesitates before Doc steps in.

"I'm afraid that will have to be explained later, " he says. "The point is we're all here, and we all owe you a big apology. Isn't that right, everyone?"

The whole crowd says words of agreement.

"Wait, why does everyone owe me an apology?" I ask Doc. "I wanted just the five from you, Vinyl, Derpy, Lyra and Bon Bon."

"Because we're sorry how we treated you too, bro," Sandalwood says, stepping in. "Like, most of us seriously wronged you back when we ganged up on you and your fellow bros because of that video of you and Sunset Shimmer. Finding out the truth just makes me feel like I've betrayed the love and toleration that leads to inner oneness demanded by my spirit guide."

"Your what?" I ask.

"Just go with it, man," Vinyl whispers in my ear. "He's been a part of the cause for two weeks now, and we have no idea what he's saying with all this 'spirit guide karma' mumbo jumbo."

I hesitate before I nod in understanding before Mystery Mint steps in.

"What Sandalwood is trying to say is that we all regret the way we treated you during the Anon-a-Miss incident," she says. "We haven't said anything because we wanted to move on from how we acted towards each other rather than talk about it. We all thought that if we didn't say anything, the guilt would go away like getting brainwashed by Sunset Shimmer or Sonata and her sisters. But eventually, we just accepted that it's not going to go away, and that's when we started talking about it and apologizing to each other. Then we found out the truth about you and Octavia, and we kinda all wanted to apologize together, hence the apology convention."

"Again, not my idea," Vinyl says.

"And we're sorry for shunning you, ol' chap," Doc says, looking at me guiltily. "We all thought the proof was in the pudding that you cheated on Octavia, and...well, I assume Vinyl explained the rest before you got here."

"Yeah, she did," I say. "She already told me about how you guys thought I was mistreating her just like Blueblood and all that stuff.

"And we feel awful, Rough Draft," Derpy says. "We'd do just about anything to make it up to you whether you get back with Tavi or not. I even made apology muffins."

She takes out a large brown basket full of muffins of different flavors inside.

"I made them myself," she says, smiling. "Well, actually, we all tried to make it together, but I did most of the work because I have the most experience."

"My girl sure does know about muffins better than I know every scientific method I've ever learned at Gallophrey High," Doc says proudly.

"Please accept our apologies, Rough Draft," Lyra begs. "We'd do anything to make it up to you if we could."

I hesitate as I look at the pleading eyes surrounding me before I hesitantly say, "Well...better late than never, I suppose."

Everyone cheers happily. Lyra and Bon Bon giggle in excitement, Doc and Vinyl give me pleased smiles, Derpy jumps up and down before hands the basket to me, takes out one of the muffins and shoves one in my mouth. I only have a moment to say thanks after swallowing before I get a tight hug from Sandalwood.

"This is totally rad, bro!" he shouts. "Now, my spirit guide and I can feel at peace together as we join in the one love!"

"Uh, that's great?" I say with a forced smile before he lets go, and the cheering dies down. I feel better forgiving everyone until I remember one personal order of business and turn to Lyra and Bon Bon.

"But what about what you two have recently done?" I ask with a glare.

But unexpectedly, both girls shiver in fear, knowing what I am referring to. I look at them confused before Doc clears his throat.

"Octavia had a little...chat with them when she found out they kidnapped Caramel to try to date him again even though she told them not to and because they were partly behind your girlfriend leaving you," he explains. "You can use your imagination on how that went."

I make a grim face before Bon Bon approaches me face to face.

"But the thing is we didn't know what we did until Octavia told us after the Rainbooms told her," she insists, which makes me raise my eyebrow. "We didn't know what was going on in our heads when we were talking to you and Sunset Shimmer that night. Neither us or my mom have any memory of you, Sunset Shimmer, Caramel, or Applejack being anywhere near my house. It was like we were hypnotized again."

"I find that very hard to believe," I say bluntly.

"No, they are telling the truth," Doc says.

"And how do you know that?" I challenge.

But instead of an immediate response, everyone gives each other with grim looks. My skeptical face turns into a confused one until Vinyl puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Come with us to the basement," she instructs. "What happened with Lyra and Bon Bon has to do with answering the rest of your questions downstairs."

I stare at Vinyl skeptically for a moment before I reluctantly obey and follow her downstairs to her basement with Doc, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy following us while the others stay behind.

"Why just the six of us?" I ask.

"Because our new members already know what we're about to tell you," Doc answers. "And they don't need or want to hear what we have to say again."

I look at Doc confused as we reach the bottom, and I see the basement looking more like a base of operations. All the gadgets and weapons the E.M.R. used when they were saving my life are hanging up inside glass cases while the prototypes are still hanging against the walls. The next thing I know n, I hear a humming sound and turn to see Doc activating a machine that is planted on the wall.

"Sonic shield activated," he announces.

I stare at him in confusion for a second before I shrug and keep looking around. At the center of the room is a giant machine that looks like a giant microwave with a large container plugged into it and a large scanner plugged next to it. The container is glowing purple-pink, and next to it is the remains of Twilight's pendant.

"So this contraption is how you obtained the magic from the pendant," I say.

"Indeed," Doc answers. "With all the magic still flowing inside that thing, I had more than enough research to build our gadgets. And with more energy as a source, we can detect anyone who has 'magic' or had magic much better than we did at the Dazzlings trial."

"Which brings us to why we wanted to explain everything here instead of at school," Vinyl says, picking up the scanner and showing it to me. "You see these nine dots showing on the radar, Rough Draft?"

I nod, yes.

"This is how we tracked down Adagio and Aria so we could rescue you," Vinyl explains. "But when Doc first turned this thing on after we sucked the energy from the pendant, there were twelve of them."

"Twelve?" I ask.

"Yes, twelve," Doc confirms. "We knew something wasn't right when we first made this discovery, so I adjusted the radar so we can track down who we know who each dot is for a fact. That's why the dots are in different colors. We made a coloring system so we could sneak the radar to your school and track all of the Rainbooms so that we were able to confirm that they were the first seven. Thus, you have the blue dot for Rainbow Dash, the orange dot for Applejack, yellow for Fluttershy, white for Rarity, pink for Pinkie Pie, purple for our world's Twilight Sparkle and we had a red one for Sunset Shimmer. That just meant five of them were left a mystery. We knew Sonata left to find her sisters, so we assumed that neither of them were one of the remaining five until we saw three of them at the mall. We ran straight there just to find out they already left, the police surrounded the mall, and the word was out that you were kidnapped by two fugitives. We figured out what was going on right away, and so we didn't hesitate to grab our equipment and track the two dots to that warehouse where we rescued you."

"Yeah, before I forget, thank you for that," I say.

"Our pleasure," Doc says with Derpy, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Vinyl nodding in agreement before he continues. "Anyway, shortly after you lost consciousness from all the blood loss, Sonata came in with the police, thus turning out to be another one of the unknown five after all. After that, we adjusted the system so that we had a green-blue dot for Aria, a dark purple for Adagio, and a light blue for Sonata. Then we did a little more tracking and confirmed that the 11th dot in our screen happens to be our human Twilight Sparkle's dog, Spike, and so we gave it a light purple and light green outline, thus marking all of the dots except for one."

I stare at the dark green dot blinking, knowing that's the dot that Doc's talking about.

"In the time between after we rescued you and right now, Adagio and Aria's dots disappeared out of our range when they were transferred to two separate prisons far away from Canterlot, and Sunset Shimmer's dot disappeared when she went back to Equestria. We've tried to track down who that final dot on the radar is, but it just disappears before we arrive and reappears somewhere else far away from us," Vinyl says. "One such instance was finding that same dot appearing where Bon Bon's house is on the map along with Sunset Shimmer and Applejack's dots just three days before Sunset Shimmer went back to her homeworld."

I stare at Vinyl intently at this information before Bon Bon steps in.

"Doc and Vinyl came just after you and Sunset Shimmer left and found Lyra, my mom and me confused," she says. "We have no memory of what happened in the last six hours before they came. We didn't find out until Octavia stormed to my front door looking like she wanted to tear us to pieces with her bare hands for causing you to be miserable again on top of apparently pursuing Caramel even though she told us not to."

I stand there speechless at this information.

"So you're telling me it was through some magical being that you guilt-tripped my girlfriend into leaving me?" I ask.

"That's our understanding," Doc says.

"Then that means this person did trick her leave so that the Rainbooms are leaderless," I stay in realization.

"Bingo," Vinyl says. "Whoever was in Bon Bon's house with you, Sunset Shimmer, Bon Bon, Lyra, Caramel, and Applejack that night was up to something, and needed Sunset Shimmer out of the way for whatever evil scheme they have."

I scratch my chin in thought before I remember something.

"You know that reminds me of something," I say. "When Adagio and Aria were torturing me, I asked them where they got their powers, and all they said was something about a 'client' who gave them their abilities before they interrogated me over where the portal to Equestria is. Maybe this client is the unknown dot."

"Really?" Doc asks immediately invested. "What do the Rainbooms think about this?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "I only told Sunset Shimmer when she was asking me what happened shortly after I woke up at the hospital, and I guess we didn't bring it up a whole lot after that. She was kind of focused on being happy that I was safe and I was too focused on just getting better before she left me. Heh, how ironic that she left me and closed the portal thinking she'll protect me when she might have actually helped whoever hired Adagio and Aria to interrogate and kill me."

"But wait a minute," Derpy says. "If this 'client' was there to find out where the portal is, then did they trick Sunset Shimmer to leave not anticipating that she would close the portal? It sounds like they ruined their chances of reaching the portal by having Sunset Shimmer close it when she left. Sunset Shimmer's dot on our scanner is gone, but this person isn't."

Doc scratches his chin deep in thought.

"You know, that's an excellent point, dear," He says, making Derpy smile and blush. "If this client wanted to find the portal to come back to Sunset Shimmer's world, it seems like they unintentionally trapped themselves in our world by making Sunset Shimmer so determined to leave that she would close the portal."

"Unless that's just what they wanted her to do," Vinyl says. "Maybe they pretended to be looking for the portal to get rid of Sunset Shimmer. With the portal closed for good, we're the ones who are trapped with this evil magical being, and with the main leader of the Rainbooms gone, there's nothing that can stop the evil being from world domination or whatever they're up to do."

We all make grim faces at this. To think that Sunset Shimmer unintentionally left to doom our friends and me instead of saving us.

"If that's so then I should tell the Rainbooms that this being is -"

"No, don't tell the Rainbooms," Vinyl instructs.

"Why not?" I ask. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack and the others may not know magic like Sunset Shimmer did, but they still contain magic that could help us. They need to know that we might be in danger."

"We don't know if we can tell them without this client knowing," Doc says. "That is why we wanted to tell you all of this here instead of at CHS. This unknown being has appeared at CHS more often than not and usually after school. So, it shouldn't know what we know."

"But how do you know it's not here right now spying on us if can appear anywhere?" I ask.

"I have sonic emitters installed that creates a barrier in this entire floor," Doc says, pointing at the machine installed on the wall of the basement. "Anyone who contains any kind of magic can't enter without experiencing pain just like the pen I used against Adagio and Aria. They also can't hear us outside of the barrier because of the sonic soundwaves that the emitters are sending off. No one with magic comes in to hear our discussions unless we say so. That's why our new members are waiting downstairs; they already know about this, and there's not enough room for them to join in this talk."

"And that's also why I intentionally didn't tell you anything apart from confessing that I took the video when we were at CHS," Vinyl says. "This is the only safe place discussing this unknown person with magic."

"Well, then invite the Rainbooms to come here and tell them this," I demand. "I refuse to keep them in the dark about something as serious as this."

"But what good will that do?" Vinyl challenges. "Even if Sunset Shimmer wasn't officially the leader of the Rainbooms, the fact is she still was the main source for defending our world from beings like the Dazzlings and Midnight Sparkle. We were the ones who saved your life instead of her, and to have her leave on top of that makes the Rainbooms as a force to protect us look bad while we're recognized for stopping those two Dazzlings and having them locked up for good. That's why everyone upstairs has been turning to us, Rough Draft; they want a force to rely on, to protect them, and they know something is coming very soon. Like it or not, the E.M.R. are the only ones who are prepared to fight if necessary. We don't know if we are enough, but we know something is out there, and it's possible that they might be out for blood as opposed to wanting to brainwash everyone. What can the Rainbooms do about something like that without their unofficial leader to help figure things out with her knowledge of Equestrian magic?"

I frown at Vinyl's words. I hate to admit that I see her point, but that won't stop me from trying to help the Rainbooms.

"Okay, Vinyl, I'll admit that I understand your perspective," I say. "But, even if I agree to be a part of this, get back together with Octavia, and we can all be friends again, the Rainbooms are my friends too. I care about all of them; they were there to help Sunset Shimmer get me out of my sad state when Octavia broke up with me, and two of them are my best friends' girlfriends who they love with all their hearts. I'm not abandoning them to become potential victims of another magical attack, least of all one that can seriously hurt them. If you want my help, then you're gonna have to bring my other friends into this thing."

"But I have to ask again, Rough Draft," Vinyl says seriously. "What good will bringing them into this do?"

"More than I can do just with whatever knowledge I have about Equestrian magic from dating Sunset Shimmer," I say. "Besides, if the danger is much more serious than what we've dealt with in the past as proven with Adagio and Aria's intent to kill me, then we should all be handling this together and not apart. You have the gadgets, and they have some knowledge about magic. So only together do we have a chance to figure this out."

Vinyl and Doc hesitate with my request. They turn to Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy for suggestions.

"I think Rough Draft is right," Derpy says, rubbing her arm. "As uneasy as I am about magic in general, we all know this unknown person is probably worse than what any of us have experienced before. I'd rather we have all the help we can get than just everyone who has joined our group within the last couple of weeks.

"Bon Bon and I agree," Lyra says with Bon Bon nodding. "Besides, whether we were mind-controlled or not, we owe the Rainbooms an apology for frightening their friend away for good."

Vinyl and Doc turn to each other, and Doc sighs.

"I don't have the same prejudice against 'magic' as you guys do, but I accept that what's to come will be worse than going against the Dazzlings and I want to be prepared for that however I can if for no other reason than to at least keep Derpy safe," Doc says. "If those five girls can raise our chances of stopping this unknown force by even a little bit, I'll take it."

Vinyl sighs and gives in.

"Yeah, you're all right," she admits. "I'd rather we figure this out ourselves, but all we know about this mysterious person is that they can teleport, and they appear to have brainwashed Lyra Ava's Bon Bon to get rid of Sunset Shimmer. That is not enough information to take on a possible threat just like that, so I guess we don't have any other choice but to try to mend our abandoned alliance with the Rainbooms. Besides, we owe Rough Draft a lot for the stuff we've done to him, so why not start here?"

I hopeful smile forms on my face and say, "Thank you, you guys. I really appreciate this."

"It's all good, ol' chap," Doc says, smiling. "After all, we're friends again, aren't we?"

Everyone suddenly turns to me, and I hesitate before I say, "Well, I can't think of a strong reason to say no to that."

Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy cheer while Doc gives me a pleased nod, and Vinyl pats me on the back.

"But this doesn't mean I'm officially back in the E.M.R.," I continue. "I think we still need to sort out this mystery as well as the possibility of Octavia and I getting back together before we can dive that far."

"That's fair," Vinyl says with everyone else nodding before she remembers something. "Oh! Speaking of which, there's a little something that we want to give you regardless of whether or not you come back to our cause. Doc?"

Doc looks at Vinyl, confused until it hits him. He opens a drawer next to the machine containing the magic from Twilight's pendant and takes out what looks like a cylinder-shaped hilt. Half of it is gray, while the other half is black and has a red button on top.

"Hold it with two hands by the black handle and the gray side pointing up, then press the button," Doc instructs as he hands the rod-like object to me.

I look at him confused before I reluctantly obey. I hold the black side with two hands and point the gray side to the ceiling before I press the button. Instantly, a blunt blade pops out, glowing blue with a loud hum. I stare at the blade in surprise while Vinyl, Doc, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon chuckle at my reaction.

"It's no lightsaber, but Tavi wanted it to come close," Vinyl says, grinning. "It's really meant to be more like a two-handed club, but the blue light surrounding the blade is a special kind of electricity that is effective against people with magic. Hit someone like Adagio or Aria with this, and it will give them nasty volts of electricity that will weaken their powers."

"In theory," Doc corrects. "We haven't been able to test it apart from making sure the electricity won't hurt anyone who doesn't contain that energy, but if it's able to do the other stuff, we want you to have it."

I look at them in surprise and say, "Oh no, I can't take this, guys, I just said I'm not ready to be back in the -"

"We want you to have it whether you're back in the group or not," Derpy says kindly. "You're our friend, and we want you to be able to defend yourself against whatever magical encounter we'll come across."

"And if you won't do it for us, then at least do it for Tavi," Bon Bon says. "After all, the reason she suggested that you join the E.M.R. in the first place was so that you can defend yourself."

I reluctantly admit to myself that that's true. Octavia did want me to join so that I can defend myself. After all, I did admit to her how I was afraid of being another pawn to someone else's evil scheme again, and her kind words were what eventually led to us having our very first kiss before we got together. She probably would want me to have this weapon now more than ever after she saw me get shot.

"Okay, I'll take it," I say.

All five of them smile at me, and even Derpy walks over and gives me a big hug that makes me chuckle.

"Glad to hear you say that, Rough Draft," Vinyl says.

"Indeed," Doc says.

"Hey, why don't you give it a name?" Lyra suggests. "It's yours, after all."

I smirk at the idea as I stare at the blue-glowing blade.

"I'm sorely tempted to call it 'Sting' like Bilbo Baggins' sword because it glows blue," I admit. "But if Octavia wanted it to be similar to a lightsaber, then maybe the name should too."

"Then why not mix the names?" Doc suggests. "After all, it technically is meant for stinging in a way because you'd be giving anyone with magic a sharp, smarting pain, which is one of the definitions of stinging."

I smirk ay Doc and say, "Well, alright then. I shall call it the Stingsaber."

Everyone chuckles and lightly applauds at the declaration of my new weapon's name before Doc interrupts.

"What are we standing down here for?" He asks. "Everyone else is waiting for us."

"Waiting for what?" I ask.

"The party, of course," Vinyl says. "You may not be part of the E.M.R. anymore still, but we're happy to be friends again and get all of those apologies out of the way. So let's party till we're sick!"

I stare at Vinyl, surprised until a smile enters my face. As abrupt as their idea is, I can't help but be thankful that they're that happy to be friends with me again.

"Well, I guess you guys do technically owe me a party after missing my birthday," I say.



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As soon as we go back upstairs, the new members of the E.M.R. are quick to start partying. Most of it is just dancing with Vinyl using a portable DJ booth while the rest of the time, I am standing in a corner while new members of the E.M.R. express their own personal apologies or ask questions about the experiences of chasing the Dazzlings or being captured by Adagio and Aria. It is a little annoying that they kept asking about stuff like what it was like to be tortured by magical electricity, but it is also fun to show off my scars from getting shot.

After a couple of hours, the party ends, and Doc and Derpy drive me home. I come into my room, place my bag of 'apology muffins' on top of my desk, and fall into my bed with a plop.

As tired as I was, I admit that I missed hanging out with Vinyl, Doc, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon. It reminded me of the first time we hung out the day after Octavia, and I started dating and how nice it was to be part of a group of friends outside of just me, Caramel, and Soarin for the first time. It was also heartwarming to get the apologies that I wanted and how much they all meant it.

Then it gets me thinking about Octavia again. I realize that I'm feeling more sure about wanting to get back together again after making peace with her friends. Though, we still have much to discuss if we are going to try again whether it has to do with us or the matter between our friends from both the E.M.R. and the Rainbooms.

Then I look at my locket, still lying on the floor. I frown as my heart sinks with the fact that Sunset Shimmer is still gone. There's still a desire that she would come back, and we would stay together, and maybe that desire will always be there even if Octavia and I start dating again. But I know she's not coming back, and maybe she would want me to be happy with someone else while she's living the rest of her life back in Equestria.

I sigh as I make my decision. I take out my phone, scroll down my contacts, and select Octavia, figuring that she must be done with that concert with her parents by now. I put my phone on my ear and hear it ring a couple of times until I hear her voice.

"Hello," she says, sounding pleased that I just called her.

"Hello," I say back. "So about that talk..."

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