A Search For Something More

Chapter 48: To Approach A Broken Person

Third person P.O.V.

It's been two weeks now since Sunset Shimmer returned to Equestria. As it's early May, many students prepare and study hard for their finals that are coming at the end of the month while the seniors in particular eagerly wait for graduation in early June.

But while many students worry about finals, nine students have trouble focusing on what's happening in the world. With Sunset Shimmer back in Equestria with no chance of coming back and her now ex-boyfriend shunning himself from the world because of his loss, Caramel, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Sonata and Twilight have grown depressed to lose one of their dear friends and be shunned by another. Just like his break up with Octavia and later finding out about her new boyfriend, Rough Draft has refused to talk to any of his friends and instead stays in his room at home the moment school is over. Soarin and Caramel see him in history, science, and P.E., but he refuses to talk to them. At lunch, he sits at a different lunch table by himself and coldly asks to be left alone whenever his friends ask him to eat lunch with them. The most his friends have seen him apart from school was went they went to the hearing for Adagio and Aria, where Caramel, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity testified against them. But even then, he refused to say a word apart from his testimony about the experience (leaving out the magic stuff and the E.M.R. weapons, of course.)

It's currently Tuesday, and the Rainbooms, Soarin, Caramel, and Sonata are hanging out in the music room, studying for finals together. But as they study, Rough Draft continues to be on their minds.

"AJ, do you think Rough Draft will get better in time for finals?" Sonata asks in the middle of her study session with Applejack and Caramel.

"I don't know, Sonny," Applejack answers with a sigh. "I don't know what's going on with him. For all I know, he's just staying in his room listening to music dealing with Sunset leaving us."

Caramel sighs too before he says, "This is ridiculous, he should know better than to shut us out like this again. Doesn't he remember what happened during his break up with Octavia and when he found out that she's dating another guy?"

"Honestly, Darlin', I think he's still too brokenhearted to care," Applejack says gently. "It must be tough to have your heart broken so many times in a matter of months."

"Yeah, but do you think he'd care to think about how we're feeling about this?" Rainbow Dash ridicules, clearly overhearing their conversation. "We're all sad that Sunset just up and left. Who says he gets to be more mopey than the rest of us just because he was her boyfriend?"

"Agreed," Rarity says. "The five of us girls excluding Twilight and Sonata have been with her since the Fall Formal - Anon-a-Miss incident aside. We helped her change to the person she became after we helped Princess Twilight defeat her. It just isn't fair that she would leave us with nothing but a few letters and no way of going back for a long time."

"Yeah, you said it," Pinkie Pie says sadly.

"It just isn't right," Twilight says. "I thought she was going to be here through the rest of the school year and beyond with me, helping me understand friendship with all of you. I can't say I don't understand why Sunset did what she did, but still, I thought..."

Rarity puts her hand on Twilight's shoulder sympathetically and says, "We all did, darling. We all did. But we need to face the facts however horrible they are; Sunset's gone, and we need to help Rough Draft."

"But how?" Fluttershy asks. "He doesn't want to talk to any of us. Every time we try, he just coldly brushes us off."

Soarin scratches his chin and says, "We need to think of a plan."