A Search For Something More

Chapter 49: A Long Waited Round of Apologies

"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. 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 happy 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 and race over to me begging for forgiveness as she kisses me all over, and we would remain together forever with me wearing my locket and her wearing her rose necklace. But the fact is she left me for 'my safety,' 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 sigh sadly at this, while Soarin and Caramel give their respective girlfriends side hugs 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 the way she did, Rough Draft," she begins. "There's a lot more to it than that."

"What? 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. 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 uneasy 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. "It's just that 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."