A few days later...
It's another friday at Canterlot High, the students all talk about what they'll do the upcoming weekend, others speaking about homework, about boys and girls, and all that stuff. Dizzy meanwhile walked to the school somewhat nervous, with a thought that couldn't leave his mind.
"Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't-" Dizzy was saying to himself, until...
"HEY DIZZY!"
"NOOOPE!"
Noticing Flash coming close, Dizzy tried to outrun him. His friend took notice and caught up with him easily.
"Hey, wait! Why are you running?" Flash grabbed his arm, but his pale friend tried to push him away.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU DAMN DIRTY BOY STEALER!"
"Dizzy, we've talked about it, I haven't gone back to-" Flash's eyes opened wide when he processed what he said, "Did you just call me a 'Boy Stealer'?"
"DON'T PLAY INNOCENT, LAST DAY I SAW HOW CLOSE YOU WERE TO MY FRIEND!!!" Dizzy screamed as if he had been betrayed, but when didn't he? "YOU'RE AN UNGRATEFUL GREEDY DASTARD, NOW YOU'RE BEHIND THE CUTE BOYS!!!"
"....Duuuuuude, WHAT THE HELL GOT INTO YOU?!" Everyone else turned to see them with his yell.
"I SAW YOU HUGGING CROWNED!!!"
"Woahwoahwoahwoah! That's what this is all about?" Flash smiled mockingly, "First of all, it was just a friendly hug. Second, I'm not gay! Third, did you just say Crowned is cute?"
Dizzy went from pale to crimson in a matter of seconds, his whole face blushing.
"I-I NEVER SAID THAT-"
"You just accused me of chasing down cute boys, all because you saw me hugging Crowned, so that means you consider Crowned cute?"
"S-SHUT UP, YOU'RE JUST USING REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY!!!"
"Psychology schmuckology, I'm just saying the truth. But, just between you and me... he really is kinda cute," Flash admitted as he blushed and scratched the back of his head. Dizzy took his comment pretty well...
"...LET ME GO, YOU FREAK!!!"
Dizzy tried to shake him of him, at least until Crowned passed by lost in his thoughts, completely ignoring them.
"YOU'RE A DEMENTED PERVE... Crowned?" Dizzy couldn't believe his friend had just passed by and said nothing.
"...did he just ignore us?!" Even Flash was surprised.
Setting a temporal truce, the two boys chased after their friend, aiming for his attention.
“HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" The two yelled at the same time, startling him.
"AAAH!!! Oh, it's you," Crowned said trying to recover from the scare, "Sorry, I was just... thinking... hello."
"Crowned, is everything alright?" Flash asked worried about his pal, "You got me concerned about you when you stayed last night in the school. Did the shadows harm you?"
"Oh, no no no! Not at all, in fact..." the one with the crown brought up the stone out from his backpack, "Here you go."
Crowned handed the stone to his friend, who couldn't give credit to what he was seeing.
"CROWNED!!! You found another of the Elements? This is ama- W-wait, DID YOU FIND THIS ON YOUR OWN?!"
"Well, not really." Blushing while remembering what happened that night, Crowned still felt the warmth of his new musician friend, "I had some help and... I think I must pay her the favor she did to me, and since I don't have class yet I'll go with her."
Leaving with a smile, his two friends remained baffled about what he just said.
"Crowned? WAIT!" Running behind him, Dizzy managed to catch up with his friend, "SOMEBODY HELPED YOU? WHO?"
"I-it's a long story, pal," he answered, blushing to a new degree, "I'll just say that... you were right."
Crowned patted his partner on the back and left, leaving the boy wondering what just happened.
"Ooooookay, I guess Crowned is busy with something," Flash said, feeling a bit awkward, "But at least we have three of the six elements now, and I think those will be enough for us to go search for the rest on our own."
"Yeah, I just wonder what he's up to-" In that instant, those words made Dizzy react in disbelief, "Wait, that means... THAT MEANS I'M FREE?!"
"Uuuh, yeah, sure bu-"
Flash couldn't even finish when Dizzy suddenly gave him a really tight hug.
"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU..."
"UGH, DIZZY PLEASE, STOP SQUEEZING ME!!!" seeing his friend suffocating, Dizzy let him go from his grip, "Look, yeah you're free to go, bu-"
Once again he was cut short when he realized there was now only a cloud of dirt where Dizzy used to stand.
"...idiot."
"Who are you talking to, Flash?" Turning his head to the side, the boy saw Rainbow Dash approaching him.
"Dizzy, I told him that since we already got another element-"
"AMAZING, ANOTHER ELEMENT?" Feeling like it was "Interrupt Flash" day, the poor boy reluctantly showed Rainbow the stone Crowned gave him. "Hey, this one looks cool, I like the bolt on it."
Rainbow grabbed the stone, and just like the others it started to glow as it took shape. Realizing others could possibly see them, Flash took off his jacket and covered the stone with it, but...
"Flashy!" Suddenly, Twilight arrived at the worst moment, "Good morning."
"T-Twily! Good morning!" Flash tried to act cool, covering the stone as much as he could, but not enough to fool her.
"Uuuuh... Why is Rainbow Dash holding your jacket?"
"I... I had my hand all sweaty!" Rainbow tried to come with an excuse, aware that things were going awry, "Yes, my hands were sweaty and he lent me his jacket to clean them up."
Twilight looked at them with some distrust, and noticing the nervous sweating on Rainbow's face, she approached her and removed the jacket from her hands.
"...A NECKLACE?!" She shouted a bit angry, looking at Flash.
"T-THAT IS JUST A GIFT THAT I... UUH... WAS PLANNING TO GIVE TO ALL OF YOU!" He couldn't risk to say the truth, but didn't want to give her the wrong idea, "I was making one for you and all your friends because... I-I'm that generous!"
"Yeah, what he said," Rainbow added, but Twilight was not convinced. Keeping an angry expression, she began to walk away in utter distrust. "NONONO, WAIT! Twilight, it's not what you think! I would never date this boastful idiot!"
"Exactly, it's what Dash just... HEY!"
Not bothering to listen to them, Twilight turned around and ran away, feeling cheated.
"WAIT, TWILIGHT!!!" Flash tried to chase her, fearing she thought something else was happening.
"Oooh, I should've waited longer to grab that stone..." Feeling awful about her mistake, Dash followed them, hoping to explain things more clearly.
Later that day during break time at the cafeteria, Dizzy waited for his friend alone on a table, searching everywhere for Crowned, but not catching a single glimpse of him.
"Where the hay did he go?" He asked out loud, starting to feel bored, "he should be celebrating with me and-"
"Hey, what's up?" Dizzy's heart nearly stopped when he noticed Sunset sitting beside him.
"S-S-Sunset?!" Not knowing how to react, he distanced himself a bit, sweating like crazy.
"Oh, calm down. Don't be afraid of me, I don't bite," she joked around, giggling a bit.
"Oh, o-of course you don't!" he answered, with a nervous smile, "Uuh, what brought you here?"
"Well, since we already have three elements with us, it's possible that we'll start looking for the rest for ourselves." Getting closer to the boy, Sunset smiled kindly, with all her gratitude. "I just wanted to thank Crowned and you for all the help you gave us. By the way, where is he?"
"I-I have no idea. It's like he banished..."
"Well, when you see him, tell your friend that we actually convinced AJ to give him a chance!" Sunset said with a smile.
"Wow, really? How did you do that?"
"She's a bit stubborn, but after how quickly you found those elements, she felt it was fair that both of you got a reward for it."
"Reward? Wait... BOTH?!" Dizzy was at a loss of words, wondering what kind of reward they had.
"Of course, actually... I have yours here," Sunset added, as she approached more towards the pale boy.
Feeling his heart racing, Dizzy completely blushed as Sunset leaned closer to him. Feeling her breath closer, her beautiful face coming close, even taking a peek from her cleavage, everything felt almost like a dream. He leaned his face, expecting her lips to meet with his... until he felt a piece of paper on his hand.
"Here, there's your new schedule," Sunset said smiling, unaware of Dizzy nearly puckering his lips.
"...what?" While feeling somewhat disappointed, he was still curious about the paper.
"Oh, no need to thank me, I just know you'll love it."
Sunset then stood up and walked away towards the table where her friends were waiting. Dizzy decided to read the schedule she left for him, only to find an odd surprise.
"OH, COME ON! I HAD TWO FREE HOURS AFTER THE BREAK!"
Much later, Dizzy had to head to his new class, where he was greeted by the always nice Miss Cheerilee.
"Oh, mister Dizzy," she greeted him enthusiastically, "I was told you were moved to my class."
"Yeah, what a joy," he responded sarcastically.
"You can have a seat on the back row, please."
The pale student walked to the very back and took his seat, looking pretty upset.
"What a gift they gave me," he murmured to himself, "Why the hell did they do this to me?"
Suddenly, the answer to his question arrive when a certain girl sat right beside him while he didn't notice it.
"Uhm, excuse me?" she approached the grumpy boy, trying to get his attention. "Could I ask if you have a pencil I can borrow?"
"Uh, sure, I... aaaaaAAAAAA-"
He had to cover his mouth to not scream as he thought:
"IT'S THAT NEW CUTE GIRL I SAW THE OTHER DAY!"
"Are you okay?" she asked curious of him, judging how lost he was looking at her.
"Uuuuhh... Huminahuminahumina... ABCOneTwoThreeApplelooselikeahorse... I mean... I'm fine!" He tried to play it cool, despite looking like a dunce, "Uuh, I'm new to this class, so let me introduce myself: I'm Dizzy. I mean, my name is Dizzy... Okay, I'm pretty dizzy too, but you catch the drift."
He extended his arm with a goofy grin on his face, making the girl giggle as she gently shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure, I'm Coco Pommel."
"T-T-T-THAT'S SUCH A CUTE NAME!" he said, still with a dumb smile, which was now concerning her.
"Uh, are you okay pal? Do you need me to call the infirmary?
"NO NO NO! I'M JUST REALLY HAPPY TO KNOW YOU, I MEAN TALK TO YOU, I MEAN EXCITED ABOUT THE CLASS!"
"Oh... so... you really like math that much?" she asked beyond confused.
"Wait... this is math?" Dizzy read his schedule, confirming that indeed it was Advanced Math class.
"Yes, I guess the most boring and complicated subject of all."
"Woah woah woah! Hear me out," Dizzy began to say, trying to sound cool, "I know it might not be the most popular subject, but I'm quite good with numbers."
"Really?" the cute girl exclaimed looking at him with big bright eyes, "Y-You should give me a hand then... I don't understand anything. Could you help me with it, please?"
Watching at the girl's cuteness was almost stopping Dizzy's heart, who grabbed his own chest like if he was in pain.
"HNNNGGG!!!"
"...I-'m gonna call the infirmary then," Coco said, looking really concerned about the boy's health.
"N-NO, WAIT! IT'S NOT NECESSARY... YET," He shouted while still feeling the heart attack, "I-I'll help you, little friend... You're really lucky I was put in here, I can be your p-p-personal math tutor! Just call me Professor Diz-GAH!"
"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" Coco interrupted him by hugging and rubbing her face with his, "It feels nice to have a new genius friend."
Watching her smile and hearing the cute excitement in her voice was too much for Dizzy's heart, as he felt to the floor unconscious and with the silliest smile possible. Coco gasped in shock, and hurried to get some help.
"INFIRMARYYY!!!" She screamed as she ran through the halls, as the boy remained on the floor, finally feeling rewarded.
Meanwhile, Flash and Applejack walked through the school halls discussing the little incident in the morning.
"WHA' DITCHA DO FOR TWILIGH' TO GET SO MAD LIKE THAT?!" the farmer scolded her partner, looking pretty angry.
"I-It was a misunderstanding and a big slip from me," Flash tried to explain to her, "I shouldn't have let Dash grab the stone in the middle of the school yard."
"YEAH, WELL NOW IT'LL BE HARDER FOR Y'AH TO WATCH OVER HER AND PREVENT THE SHADOWS FROM TAKIN' HER!" AJ screamed at him, in pure Apple style.
"I know, I know..." the blue haired boy couldn't do anything but accept the blame. "I'll try to patch things up and explain... At least we have three elements now, and Rarity and you are ready to go for the other elements, we only need that Rainbow practi-"
Suddenly, like a blue bolt, a certain girl rushed near them, flying at high speed with a pair of wings and leaving a rainbow trail.
"THIS. IS. SO. AWESOME!!!" The colorful girl yelled while passing by, easily recognized by Applejack.
"RAINBOW DASH?! FOR PETE'S SAKE, WHAT ARE Y'AH DOIN'?!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK, JACKIE?! I'M FLYING! I'M-AAAH!!!"
Flash and AJ had to cut her flight short by grabbing her foot and yanking her to the ground, much to her annoyance.
"Rainbow, you can't do that!" the blue-haired boy scolded her, "I know nearly everyone is in class, but there are still students in break, so please don't go showing off your... powers."
"AND HOW IN THE HAY DID Y'AH LEARN SO FAST TO HANDLE IT, RAINBOW?" AJ asked, somewhat more curious than angry.
"Well, that's because I'm awesome!" the blue girl answered smugly. "Sunset just told me how to active my powers and BAM! SUPER DASH TO THE RESCUE!"
"Uh... 'Super Dash'?" both Flash and AJ delivered some cold stares at Rainbow.
"Oh, then... Rainbow Power! No... Power Dash? ...Double Dash? ...I-I'm not good for super hero names, okay?"
"Alright, listen to me, Rainbow," AJ began to speak, trying hard not to hit her in the forehead, "Y'ahr powers are like y'ahr butt: y'ah can't go around showing it off to other people!"
"I'm sorry, guys! I was just so excited that-"
Her apology was cut short by the delicate sound of a melody... a very disturbingly bad melody.
"ACK! WHAT IS THAT NOISE?!" Flash yelled while covering his ears.
"THA' SOUNDS LIKE IF A COW WAS BEIN' MILKED WITH THE BATTERY OF A TRUCK!"
"I DON'T THINK THAT MAKES SENSE, JACKIE, BUT I AGREE!" Rainbow yelled, trying to keep her ears from bleeding.
The three followed the horrifying noise to its source, inside one of the classrooms. Flash decided to be the one to enter first, but when he opened the door, he was greeted by the merciless attack of a bow flying towards him, getting stuck inside his hair.
"OOPS, SORRY FLASH!" Crowned apologized, holding a cello with his hands and with Octavia by his side, facepalming at the incident before talking.
"Crowny, I know you're trying, but the cello is not for you. I think you'll turn it into a deathly weapon before a harmonic instrument."
"I'm sorry Tavi," he apologized, blushing ashamed.
Flash remained silent, looking at them and trying to process what just happened as he removed the boy from his hair.
"C-Crowned, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I was practicing because I want Tavi to teach me how to play something," Crowned smiled a bit too focused on his musician friend.
"...Tavi?" AJ raised her eyebrow, somewhat annoyed.
"Heheh, that's how Crowny likes to call me," the cheerful girl said with a similar smile.
"...Crowny?" the farm girl's voice showed a bit of surprise.
"Mmhmm! He's my new apprentice and I'll teach him how to play the music that he wants. You aren't bothered by it, are you?"
Dash watched all this in complete confusion, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
"Uuuuuh, Flash? Do you think its okay to leave Crowned with the most boring girl in the whole school?"
"YOU TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS!" Octavia approached her really furious.
"Woah woah, calm down, I was just kidding... Okay, not really. How the hay can somebody like that kind of boring music?"
Octavia stared really coldly at her, in such a fashion that she ended up terrified and had to hide behind Applejack!
"Okay, Octavia, no need to scare her."
"I did not scare her, she's the one who got scared of me... No idea why," she replied, staring at AJ the same way.
Attracted by their yells, Rarity also arrived to the classroom, only to catch Octavia looking at her friends intimidatingly.
"What is going on in here? ...Oh, Octavia, hello. And... Is that Crowned? What's he doing here?"
"Well, I-" he couldn't finish talking when Octavia placed her arm in front of him, parting the boy from the others.
"You don't have to explain anything... I'm not surprised that you wonder why Crowned prefers to be here learning about good music than with you."
"I-IT'S NOT THAT!" Flash said nervously, trying to prevent a confrontation. "I-IT'S JUST THAT WE WANTED TO TELL HIM THAT WE GOT THINGS UNDER CONTROL AND WE DON'T NEED HIS AID ANYMORE."
"Wait, seriously?" Crowned asked with a bit of disillusion.
"Uh-huh," Rarity intervened, and added with a teasing smirk: "In fact, we were looking for you so you could have your reward."
"Reward?" Both Octavia and her friend looked confused.
"Yes! The date with Applejack that you wanted so-"
"RARITY!!!" AJ had to shut her down, her whole face turned red.
"Oh..." the musician turned to face her friend, looking a bit heartbroken, "D-Did you know about this, Crowny?"
The young boy didn't know what to say, but looking at Octavia with her saddened face and glimmering eyes was enough to convince him what to say.
"N-no, but... it doesn't matter anymore, I don't want the reward."
"WHAT?!" everybody else exclaimed in disbelief.
"I asked that to AJ as a... game... And I don't want her to feel obliged to do so, so I'll stay here to keep playing music with Octavia."
Seeing her friend choosing to stay with her, Octavia hugged him happily, everyone else couldn't believe what he said.
"Well... it's your decision, buddy," Flash responded, trying to not show his surprise. "Thanks for everything, anyways... so, let's go."
Calling the other girls, Flash and company walked outside the room leaving the two friends alone, and then had to leave the girls to go to his next class. When he left, Rarity noticed her farmer friend looking really shaken up by the incident.
"Is everything fine, darling?"
"Uh, y-yeah yeah! Everything's okay, A'h mean... Phew! A'h really thought A'h was gonna date him, yeesh."
If there was one thing Rarity was good pointing out, it was when Applejack was telling a lie.
"Applejack, you may have a lot of qualities, but lying is not one of them." Giving her a teasing smile, she added: "You're being jealous, right?"
"W-WHAT ARE Y'AH TALKING ABOUT?!" AJ yelled in shock, her facade blown.
"Oh please, Crowned is a cute, nice guy, I'm sure you were growing fond of him."
"S-SHUT UP!!!"
"Oh come on, I'm sure you could even make a cute couple."
"RARITY!!! SHUT Y'AHR PIE HOLE!!!" Her whole face was getting so red, she had to use her Stetson to cover it.
"Hey, she's telling the truth," Dash suddenly jumped into their conversation. "I mean, Soarin and I make a 'cute' couple, and we're still pretty badass."
"AND WHO INVITED Y'AH HERE?!" the farmer girl was getting further and further perked up.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong talking about dates and all that." Pulling AJ and Rarity to a nearby bench, they all took a seat to converse. "You just need a plan to get rid of that snob."
"Maybe if I make a dress fit for you..."
"SHUT UP!!! JUST, SHUT UP!!!" Applejack screamed, fed up with them, "A'H DON'T WANT A BOYFRIEND, A'H DON'T WANT A DRESS, AND A'H DON'T WANT Y'AH GETTING IN M'AH PERSONAL LIFE!!!"
The two girls looked at each other a bit terrified from their friend, and then she added:
"Besides... A'h think it's already too late for that."
"Huh?" AJ's friends looked at each other, not in a playful way, but truly worried about her.
"A'h mean... just look how Octavia treats him."
"Aww, my apologies, dear." Rarity hugged her, feeling a bit ashamed. "It's true I was being toying with you a bit, but I really didn't think you actually grew fond of him."
"Yeah, I can actually deal with the snob if you want."
"No, Dash, just... leave it like that'."
Applejack finally stood up, looking far more serious than before.
"A'h think it's better for us to focus on looking for the rest of the elements before it's too late."
Walking away from them, her two friends shared similar looks of concern over her.
"Psst, Rarity?" Rainbow whispered to her friend, "She really looks troubled, doesn't she?"
"Don't worry about it, Dashie," Rarity responded, trying to keep her calmed, "I'll think a way to make things up for her."
Nodding in agreement, the two girls stood up and followed their friend, focusing back on getting the missing elements.
Back at the Infirmary, Dizzy was recovering consciousness after his little encounter with a certain girl.
"Oww, my heart... what just happened?" He opened his eyes noticed where he was, but before he could speak, another voice said:
"You suddenly fainted, for some reason."
Recognizing Coco's voice, he slowly turned his head to the left side of the bed, only to find her sitting beside him.
"...Did I just die?" he said in the silliest voice, only to make her gasp.
"DON'T YOU SAY THAT!!!" she screamed, covering her face, "Why are you saying that you died?!"
"Because I'm seeing a cute angel," he answered, totally lost in her.
"DIZZY!!!" Coco hit the boy on the head playfully, getting completely flushed, "You're a dummy."
"Yeah, sometimes."
"Heheh, at least you're very endearing." Coco stroked his face, less flushed than before.
"I-I don't think I am... I don't have many friends... and if you keep doing that I'm gonna have another heart attack!" the once pale boy was now getting red, heartened by her smile. His response got a chuckle from her, and she got curious about him
"Sorry about it, but how is that you don't have many friends?"
"Well, let's just say I don't have the best reputation... Although I have to admit that was mostly my fault."
"Aaww, come on, you don't have to feel bad." To his complete surprise, the new girl suddenly hugged him. "We all have our slips and falls, but I could help you mend your reputation, and you can help me mending my math headaches."
"...Ooww, you're so... so..." the usually grouchy boy couldn't help but feel kindness towards her, and quickly hugged her back. "Thank you, Coco."
"You're welcome, teacher," she said, winking and sticking out her tongue playfully.
After that day, Dizzy finally felt a new spark of joy in his life, having such a nice girl as his friend and pupil. Crowned also felt the same sensation of happiness enjoying some time getting to know Octavia better. Meanwhile, Sunset and the Mane 6 lost no time and continued training with the powers that the stones gave to them, while searching the three missing geodes around the school.
Two weeks passed since, and soon any news about the search stopped coming. Crowned couldn't help but feel nervous about it, getting concerned about the situation and how it could affect Canterlot High as a whole. Waiting for his friend in the same room as always, the young student couldn't take the thoughts out of his head, when his friend arrived quite late to their appointment.
"Sorry I'm late! There was a huge gale outside and I had to look for something to-" Noticing her friend being absent-minded in a seat, she approached him with concern. "...Crowned?"
"Huh? Oh! You're here... shall we start?"
"No no no no no, stop," Octavia looked at him with a serious expression, "There's something bothering you. I know well that look."
Aware that she was getting to know him more than before, Crowned sighed and explained.
"Remember that stone we found below Celestia's office?"
"Oh right, yes, what happened to it?"
"There are supposed to be other three of those... AJ and the girls decided to be more proactive and went looking for them, but I haven't heard if they've been lucky or not."
"I see..." Octavia thought a moment about it, and tried to give him a solution. "Well, you don't lose nothing asking them."
Crowned remained silent, looking down to the floor.
"Why so quiet about it? Do you still feel uncomfortable asking them after-" Octavia coughed discretely, "-scaring them away that time?"
The boy simply nodded, still not raising his head.
"Oh Crowny, you shouldn't feel like that. That was something minor, I'm sure they have forgotten about that already." Letting out a clear sigh, she then said: "Maybe you should try speaking with them while I'm gone."
"Wait, while you're gone?"
"Yes, you see... i need to ask you a favour: I'll be out of town for some family business, and I want you to pick my homework, please. And if you help me doing them... I'll give you a gift." She then winked at him with twinkling eyes, totally convincing him.
"T-Tavi," Crowned couldn't help but blush, "I-I'll do it."
"Thank you so much, Crowny," Tavi said as she hugged him and gave him a cute kiss on his nose, turning his whole body red.
Still with the sensation of her lips on his nose, a silly but loving smile appeared on him... until Tavi gave him her backpack.
"Here goes all my notebooks and class stuff, for my homework." Crowned lowered his eyes at her schoolbag, and then she added: "Well, see ya, Crowny!"
"HUH?! LEAVING ALREADY?!"
"Yeah, it's kinda urgent," she said, blushing and showing some shyness, "I'm sorry, but I know you can handle all of it, I mean at most it's just gonna be this weekend, so... I'll see you then, my cute friend."
Delivering a sincere smile, she left the classroom in a hurry.
"Goodbye... Tavi... Oh geez." Crowned couldn't help but feeling butterflies in his stomach... and numbness in his legs, realizing how heavy his friend's bag was. "...ouch."
Later that day, in the hallways, Crowned was stuffing Tavi's schoolbag inside his locker, when suddenly he noticed Applejack at the distance, seemingly lost in her thoughts near her locker. Feeling the need of talking with her, and remembering his friend's advice, he slowly approach to her.
"Uh, Appl-"
"AAAH!!!" Getting startled, AJ slammed her locker's door on Crowned's head. "Oh dear... CROWNED?!"
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star..." The poor boy felt to the ground, his head twirling after being hit.
"Oow, A'hm sorry, suga'hcube, you scared me," she exclaimed while rubbing his forehead.
"I-I'm fine... I think."
"Hmm... No, this doesn't look good," she remarked, feeling a lump where she hit him, "Here, let me help y'ah."
"W-WAIT, APPLE-" Before he could protest, the farmer carried him to the infirmary, taking the words from his mouth with her show of strength.
Once there, Applejack rubbed some ointment over his lump, and placed some bandages over his forehead.
"Sorry for hitting y'ah that hard, Crowned, but y'ah really startled me," Applejack said, feeling a bit upset about it.
"Calm down, it wasn't big deal. Dad always said I got a thick head after all," he joked, sticking his tongue out with a smile.
"Heh heh heh, yeah, seems so," she chuckled.
"Well, now tell me... How's the element search going?"
"Oh, that... uhm... it's going... uuuh..." The scrunchy face she made and the movement of her eyes gave it away.
"Applejack, it's easy to notice when you're gonna lie... just tell me what's going on."
"Okay, okay..." she let out a very audible sigh, and said it. "We haven't got them yet."
"WHAT!? WHY?!"
"A'H DON'T KNOW, IF A'H KNEW ALREADY, WE WOULD'VE DONE SOMETHIN' ABOUT IT!" She exclaimed, sounding very angry.
"BUT I THOUGHT THE ELEMENTS COULD EASILY DESTROY THE SHADOWS WITHOUT PROBLEM!"
"And they can, it's actually pretty easy." She took a seat near him, and decided to explain everything. "You see, we went to the basement where all the pipework is, and just like Shady Guy's notebook said, we found one of the stones. But when we tried to grab it, the shadows all panicked and took it away. We tried to stop'em, but they hid it from us, and seemed to do the same with the rest."
"Oh, that's really bad... Wait, the shadows can grab the elements?!" Crowned was now more concerned than before. "If the can, why haven't they tried to destroy them?"
"From what Sunset said, the elements can't be destroyed by the shadows, but they can change their place to disorient us."
"Damn it, if only I could help you."
"You've already done enough, suga'hcube, A'h think it's better that you follow y'ahr normal life with... cough cough... Tavi." While hiding her face, Crowned could notice her getting a bit green about it.
"...everything okay, AJ?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," she said, obviously lying.
"Weeeeeeell then, I guess I should go for my stuff, I promised Octavia I could do his homework while she's gone."
"Wait, you'll do her homework, AND your homework?" AJ was surprised about that, "Isn't that a bit too much for you?"
"Yes, but she's my friend, and I could do anything for her."
"Oh, well... how lucky of Octavia to have a good friend like you," she said, feeling more jealous of Tavi, and Crowned noticed it.
"W-Well... you're still my friend, aren't you?"
"What? ...S-sure!" Applejack responded, smiling a bit.
"Then you couldn't have a problem coming to my house and help me do my, ours and Octavia's homework, right?
"Of course A'hll... HEY, CROWNED!!!"
"Just kidding!" he said between chuckles, and even AJ had to admit she fell for that.
"...Y'ah know?" suddenly she smirked, "That doesn't sound bad, I need some help with m'ah homework and the farm could take some of m'ah time."
"Huh?" Crowned was stunned by this. "Y-You'd really come to my house?"
"Of course, suga'hcube! It's friday, we could spend the whole weekend doing homework together."
"A-ALL WEEKEND?!" he suddenly turned a completely new shade of red "B-But what about the-"
"Sunset says the shadows haven't been active recently, and feels that pe'haps they're waitin' to the end of the semester."
"Why? What will happen at the end of the semester?" Crowned asked intrigued.
"Well, rumors say that Celestia is plannin' a Spring Formal to compensate for what 'didn't happen'."
"Oh, okay then... But are you-"
"A'hll meet y'ah at y'er house at six, and don't worry, A'hll pack extra clothes." Interrupting him, Applejack simply stood up and left, but not without saying: "A'hll see y'ah then, Crowny."
"D-D-Did she just called me..." He nearly fainted from her words, feeling more conflicted about her unexpected change of heart.
After finishing classes, Dizzy walked through the hallway with Coco, telling each other about their days.
"...and Rarity taught me to sew this cute hat," Coco said while giving her friend a cute small hat.
"Aaawww, thank you, sweetie."
"Dizzy! Don't call me 'sweetie'!" she said in a squeaky voice, with a cute giggle.
"Sorry, I just can't hide it," Dizzy responded laughing silly.
"Heh heh heh! Well, since it's friday, could you like to go out for dinner tonight?"
"Oh, well I was-" suddenly, Dizzy realized what she said, "Wait, YOU'RE TAKING 'ME' TO DINNER?!"
"Yes, it's a way to show my gratitude for helping me, cutie."
Then she hugged Dizzy gleefully, making him smile and giggle dumbly... that is, until he noticed Sunset looking at him from far away, and he had the feeling she wanted to speak with him.
"Uhm, could you please wait a moment here, Coco?"
"Sure, my friend," she said innocently.
Leaving her for a moment, Dizzy walked towards the corner, finding himself in front of Sunset, who was wearing a garb and scarf.
"Sunset?"
"Having fun, Dizzy?" she answered, sounding pretty serious.
"O-of course I'm having fun, but... w-what are you doing here?"
Having a bad feeling about it, Dizzy noticed her raising her head and staring right at his eyes with a very concerned look.
"...We've got trouble, and I can't find Applejack nor Crowned?"
"W-WHAT?!" he screamed, not knowing how else to react.
"I need you to come with me to explain everything."
"B-But... D-Do I really have to?" Dizzy felt his legs shaking, but tried to not appear afraid.
"Dizzy, I know that you wanted to enjoy some time with Coco, but you must come, we really have serious issues right now." Sunset sounded a bit distressed about it.
"Wait, b-but didn't you said that you could handle this on your own without us?"
"It's complicated, just... come." Not losing time, she grabbed Dizzy's arm and dragged him along.
"W-WAIT! AAAAHHH!"
Without being able to do anything about it, Dizzy was dragged along into a classroom where the rest of the Rainbooms awaited.
"Dizzy?" Rarity was the first to talk, noticing the clearly distressed boy.
"Y-Yeah yeah, it's me. Please tell me quickly what is going on before I get bitter again... I didn't want to leave Coco alone," he complained, even pouting about it.
"I had to bring him with me, it should be better that all of us explain it," Sunset said coldly.
The pale student noticed that the other girls looked just as confused as he was, then Rarity began to explain.
"Dizzy, we haven't been able to get the rest of the elements, even if our new spells are, well, superior." Much to the boy's fears, the fashionista said just what he was fearing. "We've managed to eradicate any shadow in our way, but we still have a problem. You see..."
"THOSE SHADOWS ARE RUNNING AWAY WITH THE ELEMENTS!!!" Pinkie cried out loud, waving her arms in an exaggerated way.
"T-that sounds horrible!" Dizzy exclaimed, completely nervous and fully aware now of why he was being called, but tried to play like he didn't know. "B-But what does this have to do with me?"
"Dizzy, you as well as Crowned don't use magic," Sunset explained to him, "and we believe the shadows are detecting us because of our strong magic. But any other human? They could not take them as a threat..."
"Yup, had a feeling they needed me for that,", he said in thoughts, now completely terrified of facing more shadows again.
"...That's why we need your help again to get the last elements."
He knew it was clear he had to help, but even then he tried to back out.
"B-BUT..."
"COME ON, DIZZY!" Dash intervened, shouting at the even paler boy, "We helped you to meet Coco and placed you in her class, you at least own us that!"
"BUT I ALREADY HAD HELPED YOU!!!" he said in disconcert, fearing for his life.
"Weeeeeell, in theory you just helped with the second element," Pinkie argumented. "The first one was an out of sheer luck, and the third one Crowned found it."
"B-BUT... but..." Dizzy was slowly running out of excuses.
"Please... can you help us?" Fluttershy said, with tearful eyes, her animal partners looking at him with the same bright eyes.
"B-BUT... But..." He had no other choice, they needed him despite his fear. He took a deep breath and resigned, he answered: "Okay, okay, I'll help you! But only this time! As soon as I find that Element I'll be as even as Crowned and I won't help you again."
"OH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!" Pinkie hugged him, jumping over and over again.
"P-P-PINKIE, YOU'RE MAKING ME DIZZY... MORE THAN BEFORE!" the boy felt his head twirling from all her movement.
The pink girl put him back down, and while he recovered from his dizziness, Rarity approached to him.
"If it's any consolation, I shall go with you, darling." Dizzy felt how the also white girl grabbed his arm, "Here, let's go for that element."
"Thank you for that, but... wait, GO WITH ME?! I-I THINK I CAN DO THIS PERFECTLY ALONE AND-"
Despite his attempt to appear strong, Rarity simply pulled him out of the room, while the other girls looked over to Sunset, still with her cold expression.
"Uhm, a-are you... are you alright, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Yeah, I'm okay, it's just..."
"It's just, what?" Rainbow inquired, knowing there was something else.
"...You know I like Flash, and in fact I still think he's cute, but..." Suddenly turning red, and looking away from them, she said really fast: "But it's his fault that he organized that plan of pairing Coco and Dizzy."
"Oh my... so you really like Dizzy, don't you?" Pinkie Pie said with a teasing grin.
"...yeah." Sunset muttered.
"SO WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!" The rest of the girls yelled in unison.
"I was nervous, okay!? ...Dizzy was scared of being near me after 'what never happened', and while he still kept defending me, I thought..." she sighed, showing at the same time sadness and a bit of anger, "I thought that if I tried something it would've done more wrong than good, but now... I can't stand looking at him with Coco, because it really hurts me."
"Ooow..." Fluttershy hugged her friend, trying to cheer her up. "We understand, Sunset. We're sorry for accepting that idea."
"No Flutter, it's my fault for not leaving the past behind and try to move on. I just got so nervous I didn't try anything with him."
"Luckily you still have us, and we can always cheer you up!" Pinkie exclaimed, bursting up confetti apparently from out of nowhere, "Come on, I invite you to my house for some cake, maybe that's what you need."
Seeing the positiveness in her friends brought a smile into the young girl's face.
"Thank you Pinkie, perhaps I'll really need it."
The girls decided then to leave to Pinkie's house, trying to uplift their friends' mood while Dizzy and Rarity handled the issue of the elements.
Meanwhile, Coco remained in the same place Dizzy told her to wait, looking at the clock on his cellphone.
"Where did Dizzy go?" she asked to herself, looking around hoping to see her friend. Luckily, he turned out to be closer than expected.
"Coco! Oh, sorry for the long wait!" Dizzy voice came from right behind her, for her delight.
"Dizzy, it's so nice that you..." When she turned to see him, however, he noticed somebody else was with him. "Miss Rarity?"
When they reached her, Rarity was the one to talk, still holding Dizzy's arm.
"I'm sorry my dear, but we're going to do something dangerous, so it's better for you to go," she quickly explained. "It appears it's about to get cloudy, and we don't want anything bad happening to you."
"BU-BU-BU-BUT..." Feeling a rush of jealousy and nervousness, she held on Dizzy really tight. "DON'T TAKE MY TUTOR AWAY!"
"Oh Coco..." the boy said, as his cheeks turned a bright red and a silly smile formed on his face.
"Oh... Okay," Rarity saw how close she was to him, and had no choice but let her come along. "I guess you can come with us, but you must promise me to keep this a secret, okay?"
"W-What secret?" A wild thought crossed suddenly through her mind, and with a loud gasp, she held closer to Dizzy with tearful eyes, "Dizzy... are you going out with Rarity?"
"...WHAT?! NONONONO, I'D NEV-" But the pale boy's yelling was interrupted by his companion.
"Oh, don't you worry about it, friend... I have much finer tastes."
"Yeah, what Rarity sa-HEY!!!" Dizzy exclaimed annoyed.
"...T-Then what's the secret?"
Dizzy was about to explain, when suddenly strange noises began echoing through the halls. Realizing they were the last students in school, both him and Rarity realized what that meant.
"AAAHH!!! W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" Coco held Dizzy even tighter, with a strength he didn't knew she had.
"M-MY BONES... ALMOST... BREAKING..."
"Shhh!" The two friends kept silent, their eyes wide open and looking at Rarity, who spoke quietly. "They're not active yet, we must hurry... come on."
Pulling both loving friends together, Rarity guided them towards the classroom in repairing. The room itself seemed to be abandoned in the middle of the reparations, leaving only a half-complete mess with almost everything covered in sheets.
"Uh, why did you take us here, Rarity?" Coco asked, completely clueless.
"Dizzy, do you remember this place?" the fashionista asked to her companion.
"It's..." the realization hit him when he saw a misaligned wall, "Oh goodness, are really going to...”
"Yes, exactly."
"WHERE ARE WE GOING, YOU TWO?!" Coco was getting freaked out about everything.
"Dear Coco, have you heard the rumor that one half of the school is abandoned?"
"Yes, but..." Putting the pieces together, the soft girl began to feel more afraid. "Rarity... don't tell me that..."
Before she could finish, however, Rarity approached to the odd-looking wall, only to move it aside like a sliding door... similar to the one in the Principal's office. And behind it, laid an empty hallway, covered in dust and webs.
"I-Is this the abandoned part of the school?!" Dizzy asked, trying to keep himself from running away.
"It is indeed," the white girl said, pointing to the hallway at the other side, "We were exploring this place the other day, and it's... quite wide to say the least. We would've sworn to see one of the elements being hidden here, but we steered clear so the shadows wouldn't hide it again. And don't worry about the dark, we removed some planks here and there to let some outside light pass through."
"Oh... well that's a relief," the pale boy said, feeling just a bit less scared now.
"E-EXPLORE?! ...A-Are you making a 'found-footage' style movie?" Coco asked, trembling all nervous.
"Uuh, Coco? Don't get too scared but..." Feeling the need to explain his pupil and friend what was going on, he cleared his throat and proceeded. "Rarity and her friends, they... they have magical powers."
"...what?" the poor girl felt her mind getting broken, "W-What are you talking about?"
"It's a long story: Something happened here at Canterlot High that unleashed magic, the magic remained in the school, and we're searching for some magic stones to prevent dark magic from spreading over the world, and one of them is in that place, apparently."
There was a moment of silence in the room, Dizzy expecting his friend to understand. Finally, she spoke.
"...Dizzy? ...please hold me." And then she passed out.
"AAAH, COCO!" Her tutor barely caught her. "RARITY, I THINK WE SHOUL-"
Not letting him speak, she used her magic and created a force field around Coco in the shape of diamonds, letting her rest. Suddenly, the strange noises began to sound closer to the room, and in big numbers.
"Dizzy, listen carefully," she said, looking at the terrified boy. "My magic is going to alter the shadows, luring some into me. They'll probably try to guard the element, so wherever you hear the most noise, that's where it should be. Just try to grab it and run with it, ok? I'll be watching over Coco."
"B-But..." Realizing it was no time for "buts", Dizzy took a deep breath, and controlled his own fear. "A-alright. Just keep an eye of her."
Nodding in agreement, Rarity used part of her magic to create a beacon near the entrance, causing the monstrous noises to intensify. Dizzy used this chance to go inside the abandoned school, as he noticed some shadows passing right thought him, solely charging towards Rarity.
As he walked through the dark halls, the monstrous roar of the shadowy creatures pierced through his ears, easily chilling his blood.
"Oh geez, I didn't remember how creepy those noises were..." he muttered as he slowly walked through the scary paths, "Crowned, where the hell are you?!"
Back at his home, Crowned and AJ were doing homework together, laughing and being thankful they had someone close to them they could rely on.
"I bet he's already asleep," Dizzy remarked unamusingly.
As he lurked around the corners of the hallways, he noticed one room was strangely pitch-black, contrary to the slight illumination making it possible to see. Clacking his teeth and feeling his whole body chilling, he slowly approached to it, hearing the terrifying noises become further so the close he went. At the doorway, he could barely see several silhouettes in the darkness, noticing a strange humanoid figure with black wings and armor, watching over the stone along several other shadows. Dizzy slowly slipped inside, tip-toeing to not make a sound, until he heard a deep, distorted voice coming from the figure.
"...wE JuSt nEeD tO KeEp mOViNg aNd bE PaTiENtS, tHe dAY sHaLl cOMe," it appeared to have said.
"W-What is it talking about?" Dizzy though, as he moved further inside.
Feeling some shadows slithering in, the boy barely dodged them, as he saw them approach the strange figure, who turned towards them, revealing that his face was covered by a helmet.
"...wE'vE ComE tO rEpOrT tHaT We'rE StIlL UnDEr AtTacK bY tHe mAgIcAl HUmAnS."
"R-Report? Is that how they know about..." suddenly, a noticeable crack came from underneath him, and he realized that he had stepped over a thin plank.
"...human..." Dizzy's blood almost froze the moment the winged being turned his head towards him, only to roar in a thundering voice: "HUMAN!!!"
"I think I should just gooOOO!"
Before he could even step outside the room, several shadows surrounded him, making him retreat slowly... that is, until he felt the cold iron of a sword point right at his back. Sweating in true terror, the boy slowly turned around to find himself in front of the armored being.
"...YoU'rE JusT A mOrTaL," the being exclaimed, its voice distorted.
"Y-y-yes, I'm fully aware of it," the boy said, feeling like he could be needing to change his pants soon.
"...wHAt aRe YoU DoInG hErE?!"
"N-N-Nothing! IwasjustlostherecauseI'mactuallynewaroundand-"
The dark entity slowly approached him, passing a hand near his heart. Dizzy was terrified of what it would do, but then it began to speak in a different voice, a softer, familiar voice.
"You... You have a conflicted heart. You have forgiven, but you still have resentment inside you, refusing to help them even if you feel it is the right thing. And yet... you still cannot trust them."
Hearing its words, a new feeling invaded the boy: Curiosity.
"W-What are you, some kind of witch or wizard or something?" Dizzy asked, the fear in his voice slowly disappearing.
"No, but I am something that will make you doubt even more." Even in darkness, Dizzy could notice a wicked smile on its face, as it removed the helmet from its head, revealing...
"I-I don't understand, what... wait, t-that hair... oh goodness, FLASH?!"
In front of him, despite being barely distinguishable by the lack of light, he couldn't undeniably recognize the face of whom he called a "friend".
"Hello, my dear friend," the darkened Flash spoke politely.
"B-But, this doesn't... Unless... WAIT, ARE YOU TRYING TO FOOL ME?!"
"No, of course not, why could I even do that to a friend like you?" the being said with a wicked grin.
"T-THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT FORM?!" Dizzy demanded an explanation, feeling his brain about to burst.
"This is my true form, silly, and I command the shadows of this place," 'Flash' responded in complete calm.
"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" The boy shouted, although deep inside him he was starting to doubt. 'Flash' meanwhile floated menacingly towards him.
"Okay, don't believe me... Don't believe then that I've been using Sunset and her friends all this time, don't believe that I have a plan to use the dark magic to triumph over them, don't believe that those stone are only a mere distraction as we gather enough dark magic, and don't believe I WANT to steal Crowned."
"I-I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THAT!" Dizzy was starting to feel more enraged. "JUST TELL ME… WHAT ARE YOU TRULY PLANNING?!"
"Hmhmhmh, I just told you everything I'm planning, but if you don't believe, then it's your loss." The being looking like Flash then grabbed the stone, taunting his supposed friend with it, "You came for this, didn't you? Well, you can keep it, after all I'll win no matter what happens."
"AAARGH, I HAD ENOUGH OF THAT, YOU BASTARD!" Dizzy tried to punch him right in the face, but his fist was stopped by another shadow. "HUH?!"
"You fool, did you actually thought I could actually give that so easily?" the spawn mocked him further. "But don't worry, my 'friend' will soon take care of you, idiot."
The new shadow took the stone from 'Flash' and absorbed it into its body.
"Have fun ripping him off, nobody will miss him after all, hmhmhmhm..."
Disappearing in a mist of black smoke alongside the other shadows, 'Flash' left Dizzy with only the humanoid silhouette to face him. But just to make things worse, the shadow began to change appearance, and for his disgrace, it turned into a doppelgänger of himself, who looked at him with evil intentions, his eyes leering with dark intent.
"OH, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, A 'DARK DIZZY'?!" He screamed in despair, his anger now overshadowing the fear still in him.
Releasing an evil laughter, the Dark Dizzy leaped towards him and kicked him against a wall.
"AAARGH! W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Dizzy tried to remove himself from the wall, but his doppelgänger grabbed him faster and slammed him against another wall, then grabbing him again just to kick him against yet another wall. "D-Damn you..."
Dark Dizzy simply let out a sinister laugh, as the real deal managed to stand up.
"Argh... Okay, you wanted a fight? THEN YOU CAN HAVE IT!!!"
Dizzy rushed towards his copy, and managed to land a hit... only it was with the stone inside Dark Dizzy's body.
"OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!" he cried in pain, feeling his left hand getting numb.
The evil doppelganger simply laughed, mocking him yet again and fueling his anger.
"OH, CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH?!" Now he tried aiming at his face, but he barely caught sight of how he quickly moved the stone right to his head, making him hit it again with his other fist. "OUCH OUCH OUCH, DAMN IT, WHY?!"
Taking advantage of this, Dark Dizzy kicked him right in the stomach, launching in the air before once again propelling him to the other side of the room. As he hit the ground, the real Dizzy noticed his cellphone slipped from his pocket, just as it started ringing.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF..." Having no choice, he quickly grabbed it before the Doppelganger had time to try stomping on it, and answered the call. "H-HELLO?!"
"Dizzy? It's me, Rarity." In that moment, he heard the creepy roars of the shadow beasts coming from the speaker, "I'm having some problems here... there a lot of shadows coming near."
"I COULD HELP YOU, BUT I'M HAVING MY OWN PROBLEMS HERE!" Stepping out of the way of another kick, he decided to steer away from Dark Dizzy as long as he needed to come up with a plan. "I-I'M AFRAID THE STONE IS WITHIN... I MEAN MY DARK ME HAS... A DARK CLONE HAS IT!!!"
"WHAT?!" Rarity was shocked to hear him say that, "Dizzy, whatever you do, don't try to fight it! Those are strong shadows that can only be damaged with magic."
"AND NOW YOU TELL ME?!" The pale student couldn't believe her words, as he just barely dodged being propelled to the wall again.
"I THOUGHT YOU ALREADY KNEW! YOU ENCOUNTERED THESE SHADOWS BEFORE, DIDN'T YOU?!"
"WELL THE ONE I ENCOUNTERED BLEW APART WHEN CRUSHED!"
"OH... Oh no... but those are just basic shadows!"
"Y-YOU MEAN CROWNED AND I HAD TROUBLE FACING ONLY A BASIC SHADOW?!" Dizzy couldn't get away from his dark clone punch, hitting right in the stomach and launching him to the floor. He firmly held his cellphone on his hand, "Urrgh."
Having him cornered, Dark Dizzy approached to the already weak real deal, ready to stomp them. Right when his foot was about to fall, Dizzy just had time to react tried covering himself with his hands, flashing the clone with his cellphone... To his surprise, the dark being recoiled from the light, and for a moment it seemed to disperse for a moment, almost dropping the stone from his body. The real Dizzy took notice of this, resuming his call.
"...Rarity? W-What does light do to them?"
"Oh, you can't be serious! They hate light! It disperses their bodies."
"Really?" Dizzy smiled more cockily, starting to formulate a plan. "And you say you can destroy them?"
"Well, obviously, but there are so many out here already, and if I go inside, they'll only get scared and take the element with them."
"Then don't worry, I got a plan... I'll be there in a moment."
Hanging up the call, the boy began to press something in his cellphone. His doppelganger got angry after being blinded by the light and was approaching to finally stomp him, but right when he raised his foot, Dizzy aimed his phone at him and said:
"SAY 'CHEESE', HANDSOME!"
Blasting him with the flash of the camera, Dark Dizzy dispersed for a moment in a cloud of dark smoke, dropping the stone from his body. Losing no time, the real Dizzy grabbed it from the floor and ran out of the room, flipping off the shadow in the process.
"GOODBYE, YOU IDIOT!!!" he yelled, angering his doppelganger, who quickly rematerialized and chased after him.
Running as fast as he could, Dizzy made sure to pass through the hallways with as much light as it could filter in, making sure that his evil copy couldn't keep up with him. But even with that, the shadow managed to find a way to sneak closer to him, the light just barely stopping him now that he had no stone to worry about.
After running for a while, he realized that he seemed to have lost his way through the abandoned hallways, his copy getting closer by the second.
"RARITY, WHERE ARE YOUUUU?!" He called at the top of his lungs, thankfully getting a response.
"DIZZY, OVER HERE!" Recognizing the voice of the generous girl, Dizzy turned to his left towards the entrance, where Rarity was already waiting, fencing off a large group of shadows waiting outside.
"RARITY, QUICK! USE YOUR STRONGEST ATTACK!!!" Dizzy called out, just as his copy appeared right behind him, almost catching up with him.
"WHAT, NOW?! B-BUT IF IT HITS YOU, I'M SURE IT WILL HARM YOU TOO!" she exclaim.
"COME ON, DO IT! I'M ALMOST NEAR THE EXIT!!!"
Taking a risk, Rarity placed her hands around her necklace, as it began to shine brightly, the emitting light scaring away the shadows that tried to approach her. Making a last sprint, Dizzy rushed to the exit and passed right beside her with the stone.
"NOW, USE IT!!!"
Dark Dizzy tried to ambush them, but just as he jumped towards them, he took notice of Rarity... and the bright jewel on her neck.
"Oh no..."
"TAKE THIS, RUFFIAN!!!" releasing a barrage of diamonds made of light, the fashionista ripped apart the doppelganger and any shadow that happened to be nearby.
"Woaaah, incredible!" Dizzy said, now wearing a pair of sunglasses.
When the blast dissipated, there was no sign of the shadows left. Rarity breathed heavily, slowly recovering from the blast, turned towards her partner, who was laying on the floor also trying to get some air.
"Phew... Thank you, Dizzy... seriously... thank you, we finally have another stone."
"I just... Did what was needed, that's all..." he said, inside feeling a bit of thrill and adrenaline. "Wait... and Coco?"
"Don't worry about her, she's still fainted but safe." The white girl retrieved the shield surrounding her, revealing she was still as peacefully asleep as before.
"Thank goodness..." Despite getting rid from a quantity of shadows, their grim roars still echoed through the school. "...I think we should leave now."
"Of course, let's go." Rarity picked up Coco while Dizzy grabbed her schoolbag. "I can give you a ride home if you wish. I mean, after helping me today..."
"I think we can discuss this outside," Dizzy said as they left Canterlot High for the day, with a new stone in the bag.
A few hours later, Coco finally woke up again, screaming in fear.
"AAAAAAAAHHH! Aaaah... aah? W-Where am I?" she asked, looking at the humble abode where she was resting.
"Oh, at my place, of course," Dizzy responded, arriving with some snacks to share. He had already covered up his bruises as discretely as possible as to not scare her.
"D-Dizzy? Your place?" Coco looked around in confusion, although she quickly calmed down. “Nice place, but... I don't remember getting here."
"O-Oh yeah, that's because when we arrived it was getting dark and stormy, and I told you some scary stories... and you fainted." Despite his efforts, Dizzy wasn't the best at coming up with lies.
"T-That's what happened?" she responded innocently, believing him. "Oh dear... that must explain that dream I had of us visiting an abandoned section of the school with Miss Rarity and... please don't tell me more scary stories like that, I end up with nightmares!"
"Heheheheh, never again," he said between chuckles, enjoying how she looked inflating her cheeks, but thinking: "Good grief, she actually bought it."
"Thank you, Dizzy," the cute girl said, and after checking her time, she realized something. "Oh hey, it's barely evening right now, we still got time to have dinner together."
"W-Wait, really?" Feeling like he deserved it, Dizzy cheered up quickly, "GREAT! I'll go get ready then."
Soon after, Coco and Dizzy went to have dinner on a restaurant the young pupil knew about. Between their meals they shared some laughs and stories as well as the warmth of being close to each other.
"Heheh, what a nice place you chose, Coco."
"Yep, fancy yet not so expensive, anything for you, my dear friend."
Watching his dearest friend smile like she was doing then was enough to melt his heart.
"Oh Coco... I-i really don't know how to pay you for all this," Dizzy said, completely infatuated by her smile.
In that moment, the girl began to blush harder than a cherry, twirling her fingers under the table.
"I-I know how... c-can you please come closer?"
"Sure?" the pale boy approached closer to her. "What is it?"
Nothing in the world could've prepared Dizzy to what happened that moment: Following her emotions, Coco put her hands in his face, and slowly and with love, their lips met each other for the first time.
"Thank you, Dizzy, for all that you've done." There was nothing else he would enjoy more than the view of her smile and blushing cheeks.
"Oh, Coco..."
Soon, they shared yet another kiss, the first of many that night, as their friendship evolved into love...
END OF CHAPTER.