//------------------------------// // Ch5: The Problems with Love // Story: Canterlot Dorks: Canterlot High's Dark Secrets // by ThatUnknownPony //------------------------------// The following day after Dizzy and Rarity retrieved another of the stones, at Crowned's house, he and Applejack were finishing their pending homework as well as Octavia's. "...and it's done! We've finished!" Crowned exclaimed triumphantly, before collapsing over his desk. "So many numbers..." "Y'ah don't say, that was quite the rodeo," Applejack responded, finally putting her homework away, "But hey, that means we have the rest of the weekend for us." "True. So... that means you're staying?" the boy asked, looking at her friend with curiosity. "Why not? Y'ahr my friend, and y'ah seem to need some company." The farmer patted him on the back. "Heheh, thanks Applejack, that's pretty nice from you." For a moment, the farmer stared right at him, with a look of curiosity. Crowned was not sure about what that meant. "Uuuh, everything okay? Do I have something on my face?" "...why do y'ah wear that crown?" she finally asked, curiosity overwhelming her. "Oh, this?" Crowned grabbed his crown, and deepening his voice he claimed: "Well, that's because I'm-" "A'hm being serious," his friend interrupted, "y'ahr always wearing it even when y'ah put a hoodie on. Why do you wear it?" "Oh, well, it's a long story and-" Suddenly, the two were interrupted when Crowned's laptop began ringing, and the boy realized it was Octavia calling him. "Uhm, AJ?" Crowned said, a bit embarrassed. "I'm gonna have a video-call with Octavia, so I guess it could be better if you don't appear in front of the cam?" "Don't worry, A'h understand," she responded, a bit jealous but comprehending him as she moved a bit until she was out of the cam's focus. In an instant, Octavia's face appeared on the laptop's screen, although not looking as cheerful as usual, wearing a black formal dress. "Crowny!" she greeted her friend, sounding very relieved. "Hey Tavi, how are you doing." "Honestly... not very well," she sighed, sounding a bit melancholic. "We came to visit an uncle who was feeling sick, and he got to see us and all but... he passed away." "Oww... my condolences," Crowned said in concern. "It's okay, Crowny. He seemed very peaceful, and I guess he was ready for it since he didn't suffer... At least he departed happily, that softened the blow for us." "Well, that's a relief," her friend said, sound less worried. "We are staying for a few days more anyways," she added, a bit surprising for the crowned boy, "my uncle left a last will and... well, you know about my family's wealth, so it's going to take a while." "Oh... so you're not coming back soon?" "I'd like to, but my dad insist that I must stay, for he feels my uncle might have left something for me. He asked me if I had a friend who could take notes for me at school, and thought about Vinyl and you... Obviously, you are the one I trust," Octavia stuck her tongue, trying to be cheerful. "Heh heh heh, I understand you," Crowned said laughing. "I'm sorry I can't be there soon," Octavia said, still showing a bit saddened. "I wish I could be there soon, but at least... Crowned? Can I ask you something?" "Sure, go ahead." "I know it's a little odd to ask but... Your crown, why do you use it?" "Uhm, excuse me?" Crowned was surprised to hear her ask that. From the other side, Applejack was just as amazed. "Crowny, I won't be seeing you for the rest of the whole week, and I want something to think about you I just thought that telling me the mystery of your crown could help me cheer up." "Huh, guess today it's m'ah lucky day," she thought, looking at his friend with curiosity, anxious to hear his story. Feeling a little nervous about it, the crowned boy discretely turned over to look at AJ, who was ready to hear his story. Taking a deep breath, he said to Octavia: "Okay... Well, I guess I should start pointing out this isn’t a common crown. At least for me..." "When I was a kid, my father used to travel a lot, and we barely could see him: Always in business trips, and away from us. Because of that, I took the duty of watching over the family: taking care of my younger cousins, helping with the house chores, etc. Yet every time he came back home, father always brought lots of gifts for us, it was almost like Christmas for us. One day, after arriving from a long trip, he approached to me and took out this very crown. Putting it in my head, he said that one day I would become a king, a leader, who would do the beat for those who matter the most, and that this crown was a symbol of that... But not long after that day, my father suddenly got severely ill. He spent a long in the hospital, and everyone in my family was heartbroken; some of us were even expecting the inevitable... Then one day, I grabbed my crown and remembered what he said to me that day, that's when I decided to try something: I visited my father at the hospital and started to tell him stories about what I've done in my life, making jokes and doing gestures to get a smile from him. I succeeded to make him laugh, and even the doctors taking care of him laughed with him. It made me so happy to see my father smiling again, and I knew in my heart that a simple smile was what he needed. Ever since that day I continued visiting him, and every day he started to look much better. Sometime later I found out that my father was going through a severe depression after being away from his family for too long, and when he got sick his strength wasn't enough to fight back, that is until I made him smile. The moment he finally came home from the hospital back in shape, I realized my purpose in life..." Crowned put his crown back in his head, and with the most sovereign tone he could have he proclaimed: "I am Crowned, the King of Happiness, my duty is to make my family and those surrounding us happy, no matter the situation nor the event, because the happiness of my people is what makes me their king." After hearing his story, both girls couldn't help but smile. Applejack felt that everything he said was true, and that him taking the role of a king wasn't just an act, and knowing why made her appreciate the boy even more. "What a lovely story, my dear 'King With No Kingdom'", Octavia said, wiping a couple of tears, "Thank you, as soon as I get back I'll be ready to hug you again, I mean it." "Oh, relax Tavi, you continue with everything you need to do there, I'll wait for you here." "Thanks Crowny, or should I call you mister 'King With No Kingdom?" she winked at him and sent him a kiss, "Goodnight, my dear." "Goodnight..." Crowned finished the call and turned around to face his other friend. "Alright, I've just hun-" Before he could finish talking, he felt his head pushed towards a couple of apples as his friend surprised him with a hug. "Oh Crowned, A'h didn' expect y'er crown had a meaning like that," Applejack said, still not realizing where he was holding his head, "It's so nice y'ah have those memories from y'er family..." "...A-Applejack?" the boy could barely structure sentence, in a mix of confusion and enjoyment of his current situation. "Y'ah see..." the girl started to tell, "Years ago, m'ah parents left for a business trip, the last thing they left me was m'ah hat A'h won in the last Town Faire we went together before their trip... They never came back." Realizing his story had probably brought her back those memories, he blushed a bit and pushed closer to her. "Oww Applejack, I'm really sorry." "It's alrigh'," the farmer said, still holding him closer, "After all, A'h still have many memories from them: when they taught me how to differentiate between a good apple and a bad apple, m'ah birthday parties with'em, when Apple Bloom was born... those were some nice memories, and A'h couldn't help but be reminded of them with your story. A'h still have m'ah brothers and Granny, but... y'ah know, sometimes A'h really miss'em." "Applejack..." Not bothering anymore about the soft apples he was resting his head, Crowned hugged her back, comprehending her feelings. "They will always be with you, I know they are still in your heart, and even when you feel alone, just... look around you: you still have all your friends, your family, and now you have me. You have so many people that love you, you will never have an excuse to feel alone, my... dear friend... Jackie." Not being able to contain her tears, Applejack cried with his words, hugging his friend even closer. "T-Thank you... Crowny." They remained embracing each other for a while, enjoying their mutual warmth as time passed, and even when AJ left back home the two students felt that, since that moment, they had become closer than what they expected. The next Monday finally arrived, and the Rainbooms had reunited once again in an empty classroom for their special meeting, although Applejack was a bit late for the meeting and had not arrived yet. "...and that's how Dizzy recovered the stone and I destroyed the shadows that stole it," Rarity exclaimed proud of herself, posing as if she was casting her magic again. "THAT'S AWESOME, RARITY!" Dash exclaimed, giving her a hi-five. "I mean, I would've done that even more awesome, but you're pretty badass anyways." "Oh, stop it, Rainbow!" "So now we have four elements, but from whom is this one?" Pinkie asked holding the stone. "Oh, it has a cute butterfly carving... May I try touching it?" Fluttershy walked towards her friend. "Okay, give it a try!" Pinkie extended her arms and gave the stone to her. As soon as Fluttershy touched the stone, it began to shine and transformed just like the others into a golden necklace with a gemstone in the middle, this one in the shape of a pink butterfly. "WOOOH! So it REALLY was yours, Fluts!" Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully. "Oh, my..." the shy girl grabbed the necklace and put it on her neck, letting out a cute squee looking at it. In that moment, the door of the classroom suddenly opened and Applejack arrived, with a huge smile on her face. "Hey girls, what's going on here?" she asked as she took a seat, as Pinkie stood up and began explaining. "OH HEY JACK! DIZZY AND RARITY FOUND ANOTHER ELEMENT!" Then she grabbed Fluttershy and pointed at her necklace. "SEE? IT'S FLUTTERSHY'S!" "Hmhm, yay!" the shy girl said in a low but enthusiastic voice. "That's great! Now we just need to find two Elements." "Yes but we still have a problem," Sunset explained. "We still haven't found the other element the shadows took away. We know the other is inside the clock tower, but knowing the path to get in there it would be dangerous without the missing element." "That's true, but didn’t y’ah say we had to the end of the semester to find it out, suga'hcube?" "Yes, I know I said that, but waiting until the end is the worst thing we can do now," Sunset stood up, looking pretty worried. "We cannot let our guard down or the shadows might attack when we less expect them." "If that's the case, how about each of us looking around during the day?" Applejack proposed to her friends. "Every day during our breaks or if we have a free hour, we can explore other sections of the school, and if we see a mass of shadows somewhere, then we call Crowned, Flash or Dizzy to give us a hand with the element." "Ooh, I like that idea, my dear Applejack, but..." Rarity approached to her, looking a bit concerned, "I don't think that could work. Dizzy doesn't want to be part of this anymore, he'd rather stay with Coco now." Mentioning Dizzy and Coco together only made Sunset feel uncomfortable, just remembering watching them that day. "Oh, and Flash is kinda busy watching over Twilight too," Fluttershy also commented, "We don't to risk her in the absence of Flash if we had to call him." "So that leave us only with Crowned, but wasn't he busy doing something for a friend, AJ?" "Huh? Oh, actually not anymore, Sunset," the farmer girl said. "A'h went to visit him for the weekend to lend a hand with his homework and- Can y'all please stop looking at me like that?" Applejack blushed as her friends smirked at her, thinking there might've been other intentions behind her visit. "So, you went to his house?" Pinkie said teasingly. "And how is it, AJ?" Rainbow asked with a bit more of curiosity. "Did you two have some fun alone? Perhaps... something more 'naughty'" Rarity smirked with teasing eyes, all to the annoyance of the blonde farmer. "A-A'H... A'H JUST WENT TO DO HOMEWORK, THAT'S ALL! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING 'NAUGHTY', RARITY!" she responded angrily to the shock of the fashionista, and then she turned towards Rainbow with more calm, "And well, it's just a small two-floor house, but he lives alone. His parents are out of the country so-" "My, my, he lives alone and yet you didn't do anything?" Rarity teased her more, making her blush harder and get even angrier. "RARITY!!!" "Girls, girls, calm down you two!" Sunset said, separating the two friends from each other. "Rarity, please stop teasing her. AJ, just tell us: Is Crowned REALLY busy?" "Uhm, perhaps a bit... y'ah see, Octavia asked him to help'er with her homework while she's gone, and him being a gentleman decided to do them. But something happened and she can't go home until next week, so he's gonna have twice to do this whole week." "Oh, I see..." Sunset thought about what other choices they had, or if they could find another solution. Finally, she came up with something. "Guess we have no other choice: We can give the guys our cellphone numbers, and if any of us finds anything suspicious, we just call them to give us a hand, and if they're busy we simply keep an eye until Flash or Crowned are available." "Sunset, can't we just simply call Dizzy to help us?" Dash said, getting a bit tired of the discussion. "But he... Y-you know..." her friend replied, sighing in annoyance. "Okay, I get it, but come on! He's just as wrapped in this as us and-" "I think we should just wait to see how well it goes for him with his new 'friend'," Sunset said sharply, feeling more annoyed and a bit angry. "In the meantime, we must keep looking around the school, if he happens to be free we could try to convince him to lend a hand, but for now Crowned is the closest option we have." "Now that you mention him, where is Crowned?" Fluttershy suddenly asked. "He didn't come with you, Applejack?" Pinkie raised her eyebrow, almost sure they would've arrived together. "Nah, A'h went back to my house at evening, and A'h haven't seen him this whole day." "Hmpf! seriously, do you really don't know how to take advantage of your situation?" Rarity said once again, trying to scold her friend for not attempting to win Crowned for her. Unfortunately Applejack took it as expected... and jumped right at her in anger. Their other friends quickly tried to separate the two, as the farmer was almost ready to grab Rarity by the neck, all while Sunset watched in disappointed and facepalmed, hoping they could come up with a better plan soon. Meanwhile outside Canterlot High, Crowned finally arrived at the school, the weather looking a bit cold with cloudy skies and strong winds. He was wearing a gray hood and a backpack full of his and Octavia's homework. "Phew! Okay, it's a new day, a bit cloudy yeah, but at least I'm done with the homework." He walked inside the school, but to his surprise it looked a bit empty, with no many students around. "Huh? Where the hell is everybody?" "Probably looking for another school," he heard Norman say, as the normal boy approached to him. "Norman, what are you saying, again?" "I said they're probably looking for another school, because this one sucks." "Oh, hah hah, nice joke," Crowned laughed sarcastically, "Now seriously, was this an off-day or something?" "What Norman tries to say is that the new students usually arrive by this time." The two guys turned their heads and noticed Nolan arriving with them, holding his cellphone like always. "The problem is that many of them have left already, as you can see." Not believing his words, the student turned to look around and, much to his shock, realized that all of the students he could see were those who had more time in the school and not one of the faces he saw his first day. "A-Are you kidding me?" he said, hoping it was just a joke. "Sadly, no," the rich boy responded, his voice sounding serious. "Apparently the fact those shadows are still around and now with teachers leaving the school, is giving the students a bad impression of the school. In fact, from all the new students this school year, only you, Twilight and Coco remain." "Y-You're gotta be joking..." the boy couldn't give credit to what his buddy was saying, and then he realized something. "Wait, you said the teachers were leaving?" "Yup, so if you have any homework with you I'd suggest giving them to Miss Raven, she's the one receiving them in case another teacher decides to quit." Crowned remained stunned for a moment, not giving credit to what he was hearing. "...I-I'll be right back," he said before leaving his two friends behind, looking for Miss Raven. Shortly arriving at the Principal's office, Crowned noticed Miss Raven at the Secretary's desk, busy with some calls and writing down notes on a small notebook. "Yes, Canterlot High, could you please hold on for a moment?" he heard her say before returning to another call. "Thank you for holding... Yes, we're sorry to hear that, but we're working on it..." "So it's true... all the other students got scared away..." Crowned thought, feeling a bit of anger at the shadows for the damage they were causing to the school. "...yes, we truly lament hearing that, we just hope you can find a better place for your convenience. Goodbye..." Raven hung up another call, collapsing in frustration on her desk before noticing Crowned. "Goddamn- Aah, mister Crowned!" "M-Miss Raven? Is everything okay?" Lowering her head, Raven sighed and said: "No, it isn't. We've been having lots of inconveniences: teachers threatening to leave or not coming, the new students are all leaving, Celestia and Luna are still arguing... I guess it's the usual by now." "Oww, I'm sorry to hear that..." Suddenly, Crowned realized something she had said. "Wait, Celestia and Luna arguing?" "Yes, they're once again discussing about amplifying Canterlot High: Celestia wants to remodel and amplify the school, while Luna wants to avoid expenses." "I-I see..." "They both have problems with their points of view, but now Luna is using the excuse that 'because the new students are leaving, there's no need to expand the school', and that really angered Celestia." "Ouch," Crowned couldn't imagine how hard that must have been for the Principal. "And the fact that the teachers are leaving doesn't help, all thanks to those events that 'never happened'. They think the school is haunted by ghosts and shadows, and those who don't know about that day are leaving. At least you're one of the exceptions... By the way, what brings you here?" "W-Well, I just wanted to know if my teacher and Octavia's teacher were still giving classes, to deliver some homework," the student said, as he put his backpack in front of him. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm sure that your teacher is still around, but just in case... You can leave it with me and I'll deliver it as soon as possible." "T-Thanks, Miss Raven," Crowned responded nicely, surprised by her kindness. He then approached to her and left in her desk both his and Octavia's work for the weekend. "Don't you worry, mister Crowned, I'll give them to your teacher when I can," Raven said, acting a bit less concerned, at least until the telephone started ringing again. "Uhm, now if you excuse me, I still have some things to do, I'll see you in class my dear student." "Yeah, thanks for everything Miss Raven," the boy said as he left his teacher back in her work, answering the calls from many concerned parents as he couldn't help but think of what was going on. "I feel so bad for her. I just hope the girls find those stones soon... Going back into the hallways, Crowned walked towards his classroom thinking about all that he had seen and been told, that is until he turned a corner and was spotted by his friend Dizzy... who was holding hands with Coco Pommel. "Hey buddy!" Dizzy greeted him in a joyful manner, very uncommon of him. "Huh? Oh hey Diiiiiiii... what." Crowned couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What's up, my dear crowned pal?" the pale boy said as he approached his friend alongside Coco. "Uuuuuh, you look... very close... like, almost attached to Coco," his friend said, looking at the couple with disbelief. "Heh heh..." Coco giggled and blushed, like she knew something he didn't. "Oh right! I haven't told you, my buddy with a crown..." "We're boyfriends now!" Dizzy and Coco said in unison, smiling together. "WHAAAAAAT?! DUDE!!!" Crowned yelled in surprise, and as soon as he processed it, the boy hugged his friend in joy. "WOW, DIZZY, CONGRATULATIONS!" "OH, MY FRIEND, IF YOU KNEW HOW HAPPY I AM!" Dizzy said while responding to the hug, looking a bit silly in the process. "Heheheh, oh you boys look like brothers," Coco joked about, sticking out her tongue playfully. "Well what can I say?" the blue student said to Coco. "He was my first friend here and back when I met him he was a total grouchy pants, but now... seriously, you look so different now, buddy." "Thank you!" Dizzy said, his eyes now turned into waterfalls. "I'm absolutely joyful now." "There, there, you crybaby," Coco said while rolling her eyes. "I'm here for you now, you silly." Crowned couldn't help but laugh the way they hugged and then started spinning around like a cutesy couple... at least until they ended up groggy. "I-I think I'm dizzy now," the young girl said, feeling her head still spinning. "I think I'm even more dizzy than before," Dizzy said... gaining a friendly whack to the head from his girlfriend, which only dropped him to the floor. "Heheheh... Well guys, I must go to class. Take care and kiss her a lot," Crowned said jokingly as he left to his classroom. "Hey! ...If you insist," Dizzy then stood up and surprised Coco with a kiss, gaining himself another playful whack to his front. "Dizzy!" she yelled, blushing immensely but letting out a cute giggle, before giving him another kiss. Hours later in class, Crowned was a bit busy taking notes and doing his exercises, when suddenly he felt a familiar sensation near him... like the scent of apples. "Hey suga'hcube," the student raised his head, and easily recognized his friend Applejack sitting right next to him. "A-Applejack!" Quickly lowering his voice so the teacher couldn't hear them, he began discussing with his friend. "You took me by surprise... W-What's the matter?" "See, I need to ask y'all a favor..." the farmer girl put a piece of paper in his desk, with six cellphone numbers written in them, each one with the name of the Rainbooms. "A'h need y'ah to save our numbers in y'er phone, Crowned, and I need y'ers too." "Uuuuh... Okay? Any reason for that?" the boy asked unaware of why she was doing that. "Well," Applejack took a deep breath, and checking that no one was eavesdropping, she explained. "The girls and A'h only need to find two elements now. We're mostly sure one is in the old clock tower, but we haven't found a way in yet; as for the other element, we have no clue where it could be hidden, and if we leave that one for last the shadows might keep hiding it from us." "And you decided to give me your numbers so..." "So y'all can call us if you ever find something suspicious," the farmer girl confirmed, checking out if nobody was listening to them. "And that way we can recover the element quicker." "Exactly." "Oh, great! In that case I'll tell Dizzy about-" "No, wait!" the blonde girl said, holding his arm much to his amazement. "The girls don't want to involve'im anymore... Not since he already gave us a great help last Friday and, well, now that dummy has a girlfriend to look for." "Oh yeah, heheh, who could've thought that?" he blushed and smiled thinking about his buddy's luck. "I'll try to keep an eye open then, you know you can count on me." "Well said, suga'hcube." Applejack looked thoughtful at her friend for a moment, thinking about how the boy selflessly had aided them in their quest. "Hey, Crowned? Uhm... A'h sorta feel I own you somethin' for all y'er help." "Uuuh, you don't have to-" "Come on, A'hm being honest with you!" the girl insisted. "Y'ah can ask anything from me. Perhaps a load of apples? Or... maybe one of m'ah hats or..." "...maybetouchyourmidriff?" Crowned whispered, thinking about that day he caught her stretching and caught a glimpse of her belly. "E-Excuse me?" the farmer girl blushed after this, having heard his words. "Oh? Uhm... nevermind, just something stupid I thought..." the boy said a bit ashamed, trying to shift conversations. "Uhm... I-I think we should pay attention to the class now." Crowned turned back his head to the blackboard hoping that Applejack would just forget what he said, but she remained blushing, totally caught off-guard by his words. Later that day at lunch, Sunset was making her way to the cafeteria, wearing her garb and scarf of choice. But right when she was close, the girl recognized Dizzy alongside his girlfriend, giving each other kisses, much to her annoyance and jealousy. She was about to turn back and maybe find something in the bending machine, when she felt a hand stopping her. "Sunset?" Turning around, the girl found right in front of Dizzy. "Oh, Dizzy... Uh, what a surprise," she said, pretending she didn't see him. "That's what I say," the boy said between giggles, still happy from his luck. "Uh, listen, there is something I need to tell you." "Oh... Uh, okay... D-Did something happen?" Sunset was getting nervous about what he was going to say, fearing it might be related to Coco or- "Yes, it's about Flash..." he responded, sounding a bit more serious. "Oh, okay," Sunset felt a bit relieved, but then double-checked when she realized what he said. "C-Come again?" "Flash, why is he hanging around with you a lot recently?" "Well, he's our friend of course, and I know we had our difference, but he has helped us a lot with the elements, and the Twilight from this world seems to like him a lot. That's why we're supporting them bo-" "So it was his idea to go searching for the elements?" Dizzy said a bit more concerned, to the confusion of Sunset. "Actually it was the idea of all of us, although mostly Flash was the one who noticed the strange events going around the school and-" "And so you trust him?" the boy suddenly said in a cold fashion, "Tell me, why do you trust him?" "Wait, why are you asking all of this?!" Sunset responded a bit annoyed, with no clue of why Dizzy was being so cold. The pale student then approached closer to her, looking really concerned, and said: "I... I heard him say he was using all of you." "W-WHAT?!" Sunset reacted in true shock, not knowing if to believe his words, "H-How can you be so sure?!" "He confronted me in the abandoned section of the school when I retrieved the element," he explained. "I-I could barely see, but I recognized his face. H-he had a black armor and wings, he even threatened me with a sword! He even said that no matter what happened, his plan was still in process." "Dizzy, try to relax... I know for a fact that we can trust Flash, not only has he supported us a lot, but he also got in self-defense classes just to protect Twilight." "B-But who isn't to say that perhaps it isn't the Flash we know?" "Dizzy, you said he threatened you with a sword, right?" Feeling even more doubtful now about his old pal, Dizzy remained silent for a moment, and then he spoke: "...Not only that. He... He also summoned a shadow copy of me." "E-Excuse me?!" "Yeah, he simply laughed at me and left some kind of dark copy of myself to attack me. I-I barely knew what to do and by an inch managed to lead it towards Rarity so she could destroy it." Sunset remained thoughtful for a moment, thinking about what Dizzy had just said. She knew it wasn't truly Flash who did it, but there was something else in there. Perhaps a clue about what was going on with the shadows? "So you're saying that 'Flash' created a shadow copy of you and ordered it to attack you?" "I'm really not making this up, Sunset. Please, trust me and try to stay away from him unti-" Before he could finish talking, Sunset had already turned around and nearly left in a hurry. "HEY, WAIT!!!" Barely catching up with her, the pale student stood in front of her, "I WAS BEING SERIOUS, PLEASE LISTEN TO MY WARNING!" "I heard you, Dizzy," she calmly responded. "I'm gonna be at the library... there's something I must investigate further." Leaving the confused boy behind, Sunset left in a hurry to the library, hoping to piece these clues together. Dizzy tried to warn her once again before she was out of his view. "LISTEN TO ME! STAY AWAY FROM HIM FOR NOW!!!" The girl simply decided to ignore him, heading to the library to find something more with the clues the pale boy had given her. The rest of the day passed by without much nuisance, and even the weather continued looking cold and cloudy. When the bell rang for the last time for the day, Crowned was ready to go home, surprised by how he didn't get to see his friends that much. "Man, this day was very lonely," he whispered to himself as he walked to the exit. "Barely got to see Dizzy, couldn't hang out with the girls, and it's just as cloudy as in the morning... maybe later I'll get to see him in chat or..." But right when he least expected it, Crowned felt himself being dragged into an empty room, and he swore he felt a familiar scent close to him. "WOAH, WHAT THE..." The boy's eyes opened wide when he realized who was in front of him. "A-Applejack?" "Shhh!" Applejack shushed, checking out of the door as the other students marched to the exit. "A'h don't want anyone else to know." "Uuuh, what?" the crowned boy asked, very confused. "Listen... A'h heard what y'ah said earlier and..." Blushing redder than an apple, Applejack slightly unbuttoned her shirt, slightly revealing his midriff. "Do y'ah really want to... feel it?" "A-APPL-" "Shhh! don’t shout like that..." the farmer checked out once again if someone was suspicious or if they had hear him. Then he turned around and sat near him, as she said: "If this is what y'ah wanted... Go ahead. Consider it y'er reward... m'ah friend." "B-but... you didn't... you didn't have to... oh goodness." Crowned stared at her belly, like if he was hypnotized by it, slowly approaching his hand to her firm midriff. Applejack blushed further when she felt his hand touching her abs. "Ah... C-Crowned... enjoying it?" "...So hard, yet a bit smooth..." he murmured, caressing her belly as she turned a new shade of red. "D-Do you really like that much?" "U-Uh-huh..." he could barely talk from how much he was enjoying it. "D-Dummy... A'h think that's enough." With gentleness, Applejack pushed his hand away from her, as she quickly buttoned her shirt again. "T-Thank you, AJ... S-Seriously," Crowned said timidly, looking at her with his hands on her back. "Y-Y'ah don't have to..." Before she could say more, her friend surprised her with a hug. "I-I really meant that... T-Thanks, my friend." Crowned looked at her nervously, both blushing so hard it almost illuminated the room. "Y-Y'er so silly..." Applejack muttered as she embraced him too. "I might be, but I'm your silly friend," the boy joked, smiling at her. The two remained like that for a moment, the farmer enjoying being together with her new friend, wanting to stay longer with me. "Crowned," she spoke, getting the attention of her partner, "C-Could y'ah... Could y'ah like to come to m'ah house?" "Wait, what did you just say?" "Y'ah know, spend the noon together, helping us with our homework, watch a movie, and maybe lend a hand with the apple orchard." "I-I don't know..." Crowned began to feel nervous. On one hand it was like a dream come truth, but on the other hand he wasn't sure if was going to be like he visualized it. "I-I don't know if I should." Applejack playfully rolled her eyes and added: "Maybe if we get cozy, and A'hm in the mood... perhaps A'h can unbutton my shirt again." Crowned instantly changed his mind and blushed more than a tomato. "...When can I visit you?" "How about... now?" Applejack said as he grabbed his arm, and after checking if everyone else had left already, they both left the classroom, rushing towards the farmer's house, much to the surprise and delight of Crowned. Meanwhile, whereas everyone else had already went home, Twilight was busy using the school laboratory as her own, looking at a corkboard full of photos, notes and strings attached to them. "Hmmm... Maybe if I..." Twi said as she analyzed the board, changing strings and moving notes. "Yes, it's pretty clear now... I have no idea what's going on." Dropping her head over a table, she let out a sigh of resignation, feeling a bit frustrated. In that moment, Flash poked his head from the door, surprised to see his beloved still in there. "Twilight?" he spoke, startling the young scientist as he passed into the lab. "We should leave now, you know it isn't safe to stay until late." "I know, you've been telling me that a thousand times already," she replied sounding a bit annoyed, "it's just that no matter how much I investigate, I still can't comprehend anything. WHAT KIND OF SCIENCE IS THIS?" "Shush, just calm down, my dear." The blue-haired boy cuddled her, trying to relax her. "The answers won't come out just like that, try to relax and take a deep breath." Twilight followed his instructions and quickly felt calmer. "Okay, I'm relaxed... But don't think I have forgotten about that incident with Dashie," the girl replied still bothered. "For the last time, that was a surprise for all of you," Flash said in response, still trying to cover the true nature of the necklaces. ""Then why is that I don't believe you?!" Twilight sounded now angry, "Every time you say that I feel something in you that tells me you're lying!" "Could you rather want me to say those necklaces are actually magical elements from a world of colorful ponies that will help us save the world?!" "Uhm, no but... why did your pupils dilate like that and... is your skin crawling?" Afraid that she could find out what was going on before the girls could properly bond and have the elements, Flash tried to calm himself down and keep with the charade, despite him wanting to tell everything to her beloved. "I-I think you've been watching a lot of detective dramas lately," he said as he cuddled her again, relaxing as he touched her. "I guess, but... why did you..." Her sentence was cut short when Flash gently kissed her in the cheek, making her blush a new shade of red. "Shall we go, my little princess?" he said, taking her hand. "F-FLASH!" Twilight tried hiding her luminescent blush, "D-Don't call me 'little princess'." "I'll always call you my 'little princess' because that's how adorable you are to me," Flash responded, kissing her cheek once again. "FLASH!" her voice was now really high-pitched, only making her even cuter as she glomped him. "WHY DO YOU DRIVE ME SO CRAZY, MY FLASHY WASHY?" "Maybe because we really love each other?" he responded kindly, sticking his tongue. "B-But how much do you love me?" "Well, i-if my love for you was to explode, it could be more disastrous than if you broke an atom." "Oh..." she blushed at his dorky comparison. “That... that was... that was from our class yesterday, right?" "Uhm... Y-Yes?" the boy admitted, blushing a bit ashamed. "Well, at least you're learning something... my Flash." Embracing him between her arms, Twilight looked at him with sparkly eyes, almost stopping his heart from her beautiful eyes. "T-that face of yours... Twilight, I..." Unable to hold it much longer, Flash leaned closer to her until his lips met hers, giving her the first kiss of her life. "Aahh... M-My first kiss..." completely taken by surprise, her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, "Y-you just kissed me..." "...You have the sweetest lips of all, my princess," Flash couldn't help but have the dorkiest smile as he looked at her, and so did she. "You are... you are..." her voice became even higher pitched as she jumped at him and embraced in a tight hug, "YOU'RE THE CUTEST, SILLIEST ASISTANT I COULD EVER HAVE AND LOVE!" Feeling his girlfriend embracing him between her arms so tightly, Flash had the silliest grin on his face. "So... happy." "Oh Flash... Can I ask you a favor?" Twilight asked, looking at him directly in the eyes, "Can you please take a photo of the board and then disarm it? Then we can go to... your house." "Of course, my little princess!" he responded, kissing her once again before she left to wait for him near his car, still with a dorky smile on her face. Once she left, Flash did as told and took a photo of the corkboard and began to disassemble it, that is, until he noticed something weird in the photographs. "Huh? Is that Dizzy?" grabbing the strange photo, he looked at it closer... to his shock, he realized that it showed no shadow coming from his friend. He then proceeded to check the date in the photo: It was taken the last Friday, the same day Rarity and him had gone to the abandoned section. As he continued taking apart the board, he inspected the other photographs on it, noticing a similar pattern in them: Students either lacking a shadow, or it having a completely different appearance to that of whom they were attached to, some even looking far from human. Without losing time, he dialed Sunset's number on his phone. "Sunset, do you hear me?" he spoke into his phone. "Flash?" the voice of Sunset responded from the speakers, "Is that you? Did something happen?" "Yes, I think I found something..." he said with a serious tone, "I'll send you some photos, and I need you to analyze them well, they might help us find more about the origin of the shadows." "So you also found something, fantastic," she replied, with a bit of relief. "I found something myself, too. Perhaps we are closer than we expect to stopping this madness before it's too late." "I agree... the faster this is over, the faster I won't be needing to hide everything to Twilight." Ending the call, Flash send the photo of the corkboard to his partner, as he finished disassembling the board before leaving with his girlfriend back home, with a bit of hope that things were going to be over soon. And so the week passed without much novelty. Dizzy spent the whole time enjoying the company of her new girlfriend Coco Pommel, all the while avoiding any kind of contact with Flash, much to the confusion of his friend; Crowned meanwhile visited Applejack daily at her farm, slowly bonding with her and becoming much closer friends in the process; Twilight decided to halt her investigation in favor of passing more time with her boyfriend Flash, as he struggled between keeping her away from trying to find out the secret about Canterlot High's magic and being with his newfound love; the Rainbooms however spent the week searching for the missing elements, looking up and down for whatever hideout the shadows had chosen to hid the stone, all while Sunset investigated every book in the library, slowly connecting the clues she had about the origin and purpose of the shadows haunting the school. Finally Monday arrived, the weather finally looking sunny and warm, as Crowned and Applejack walked together to Canterlot High. "...And then A'h asked him 'Did y'ah dress up as a woman just so Apple Bloom could admire y'ah more?', and he says 'Eeeeyup!'" "PFFFT, HAHAHA! Oh wow, what a story!" Crowned laughed with her. "Yeah, m'ah brother might act silly, but A'h love him as he is." "I bet... although I think he's been looking at me very strangely all week. Do you think he doesn't like me?" "Heheheh, don't worry about 'im, Big Mac is always in extra classes with Cheerilee for a reason," Applejack commented, smirking at him. "Oh? ...Oooooooh, that explains a lot," her companion responded, blushing just from thinking about it. "Yes, that's m'ah bro for you. A'h think we should-" Suddenly, her conversation was cut short by the worst of her fears... in the shape of a cute British voice. "CROWNYYYY!" To their surprise, Octavia appeared and glomped her dearest friend, knocking him to the floor. "OW, OCTAVIA!!! Y-YOU CAME BACK!" the boy exclaimed, sounding a bit surprised, a bit joyful, and completely nervous. "Yes, and I missed you so much, my dearest King With No Kingdom!" she said as she held him close to her. In that moment the girl realized they were being observed, and noticed Applejack standing just near them, looking really unamused. "Oh, Applejack! Nice to see you again," Octavia tried to greet her, but the farmer didn't respond, "Uhm... did you two make up for last time?" "Make up? Oh trust me, A'h think that Crowned and A'h are VEEERY much closer now," the girl responded, as she picked up her friend. "In fact, we were just having a nice conversation until y'ah came in." Applejack attempted to leave along with Crowned, but Octavia felt menaced by her and quickly stood right in front of them. "Well thank you for taking care of him, but-" Crowned felt himself being yanked towards the musician, "he is my dearest friend, and we have a lot of things to do together." "Partner... A'h don't know what y'all gonna do, but whatever it is, we've probably done that already." If there was something that Applejack was known for, was that she was almost as competitive as Rainbow, and if there was something she wasn't disposed to lose was her new closest friend. "A-APPLEJACK!" Crowned's cheek turned completely red from her insinuation, "T-Tavi, don't think we did anything like that, we just did friendly stuff." "Oh, you don't worry about it, dear..." Octavia said, sounding oddly calmed, right before smirking at the blonde farmer and adding: "After all, I bet that whatever you did, we two have done further." "Shut y'er mouth, you... Arrogant snob!" Applejack yelled, going further and further closer to her. Octavia of course didn't take her answer well. "Stinky farmer..." "Third-rate musician..." "Ugly tomboy..." "Emotionless, selfish witch..." Both girls stared at each other standing front-to-front, exchanging deathly glares as a terrified Crowned could only watch. "Uuuh, please don't fight... Seriously don't..." his legs were shaking just from the thought of his friends fighting for him. "Can you wait for me in the Music Classroom?!" both girls screamed in unison as they turned to the boy, who getting shocked and afraid ran away in a hurry. Then they proceeded to follow him, walking while still looking menacingly at each other. As they walked through the hallways, the two girls still exchanged the same deathly glares, but tried to know their "rival" better. "Well, well, well..." Octavia began speaking, "So tell me, why you suddenly became interested in Crowny?" "I-It's not sudden," Applejack, replied, still facing her as they walked, "A'h was his friend long before you, like it or not, Miss Snob." "Well it seems you didn't take the chance when you had it, my dear. Or shall I remember you I became closer to him for longer than you? We've told each other stories, he has supported me a lot, and he even told me why he uses that little crown in his head, farmer girl." "Y'ah mean the one his father gave 'im?" the blonde girl responded, rising her eyebrows. The musician remained silent for a second, realizing what that meant. "...so that's why he was looking to the side that day, you were with him..." In that moment, Octavia began to feel something she had never felt before: Jealousy. "I don't know how you were trying to seduce him, you're nothing but an ugly tomboy." "'Ugly'? A'h don't believe he thinks the same, after all he loved touching m'ah bare midriff," Applejack replied, trying to smirk but at the same time properly smile, thinking of Crowned making silly faces as he touched her. "Pfft, honestly even I could dare to touch it," the gray girl said mockingly. "It's amazing how a woman can develop such ugly muscles, it's one of those things you only see once in a lifetime." "Shut y'er mouth..." "No, you shut up and listen to me," Octavia said, more threatening, "Crowny is very special to me, and after today you won't have a chance to be with him." She then proceeded to smile smugly, and Applejack was quick to get what she meant. "...So that's what y'er planning... There's just one problem." Taking her by surprise, Applejack sprinted ahead of her, "A'HLL ASK HIM FIRST!" "HEY, WAIT RIGHT HERE, YOU DIRTY CHEATER!!!" The blonde farmer ran as fast as she could, feeling like Octavia had no chance of matching her... that is, until she appeared right next to her, running as fast as her. "What's the matter, did I surprise you?" the musician teased her, "Do you really believe bucking trees is the only exercise in the world?" "JUST. SHUT. Y'ER. MOUTH!" her rival exclaimed, trying to push her away as they rushed through the halls, scaring many students who were just minding their business. Meanwhile, ahead of them, Crowned was about to take a seat and wait for them at the Music Classroom. But inches away from sitting down, the two girls busted in through the door, looking very desperate. "...Uh, is everything ri-" "CROWNY!!!" both girls exclaimed as they grabbed him by the shirt. "W-What?!" he asked nervously, and then they both answered: "I WANT YOU TO BE MY BOYFRIEND!!!" "...Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat." Crowned's face got tainted red, shaking nervously from both their proposals. Realizing both have the same intentions, the two girls let go their love interest before looking at each other with extreme contempt. "...You planned this, didn't you?" Octavia said with indignation, "I leave because of a delicate situation, and you take advantage and seduce him, so now he cannot accept my proposal because he doesn't want you to feel bad." "Hahahahah! That's a good one," Applejack replied angrily, "But hey, it wasn't m'ah fault you dumped tons of work on him to do while you were away, even A'h would doubt saying 'yes' after that!" "YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" the musician was now feeling offended, "I DON'T LIKE YOUR WAY OF SPEAKING, AND NOW YOU'RE RUINING WHAT SHOULD BE THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!" "NO, Y'ER THE STUCK-UP SNOB WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO GIVE UP!" the farmer yelled at her before mocking her, "'OH LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME, A'HM RICH, LUXURIOUS AND A'H WANNA HAVE EVERY CUTE BOY IN THE WORLD!" "ARE YOU COMPARING ME TO SOME KIND OF BIMBO?!" "Oooh, no, of course not! A bimbo at least has more brains than you." "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" Rushing to the cello case she always left in the room, she picked up her always trustable sable out of it, and pointed it towards the farmer, "EN GUARDE!" "Oh no no no, if y'ah really wanna fight clean-" Applejack spoke as she pulled up her sleeves and got on guard, "then do it hand-to-hand, baby." "I am NO baby!" The musician placed her sable back into place, and then adopted an elegant fighting stance. "...But I'll sure make YOU look like one!" Roaring with all her anger, Applejack tried to punch her opponent in the face, only to be intercepted with her palms, managing to only push her back a little. Feeling her arm pushed away, the farmer could barely react as Octavia counterattacked with her own barrage of punches, one of them hitting her in the face with enough strength to push her to the ground. Impressed by this but overtaken by fury, the farmer lost no time and got herself up again as she blocked another punch from Octavia, who then felt herself being flung by Applejack, who slammed her to the ground in retaliation. All the while, Crowned didn't know how to react, terrified of them as they fought against each other. "P-PLEASE, STOP FIGHTING!" "My dear..." Octavia said to him, as she stood up again, "I won't let this common farmer take advantage of you... Just sit back and I'll take care of this." She then rushed against Applejack once again, but while she was ready to receive her with her fists, the musician instead slid below her, making her fall again right before being raised into the air with a kick to her back. But the farmer used that gained momentum to instead position right behind Octavia, holding her into submission. "CROWNY, JUST WATCH HOW I GET RID OF THIS STUCK-UP B-" Before she could curse, her opponent quickly stomped her foot and got herself free, about to deliver a round kick that was stopped by Applejack, looking at her with a very confident smirk. Having none of that, Octavia adopted her guard again, took a deep breath, and proceeded to throw a barrage of bullet punches against Applejack. In response, the farmer blocked her attack by throwing punches herself to stop her, Octavia letting out a battlecry of "ORA, ORA, ORA" non-stop while Applejack repeatedly yelled "USELESS, USELESS, USELESS!" as their punches stopped each other. Their attacks were so equally strong that they both ended up being propelled backwards, looking at each other with anger and jealousy. They were ready to throw punches against, but Crowned, desperate enough to stop them, put himself right between them. "BOTH OF YOU, STOP FIGHTING!!!" Unfortunately, both AJ and Tavi hit him with their barrage of punches, knocking him down. "CROWNY!!!" Both girls gasped as the unconscious boy fell to the floor, babbling random gibberish. "London bridge has fallen down, fallen down, fallen down..." Then the boy fainted. Feeling like they screwed up, both girls shared a worried look, and making a silent truce they carried the boy to the infirmary. Waiting outside the infirmary, Octavia and Applejack still looked at each other with anger. A few moments later, Miss Raven came from inside it and approached the girls. "Well, the nurse says that those were pretty serious bruises, but nothing that a good treatment and some rest can't solve," the two girls looked to the floor in shame, before the teacher continued speaking, "Ladies, why is that you attacked Crowned?" "IT'S HER FAULT!" they both screamed as they pointed to each other. "...Again, why did you attack mister Crowned?" "SHE WANTS TO STEAL HIM FROM ME!" they replied in unison, to the annoyance of Miss Raven. "Uuugh..." she groaned while massaging her temples... until she realized what was going on. "Wait... Oh my... Did you two fall in love with mister Crowned?" "HE'S MINE!" the two looked at each other in a cold way, confirming her thoughts. "Ok, now I understand: You two were fighting, Crowned tried to stop you, and BAM! You hit him, is that correct?" Saying nothing, AJ and Tavi only looked to the floor, ashamed of what they did. "Listen, I won't get involved in your emotional affairs, but you should settle this down as the adults you technically are or are about to be, don't fight so aggressively, and let Crowned choose one of you, no matter how hard it is. You gotta understand this isn't the way to fix your problems. And now, if you excuse me I'll go back to my office." Miss Raven was about to leave them alone, but stopped in her tracks for a moment, turning back towards the girls. "Oh, and if I see you two fighting once again, I will call Vice-Principal Luna to expel the both of you from the school." "NO NO NO NO! PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!" Applejack begged, now genuinely scared. "We promise not to fight!" Tavi said in regret, to the satisfaction of the teacher. "That's what I hope," adjusting her glasses, Raven left the two rivals alone as she headed back to her office. Once they were alone, the two girls looked at each other again, their anger now gone but still feeling jealous of the other. "Guess this really got out of hand," Applejack commented. "You don't say... I could say it's all your fault, but we could only end up fighting again," Octavia said, not with the most pleasure. "Perhaps." They both let out a long sigh, no longer facing each other. "Applejack, let's be honest..." the gray girl began to say, "You don't like me, and I don't like you, but for the welfare of Crowny we simply must wait until he decides who is he gonna stay with." "A'h know, no more fighting, just like we promised Miss Raven," the farmer responded, and then she added in a honest tone: "Maybe that way A'h won't have to ruin your... perfect face." "And I won't have to destroy those... nice abs in your stomach," Octavia replied... sounding like she hid something with her anger. "Pardon?" "Nothing..." she responded, dodging looks with her. Applejack stared at her for a moment, a bit confused. They had promised not to fight, but they both wanted to get their beloved's attention. Who could Crowned pick? Both wanted to say "me", but only he could make the choice... not that they weren't planning to earn it. END OF CHAPTER.