Off in another path, Dinky was slowly opening her eyes, rubbing off any sleep she had when she realized something weird. "Uh, why I am I moving?"

"Because I'm taking you two home," Tempest said, getting the attention of the filly. She sees that Tempest had strapped them both onto her back, preventing either one from moving. "Good morning, sleep well?"

"What the heck Tempest!?" Dinky shouted in annoyance, unintentionally waking of Flurry.

"Huh?" Flurry looked around to see that she too was strapped onto Tempest's back. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh is right little one," Tempest said. "What you two did was absolutely foolish, no telling what other danger you might have attracted."

"We can take care of ourselves!" Dinky insisted.

"Your encounter with The Chimera showed me otherwise," Tempest said. "I understand you wish to find your friend but I'm quite certain he wouldn't want any harm befalling either of you."

"Better than waiting and doing nothing," Dinky said. "We promised to always be there for each other, so I'm just keeping that promise!"

"I doubt your friend wanted you to risk your life, what friend would expect that?" Tempest asked.

"He doesn't expect it, I just feel like he deserves that type of dedication!" Dinky said. "Rumble saved me from loneliness, I will save him from everything else!"

"There is such a thing as too much Loyalty you know," Tempest said.

"Huh? No there isn't, when you have friends, wouldn't you do anything for them?" Dinky asked.

"I have, and it's cost me," Tempest said, squinting her scar eye. "I'm just trying to save you from yourself, and from the same foolishness I once embarked through."

Dinky huffed in annoyance, she barely knows this mare yet she's being lectured by her, on top of having her plans thwarted. Flurry was just as upset, she barely knew this pony but she already didn't like her, especially knowing that this pony once turned her mother into stone.

"So, what exactly happened that made you feel the way you do?" Dinky asked, figuring an attempt at small talk was a littld better than just waiting to be brought back home.

"An accident as a foal, I made a mistake and suffered the consequences," Tempest said. "The friends I thought I had showed their true feelings afterwards."

Dinky was a bit annoyed at Tempest's vague explanation, "Alright, so was it your lack of trust in friends that made you-"

"I don't need your consoling, I've already made peace thanks to Twilight," Tempest said. "I just know from experience that if you try to do something foolish just for the sake of loyalty to your friends, it can go badly for you. While I'm sure your friend would be appreciative that you would risk your life for him, it doesn't make the idea any less dangerous. Let Twilight do what she needs to do and you'll be with your friend again in no time."

Dinky knew there was no point in resisting, she could only hope that when she gets back the ponies wouldn't be too mad she tried to go off on her own, especially considering that she even brought Flurry Heart along with her. Granted the toddler offered to come, Dinky didn't do much to stop her.

As Tempest continued to walk, she found herself unsure where to go, "How frustrating, I don't seem to remember how to exactly get to Ponyville from here."

"Aw, what a shame," Dinky said in mock sympathy. "Well it certainly wouldn't be fair for me and Flurry to be more of a burden than we need to be, so if you decide to let us get on our way-"

"Enough!" Tempest said. "I'm not letting you off that easy, we'll just ask for directions."

"I don't think we're gonna find anypony around for miles though," Dinky said.

"You'd be surprised how many ponies travel," Tempest said. "In fact, I see a caravan just up ahead."

"A caravan? Where?" Dinky asked, trying to look around.

"Up ahead, I see a unicorn stepping out too, she has a cape with a sorcerer hat," Tempest said.

"Unicorn? Cape? Hat? Caravan?" Dinky started putting the pieces together, and did not like the result she got. "Oh no..."

"What wrong?" Flurry asked.

Tempest trotted closer to the mare, one that Dinky got a better look at once she raised her head high enough, "Turn back...turn back!"

"Turn back for what?" Tempest asked.

"Turn back before she sees us!" Dinky warned, but it was too late. Tempest got close and was properly greeted by the mare.

"Oh, hello there, do you need assistance from The Great and Powerful Trixie?"

Tempest looked surprised by this mare's way of introduction, "Well, yes I-"

"NOOO!!!!!" Dinky shouted in despair, to the confusion of Tempest and Flurry.

"Huh? Dinky? Flurry Heart" Trixie said, having noticed the two.

"Trixie?" Flurry said.

"NO! No not you! Anypony but you!" Dinky shouted, getting even more confusion from Tempest and Flurry, and some irritation from Trixie.

"Is this how you greet somepony you haven't seen in a while?" Trixie asked.

"But you're SO annoying! And you've got such a high opinion of yourself too!" Dinky said.

"I do not! Wait what are you even doing all the way out here? And trapped on this mare's back no less?" Trixie asked, then squinted her eyes at Tempest. "Wait, do I know you?"

"I'll spare you my life story, I am called Tempest, I found these little fillies off on their own in the middle of a dangerous forest path, so I am returning them to their home in Ponyville," Tempest explained.

Trixie eyed the two fillies, "Just what were they doing walking down a path anyway? When did you find them?"

"Well I found them yesterday and rounded them up this morning before they woke up, they had attempted to flee from me, but they failed," Tempest explained. "Apparently they were trying to find a friend of theirs."

"A friend?" Trixie asked. "Who, if I may ask."

"It's Rumble, he's missing, not that you would care, I know you don't like him," Dinky said.

Trixie looked extremely upset by that comment, "Excuse me, but that is a cruel thing to say, I know we don't get along too well but I would never wish harm upon him."

"What's going on?" they heard a voice from inside the Caravan say, one Dinky recognized.

"Ugh, not her too!" Dinky said.

From out of the Caravan was the rival to Rainbow Dash and leader of the newly formed Wash Outs team, Lightning Dust. "Trixie what's happening out here?" She took notice of Tempest, "Um, who are you?" She then noticed the two fillies on her back. "And why is Princess Cadance's daughter with you, and that one Unicorn filly from Ponyville?"

"Oh it's terrible Lightning Dust!" Trixie said. "These girls were on a search for their friend Rumble, who hasn't been seen in days!"

"I never said 'days'! He's only been gone since yesterday!" Dinky corrected.

"Wait hold up, what happened to Rumble? What do you mean he hasn't been seen?" Lightning Dust asked.

"He was supposed to come back to Ponyville yesterday after his time at his Flight School, but then he ran into the evil filly Cozy Glow and hasn't been seen since," Dinky said. "Flurry and I went to go find him, though obviously our plans are being thwarted by Tempest here."

"For your own safety!" Tempest said. "You can't go running off on your own, you were nearly killed by a Chimera!"

"I think we could have beaten that thing," Dinky insisted, putting on a tough act.

"Kid, no way you can take on a Chimera, you're too small and I doubt your magic is strong enough," Lightning Dust bluntly stated.

"Well, combined with Flurry, we would have been unstoppable!" Dinky insisted.

"See, now you're relying on a toddler's help, not a good sign," Lightning Dust pointed out.

"She's an Alicorn Princess!" Dinky angrily reminded.

"Still a toddler," Lightning Dust continued to insist. "Just accept it kid, you wouldn't have lasted out there, be happy this lady here saved your flank." She turned back to Tempest, "I still don't know who you are though."

"Tempest Shadow, and you are?" Tempest asked.

"Lightning Dust, founder and leader of The Wash-Outs, fastest rising group in Equestria," Lightning Dust said. "Literally, we're fast!"

"They're a knock off of The Wonderbolts," Dinky said, much to Lightning Dust's annoyance.

"Hey we do things even The Wonderbolts are afraid to do, we take risks, we defy death, we don't hold back on anything!" Lightning Dust said. "Now, because I'm nice, I'm gonna help you find Rumble. Trixie, you help Tempest get back to Ponyville and bring the little ones with you, I'll go out and look for Rumble."

"What about Rolling Thunder and Short Fuse?" Trixie asked. "We're suppose to meet them in Las Pegusas for our show."

"Wait, you two are performing together now?" Dinky asked.

"For now, Trixie needed a little help getting an audience, plus we could use a side act," Lightning Dust said.

"Excuse me, if anypony's the side act, it's you," Trixie said.

"Yeah, sure Trix," Lightning Dust said. "It really doesn't matter, we're helping each other out aren't we? Thanks to our show, more ponies get to see you, and you can save up to get all the nice things in life. Maybe even a better looking Caravan."

"Like I told Starlight, I am never getting rid of this, it's way too important to me," Trixie said.

"Fine, have it your way Miss Sentimental," Lightning Dust said. "For now don't worry about the others, they can wait. Well Rolling Thunder can, Short Fuse, not so much, but Thunder can keep little Shorty under control until I get back. Shouldn't take too long to find Rumble, when I do, I might offer him a spot on my team, he may be small but he's fast, talented and much braver than Scootaloo."

"You know he's smarter than her too, he's not gonna join up with something so dangerous," Dinky said.

"What's so dangerous? He just needs to follow my instructions, and he'll be fine," Lightning Dust said. "Well I'm off, next time you see me, I'll be known as the hero who saved a colt in need."

In a flash, she had flown off, leaving only a lightning streak behind her. Flurry looked in awe at her speed and the lightning, though the others weren't really as impressed.

"What a show-off," Dinky said.

"I don't look as bad, now do I?" Trixie smugly asked.

"Oh you are, you're a perfect match for each other, I'd say you have more in common with her than you do with Starlight," Dinky said.

"Well Starlight's much easier to get along with," Trixie said. "I respect Lightning Dust's passion and I do admire how she's not afraid to speak her mind, but she can be quite arrogant and condescending, at least I try to be mindful and I do make amends if I upset somepony, Lightning Dust just brushes things off like she doesn't care."

"Well at least her intentions are being of use, even if she's mainly doing this for her own self gloating," Tempest said. "For now, I shall take up Lightning Dust's offer, though if you don't mind, I'd like to just leave these foals with you so I may be on my way."

"Oh, you sure you wouldn't like to accompany us?" Trixie asked.

"While I wouldn't mind seeing Princess Twilight again, I have business of my own to attend to," Tempest said.

"Well, if you say so," Trixie used her magic to levitate the two foals. "Until we meet again, Tempest Shadow. Oh, and if you have time, stop by Las Pegasus in two days and you'll be treated to quite the show."

"I'll consider it," Tempest said, turning to leave. "Oh, just be warned, they're kind of sneaky, so I probably wouldn't untie them."

"Good point, with Lightning Dust gone, I don't have another pony to take turns pulling the Caravan with me," Trixie said. "Thanks for the tip!"

Tempest nodded and began to depart as Trixie placed both foals inside her caravan, comfortably as she could.

"Hey, you know, you don't have to take us back, if we're gonna be a burden, just let us be on our way," Dinky said.

"Sorry, I'm not doing that, I could never forgive myself if either of you got hurt," Trixie said. "You'll just have to settle with being transported in my caravan."

"Do you honestly care about what happens to us?" Dinky asked.

"Let me put it like this, do I think you're bratty? Yes, I do," Trixie said. "Do I think you should be in danger, no, I don't. You may not be my favorite filly, but I couldn't call myself a friend of Starlight, the pupil to The Princess of Friendship, if I allowed your lives to be in danger. Not to mention what Flurry's parents would do to me if I were to be irresponsible enough to leave you two on your own. I'm sure Rumble will be fine and I'm sure he'd just want you to be safe, if he truly feels you should be risking your life to find him, well then he's not a very good friend now is he?"

Dinky gritted her teeth lightly, anyone saying something mean, or what she perceives to be mean about her best friend is unacceptable to her. For now she had to give in, she had no way of going off to continue her mission, but she'll figure something out soon enough, she's not one to just quit on a goal, she just needs to plan differently.

Back with Twilight, she had teleported herself a few miles away from Starlight's old village. While she wasn't too sure where Rainbow Dash and the others might be, having vague instructions from her brother the previous night, she knew that if Rumble and Cozy Glow found the village in time to be properly prepped for bed, they couldn't be too far away.

She still had some trouble locating everypony, not knowing if they might have split up into groups. If she couldn't find Rainbow Dash, Plan B was to just wait at the nearby Train Station herself, assuming she wasn't too late. She could go there now but she did not want to leave Rainbow Dash searching for nothing.

"Gotta hurry, who knows how far along the foals are," Twilight said, flying through and teleporting around the sky. "I really should have thought this out better, maybe have gotten a map to find nearby towns, that might have been faster."

As she flew, she eventually found two ponies from Rainbow Dash's group, those being Applejack and Rarity, the two walking through a meadow, though Rarity looked quite exhausted.

"Where could Rumble be, he couldn't have gotten that far, could he?" Rarity asked.

"There's a lot of places he could have gone too, plus he's quite the flyer, energetic too, I'm almost thinking he could he hundreds of miles away," Applejack said.

"This is terrible, Sweetie Belle's back home waiting for her coltfriend, if I can't find him I would have failed as a sister," Rarity said.

"Don't be so dramatic, not like Sweetie Belle would hate ya," Applejack said. "I mean she would be pretty dang disappointed but ah doubt she would hate you or anything."

"You don't know my sister, she can hold quite a grudge over little things, now imagine not bringing back her coltfriend, she'd be miserable all the time," Rarity said.

"Well let's try to stay positive, it's worked for us so far," Applejack said.

"Well there's always a first, each adventure we go on, I always fear it could be our last," Rarity said. "One day something bad is going to happen, I can just feel it, I don't think we'll be so lucky one day like we have been in the past."

"Come on, it wasn't luck, it was Friendship's magic that saved us," Applejack said.

"Applejack, we've had close calls, remember Discord, he nearly changed us for good!" Rarity said. "We almost lost to Chrysalis and needed Shining Armor and Cadance to help us, we could barely hold back King Sombra, we got tricked by Starlight to the point of needing assistance from other ponies, even Cozy Glow outsmarted us! And she's only a filly!"

"Yer worrying too much, the reason we've made it this far isn't just luck, it's friendship too," Applejack said. "We always relied on our friends, did so in the past, we'll continue to do so in the future."

Rarity began to feel some of her anxiety alleviate, "Yes...yes I do suppose you're right, maybe the stress is just getting to me. This is a little more personal after all, Rumble is dating my darling baby sister, so he's become just as precious to me as he has to her."

"Yeah, makes sense, yer dating his brother too after all," Applejack said.

"Right, Thunderlane..." Rarity said, trailing off a bit. "Quite the stallion..."

"Uh, you don't sound too happy, anything up?" Applejack asked.

"No, no, everything's just peachy..." Rarity said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Applejack obviously didn't buy that, "Hey if there's anything-"

"Girls!" Twilight said, getting their attention. "I'm so happy I caught you two."

"Hey Twi, got anything to tell us?" Applejack asked.

"Have you found Rumble? Is he alright? Do I need to destroy Cozy Glow!" Rarity looked ready for a fight.

"Easy Rarity, no I haven't found Rumble but I do know he's alright," Twilight said. "I'll tell you later but first let's try to round up the others."

"Alright, let's head to the meeting place," Applejack said. "It's a big rock under a tree near a small pond."

"Yes, we were suppose to meet there in a couple of hours, right when the sun was directly above us," Rarity said.

"You go, I'll try to find Rainbow Dash and the others, it'll help move things along much quicker," Twilight said, taking to the skies.

"Well, at least we know Rumble's safe, so you have one less thing to worry about Rares," Applejack said.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Rarity said.

"Now, about Thunderlane..." Applejack began, getting a slight glare from Rarity.

"I really don't wish to discuss this at them moment," Rarity said. "Let's stay focused on what's actually important, that's bringing Rumble home." Rarity groaned in annoyance, "Thankfully he's more faithful..."

Applejack knew there was much more to this, but willing to respect Rarity's desire not to press this any further, gave in and followed her friend to where they needed to go.

Twilight continued flying around, hoping to find the other ponies, though during her flight she once again noticed a pair of ponies, not ones she had been looking for, but ones she was happy to see.

"Sugar Belle and Double Diamond! Perfect!" Twilight said, flying down to greet the two.

"So, think we should have went with them?" Double Diamond asked as he trotted next to his friend.

"I don't think so, they should be fine, they're smart kids, Rumble I know is," Sugar Belle assured.

"Yeah, but I just think-" Double Diamond then noticed Twilight flying down towards them. "Huh? Is that Princess Twilight?"

Sugar Belle looked up at the Alicorn Princess of Friendship. "It is Twilight!"

"Hello!" Twilight greeted as she landed before them. "Didn't expect to see you two out here."

"We can say the same," Double Diamond said. "You're an awful long way from Ponyville."

"For good reason, now tell me, have either of you seen Rumble?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, were you looking for him?" Sugar Belle asked. "Well don't worry, he's on a train back to Ponyville, he should be there quite soon."

"Yeah, the little guy showed up in our town, totally lost with his new friend Cozy Glow," Double Diamond said.

"Wait, they're already on the train?" Twilight asked, getting nod of confirmation. "Well that didn't go as I hoped, I knew I wasted too much time."

"Huh? What's wrong Twilight?" Sugar Belle asked.

"Nothing, I was hoping to have caught Rumble before he went to Ponyville, or at least have been on the train with him," Twilight said. "Did they go alone?"

"Yeah, we figured they'd be fine," Sugar Belle said.

"She figured, I didn't have much say," Double Diamond said, getting a slight glare from Sugar Belle.

"I'm sorry if you wanted them to have supervision, but I figured since Rumble's a mature colt he would be fine," Sugar Belle said.

"It's not that," Twilight assured. "Rumble is capable of riding a train without supervision, at least in my opinion. What concerns me is the filly he's with."

"Who Cozy Glow?" Sugar Belle asked. "What's there to worry about, she seems like a mature enough filly as well."

"Wait, how did you know about her?" Double Diamond asked.

"I'll explain later, but that filly can't be trusted," Twilight said. "She's up to no good, and if we don't stop her now, things are going to get really bad."

"Huh? Cozy Glow looks like a sweet little filly, what could she do that's so bad?" Sugar Belle asked.

"Wait, I think I know," Double Diamond said, getting the attention of the two mares. "You're worried that Rumble's gonna flirt with her or something, that he wouldn't be able to resist her cuteness and want to put the moves on her, and those two being alone will only tempt him more."

Twilight stared in mild disbelief, "Uh...no, I'm not worried about Rumble doing that at all. He's way to loyal to Sweetie Belle to do that."

"Of course, what was I thinking?" Double Diamond said. "Rumble isn't the type of colt to do something like that, no far from it. He seems well mannered enough to not give into temptation like that, to not be talked so easily into a simple love session, to always be totally faithful to somepony and not go for some cheap thrills, to-"

"Alright already, she gets it!" Sugar Belle shouted, an angry blush donning her face. This surprised both Twilight and Double Diamond.

"Right...anyway I'm worried because Cozy Glow isn't the sweet filly you might believe her to be," Twilight said. "She's actually an evil mastermind who's tried taking over Equestria, she's the reason we lost magic for a while."

"Huh? That little girl?" Double Diamond asked. "Twilight you know I have a ton of respect for you but that story seems a bit...hard to believe."

"Yeah, how can a little filly like her be a threat to Equestria?" Sugar Belle asked.

Twilight sighed in frustration, this is a hard story to explain, Cozy Glow obviously doesn't give off a sinister vibe and due to her age it's very difficult to make others see her as a villain.

"Yes I understand that she doesn't come off as evil, but you have to take my word for it," Twilight said. "If not mine, they ask my friends, ask the Princesses, but Cozy Glow is a disciple of Tirek, he's the one who put her up to the task of taking over Equestria, now he's enacting that plan again!"

Sugar Belle still found this slightly difficult to believe, then again she did hear about a student that caused trouble, she didn't think it was to this extreme and she certainly didn't expect it to be Cozy Glow, especially seeing how close she was with Rumble.

"Twilight, if she's bad, then what's she doing all the way out here, and why is Rumble with her?" Sugar Belle asked.

"She escaped from Tartarus and-" Twilight found herself getting interrupted.

"Wait, Tartarus? Isn't that like, a bit too harsh?" Double Diamond asked. "I mean she's a filly, just send her to her to a corner or something."

Twilight groaned in annoyance, "She didn't sneak a cookie before dinner here Double Diamond, she tried taking over the world!"

"Still, kind of harsh, I mean who's idea was this anyway?" Double Diamond asked.

"Princess Celestia came up with it, and she knows what she's doing," Twilight said.

"I'm not sure, I mean, didn't she send her sister to the moon because they got into an argument?" Double Diamond asked.

Twilight couldn't believe her ears, "Luna, who was corrupted by Nightmare Moon, tried to kill her! Celestia didn't want to banish her own sister but she had little choice, that's why she fully welcomed her when she was free from the curse!"

"Still, doing that to a filly, you were much nicer to Starlight after she did the stuff she did, she did at one point attempt to blast me, Sugar Belle and our friends to nothing," Double Diamond said. "You're even friends with Discord, and he's done some pretty bad things too."

"Starlight...she..." Twilight tried thinking of something, "Uh...she, she was just mostly misunderstood due to her previous failed Friendship."

"So wouldn't Cozy Glow just be misunderstood?" Double Diamond asked.

Twilight was officially frustrated, letting out a large groan that could he heard for miles, "Alright, fine, maybe that was a bad idea, but it's not the point right now! The point is that Cozy glow needs to be stopped before she causes any more trouble! Now if you happen to see Rainbow Dash, Flitter, Cloudchaser or Thunderlane, let them know I'm looking for them, and for them to meet up at their rendezvous point."

"Um, alright, you got it Twilight," Sugar Belle said.

Twilight then took off to find the others, leaving the two ponies behind, little surprised by what they just heard.

"So, an evil filly...that's a bit surprising," Double Diamond said.

"Maybe she's not really a pony? Maybe it's a disguise?" Sugar Belle theorized.

"Could be, that or maybe Twilight's just lost her mind," Double Diamond said.

"I've heard she can be a bit nuts on occasion, but just to be cautious, let's just do as she asks," Sugar Belle said.

"Maybe we can ask..." Double Diamond then noticed another pony approaching from the distance. "Hey isn't that Starlight's childhood friend?"

Sugar Belle noticed Sunburst approaching, looking frantically out of breath as he arrived. "Oh, hi Sunburst."

"Sugar Belle..." Sunburst said, panting a bit. "Double Diamond..." Sunburst took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "By any chance, did you two happen to drop off two foals at a train station?"

"You mean Rumble and Cozy Glow?" Double Diamond asked. "Yes, we did."

"Oh no, that's not good," Sunburst said. "You two probably don't know this, but-"

"Cozy Glow is evil?" Sugar Belle interrupted. "Yes, we know, though we didn't find out until after we dropped them off on the train."

That took Sunburst by surprise, "You found out? How?"

"Princess Twilight told us," Sugar Belle said. "She just missed her actually, she was here a moment ago telling us about Cozy Glow."

"Yeah sorry, we kind of goofed," Double Diamond said.

Sunburst looked a bit worried, but attempted to calm himself down. If Twilight knew then she could definitely handle it. "Alright, so Twilight's already on this, she'll have this fixed in no time, and soon Rumble will be safely back home and Cozy Glow will be back in Tartarus."

"Yeah, see, that's kind of harsh, she's only a filly," Double Diamond said.

"Yeah, I know it is," Sunburst said. "But it's Celestia's orders."

"Well we're gonna go find the rest of Rainbow Dash's group if you wanna come with us," Sugar Belle said.

"Rainbow Dash's group? So there's an entire search team?" Sunburst asked.

"Twilight didn't go into any detail aside from who's in the team," Sugar Belle said. "Once we find one of them, maybe they can go into some detail."

"Let's get to it," Double Diamond said, leading the group to finding the others.

In the skies, Rainbow Dash is flying overhead, trying to scan every possible area for any sign of Rumble.

"Come on little guy, where could you be?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. "Can't believe that Cozy Glow, just wait til I get my hooves on her for pulling this stunt."

Rainbow Dash kept a really close eye on the ground below, even in the air, knowing that both foals are Pegasi and could possibly be flying. Off in the distance, she did spot somepony flying through the skies. Hoping it's a clue to Rumble's location, she quickly flew toward the pony, though as she got closer, she began to recognize the pony, frowning at the sight.

"Oh great it's you," Rainbow Dash said, laying her eyes upon her rival Lightning Dust.

"Yeah, nice to see you two Rainbow Dash," Lightning replied, sharing Rainbow Dash's displeasure.

"What are you doing out here? You practicing one of your stunts or something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Honestly I don't even practice most of them, takes away the thrill," Lightning Dust said. "So no I'm not out here doing stunt practice, I'm looking for that foal Rumble, something tells me you're doing the same."

"Huh? You're looking for Rumble? How'd you hear about that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I heard it from Trixie, who heard it from some mare called Tempest Shadow, who heard in from Rumble's Unicorn friend and that Alicorn Toddler that Rumble foalsat several months ago," Lightning Dust said.

"Huh? Wait how did Tempest even hear from Dinky and Flurry Heart?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That Tempest chick was asking Trixie how to get to Ponyville, apparently those little foals also tried looking for Rumble and she wanted to bring them back home, guess it was 'too dangerous' as others would put it," Lighting Dust said.

"Well of course it's dangerous Lightning Dust, they're foals, they could get hurt!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey I would have done the same thing honestly," Lightning Dust said. "No matter, since there's two of us now, we can work together and find Rumble."

"Uh, why would I want to work with you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Do you want to find Rumble or not?" Lightning Dust asked. "I'm a bit worried myself, he's a tough kid, but he could use the back up."

Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance, she hated the idea of having to work with Lightning Dust, but they did have the common goal of rescuing Rumble. As selfish and reckless Lightning Dust can be, deep down Rainbow Dash knows Lightning has some heart and wouldn't intentionally want Rumble to be in any danger, unless it was a stunt she would have had him do.

"Fine, but I'm leading this search, so don't give me any sass, right now you're my wing pony!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Wow, you're still mad about that after all these years? Tch, whateves, have it your way," Lightning Dust said.

Rainbow Dash grumbled as she led Lightning Dust across the skies, hoping to spot Rumble anywhere around.

On the train to Ponyville, Rumble was eagerly awaiting his arrival in Ponyville. He was a day late, and he was sure many of his friends would be worried, but he knew the moment he stepped out of the train to greet them, all that worry will vanish and be replaced with unsurmountable joy.

"Getting close, I'm so excited!" Rumble said. "I can't way to see everypony, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Tender Taps, Dinky and especially Sweetie Belle!"

"Oh yeah...think they'll be waiting at the train stop?" Cozy asked.

"Um, not sure, I mean they were supposed to be yesterday, I don't know if they'll come back today," Rumble said. "What about you though? They're your friends too aren't they?"

"Well..." Cozy Glow said, not sure how to properly answer. "I mean, we were, but..."

"But what?" Rumble asked. "Did something happen?"

"Things just got awkward at one point, and my relationship with The Crusaders hasn't been the same since," Cozy said.

"Oh, Friendship troubles?" Rumble asked.

"You can say that," Cozy said, then lifted up the vine. "Hey, would you mind untying me now? We're gonna be in Ponyville soon and I'd rather not waltz off the train looking like this."

"Um, sure, I mean I guess there's no trouble now," Rumble said, picking up the vine, before giving a stern glare to Cozy. "Just don't fly off again, because I will catch you and you won't like it."

Cozy chuckled nervously, "Noted."

Rumble struggled a bit to untie the vines, he made sure it was extra tight, thankfully they were already slightly loosened from before. Prior to this the only other time he had to take this off was the previous night before they went to bed, when Cozy needed to use the bathroom. Even though she said she didn't mind Rumble being in there, he felt too awkward to go through with it.

With a little more tug he managed to fully untie himself and Cozy from the vines, leaving them both free. "There, it's off."

"Oh good," Cozy said. "That was quite an experience."

"Sure was," Rumble said. "I swear I had more excitement yesterday than I did at Flight School, not that it was boring but there was so much going on. But that's the norm for me I guess."

"Yesterday was exciting for me too," Cozy Glow said. "It's the most fun I've had in months. Even if some parts were nerve wrecking."

"Yeah, I really thought the Sirens were there," Rumble said. "Guess my mind was messing with me."

"Uh-huh," Cozy said, then suddenly pulled Rumble into a hug, one he certainly didn't see coming.

"Uh, Cozy?" Rumble asked. "What's going-"

"Rumble, whatever happens after this point, just know that I'm really, really happy I got to meet you. I know you have a fillyfriend, and I know you really like her, but if you ever do get interested, I'm always available," Cozy Glow said, snuggling into Rumble's neck.

"Uh, Cozy, this is getting weird," Rumble said.

"Sorry," Cozy Glow said, pulling back a bit, but not before kissing Rumble on the cheek. "You can't blame me for having a crush on you, after all, you make it so easy." She sat back against her seat, "But, I won't make you break up with Sweetie Belle, that's something you'll have to do on your own."

"No offense, but I don't think I ever will," Rumble said. "I mean, you're free to have a crush on me I guess, you're not the only filly who does, but try not to be that up front back home, Sweetie Belle will get jealous. She gets mad when Flurry Heart shows me affection, and she's a toddler."

"She needs to learn to share," Cozy said. "But I'll do as you ask, maybe you'll never break up with her, but at least the option of me is always there." She leaned up against Rumble again, "What I wouldn't give to have one night with you though, one, sweet, romantic night, just us two. I would do everything I can to make you happy, and I hope you would do the same for me."

The stop at Ponyville couldn't come sooner for Rumble, Cozy was once again being too forward, the worst part is that he didn't completely hate it. He should be displeased that this filly keeps coming on to him, but he can't bring himself to fully resist. Maybe deep down he's just humoring her, believing that she isn't intentionally doing bad, she's just not good with controlling her feelings, Scootaloo had been the same way. Maybe Cozy just needs help from Twilight or something, plus he can't stay mad at her, she's just too cute.

Boy did he hate admitting she was cute.

Against his better judgement, Rumble just went along with this, figuring if he met her part of the way, maybe she would ease up on the advancements. He placed his foreleg around her waist and pulled her closer, pleasantly surprising the filly.

"Cozy, even if we don't date, you're still my friend, and I can still give you affection, just not the same type I give to Sweetie Belle," Rumble said. "But if it makes you feel better, I do think you're a very pretty girl, and if I weren't dating Sweetie Belle, if I hadn't even met Sweetie Belle, then there'd be a good chance I would totally date you. I'm sorry you have a crush on me, I hate that I might be breaking your heart, but I'll do everything I can to ease that pain."

Now it was Cozy's turn to feel weird, but this feeling was still more pleasant than how Rumble had previously felt. She enjoyed the feeling, she enjoyed the affection she was getting from Rumble, the one thing she so desperately wanted since meeting him the day prior.

She wanted more.

Soon the train began to come to a stop, after so long they were finally at their intended destination, Ponyville.

"Sweet! We finally made it!" Rumble said, getting off his seat. "Let's go Cozy!"

"Yay, finally!" Cozy said, getting off her seat. "I'll be able to see Princess Twilight soon."

"Yeah, looks like it," Rumble said. "Maybe I'll get to see that school, at least the inside."

The two walked off the train together, Rumble taking in the sights of his home, one he hadn't seen in months. Cozy Glow also took in the sights, she hasn't been here since nearly taking over all those months ago.

"Ponyville is quite the town," Cozy Glow said.

"Yeah, it hasn't changed that much, at least from what I see here, I just want to see that school," Rumble said, looking around. "Too bad none of my friends are here, I hope they're not too worried. Flitter and I were suppose to be here yes..." Rumble's eyes widened in realization. "Right, Flitter! I left her back at The Crystal Empire!"

"I'm sure she found another train," Cozy Glow attempted to reassure.

"That's just gonna lead to another problem, what if she came home and saw that I still wasn't here?" Rumble asked. "Oh, she's probably really worried, I gotta go find her."

"Oh, so does that mean you're going to her house?" Cozy Glow asked.

"I'll go wherever I need to," Rumble said, then turned to Cozy Glow. "This might take a while."

"That's fine...um, I know I promised not to run off on you, but if you don't mind, I really need to go to The School of Friendship and see if Twilight's there, plus I'm kind of worried how Flitter will feel if she sees me, she might think what happened was my fault," Cozy Glow said.

Rumble was tempted to remind her that she is at fault, but didn't want to make her feel worse, "Alright, will you be ok by yourself?"

"I've flown around Ponyville before, it's not like I'm gonna be lost in The Crystal Empire, I used to live here," Cozy Glow said.

"Fair point, alright I'll see you later, make sure you get directly to Twilight!" Rumble said, before taking off in a hurry.

"Bye Rumble!" Cozy Glow said, before sinisterly grinning. "Took long enough, but I can finally send my plan underway." She quickly flew out of sight of the other ponies before any of them recognized her. While the other cities didn't know who she was, she knew that there were bound to be ponies in Ponyville who remember her from Twilight's school.

She flew behind some rocks at the local park, grabbing her necklace to speak, "Hey! Adagio! You there?"

"Cozy?" Sonata's voice said. "Hey what's up!?"

"Sonata? Where's Adagio? I need to speak with her," Cozy said.

"Um...hold on," Sonata said, realizing this awkward scenario. Obviously Adagio wasn't here, so she did the next best thing. She quickly disguised her voice in an attempt sound like Adagio, "What do you want you annoying little filly!?"

"Sonata that was a terrible impression of Adagio," Cozy Glow said in a deadpanned tone. "Come on this is serious, I finally made it to Ponyville, I need to continue the plan!"

"Oh you're in Ponyville!?" Sonata asked. "Where!?"

"Ugh, at the park, I'm hiding behind a rock near the edge so I don't get spotted!" Cozy Glow said, getting no answer. "Sonata? Hey are you there!?" Still no answer, Cozy was getting frustrated. "Why do they even put up with-"

"Hi Cozy!" Sonata greeted, suddenly appearing beside the filly and scaring the daylights out of her.

"Sonata!?" Cozy said, in shock, surprise and slight annoyance at seeing the Siren.

"Yup, that's me," Sonata greeted.

Cozy Glow sighed in annoyance, "What are you doing in Ponyville, how did you escape from Tartarus?"

"Oh I didn't escape, Princess Twilight set me free," Sonata said.

"Huh? Wait why?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Because she felt bad after seeing how mean to me Adagio was," Sonata said. "So she let me out and offered to be my friend."

"Wait, so you're on their side now!?" Cozy asked.

"Um...about that," Sonata said. "Let me explain what happened..."

Back at Tartarus, Adagio is seen laying against the cage, whistling a familiar tune and singing in a muttered tone, "...Now they've fallen under our spell..."

"Hey, Adagio?" Aria said, getting the Dazzling leader's attention. "Hey, I know Sonata messed up, but you weren't serious about kicking her out the group. I mean, she can be stupid, don't get me wrong, but she's still one of us, one of the last Sirens. Plus, despite her ditzy nature, she's still like family to us, she's always been loyal, all we're doing is strengthening the other team and honestly, I don't think even I can bring myself to fight Sonata, like for real I mean."

"You have nothing to worry about Aria, this is all part of my master plan," Adagio said. "Sonata is very loyal, that will never change, that's one advantage I intended to exploit."

"Huh? How are you doing that?" Aria asked.

"Simple, Sonata can't stand the thought of never seeing us, and I'm willing to bet she'll do anything to get back to our good graces, that includes helping Cozy Glow," Adagio said. "See when I said the stuff I said to her, I could see the hurt, but in the years I've known Sonata, anytime she feels like she messed up, she always finds a way to make things up to us, it nags on her, it consumes her. It won't matter how nice Princess Twilight is to her, Sonata's loyalty is to us only. I trust Sonata enough to know she won't truly side against us, because just like the idea of fighting Sonata is hard for you, it's probably ten times harder for her."

"Well, that's a good point, but it sounds like you're taking quite a gamble," Aria said. "I mean, what if she really is tired of us? What if Twilight Sparkle actually messes with her head?"

"Have faith, she really cares about us, especially you," Adagio said. "She can be mad at me, and maybe if it was just me then that would be more of a gamble, but she really loves you Aria, you mean a lot to her and I know she means a lot to you, deep down she means a lot to me as well, of course I can't really tell her that, can't afford to be too soft on her. Just have faith in her, she'll pull through."

Aria thought about Adagio's words, if this was true, then it's quite the master plan as the Dazzling leader put it, she just hopes that her words are true and Sonata truley just wants to make things right again.

"You're quite confident in your ally," Chrysalis said.

"Not just an ally, my friend," Adagio said.

"Ah, the Magic of Friendship as Twilight Sparkle would put it," Chrysalis said.

"Hey! I'm nothing like her, because unlike her, I know how to not let my friends be a weakness, but rather a strength, to truly value my allies and help all of us reach our full potential," Adagio said. "I mean, how many of Twilight's friends are Alicorns? Because I just see a horn and wings on her, if it were me, all my friends would have the same power!"

"I do admire your ambition Adagio Dazzle, I truly hope this plan of yours works," Chrysalis said.

"It will," Adagio confirmed. "I just know it..."

Back in Ponyville, Sonata had explained everything to Cozy Glow, "So yeah, I kind of messed up and I need to make this up to Adagio and Aria."

"So you're only pretending to be their friend huh?" Cozy asked. "Wow, that's really sneaky of you Sonata, kind of like it."

"I kind of feel bad since Princess Twilight is being nice to me, but I can't abandon Adagio and Aria," Sonata admitted. "So I'll do what I must to help your mission."

"Well just keep everypony distracted, I'm gonna try to get to The Tree of Harmony and see if I can get The Elements," Cozy said. "It probably won't be easy but I'll have more time to plan if I'm not discovered just yet."

"Yeah removing the Elements will be tricky, hopefully I should be able to help you with that," Sonata said. "Alright, let's-"

"Sonata!" Sunset's voice was heard saying.

"Quick! Go! I'll distract her!" Sonata said, Cozy wasting no time in flying away. Just in time, Sunset had just shown up. "Oh, hi Sunset!"

"I told you to stay near me, what are you doing all the way out here!?" Sunset asked.

"I um...saw this really cute butterfly, so I tried to catch it!" Sonata said.

Sunset shook her head in annoyance, "Just stay near me and don't run off like that. If ponies see you without me they're going to panic!"

"Alrighty then!" Sonata said with a big cheerful smile on her face.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder how your teammates put up with you, now let's go," Sunset said, walking off.

Sonata's cheery smile quickly turned into a scowl, "Like you're any treat to be around." She followed after Sunset, knowing deep down she can make the mare eat her words.

With Rumble, he's flying overhead of Ponyville, wanting to spot Flitter and Cloudchaser's house, and partially to see what's changed. Of course he noticed the School of Friendship right next to Twilight's castle. "Wow, what a big place, must be a lot of fun being there, maybe after I find Flitter-"

"Rumble!" He heard Derpy shout, then found himself wrapped in a super tight hug, "Thank Celestia you're alright! I was so worried! Oh I missed you so much! We all missed you!"

"Hehe, hey Derpy, it's been a while, I missed you too," Rumble said.

"I'm so happy to see you, I can kiss just kiss you!" Derpy said. "In fact I will." She started peppering his face with affectionate kisses, much to his embarrassment.

"Derpy, come on! Someone's gonna see us!" Rumble pleaded.

Derpy reluctantly stopped, putting on a slight pout, "Oh fine. Shame, you used to love my hugs and kisses, but now it seems like you've out grown them. Guess it's normal for a growing pony."

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, guess it was just a little overwhelming for me," Rumble said.

"You didn't hurt my feelings, but I'm happy to know you're still considerate of others," Derpy said, lowering herself and Rumble down. "Maybe I did come on a litle strong, I was just so worried, we waited for you yesterday, then this thing with Cozy Glow, it was just a bit too much."

"Huh? How did you know about Cozy Glow? Did Flitter tell you? Is she here?" Rumble asked.

"She was, but then-" Derpy then noticed more ponies who were surprised to see Rumble. "Here come Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie."

"Huh?" Rumble turned around and found himself being pulled into a hug, sandwiched between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

"Rumble! You're alright!" Fluttershy said, hugging tightly.

"You gave us a doozie of a scare little buddy!" Pinkie said, hugging tighter.

"Fluttershy...Pinkie Pie..." Rumble couldn't barely talk, or breath. "You're...kind of..."

"Oh my," Fluttershy said, backing off a bit. "Sorry darling, we didn't mean to crush you."

"We're just happy to see you, did Twilight or Dashie bring you back?" Pinkie asked.

"Huh? No I came on a train, I was a day late because of some complications but I made it back safely," Rumble said.

"Um, was a filly named Cozy Glow with you by any chance?" Fluttershy asked.

Rumble nodded, "Yeah, she was, she said she went to school here so maybe you...Oh boy!"

Suddenly he was pulled into more hugs, this time Scootaloo rushing in to hug him, nuzzling her cheek against his, "Rumble! You're safe!"

Apple Bloom hugged him from the other side, "Thank the stars, I was worried ah never see you again!"

Both fillies planted a huge kiss on both his cheeks, surprising the colt, "Whoa there, easy girls. Wow, not surprised about Scootaloo kissing me, but Apple Bloom?"

"Sorry, overwhelmed, plus ah do like you a lot so I have no shame in showing you public affection," Apple Bloom said.

"And you totally know about my crush on you, so of course I'm sneaking a kiss in," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah but..." Rumble saw Tender Taps running over. "Of course."

Tender Taps pulled Rumble into a crushing hug of his own, "I'm so happy you're alright! You had me so worried!"

"I'm fine, really," Rumble said. "Ease up on the hug, you're like the sixth pony to hug me this hard in under five minutes."

"Sorry about that," Tender Taps said, pulling away. "You're really alright, I'm so glad. Boy, if you knew just how worried everypony was."

"Well speaking of worried ponies, I was hoping to find..." Rumble stopped when he noticed a certain filly, one who's hug he definitely wouldn't mind, maybe much more.

Just steps away was his marefriend Sweetie Belle, who had a look of awe on her face. Finally, after all this time, after six long months, after a day of complete worry, not knowing what was gonna happen to her coltfriend, finally, there he was, standing there and completely alright. This could easily be a dream, she could just call out to Luna, that would answer her question, but instead she just choose to hope it was real, she wanted to at least enjoy it on the off chance it wasn't.

"Rumble..." She knew one way to find out, she quickly trotted over, the other ponies making room for her as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and pulled him into the deepest kiss she could muster. This was real, this felt real, it was no dream, Rumble was back, safe and sound.

Rumble relished this, finally he could be with the girl of his dreams, this kiss felt like the most satisfying thing in the world to him and he enjoyed it more than the sweetest of treats. He leaned in to return the kiss as well, pulling her close, embracing the love he felt from this filly.

As this went on, the Young Six along with Terramar had shown up, standing not too far from the group, just observing the two foals making out.

"So...is this Rumble?" Gallus asked.

"Yeah, that's him," Terramar answered.

There was some silence for a moment, the seven kids not sure what else to say.

"Wow...they really like each other..." Smolder said. "It's kind of...weird..."

"It's love, and they deserve that happiness, every creature does," Silverstream said, happily observing the two foals kissing.

Neither Rumble nor Sweetie Belle cared about the world around them, just the feeling they had with each other. Right now all was perfect for them, and everything was gonna be alright for the two, unaware of the evil plans that Cozy Glow had set out to enact. Things would get even more complicated soon.