The land of Equestria was in danger. Everywhere one would turn, there would be a threat looming above. Rogue changelings flew about, Wendigos covering the skies, The Everfree Forest spiraling out of control, Storm Soldiers marching the streets.
It was chaos, and not the Discord kind, but the really terrifying kind. Villains were roaming, from the once again Queen Chrysalis, to the all powerful Lord Tirek, the menacing Adagio Dazzle, even the Storm King, among any others who followed in their path.
Rumble, now in his late teens, was seen flying away from danger, having several changelings in pursuit of him. This was terrible, he couldn't find any of his friends or family, he was on his own for the moment.
He managed to hide somewhere that was safe and out of sight of the Changelings. His heart was pounding, this was so nerve wracking for him. All he could wonder is where everything went downhill for him.
He could only remember when his life made a huge turn, one he never expected at one point. He started to remember what happened five years prior.
It was a week after he had broken up with Sweetie Belle, something he had never thought he would do. Both foals had been dating for over a year, they were at one point the very pinnacle of romance. There was nothing either wouldn't do for each other.
Many were surprised to hear of the break up between the foals, even Rumble was still stinging from it, despite the break up being his idea. He didn't believe himself to be a proper coltfriend after making a terrible mistake regarding another filly, that being the mischievous filly Cozy Glow.
The sneaky filly had kissed him, and instead of pushing her away like he should have, he instead embraced the kiss, something he has not fully forgiven himself for. Now to make things worse, that very filly is living in Ponyville under the care of his foalsitter Flitter, constantly reminding him of his mistake.
There are those who believe that Flitter is in over her head, Cozy Glow is not a filly many would be quick to trust, and there are those who are surprised that this lasted even a week. Not that it has been easy, as Cozy Glow had not entirely been easy to keep restrained, rather the filly refused to stay put even when told to and Flitter was constantly flying around to keep her in check.
But that's not the only change Rumble has to get used to, now that he's a free colt, he's gotten a share of admirers with their sights on him. He's always been cute in the eyes of many before, but seeing how charming he was when dating Sweetie Belle, add to his newfound confidence, many fillies now want their chance to date him, making him very popular among various fillies, and a few colts.
As Rumble walked through Ponyville, he could feel the gaze of several foals, each one with a giddy little giggle as he walked by, a few faces he recognized, such as Silver Spoon, Noi and Zipporwhill.
Of course he had his share of jealous colts, especially Button Mash, who never understood Rumble's appeal to the fillies. One would think Button Mash is happy with the break-up, but he still has a hard time getting Sweetie Belle to look his way, to think that there was a time the two could have had something, but her time with Rumble seems to have altered her way of thinking. But he just needed to keep trying, he'll get his filly soon enough.
Rumble had approached the park where several other Pegasus foals were practicing their flying skills. Of course Rumble still had the desire to further his dream of being a Wonderbolt, but he lost his edge lately. Maybe the break up took more of a metal toll than he thought.
He can't just let his time at Flight School go to waste, not that it wasn't at least fun, but he has a goal to become a Wonderbolt, try-outs are soon and he could end up in the academy if he pulls it off.
"Alright, time to fly," Rumble said, readying himself to take flight. He stretched a little, prepping his body for flight. "I can do this, I got the skills, I just gotta put in the effort. Just do what Rainbow Dash would to, and-"
"Rumble!" Cozy Glow flew in from out of nowhere and tackled Rumble into a hug, much to the colt's annoyance. "Hi Rumble! Miss me? I bet you did because I weally missed you!"
"You saw me this morning at Sugarcube Corner!" Rumble said.
"Yeah, but that was like hours ago, I don't like being apart from you too long Rumbly," Cozy Glow said, nuzzling against the colt.
"For heaven's sake Cozy!" Rumble shouted, trying to squirm away. "Come on, I'm trying to practice my flying!"
"Ooh, like those fancy tricks you do!? Can you show me? Huh? Can you!?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Fine, whatever, just give me some room!" Rumble demanded.
"Ok Mr. Bossy," Cozy teased, taking a step back and letting Rumble do his thing.
"Alright, time to take to the sky!" Rumble said, taking off into the air. His first trick would be a mid-air spin in which he would twirl around like a ribbon on a baton. However halfway through he started to lose his balance and crashed into a tree.
"Oooh, you alright Rumbly-Boo!?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Don't call me that!" Rumble demanded, making his way out the tree. "Just a slip up, I got this." He tried again, only to make a similar mistake, only this time landing in a pond.
"Still having trouble?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Stop asking!" Rumble demanded, taking to the skies again, making yet another mistake, this time landing in the middle of a picnic blanket belonging to Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon.
"Hey I worked all day preparing that meal!" Lyra whined.
"Heh, mistakes happen," Rumble nervously said, though just got a deeper glare from the two. Rumble had only one option at this moment. He quickly used his eyes to innocently gaze up at the mares, "You wouldn't stay mad at an adorable little colt, would you?"
"You stopped being adorable the moment your voice got deeper," Bon Bon said, then grabbed Rumble by his tail and tossed him away, the colt landing in a thorny rose bush not too far away from where Cozy was.
"Ow!" Rumble quickly flew out of the bushes, picking whatever thorns that was attached to his body. "Damn, that smarts! Oh Just wait til I become a Wonderbolt! You'll respect me then! Count on it!"
"Somepony's grumpy," Cozy Glow teased, much to Rumble's annoyance.
"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" Rumble asked, then looked around. "Wait, where's Flitter!?"
"She's out shopping," Cozy Glow said. "I was suppose to be with her, but I got bored and left."
"So Flitter doesn't even know you're here?" Rumble asked. "You know that's going to upset her, not just you sneaking off but the fact that you aren't even suppose to be off on your own unattended."
"I'm with you aren't I?" Cozy Glow said.
"Not the point, Princess Twilight said that until you prove you can be trusted, you are to either stay in Flitter's house or only go outside if she's next to you!" Rumble said. "If any of the Elements saw you without Flitter, they might send you back to Tartarus!"
"Oh relax, they'll never find out, it'll be our little secret," Cozy Glow assured.
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," the voice of Rainbow Dash said. The two looked up to see the Rainbow maned Pegasus flying overhead.
"Oh, hi Rainbow Dash," Cozy nervously greeted. "Lovely day today, isn't it?"
"Save it, you're busted," Rainbow Dash said. "You broke Twilight's rules, that's the second time this week! If you keep this up you're going back to your little cage and you're not getting out for a long time!"
"Oh it's just an innocent little adventure Rainbow Dash, I wanted to see a friend," Cozy Glow said. "After all, Friendship is Magic, that's what you and Twilight like to say, so in honor of Friendship, how about you look the other way, and never say a word about this, deal?"
"Yeah, nice try," Rainbow Dash said. "Not happening!"
Cozy Glow immediately pouted, "Well fine, I never liked you anyway, and another thing, The Wonderbolts are lame!"
Rainbow Dash looked like the most horrible thing has happened, and to her it has, somepony actually disrespecting The Wonderbolts, right to her face. "Alright, you just crossed the line there little missy!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Cozy Glow by her tail and lifted the struggling filly up.
"Hey! Put me down you old hag!" Cozy Glow shouted.
Rainbow Dash had to use every fiber of her being to constrain herself, then turned her attention to Rumble, doing her best to speak through her gritted teeth, "Got this, go do what you were."
Before Rumble could speak, Rainbow Dash had flown off with Cozy Glow in tow. At least that was out of the way, though right now, Rumble wasn't even sure if he could keep going.
He was losing his edge, not just from his break-up with Sweetie Belle, but from how awkward things have been since then. While the break-up was bad, what was really bad was many ponies finding out what had happened, thanks to Apple Bloom having told Applejack and Cozy Glow having no problem backing her up, even bragging about it.
Of course Rumble himself came clean, figuring there was no sense in hiding it, they were gonna find out sooner or later, might as well get it over with.
Unfortunately now, none of his friends have seen or treated him the same since. Apple Bloom has been pretty distant from Rumble, Scootaloo has felt pretty awkward around him, Dinky has been very flirty with him, and Tender Taps just doesn't seem to have the same admiration for Rumble he used to have.
Then there's the Elements themselves, while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy haven't treated Rumble much differently due to their happy and kind natures respectively, and Twilight has also stayed neutral, feeling like this is something Rumble needs to work out, the other three mares have been a little distant from the boy.
Rainbow Dash has lost some respect for Rumble, not liking that he wasn't being a loyal coltfriend to Sweetie Belle, and even admitting that after that, he's not Wonderbolt material. Rarity was also understandably disappointed, and Rumble's break-up with Sweetie Belle was also the catalyst of her own break-up, officially dumping his older brother Thunderlane, it wasn't the prettiest break-up, that's for sure. Applejack has also shunned Rumble, considering him a very dishonest colt, highly disappointed in what he has done.
Life wasn't going to well for Rumble at the moment, and it all started because of Cozy Glow. Rumble at times regrets having helped Cozy Glow out, he probably should have just left her at Mount Aris, or the Crystal Empire, and just let her plans fail on their own, she could spend the rest of her life in Tartarus for all he cared.
But at the same time, Rumble knew that it wasn't all just Cozy Glow, he had a part in this as well and he had to accept the consequences of his actions.
Accepting his defeat, Rumble had flown off, no longer motivated enough to keep flying, he had given up for the moment.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Rumble thought out loud. "Maybe I should talk things out with Sweetie Belle, this break-up thing just isn't going well." Rumble considered flying over to Sweetie Belle's house, but had second thoughts before making the trip. "Then again...after everything that's happened, I don't think it's going to be that easy. I can't get back with her until I'm a hundred percent confident that I won't make the same mistake again. I hurt Sweetie Belle once, I can't do that to her again."
"Hey! Rumble!" he heard. Rumble looked down from the sky, having recognized that voice. "Yoo-hoo!"
"Dinky?" Rumble flew down to greet his best friend, though these days he's not even sure he can still call her that. "I thought you were doing your magic lessons?"
"It got cancelled, Twilight had to go to Canterlot on an urgent summon from Princess Celestia," Dinky said. "Starlight was gonna take over but she had to do some work at Twilight's school, so here I am."
"Well your magic's coming along great, you're getting closer to pro level, if you're not there already," Rumble said.
"Aw, thanks bff," Dinky said, giving Rumble a kiss on the cheek. "As always, you're quite the charmer."
"Yeah, the charmer..." Rumble said, feeling a little uneasy. "So, what are your plans now?"
"Not sure, I could go home and practice magic with my sister," Dinky said. "Or I could go see Derpy." She then wrapped her forelegs around Rumble's neck, nuzzling her nose against his. "Or, I could just spend some time with you."
"Dinky, come on, this is weird," Rumble said, trying to back away.
"Is it really?" Dinky asked. "A cute girl who wants to spend some time with an attractive colt? Seems normal to me."
"We told ourselves we wouldn't date, I don't want to mess up our friendship," Rumble said.
"And I told you that we're not dating, we're just having fun," Dinky said. "You just broke up with your marefriend, so I'm filling the void left in your heart. We said we'd never become coltfriend and marefriend, but we don't need to be a couple to kiss and stuff, just until you find somepony else."
"I still don't feel right about this," Rumble said. "I mean let's say I do get another filly, are you just gonna stop messing around with me?"
"Yeah, shouldn't be hard," Dinky said. "Especially if we get it out of our system first."
"I don't think it's that simple," Rumble said. "Dinky, I don't want things to be weird between us."
"They won't, have some faith in our friendship," Dinky said. "Come on, let's go back to your place, you look stressed out, and I want to help you alleviate that stress."
Rumble knew this probably wasn't a good idea, he knew what Dinky probably meant by those words, but at this point he really didn't care to argue. Honestly, maybe he was better off just going with Dinky. She might be a bit lovestruck right now, but she's still his friend and she genuinely cares about him, she's just showing her affection a bit differently this time around.
"Alright, I'll go along with what you say Dinky," Rumble said.
"Hey, I promise you'll be more relaxed after this, alright Rumble?" Dinky said, stroking his mane. "Friends help each other out after all."
"Yeah, friends help each other out," Rumble said, still feeling a shred of doubt about all of this. Without any further thought, the two foals made their way back to Rumble's house, making their way inside and towards Rumble's room.
"Looks like your brother isn't home again," Dinky said.
"Yeah, he's at Wonderbolts rehearsal, they have that big show soon," Rumble said.
"The one at Canterlot?" Dinky asked. "Yeah I keep hearing something big was going to happen soon, but I don't know what it is."
"Wish I could ask but not many ponies are willing to talk to me after the whole Sweetie Belle break-up," Rumble said.
"That's just sad," Dinky said. "Amazing how quick ponies are to judge, I guess that's one thing Trixie has a valid point on..." Dinky shook her head, "I can't believe I just agreed with Trixie on something."
"Hopefully in time I can earn their trust and respect back," Rumble said. "But the sad truth is some of them might still hold a grudge, even if they say they'll forgive me."
"Worry about that later," Dinky said, moving in to nuzzle Rumble. "Like I said, you need to relax, and I'm the filly to help you with that."
"Can you at least promise that things won't get weird between us?" Rumble asked. "You're my best friend and one of the only friends I have left, I don't want to lose that."
"You won't," Dinky said, kissing Rumble. "Because you're all I have too, and I'm never giving you up."
Dinky kissed Rumble again, the colt just accepting it and returning her affection. Perhaps this could be a good test to their Friendship, to see if they really can be close friends despite having some intimacy between them.
For now Rumble wasn't going to think about it, he really did miss the affection of a filly and was willing to take whatever he could get at the moment.
Rumble placed Dinky on her bed and this time had taken the initiative to lead the kiss, much to Dinky's pleasure. She usually starts this but Rumble hardly goes through with it, now she's getting his full attention, and his full affection.
As Rumbe made out with Dinky, all he could think about was Sweetie Belle. He felt a little bad since he was with another filly, but as he had constantly stressed, he can't think of Dinky as anything more than a friend.
Real contradiction to what he was doing at the moment.
"Dinky?" Rumble said, breaking the kiss. "Thanks for being there for me."
"Anytime buddy," Dinky said. "It's my pleasure to be of assistance."
The two resumed their make-out session, Rumble completely getting lost in his desires, fully allowing Dinky to be his stand in marefriend as the young Unicorn happily accepted Rumble's affection.
She could now understand why Sweetie Belle wouldn't let Rumble out of his sight.
Present day, Rumble's happy reminiscing of his childhood friend had been interrupted when a Changeling had spotted him.
"There he is!" soon other Changelings arrived and began their pursuit of Rumble.
"Come on, I thought you were happy with Thorax!" Rumble said, backing away from the group of insect like creatures.
"Thorax couldn't run the Kingdom the way Chrysalis did, we were more than happy to go back to her, now we can take what we need," the changeling said, then started blasting at Rumble, the others following suit.
"Guess I have no choice!" Rumble said, getting into a fight stance. Two Changelings flew at Rumble but he flew upwards and attacked a third with a strong kick to it's face, followed by a second kick for good measure. The two that attacked quickly turned around but Rumble had flown over, kicking on in the head and upper-cutting the other.
The fourth tried zapping him but Rumble quickly dodged and flew in with a massive punch and then a somersault kick to knock it back. Feeling like he's done enough he flew off in hopes of finding a more isolated area, or better yet, some friends.
"I hope everypony else is alright," Rumble said to himself as he flew away. "What I wouldn't give to see my friends again, what I wouldn't give Sweetie Belle again."
Rumble kept flying around, trying to find any sign of life. Maybe he can make his way over to Canterlot, see if Twilight was around.
Come to think of it, this really started when Twilight began her transition into ruling over the Kingdom of Equestria. He can still remember when he first found out about Twilight taking the throne.
It was a day after his 'date' with Dinky, he was making his way through Ponyville, on his way back to the park, hoping to finally have his edge back.
"I wonder if Rainbow Dash ever had this type of block, maybe I should ask..." Rumble stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing that wasn't a possibility. "Or maybe not. I mean I could ask Thunderlane but somehow I don't think he'll fully understand my plight. Flitter and Cloudchaser weren't much help either, maybe I can ask-"
"Coming through!" he heard Tender Taps say. He looked ahead and saw the colt that was once his closest friend rushing from the opposite direction, obviously in a hurry as he ran by some ponies.
"Tender Taps?" Rumble said, trying to get his attention. "What's the rush?"
"Not your business," Tender Taps said, immediately dismissing Rumble as he ran past him.
"Doesn't seem like nothing," Rumble said, looking to be in a foul mood after getting brushed off.
"It isn't!" Pinkie Pie said, excitedly hopping past Rumble. "It's humongous!"
"Humongous? How?" Rumble asked.
"I could tell you...but I kind of want you to guess," Pinkie said, hopping close to Rumble.
"Guess? Uh, like guess what?" Rumble asked. "I'm not the best with guessing games."
"Here's a hint, think of the biggest thing you can imagine! Something really surprising!" Pinkie said. "Go on, I know you got a great imagination!"
"Uh...Fluttershy joining The Wonderbolts?" Rumble asked.
"Pfft, I said big, not impossible," Pinkie joked, a bit to Rumble's surprise. "Come on, imagine something big! With a certain Princess!"
"Princess?" Rumble asked. "Uh, is Princess Celestia getting married or something?"
"Oh, good one, but no," Pinkie said. "Think of why Tender Taps got so excited!"
Rumble thought a moment, then a thought occured to him, "Oh...is Princess Twilight getting married!?"
"Ooh, that would be quite the nightmare for poor Tappy," Pinkie said. "You're getting close though."
"Uh, I'm not sure, I mean what could be bigger than Twilight getting married?" Rumble asked.
"Give up?" Pinkie asked. "Alright I'll tell you, it is hard to guess, unless you paid close enough attention."
"Paid attention to what?" Rumble asked, getting confused by this mare's antics. "Ugh, nevermind, what's going on?"
"I'll get right to it then," Pinkie said. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are retiring and they named Twilight as the next ruler of Equestria."
Rumble took a moment to register that information, "Wait, seriously!?"
"Never saw that coming, did ya Rumble?" Pinkie teased.
"Honestly no, are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna really stepping down in power?" Rumble asked.
"They sure are," Pinkie said.
"And Twilight's gonna rule in their place!?" Rumble asked again.
"Well she'll have help from us, but yeah, pretty much," Pinkie said.
"This...I can't even..." Rumble was in a state of amazement, "Twilight's really taking over! She's going to rule over all of Equestria!" Rumble looked up at Pinkie, "When does she officially take over?"
"In a few days, Twilight's really nervous about it," Pinkie Pie explained.
"Well yeah, she has to run a whole country!" Rumble said. "Equestria's a big place! It has a whole a lot of cities and empires! It's such a huge responsibility to take on!"
"Which is why she's super nervous about it," Pinkie said. "Also why Tappy was just running to her castle in a hurry. Whenever Twilight needs reassurance, that's what he's there for."
"Well he is her little helper, aside from Spike that is," Rumble said.
"And he takes his job very seriously," Pinkie added. "That's determination for you, he just might make a great coltfriend for Twilight in the future."
"Whoa there, coltfriend?" Rumble looked a bit surprised upon hearing that. "Isn't it too soon to think of Tender Taps that way?"
"Not really," Pinkie Pie answered. "He's very charming and caring, it only makes sense that Twilight is already infatuated by him, give him a few years and he'll be a top notch stallion!"
"Wow, lucky Tender Taps then if he's lucky he might end up a Prince," Rumble said. "Still, with Twilight about to be in charge, how will that change Equestria? Is she going to have to live in Canterlot? What will happen to the Elements of Harmony?"
"I really can't answer all of that, you're gonna have to see for yourself soon," Pinkie Pie said. "Well I should go check on Twilight as well, make sure she's not Twilighting all over her castle."
"Uh, did you turn her name into a verb?" Rumble asked.
"Well she should get used to stuff like that, soon ponies are gonna use her as an expression just like they do with Princess Celestia," Pinkie Pie said, then tapped her chin in confusion. "Always wondered why ponies did that, oh well."
Pinkie began to hop off merrily to Twilight's castle, leaving Rumble still pretty stunned by what he had heard. "Huh, Twilight Sparkle, The Princess of Equestria...is she gonna rule by herself? Is Cadance gonna rule with her? Or Flurry Heart? Wonder what type of changes she'll make?"
"Yes, quite curious indeed," Rumble heard. He looked around to see who spoke but no one was there.
"Who said that?" Rumble asked.
Suddenly the prankster Draqonequess Discord had emerged, appearing before Rumble in a puff of some, "Surprised to see me?"
"Discord!?" Rumble said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"Why wouldn't I be here, after all you heard the big surprise from Pinkie Pie, Twilight's going to rule over all of Equestria," Discord said, popping off some confetti. "It's big! It's enormous! It's incredible...it's also quite the shame that I wasn't chosen, I mean I think I'm more than qualified to run a country, plus I have much more life experience than Twilight, wouldn't you agree...Tumble?"
"It's Rumble, and while I can agree that you're WAY older than Twilight, you're also not the most trustworthy of creatures," Rumble said.
Discord made a mock gasp at Rumble's statement, "Why I never! Me? Untrustworthy? Where ever would you get such an idea?"
"You tried taking over Equestria, twice," Rumble said, using his wings to emphasize his point. "Three times if you count the fact that you tried assisting Tirek once."
"Well isn't that what Friendship is about? Forgiveness?" Discord stated. "After all, we've all made mistakes, should we really be judged for them? I made the mistake of trying to take over Equestria, Starlight made the mistake of removing the Cutie Marks of everyone in her village, your friend Cozy Glow made the mistake of betraying Twilight's school of Friendship...and you, my dear friend, you made the mistake of being unfaithful to your precious filly."
Rumble winced a little, "I wouldn't compare us, you tried taking over the world, I just accidentally kissed the wrong filly."
"I may have tried to take over the world, but you Rumble, you completely destroyed your own world, you affected somepony just the same as me, you, like me, have hurt somepony," Discord said.
"Well...I tried to apologize at least!" Rumble said.
"Oh, and I haven't?" Discord asked. "You once got furious at Twilight because you felt she was harsher with Cozy Glow than she was with other villains she's faced, yet you never really once looked at it from another perspective. The first two times I messed up, I wasn't immediately forgiven, I was turned to stone!" Discord flew in, getting close to Rumble, freaking the colt out a bit. "Do you know what it's like turning into stone? Not being able to move? Only being able to hear? Stuck in suspended animation for 1000 years!? Thankfully the second time was a mere few months, or so it seemed like."
"Well next time don't try to take over the world," Rumble said. "And what does Cozy Glow have to do with this anyway?"
"Just pointing out the flaws in your thinking, I mean it's not like she's the only one who had to go through facing the consequences of her actions, what with Luna being banished to the moon for 1000 years, the Sirens being banished from Equestria as a whole, even Starlight had to live in isolation for a while, granted she got off easier compared to us, point is most of those who try to conquer Equestria go through punishments." Discord lifted Rumble up with his magic, Rumble immediately trying to get down. "Cozy Glow is no different, and in a way, neither are you."
"What are you going on about your weirdo!?" Rumble asked, struggling to escape from Discord.
"What I'm going on about is this, Rumble, you may not have been a villain like me, Nightmare Moon or Starlight, but you still did something highly negative, even if you didn't mean it as you said," Discord said. "Myself, Luna, Starlight, Cozy Glow, we all did what we thought was good, Luna genuinely believed she could have been a better Princess, Starlight believed Cutie Marks are worthless, I believed in chaos, and Cozy believed she could be a good Princess of Friendship. You Rumble, you thought a little kiss wouldn't matter, but you know it not to be true, you know how much you hurt Sweetie Belle, and now you must face your own consequences before you could face redemption, just like Cozy must still earn hers."
"Pfft, what you wanna be wise old Discord now?" Rumble asked. "I don't need a lecture from you! At least me and Cozy have the excuse of being foals. You along with Luna, Starlight, Tirek, Chrysalis, Stygian should have just known better!"
"Oh Rumble, still so naïve, in time you will see things the way I do," Discord said, snapping away, Rumble being dropped to the ground.
"Ow, stupid chaos spirit, like he knows any better," Rumble said. "Tempt him once and I bet he'll go back to how he was. How could Twilight let him fly around and send a foal to Tartarus? Cozy may be bratty and annoying but really, she just needed a good role model...maybe I can help Cozy Glow be better, just to prove it to Discord and Twilight!"
With that, Rumble flew off, hoping to find the once villainous filly and begin his plan of peacemaking. He checked the market place, as he knew Flitter was doing some shopping today, and knew the exact spot she spent most of her time.
Making his way over, he could see that he was spot on with his guessing, as he spotted Flitter shopping for some various fruits, though unfortunately not too far off was the Apple Family kiosk, currently being ran by Applejack and Apple Bloom.
"Come on Rumble, it's just the Apples, they're really nice ponies, even when they're mad," Rumble gently let himself down, choosing to trot over to Flitter and Cozy Glow, the latter looking quite bored while waiting for her guardian to finish her selection.
"Hm...I can't decide between the peaches and the mangos, they both look so tasty...I'll just get both, should I get both?" Flitter thought, then grabbed one of each. "Yeah I'll just get both of them, can't go wrong with too much fruit."
"Yeah, fruit, yippie," Cozy boredly said. "Can we go now?"
"Soon Cozy, I just need a few more items," Flitter said.
"Well hurry up, I get the feeling that Apple Bloom's glaring at me," Cozy said, trying to look at the filly with the corner of her eyes, preferring not to make eye contact.
True to her worries, Apple Bloom was indeed casting a glare at the filly she once thought was her friend, never has Apple Bloom felt as betrayed as she was the time Cozy Glow tried taking over the school of Friendship.
"Apple Bloom?" Applejack said, trying to get her sister's attention. The filly hadn't heard, she still maintained her angry glare, so Applejack tried again, "Apple Bloom!"
"Huh?" The filly turned her attention to her older sister. "Oh, sorry sis, guess I was distracted."
"By Cozy Glow?" Applejack said, gesturing to the filly. "Yer still mad, ain't ya?"
"Well can you blame me?" Apple Bloom said. "Me and the Crusaders did everything we could to help her when she first moved here! We thought she really wanted to learn Friendship, we really thought she wanted to be friends with us! Ah can't beilieve she was so quick to throw that away, she didn't even hesitate!"
"Ah know it ain't easy, took us a while to get used to having Discord around, same with Luna and Starlight, but Discord was harder to trust due to him being so unpredictable, ah mean Starlight and Luna at least tried to be friends, Discord was still a bit of a mystery," Applejack explained.
"Honestly ah don't really trust Discord mahself sometimes," Apple Bloom said. "Ah keep thinking he's gonna betray us."
"He already did once, and regretted it, ah don't think he's going to again, especially since he and Fluttershy are such good friends," Applejack said, then stroked Apple Bloom's mane. "Look, ah know it ain't easy, but Twilight thinks Cozy Glow deserves a chance, and ah can agree. In a way, Cozy Glow was our responsibility, we should have taught her better, now we have that chance to make things right, and who knows, maybe she'll be yer friend again, wouldn't you like that?"
"Maybe..." Apple Bloom said. "It's still gonna take time to trust her."
"It's understandable, Cozy did something bad, but the right thing to do would be to give a pony a chance to change fer the better, all ponies deserve that chance," Applejack said.
"Even Rumble?" Apple Bloom asked, gesturing to the colt who was awkwardly trying to look casual as he trotted through.
"Yes, even Rumble..." Applejack said, disappointment entering her voice. "What he did was bad but if we're being fair, it doesn't compare to what Cozy's done...even if what Rumble did affected us personally just as much."
Rumble glanced over to the Apples, wondering if they had caught sight of him. Though once he locked eyes with them, he suddenly started feeling awkward and began waving nervously.
"Hey Applejack, Apple Bloom, lovely day isn't it?" Rumble said.
"It was," Apple Bloom spat.
"Ha, good one, hehehe..." Rumble started to sweat nervously, "I'm uh...just going to see Flitter! You know, my foalsitter..."
"We know who she is, really nice mare, too bad she has such difficult foals to keep an eye on," Apple Bloom said.
"Apple Bloom..." Applejack lightly scolded. Disappointed as she was in Rumble, she couldn't allow her sister to talk so disrespectfully to anypony. She turned her attention back to Rumble, "Just be on yer way Rumble, don't mind us, unless yer fixing to buy something."
Rumble thought a moment, "Well actually, I'd like a-"
"We're out," Apple Bloom interrupted.
"Uh, I didn't even say what I wanted," Rumble said.
"Ah said we're out, you calling me a liar there Rumble?" Apple Bloom asked, glaring at the colt.
"N-no way!" Rumble said, backing off a bit.
"Apple Bloom, come on now," Applejack said, then turned to Rumble. "Just tell me what you want, I'll see if we actually have it."
"Actually I'll pass on that for now, maybe another time," Rumble said, trotting off quickly, "Bye ladies."
As Rumble trotted off, Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at him, much to Applejack's annoyance.
"Apple Bloom, what did ah just say abut forgiveness!?" Applejack asked.
"I'll forgive him when ah feel like it," Apple Bloom said, much to Applejack's dismay.
Applejack sighed in disappointment, she hoped for better from her sister. This didn't go unnoticed by the third Apple sibling, Big Macintosh, who was making his way toward his sisters when he overheard their conversation. He too felt some disappointment, he hoped his youngest sister could have handled that better, but he also knows the middle child of the family has a grudge of her own, even if she won't admit it.
He truly pitied Rumble, he doesn't think he's a bad kid at all, everypony makes mistakes, he could tell that Rumble's the kind to make up for his mistakes, and that's all that matters in a pony in his opinion.
Rumble did his best to shake off the awkward as he approached the two mares he was looking for in the first place. "Hey, Flitter! Cozy Glow!"
Cozy's ears perked up as she turned her attention to the colt, "Rumble!" She flew over to hug him, "I'm so happy to see you! I was so bored!"
"Sorry to hear that," Rumble said, returning the hug. "Well if you want, I was on my way to the park, wanna come with me?"
Cozy's eyes lit up as she pulled away, looking right at Rumble, "I'd love too!"
"Maybe later Rumble," Flitter said, deflating Cozy's excitement. "Once I'm done shopping."
"Oh come on, you're taking too long!" Cozy Glow said.
"You know the rules Cozy, you can't leave my side," Flitter said. "Rainbow Dash was furious with you yesterday, do you really want to upset her?"
"Maybe," Cozy Glow answered, much to Flitter's annoyance.
"Cozy Glow, you need to show a little more respect to Rainbow Dash," Flitter said.
"Well I don't like her, or Twilight, or any of the Elements of Harmony," Cozy said. "They're a bunch of meanies!"
This was said loud enough to even get Apple Bloom's attention, needless to say, it irritated the filly. "Can you believe her!?"
"Ignore it, it's a process," Applejack said. "She'll come around."
Apple Bloom shook her head in annoyance and proceeded to resume her work, though not before casting one last glare at the spoiled filly.
"Cozy Glow, try to be nice when talking about Twilight and her friends," Rumble implored. "They're really nice ponies."
"They haven't been nice to you," Cozy Glow pointed out.
"Uh, well..." Rumble sheepishly rubbed his head. "That was my own fault." He then muttered a bit, "And yours..."
"Pardon me?" Cozy Glow asked.
"It's nothing, but if you want, I'll stay here with you while Flitter shops so we can go to the park right afterwards, that way it won't seem so bad," Rumble said.
"Aw, you'd do that for me? You're so sweet," Cozy Glow said, then kissed Rumble on the cheek.
"Think nothing of it," Rumble said. "I just want to start over and be better friends this time. Now that there's no more secrets between us, it should be much easier."
"Yeah, I'm so happy I don't have to keep secrets from you anymore," Cozy Glow said. "It was weally hard doing so, I didn't like tricking you at all. Plus if I blew my cover, I would have had to hurt you, and that would have been terrible."
"Uh...yeah, terrible," Rumble said, little weirded out by that statement. "Just promise you won't actually try that with anyone, we don't need any more fighting, I don't think the Crusaders really forgave you for hurting Tender Taps...actually I'm not sure if Twilight even fully forgave that."
"Well all that matters to me is that you wanna be my friend," Cozy Glow said, nuzzling Rumble. "You're all I need."
"That's nice of you to say, of course it wouldn't hurt to try and befriend others," Rumble insisted, gesturing his eyes to the farm filly nearby. "Maybe Apple Bloom?"
"Pfft, no way," Cozy Glow said. "She tried to betray me."
"Come on, you were friends with the Crusaders once weren't you?" Rumble asked. "Back when they tried tutoring you for Twilight's School of Friendship? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Please, like any of that was real, it's called acting," Cozy Glow said. "It was part of my plan to take over the school and become the new Princess of Friendship."
"Was it really?" Rumble asked. "In Sweetie Belle's letters it sounded like the four of you really enjoyed spending time together, some of the things she said really made it sound like you had fun."
"Like what?" Cozy Glow asked.
"You always hung out with them, you played games with your classmates, especially the six friends that always hang out together, you did things with everypony," Rumble said. "You can't mean to tell me that none of that meant absolutely nothing to you."
"Yes, I can, because that's what it was, nothing to me," Cozy Glow said. "But that's all in the past, and now I want to make a future, with you."
"Well, so do I," Rumble said. "As friends, I really want all of us to be close, you, me, Dinky, Tender Taps, and The Crusaders, and I know you have it in you to be our friend."
"What's the point?" Cozy Glow asked. "All I care about is you, and the hope that one day, you and I could be coltfriend and marefriend, that's all I need to be happy."
"Cozy, I really want to make you happy, but to do that, you're gonna have to give my idea a chance," Rumble said. "Which means making peace with the others, something we'll both need to work on."
"It just doesn't seem worth the effort," Cozy insisted.
"Cozy, I want to be friends with you, I reall do," Rumble said. "But, if you want to be friends with me, you have to trust my idea." Rumble stroked Cozy's mane. "I want to make peace with them, and I want to be friends with you, so I really want you to be their friend as well, it would mean a lot to me Cozy."
Cozy blushed a bit at Rumble's contact, such a gentle colt. While she wasn't too eager to make friends with anypony else, especially not the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she did want to be with Rumble. For the moment she could put her dislike aside, until she figures out a way to have Rumble all to herself.
Applejack had observed from nearby, while it seemed rude to listen in, she was just too curious as to what Rumble had to say to Cozy Glow. From the sounds of things, he does at least want to make amends for his mistakes, that's something she respects in a pony. As an Element of Harmony, it is her duty to help ponies with Friendship troubles, same with her other friends.
Speaking of friends, there is one that really needed her attention at the moment, that being the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.
Big Mac, ah gotta go check on Twilight, would you be able to keep an eye on things while I'm gone?" Applejack asked.
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.
"I can always count on you big brother," Applejack said, then trotted off. "Be back in a jiffy!" As Applejack began to leave, she turned her attention to Rumble. "Hey, Rumble, come here a second."
Rumble was a bit surprised, and somewhat worried, hoping Applejack wasn't too mad. Stepping away from Cozy Glow, Rumble cautiously approached Applejack, "Yeah?"
"Rumble, I'm not sure what yer planning with Cozy Glow, but try not to get in over yer head," Applejack warned. "She's still a bit on the manipulative side after all."
"I know you don't trust her, but she needs a friend right now, I gotta remind her about the magic of Friendship," Rumble said.
"Ah know, and ah do hope you can help her," Applejack said. "If you need help though, come to us immediately. It's nice that you want to make things right after what happened with Sweetie Belle, and ah know some of us might be hard headed, but the more you show how reliable you are, the more we'll trust you as well, alright sugarcube?"
Rumble smiled upon the 'sugarcube' compliment, and nodded his head, "Sure thing Applejack."
"You take care now," Applejack said, and trotted off to the castle of Friendship, wanting to both check on her friend and get a little advice. Trouble is, she knows Rumble isn't currently that well liked by Rainbow Dash or Rarity either, hopefully she can still talk some sense.
Back in the present, Rumble had finally found a hiding place, a barn at Sweet Apple Acres. He fondly remembers Applejack, her sour attitude toward him not lasting very long, at first at least. Over time he nearly lost that trust again.
"Applejack, I hope you're alright, wherever you are," Rumble said to himself, in a way praying for his friend's safety as he sat in the barn, thinking over his next course of action.
Not too far off, several miles outside of Ponyville, the new ruler of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle was surveying high above to find any sign of ponies that needed to be rescued, one pony she specifically had in mind.
"Where could he be?" Twilight muttered, looking across the skies.
"Princess Twilight!" She heard a gruff voice say. She turned to see the Wonderbolts Captain Spitfire flying over. "Glad I found you, there's something you should know."
"Please tell me it's positive information," Twilight said.
"There's a positive...followed by a negative," Spitfire reluctantly admitted.
Twilight sighed in annoyance, though she can't be too surprised, with so many villains wreaking havoc, hearing about anything remotely uplifting on it's own is a blessing. "Let's hear it."
"Well, we found that Tender Taps pony," Spitfire said. "But, before we could get to him, a group of evil Changelings swooped in and captured him, and they weren't alone. Some of the Storm King's soldiers also ambushed us, they really seemed to want him, guess they know how close you two are."
"Of course Chrysalis would go after somepony I love," Twilight said, mentally cursing the Queen. "Are you flyers alright though?"
"Well they're alive at least, but a good chunk of them took a beating," Spitfire said.
"Go tend to them for now, I'll go after Chrysalis myself," Twilight said.
"Huh? With all due respect Princess, is that really a smart idea?" Spitfire asked. "It could be a trap!"
"I'm aware, and don't worry, I have a plan of my own," Twilight said. "Just keep your friends and the other ponies safe."
"Yes Princess," Spitfire said with a salute, then flew off.
"Don't worry Tappy, I'm coming to save you!" Twilight said as she flew off to find her precious colt. Or rather, her loving stallion.