//------------------------------//
// First Glimpse of Trouble 
// Story: Sweet Affection 3 
// by Masterob 
//------------------------------//

In Twilight's room, the Princess is laying in bed reading a book with Tender Taps resting right next to her. Tender Taps felt odder than normal resting next to Twilight, considering what he saw before with Double Diamond and Night Glider.

Twilight, while reading her book, did notice that something seemed to be bothering Tender Taps. "Tender Taps? Are you feeling alright?"

"Huh?" Tender Taps said, then turned to Twilight. "Oh, yeah I'm fine."

"You look like you something's bothering you though," Twilight said.

"I'm fine, really," Tender Taps said. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Oh, is it about The Festival?" Twilight asked. "Along with what I said to you earlier?"

"Partially," Tender Taps said, then started to blush. "Plus some other things that I don't quite know how to explain."

"Other things?" Twilight asked. "Things like what?"

Tender Taps began to blush again, "It's nothing, just...well..."

"Tappy? You know you can tell me anything right?" Twilight said.

Tender Taps continued to blush, this was not such an easy topic, and he really didn't know how to explain it. "Well...question, when two ponies really like each other...what do they do?"

Twilight looked a little confused, she was sure she's spoken to Tender Taps about this before. "Tappy, is this about Apple Bloom again?"

"No," Tender Taps said, shaking his head. "It's about something a lot different."

"Different?" Twilight asked, tapping her chin. "How different if I may ask?"

Tender Taps tried to think of something, anything to say, but this was so confusing for him that he didn't even know where to start. "Let's look at...Rumble and Sweetie Belle...they like to spend a lot of time together, they like to go on dates, they compliment each other, they love their hugs, and they like to kiss each other...but what else do ponies do?"

Twilight scratched her head in confusion for a bit, until she finally figured out what Tender Taps was trying to say, or what she thought he was trying to say. "I think I get it...I know what's on your mind."

Tender Taps looked curiously to Twilight, "You do?"

"Yes...you're curious about marriage aren't you?" Twilight said.

Tender Taps sighed a bit, though tried not to show it, "Um, well not-"

"You're so adorable Tappy," Twilight interrupted. "Is it because you still want to marry me?"

Tender Taps shook his head with a big blush, "N-no that's not what I'm trying to-"

"Tender Taps, right now you just need to focus on smaller things, don't think too much about the future, and too much about marriage," Twilight rubbed his mane. "I get that you have a crush on me, and maybe I sometimes give you a reason to, but for now it's not something you should be thinking about. Just focus on what makes you happy, aside from seeing my beautiful face everyday."

Tender Taps looked curious, "That was...oddly bold of you to say, that almost sounds like something Trixie would say."

Twilight giggled, "I'm just teasing, I don't hold myself in a higher opinion than anypony else after all."

Tender Taps started to blush a bit, "I won't exactly disagree with your beauty though."

"Aw," Twilight said, and kissed Tender Taps on the cheek. "Listen dear, don't worry so much about the proper romance, you'll figure it out as you get older, and I'll be there to help you get your mare...or take you for myself."

"Tw-Twilight!" Tender Taps said in surprise.

"Sorry, I can't resist teasing you, you're too cute," Twilight said, kissing his muzzle. "But it's not out of the possibility, you're growing up fast, and I'm already liking how you're turning out. I just might wait for you."

Tender Taps quickly shoved his face into his pillow, Twilight was making him feel way too flustered. "I'm just gonna go to sleep now."

Twilight giggled some more, "I'm sorry, like I said, you're just too cute to resist." Twilight then cuddled next to him, holding him close to her, getting more of a blush from the poor colt. "You're really sweet though, I still wish there was a colt like you when I was a filly, I'd probably be married by now."

"If we were married...I'd be really happy," Tender Taps said, almost to himself, but that didn't go unnoticed by Twilight.

"I love you my little Tappy," Twilight said, holding him close to her.

While Tender Taps still felt a bit weird given what he'd seen earlier, he's almost starting to understand what they might have been feeling. Maybe when two ponies love each other as much, they'll want to be that close. He does have to wonder what it would be like to be that close with Apple Bloom, or Scootaloo, even Twilight. He'll figure it out much later, he's too tired to think about it any more. Soon he and his Princess had succumbed to their slumber.





Back with Rumble, he had been holding Flurry Heart very close to him, not wanting to let her go for a second. He was once again surrounded by Changelings, but this time they seemed to have unusual allies.

"What's going on anyway!?" Rumble asked. "What are you up to this time Chrysalis!?" He turned to the three new mares. "And who are you three suppose to be? Are you Changelings in disguse!?"

"We're not Changelings, we're Sirens," Adagio said. "We can use music to control the will of others, just as we willed you and that little Princess to this area."

"Sirens?" Rumble asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of Sirens."

"Well we're not around as much as we used to be, you can blame Starswirl and his damn Pillars for that," Adagio said.

"But we're back, and we're here to feast!" Sonata said in a super cheery fashion.

"Feast, on what?" Rumble asked.

"While we may not be Changelings, we do have a common trait with them, we feed off emotion," Adagio said. "Changelings feed off of love, Sirens feed off of negativity."

"And you're just oozing with it right now kid," Aria said. "Almost making my mouth water."

Rumble kept Flurry close, glaring at the enemies who surrounded him. "Yeah well...I won't let you have any! I'll just focus my negativity into positivity and-"

"You fool," Chrysalis said. "No matter what, you're out of luck. If you continue to show your hatred of me and my Changelings, that will be a feast for Adagio and her friends, but if you try to focus on your love, say probably for that prissy little filly of yours, then that's a snack for me."

"Great, if it's not one thing it's another," Rumble lamented. "Doesn't matter, I still won't let either of you win!"

"Face it, it doesn't matter how brave you act, you're still just a puny kid, you can't hope to defeat us," Adagio said with a smug grin.

"Yeah, you're really small, cute though, but small," Sonata said.

"My size has nothing to do with my power!" Rumble shouted. "Here, take a sample!"

He went for a punch to Adagio, but she grabbed his hoof effortlessly and then and then knocked him back, causing him to stumble. "That all you got?"

"No! I got more!" Rumble said, flying over to kick her, though she easily ducked and grabbed his with with her teeth to slam him down.

"Ow..." Rumble said, rubbing his sides while glaring up at Adagio.

"So that's two failed attempts, care to make a third or-" Adagio suddenly dodged a punch, then a few others before moving behind Rumble and whacking him face first to the ground.

"Wumble!" Flurry shouted, trotting over to check on him.

Rumble coughed a bit, then flashed a reassuring smile to Flurry, "I'm alright, it's gonna take more than that to stop me."

"More huh?" Adagio asked, then moved in front of Rumble to kick his face, knocking him back.

"Wumble!" Flurry cried, then glared at Adagio. "Mon-sta!"

"Aw, how adorable," Adagio mocked. "Seriously kid, if you think I'm a monster now, you have absolutely no idea what I can really do."

Flurry quickly blasted Adagio in the face, surprising her a bit, along with her allies.

"Wow, she's mad!" Sonata said.

Adagio rubbed the spot she got hit, glaring down at the little filly. "Cute, don't try that again, I don't have a lot of patience for crap like that."

"Probably not a good idea to let this little one roam freely, toddlers need some restriction," Chrysalis said, then bubbled Flurry, levitating her close. "There we go, all safe and sound."

Rumble glared at Chrysalis, "Hey, you put her-" Suddenly he got kicked back down by Adagio.

"Stop talking, you're not going to save her, you're weak and powerless!" Adagio said.

"No I'm not!" Rumble shouted, getting back on his hooves. "I promised Princess Cadance I would protect her daughter, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

"Your determination alone isn't going to help you defeat us, what do you think that just because you care about her enough you'll win?" Adagio asked. "That somehow your love for your friends and this little Princess will magically give you strength?" She then got in close, glaring closely at in Rumble's eyes. "I'm going to be nice and let you know before this battle truly starts. It doesn't matter how determined you are, if you're not strong enough, you're not gonna win."

Rumble felt uneasy looking into this mare's eyes, she had a coldness to her, a darkness he has yet to have seen in all his young years. Somehow this mare terrified him a bit, and he could tell she wasn't messing around. Whoever she was, she had a mission and she was not going to be stopped.

But, he can't stop either, no matter how scary it looks. He glared right back at Adagio, doing his best to hold down his fears. "I don't care what you say, no matter what, I'm not going to-"

Rumble's speech was ended with an abrupt punch from Adagio, knocking him to the floor, bleeding a little from his mouth.

"Wumble!" Flurry cried, pounding on the bubble.

"Easy Adagio, he's just a colt," Sonata said, somewhat pitying Rumble.

"He's pissing me off," Adagio said, then noticed Flurry's crying and banging of the bubble. "Can you shut that kid up? She's getting on my nerves as well."

"Let her cry for the colt, she's powerless to help anyway," Chrysalis said, looking into the bubble. "Such a beauty you are, how different you probably would have turned out if I ended up marrying your father instead."

Flurry backed away from Chrysalis's glare, feeling terrified of the former Changeling Queen. "Mon-sta! Mon-sta!"

"I'm not a monster little filly, I'm your dear Auntie Chrysalis, I'm sure your daddy's told you all about me, and how your mommy and Auntie Twilight ruined everything for me, how all of those ponies ruined everything for me, on every single occasion!" Chrysalis shouted, unintentionally shaking the bubble and making Flurry cry more.

"Stop scaring her!" Rumble shouted, then tried flying over to attack but he was quickly zapped down by her magic.

"Please, if you're powerless against Adagio, what do you hope to do against me?" Chrysalis asked.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Adagio asked, then noticed Rumble standing up. "This kid's so persistent."

"I...I can't let you...I won't let you hurt her! Or anypony that I love!" Rumble stated with pain and determination. "I won't stop until I can't move anymore!"

"Wow, the kid's got guts," Aria said. "Kind of admirable."

"More like stupid," Adagio said, then trotted over to Rumble, giving him another intense glare. "I'm trying to be nice in telling you that you're weak, now-" Rumble again attempted to punch her, but she grabbed his hoof before it could make contact. "You know what, I'm done!"

Adagio then punched Rumble hard across his jaw, then kicked him hard on the sides a few times, much to the dismay of Flurry, who continued desperately banging on the bubble.

"No! No be mean to Wumble!" Flurry shouted.

"Be quiet!" Adagio shouted, scaring Flurry some more. She then grabbed Rumble by his wings and lifted him to her face. "I told you, you're weak compared to us!" She then tossed him aside, landing near the hooves of Sonata, who looked at him with some pity.

Rumble coughed a bit, "Please...no more..."

"Oh, now you want to stop? I was actually starting to enjoy myself," Adagio said sinisterly.

Sonata gave her friend a disapproving glare, "Come on, that's enough, he's already hurt."

"Yeah, it's a waste of energy," Aria said.

"I don't know, I'm quite enjoying it," Chrysalis said with a satisfied smile.

"I think all your loyal Changelings seem to like it," Adagio said, trotting near Rumble.

The young colt coughed a bit more, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Please...I can't..."

"Say it...say that you're weaker than me," Adagio said with a sinister smile.

Sonata looked a little uneasy at this situation, "Come on Adagio, there's no need for this."

"I just want him to admit that he's weaker than I am, that shouldn't be so hard," Adagio then placed her hoof on Rumble's back. "Now, go on...say it!"

Rumble coughed a bit, "No more..."

"Dammit I told you to say it!" Adagio shouted, pressing down and causing Rumble some pain. "Admit you're just a weak little colt! That you have no chance against me! None at all!"

"Please Adagio, it's not worth hurting him anymore, you're also scaring that little toddler," Sonata said, getting really upset by this.

"Who's side are you even on Sonata, this kid has it coming!" Adagio shouted.

"Just a fair warning, I don't take kindly to traitors, that does remind me, I need to pay Thorax a little visit soon," Chrysalis said.

Aria started to pity Sonata's feelings, plus this was getting a little redundant for her liking. "Is there even a point to this? I mean he's only a foal, it's not like he's that important."

"I just want him to admit how weak he is, it's a good starting point for all of the ponies of Equestria," Adagio said. "Now, for the last time little colt...say it!"

Rumble groaned in pain, looking up at Adagio with fear in his eyes. This mare was almost scarier than Chrysalis, at least the former Changeling Queen wasn't as violent, at least not with him. However before he could say more, he saw the terrified look in Flurry Heart's eyes, the young Princess shedding tears over this. Rumble couldn't be scared now, he had to be brave, at least he had to try. He gave one final look to Adagio and stuck out his tongue in defiance.

"You...won't...win!" He moved her hoof out the way and managed to stand up and hit a strong punch to her, at least as strong as he could muster.

Adagio rubbed the spot she got hit, almost surprised by the attack. However she simply just smiled down on the foal. "I'll give you some credit, you're braver than I thought. Still..." Adagio punched Rumble again, knocking him to the ground. "You're still not stronger than me."

Aria sighed in annoyance, "Are we done now! Don't we need to revive some shadowy king or something?"

"Right, Flurry Heart should provide us with some magic needed, though I would prefer more magic," Chrysalis turned to Flurry, scaring the little Princess with her sinister glare. "Maybe we can get your mommy to help, or your dear Auntie Twilight, maybe just about any pony with magic will do, or a traitorous Changeling."

"Well what do we do with him?" Aria asked, pointing to Rumble.

"Let him go, he'll be our little messenger," Chrysalis said. "This time I won't go to the ponies, I'll let them come to me." Chrysalis lifted the bubble, "After all, I'm sure they'll want to protect this adorable little Princess, like this colt tried to do."

Rumble tried to get up, but Adagio pressed down on his back, "But just to make sure you don't get back to Ponyville too quickly, since we'll need some time, I better take some extra measures."

"Adagio, what are you doing?" Sonata cautiously asked.

"Relax, everything I do to him now will heal...eventually at least," Adagio said and pressed down hard against his wings.

"Adagio, I don't think-" Sonata's plea was interrupted by the sound of Rumble's screams of pain. All that caution was replaced with shock and disbelief. Sonata watched Rumble lay down with a broken wing, tears coming to his eyes over the pain.

"Wumble!" Flurry shouted, crying a bit more for the colt she's grown to really love.

"Aw, don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine," Chrysalis mockingly reassured.

"That's one, better get to the other," Adagio said, placing her hoof over the other wing.

"Adagio, don't-" Sonata's pleas were again interrupted by screams of pain and agony. Sonata felt so much pity for this colt, while she wanted to help Chrysalis with her plan, she didn't feel right hurting a foal. This was going a little too far for her. "Adagio! How could..."

"Remember Sonata, we're doing what we need to do," Adagio said. "It's for all of us, don't forget that!"

Sonata bit her lip, she really hated seeing this. Now all she wanted to do was cuddle with this poor colt, but she didn't want to do anything to upset Chrysalis or Adagio, she knew she wasn't strong enough to handle either of them.

"Let's go already!" Aria said. "I'm getting bored watching you beat up a pony half your size."

"Yes, let us not waste any more time," Chrysalis said. She then turned to an injured Rumble, bending down slightly next to him. "Oh, and try to get home safely if you can, it's not too safe out here, a lot of scary monsters and all."

Rumble groaned in pain as Chrysalis left with Flurry and The Dazzlings. Rumble was hurt, his body felt pain, his wings were broken, he just felt weak and pathetic. He had to get back to Ponyville, he had to let the others know.

However he also knew this could be a trap, it seems as if Chrysalis wants Rumble to go back and tell the others, he knows they're going to get Flurry back, and it seems like she's prepared for it.

Rumble had to do something though, if he didn't, then there's no chance of rescuing Flurry, it may be a trap but he really doesn't have a choice. He stood up slowly and started trotting, then realized another problem, he had no idea where Ponyville was. He left town in a trance, and due to his broken wings, he couldn't fly up to see where the town was.

He could barely make out his surroundings since it was dark outside, the only source of light being the moon. Through that moonlight, he seemed to recognize one place, that being The Everfree Forest, so he wasn't too far away from town. He had to follow the edge back to Ponyville, but of course staying away from it, knowing the dangerous monsters that reside in there.

"I hope I make it back in time, if I don't-AH! My wings!" Rumble nearly fell down from pain, but he pushed through, "No, I have to try, I gotta make it back!"

Rumble struggled to make it to Ponyville, he would not let Flurry Heart down.

Chrysalis and the others eventually made it back to the cave where they originally resided, with Chrysalis placing Flurry inside a large cage. "Rest up little filly, I have plans for you soon, big ones."

"We're gonna use that magic to revive that shadow king right?" Adagio asked.

"Of course, though it won't be enough, even if she is an Alicorn she's still a child, I'll need more power," Chrysalis said.

"Fine by me I guess," Adagio said. "Anyway I'm kinda tired, showing your strength over some overconfident foal really takes a lot out of you."

"You seemed to enjoy yourself tonight, imagine how much fun you'll have with the other meddlesome ponies," Chrysalis said.

"I can hardly wait," Adagio said. "Maybe I'll try that with one of The Princesses, I felt such animosity from that one foal, and all he had to do was see you. I can imagine how many others probably despise you and all that negativity I can feed from."

"Meanwhile getting those ponies will make it easy for them to steal their love," Chrysalis said.

Adagio trotted off to her sleeping spot, "Well I'll see you in the morning. I'll be ready to continue the plan then."

"Yes, see you then Adagio," Chrysalis said, trotting away as well.

Flurry sniffled a bit, she felt really scared, and she was worried about Rumble. She feels guilty too, figuring if she'd just stay home then maybe she wouldn't have been captured and Rumble wouldn't have gotten hurt. She just wants to be back home with her mom and dad, safe in her bed and not in some cage. She couldn't even sleep given this situation.

She then heard the cage open and saw Sonata stepping inside, "Um, hello little filly." Flurry turned away, not wanting to see Sonata, knowing she's friends with Adagio, the mean monster who hurt her friend. She then felt Sonata stroke her mane, very gently and affectionately. "I know you don't want to see me, but I felt so bad for you. It's pretty dark and lonely in here, isn't it?"

Flurry didn't acknowledge her much, only speaking one name. "Wumble..."

"Wumble? Oh that colt from before, yeah Chrysalis did call him 'Rumble'," Sonata laid beside Flurry. "I guess he's a friend of yours, he seems to care a lot about you."

"Miss Wumble, want Wumble," Flurry said.

Sonata placed a reassuring foreleg around Flurry, "I'm sorry my friend had to hurt him, truthfully while I figured we'd have to fight ponies, I never wanted a foal to get hurt. I also hate seeing you so uncomfortable, even though you're suppose to be our prisoner, you are still a toddler, I can't just let you feel miserable." Sonata brought Flurry close, cuddling with the young toddler. "I'll stay with you tonight, just so you feel less scared. I know what we're doing may seem bad but Adagio says it's something that must be done, but I won't let you get hurt, alright?"

Flurry wasn't sure how to feel, while Sonata was with the others, she seemed so much nicer. Flurry felt she could trust Sonata a little, she did have a soothing voice, and Flurry really doesn't want to be by herself. She turned to hug Sonata, nuzzling her face in the siren's chest as Sonata stroked her mane.

"Aw, so adorable, goodnight little filly," Sonata said, then soothed Flurry Heart to sleep with a little lullaby. At least Flurry had something good for the moment, she just hoped she could see her family again soon.





The morning had come in Ponyville, Tender Taps was still sleeping in bed, wrapped in Twilight's hooves. He had completely nuzzled against Twilight in his sleep, unintentionally blushing all the while.

He then started to stir, waking up from what he believed to be a pleasant dream of being in Twilight's hooves, until he saw it wasn't and was laying in bed with a mare he had a somewhat secret crush on.

He pulled away a bit and continued to observe Twilight, taking note of how peaceful she looked as she was sleeping, and how adorable her little snores were.

"She looks so cute when she's sleeping," Tender Taps said, in awe of the Princess. He started to affectionately stroke her mane and cheeks, marveling in her beauty. It took a few moments for Tender Taps to realize what he was doing and was about to pull away when he noticed something else.

He saw how open she looked, how easy it was to get a kiss he secretly wanted. He looked around to see in anypony was nearby, then focused back on Twilight. He felt weird doing this but he just can't resist this adorable Princess, he needed to make use of this opportunity. Tender Taps then started to move in closer, closer to her face, closer to her mouth as he slowly puckered out his lips.

Just before anything he heard a very adorable yawn, coming from the Princess right in front of him. He quickly backed away as she started to sit up, rubbing her eyes. So much for that opportunity, it would be quite some time before the next one.

Twilight opened her eyes to see Tender Taps and flashed a happy smile. "Good morning Tappy." Twilight leaned in for a kiss to his forehead. At least he got a kiss from her.

"Good morning Twilight, today's the big day huh?" Tender Taps said.

"That's right! The Festival starts today, I'm so excited!" Twilight said, hopping out of bed. "Go get ready Tappy, it's gonna start really soon."

"Sure thing Twilight," Tender Taps said, getting out of bed, still slightly disappointed at not getting the kiss he wanted.

As Twilight trotted out of the room she heard a cry of worry from Cadance. "What do you mean Flurry Heart wasn't in bed!?"

"Huh?" Twilight said, trotting towards the room where her brother and his family were staying. She checked in the room and saw the two scrambling around in worry.

"Where could she be? She couldn't have gotten far could she!?" Cadance frantically asked, searching through a garbage bin.

"I don't know, I mean between her flying and magic, she could be just about anywhere!" Shining Armor said, using his magic to lift several pieces of furniture.

"Um, what's happening?" Twilight asked, getting a little concerned.

"Twiley!" Shining Armor said, dropping all the furniture, paying little mind to the damage as he rushed to his little sister. "It's terrible! Really, really terrible!"

"What? What's really, really terrible?" Twilight asked.

"Flurry's missing! We can't find her anywhere!" Shining Armor shouted in panic.

"What!?" Twilight shouted. "How can she be missing!? Where would she go!?"

"We don't know! We searched everywhere in the room!" Shining Armor shouted.

"Well...how about the rest of the castle?" Twilight suggested.

Shining Armor had a somewhat relieved yet unstable laugh, "Yeah, she must be somewhere in this castle...problem is that it's so big and large, and it's very easy to get lost in...she could be anywhere!"

"Um, big brother, don't you live in a castle?" Twilight pointed out.

"But our castle has guards, yours doesn't, that might make it a bit more difficult to keep track of Flurry!" Shining Armor said.

"I'm sure one of the other ponies have her, maybe Rumble, he does take care of her. She might have gone to see him during the night, that's a possibility," Twilight suggested.

Shining Armor's brows furrowed, "Rumble...that little sneak! I bet he has my daughter!"

Twilight looked displeased, "That's a rude thing to say big brother. If he has your daughter is just means he's taking care of her like he was asked to do, by your wife!"

"Might we discuss this later," Cadance suggested. "I'd like to go see if Flurry is with Rumble, I'll feel better if she is."

"Right, I know where his room is, come with me," Twilight said, leading Shining Armor and Cadance towards Rumble's room. On the way there, they had passed by Tender Taps.

"Hey Twilight, what's going on? You seemed worried before," Tender Taps said.

"When Shining Armor and Cadance woke up this morning, they saw that Flurry wasn't in her bed, so we're going to Rumble's room to see if he has her," Twilight said.

"Well that wouldn't surprise me, Flurry was practically glued to Rumble yesterday, I guess once she woke up she went to go find him," Tender Taps said.

"Is your friend normally this sneaky?" Shining Armor asked.

"What?" Tender Taps said. "Rumble's not sneaky, he's the most trustworthy colt I know."

"As far as you know," Shining Armor said.

"Big Brother..." Twilight began. "I know you're just worried about Flurry, but you're really letting it affect your judgement. You've met Rumble before, you know he's a very kind colt, please stop overreacting whenever it comes to Flurry, you know he wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Shining Armor let out a deep sigh, "Yeah you're right, guess I'm being too irrational. Rumble seems like a nice kid, I just get so worried when it comes to Flurry, she's very special to me after all."

"Rumble's aware of that, that's why he takes his responsibilities so seriously, so please have some faith in him," Twilight said.

"Yeah, you're right, let's just find Rumble and see if he has Flurry," Shining Armor said.

"Let's hurry," Twilight said, once again leading the ponies to Rumble's room. Though once there they saw that it was empty, no sign of Rumble.

"Huh? He's not here," Tender Taps said.

Twilight began to grow even more worried, "Where could he be?"

"Think Starlight's seen them?" Tender Taps suggested. "Maybe they're with Starlight!?"

"What about the other ponies staying here, do you think they might know?" Cadance asked.

"Yeah, like Starlight's friends, or that magician mare, or that other Pegasus, one of them has to know!" Shining Armor said.

"Let's split up and find them, big brother, you can go fight Lightning Dust, Cadance can go get Trixie, Tender Taps can find Starlight and I'll go find Double Diamond and the others," Twilight said.

The ponies immediately split up, though Shining Armor stopped in his tracks for a moment. "Wait, where is Trixie staying at!?"

Tender Taps was the first to find his pony, he arrived at Starlight's room and knocked, awaiting an answer. "Starlight, open up, it's me Tender Taps!"

Starlight opened the door to see her little brother figure, "Good morning Tender Taps, are you ready for this Festival?"

"No time for that, is Rumble or Flurry Heart here?" Tender Taps asked.

"Huh?" Starlight asked. "No, they're not, why?"

"Flurry wasn't in her bed this morning, and Rumble's not in his room, so we're trying to see if we find either of them," Tender Taps said.

Starlight looked curious but concerned at hearing that, "That's odd, where would they be?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, come on, we need to search the rest of the castle," Tender Taps said.

Starlight nodded in agreement and followed Tender Taps through the castle, hoping to find the two foals.

Twilight rushed to where the Our Town ponies rooms were, calling out their names in urgency. "Double Diamond! Party Favor! Sugar Belle! Night Glider!"

Sugar Belle was the first to respond, opening up her door to see Twilight, "Morning Twilight, you sound excited this morning, happy for the Festival?"

"It's not that, Rumble and Flurry weren't in their rooms and we're getting worried, I don't suppose you've seen either of them?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, well I haven't seen them, I hope one of my friends have," Sugar Belle said.

Within moments, Party Favor, Night Glider and Double Diamond has also come out of their rooms, nopony noticing that Night Glider and Double Diamond came out of the same room.

"What's going on?" Double Diamond asked.

"Rumble and Flurry Heart are missing, have any of you seen them?" Sugar Belle asked.

"No, I haven't seen them," Party Favor said, with Double Diamond and Night Glider agreeing.

"I can double check my room," Night Glider said, trotting to her room.

"I hope they're alright," Double Diamond said. "Where could they be?"

"That's the thing, I really don't know," Twilight said. "We need to hurry and find them, I'm gonna keep searching, Party Favor and Sugar Belle can come with me, Double Diamond, you and Night Glider can go find Spike, he might know."

"Sure thing Princess," Double Diamond said as Twilight and his two friends ran off.

Shining Armor had little luck remembering where Trixie's room was, add to how stressed he was feeling, this just made him more lost and confused.

"Trixie!" Shining Armor shouted. "Trixie, are you around here!?"

"What is it!?" he heard and turned to see Trixie making her way down the hall, rubbing her eyes in the process. "I was having a wonderful dream, my show became a big success across Equestria and-"

"No time! Have you seen my daughter!?" Shining Armor asked.

"Huh? No I haven't, why?" Trixie asked.

"She and Rumble are missing, we were hoping you knew where they might be," Shining Armor said.

"Missing?" Trixie asked in great concern. "I'm sorry, I don't have any ideas where they might be. I'll be more than willing to help you find them."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that, let's go," Shining Armor said with Trixie quickly following.

Elsewhere Cadance continued searching through the halls, having a better idea of where Lightning Dust was staying. "Lightning Dust! Are you awake!?"

"That you Princess Cadance!?" she heard Lightning shouted as the speedy mare came out of her room. "Need something? Did Twilight send you?"

"Yes, I can't find my daughter, and since Rumble was tasked with watching over her I went to see if she was with him, but he's gone as well, I was wondering if either of them was with you," Cadance said.

"Wait, Rumble's missing? And the little Princess?" Lightning asked.

"So I take it that's a 'no'," Cadance said, getting more worried. "I hope the others had better luck than I did."

"I'll search the castle! Shouldn't take too long with my speed, I'll find Rumble and your daughter in an instant!" Lightning said, taking to the air and speeding through the castle.

"I hope you're successful," Cadance said, trotting off again.

A bit later, Double Diamond and Night Glider had reached Spike's room, knocking hard on the door.

"Spike, open up please!" Double Diamond shouted.

Spike opened the door, looking a little annoyed, "What is it!? I was just about to say 'I do'!"

"Sorry, but we need to...wait, what do you mean 'I do'?" Double Diamond asked.

Spike blushed a bit as he turned away, "Nothing."

"And why do you have a doll that kinda looks like Rarity?" Night Glider asked, pointing to a plush Spike was carrying.

Spike looked down at the plush, blushing immensely and quickly throwing it away, "What doll?"

Double Diamond was still curious, before he remembered why they were even there, "Never mind that for now, is Rumble or Flurry Heart here?"

"No, why would they be? I took Flurry to Cadance's room after Rumble took Sweetie Belle home," Spike said.

Night Glider gasped, "Maybe Rumble stayed at Sweetie Belle's house, so that could be where he is."

"But that doesn't answer Flurry, unless he took her to Sweetie Belle's house," Double Diamond said.

"Well she didn't want Rumble to leave, so...wait what's going on?" Spike asked.

"Flurry and Rumble weren't in their rooms this morning, so we're looking for them," Double Diamond explained.

"Wait, what!?" Spike asked. "Does everypony else know?''

"Yeah, Twilight's got everypony searching the castle," Double Diamond said.

"Maybe check Rarity and Sweetie Belle's house too, just to be sure," Spike said.

"I'm on it!" Night Glider said, taking to the air and flying off.

"Let's meet with the others, hopefully they had better luck," Double Diamond said, trotting off with Spike.

Night Glider had reached Rarity's Boutique within moments and knocked on the door. Seconds later it was answered by Rarity, "My Boutique doesn't open for...oh Night Glider, you're here early."

"No time to talk, I don't suppose Rumble's here, or Flurry Heart by any chance," Night Glider said.

"Huh? I don't think so, why would they be here?" Rarity asked.

"Well I know Rumble brought Sweetie Belle home, I'm not sure if he stayed the night," Night Glider said.

"Not to my knowledge, Rumble wouldn't sleep over without letting me know, then again he hasn't slept over here at all, wait what's happening?" Rarity asked.

As Night Glider began to explain, Sweetie Belle was making her way downstairs when she heard what was happening, "Rumble and Flurry Heart are missing, we can't find them."

Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks and immediately got in closer to hear. "Oh my, that's terrible!" Rarity said. "They're not at the castle!?"

"We're still looking, Spike just suggested here since Rumble brought Sweetie Belle home...wait is she home?"

"She should be, I saw her come in last night," Rarity turned around. "Sweetie Belle! Are you-"

"I'm right here," Sweetie Belle said, coming into view and approaching Night Glider. "What happened to Rumble!?"

"We're not sure, we just can't find him," Night Glider explained.

"What!?" Sweetie Belle shouted. "What do you mean you can't find him! He wouldn't have just disappeared!"

"We know that Sweetie Belle, but he's not around, we're looking for him and Flurry," Night Glider said.

Sweetie Belle looked very worried, the idea of her coltfriend missing brought great concern to her. She took a deep breath and tried to stay focused. "How fast can you fly around Ponyville?"

"I'm pretty fast, even if I'm probably not as fast as Rainbow Dash but I'm pretty fast," Night Glider said.

"Search around quickly, if you see Rainbow Dash then ask her to help! Just find Rumble quickly!" Sweetie Belle ordered.

"Uh, sure thing kid," Night Glider said, flying into the air. "Don't worry, we'll find him!"

Night Glider flew off with Sweetie Belle trotting into town.

"Sweetie Belle, where are you going!?" Rarity asked.

"To find my Rumbly! I'm not sitting around and doing nothing!" Sweetie Belle shouted, running into town.

"Sweetie Belle wait up!" Rarity shouted, trotting after her.

Back at the castle, after a lot of searching, everypony met in the map room, looking a little exhausted but very worried.

"Any luck?" Twilight asked.

"No," Starlight said, looking dejected. "We couldn't find them."

"Where could they be?" Trixie asked. "Poor little foals."

"I sent Night Glider to ask Rarity and Sweetie Belle, I don't think Rumble would have taken Flurry out of the castle without letting anypony know but it was better than nothing," Spike said.

"Oh crap, they could be anywhere in Ponyville!" Lightning said, then trotted to the door. "I'll go search for them!"

"Lightning Dust, wait up!" Twilight called, though Lightning had already flown off. "I would have liked to plan out the search but I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

"We should all search around, they could be anywhere," Sugar Belle said.

"Ponyville might not be that big of a town, but it's still gonna take a while to search," Tender Taps said.

"But pretty much everypony in Ponyville know each other, that could be an advantage," Starlight said.

"Shining Armor and I can keep searching the castle, the rest of you go ask the ponies in Ponyville, see what they know!" Cadance shouted.

"Make sure Thunderlane knows too, and Sunburst!" Twilight said.

"Good idea, let's get going!" Starlight said, with all the ponies leaving.

Lightning Dust had already flown into the air, trying to find Rumble from above. Nearby she saw Night Glider doing the same thing, with Rainbow Dash assisting.

"Looks like I'm not the only one, at least with three of us we can-" Lightning Dust noticed something in the corner of her eye, a little gray dot. "Huh? Is that...?" She flew in closer to see that it was indeed Rumble, but he looked terrible. "Oh no..." She quickly turned to the direction of her fellow Pegasus Ponies. "Rainbow Dash! Night Glider! This way!"

The two noticed Lightning Dust and saw her flying down towards the outside of town. There they saw Rumble laying on the ground, looking really beat up.

"Rumble!" Night Glider shouted, flying towards the young colt.

They each landed by him, with Rainbow Dash checking his bruises. "Who did this to you little guy?" She then noticed his wings looking off, though the moment she touched them, he screamed out in pain.

"Rumble!" Lightning shouted in worry, wanting to sooth him but too worried about accidentally aggravating his injuries more.

"Help Rumble onto my back, I gotta take him back to Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, with the other two obliging.

They carefully lifted Rumble up, getting some occasional whimpers or groans of pain from him. It truly upset the three mares to see Rumble like this, and wondered who could be heartless enough to do this to him.

"Don't worry Rumble, we're gonna get you home," Lightning Dust said.

"F-f-flurry..." Rumble said, groaning in pain a bit.

"Oh right, we also gotta find Flurry," Night Glider said.

"I think he knows where she is, but first thing's first, let's bring him back to Twilight," Rainbow Dash said.

The two mares gently placed Rumble on top of Rainbow Dash's back, both making sure he's comfortable.

"Hang in there Rumble," Night Glider said.

Rainbow Dash extended her wings and flew up with the other two following close behind her.

Back in Ponyville, everypony is searching endlessly for Rumble and Flurry Heart. The Elements had been informed of this, as has Thunderlane, Sunburst, Thorax and Ember, all of them doing their part to find the two foals

Twilight stood in the center of town, dreading everything. What was supposed to be a fun occasion turned into complete panic. But she didn't care about The Festival right now, she just wanted to make sure Rumble and Flurry were safe.

Sweetie Belle stood by Twilight, looking just as worried for the safety of the two. "How did this happen Twilight?"

"I don't know Sweetie Belle, I wish I knew," Twilight said.

Sweetie Belle sniffled a bit, wiping her eyes. "I'm so worried, what if something bad happened to them? What if it was a villain?"

"Let's try not to think negatively, we need to believe that everything will turn out alright. Hope and Friendship have helped us before, it will help us again," Twilight said. She saw that Sweetie Belle was still sniffling, tears coming to her eyes. Not wanting her to feel too sad, Twilight brought her in for a gentle hug, gently caressing her mane. "Don't worry, I'm here for you alright? We'll find them, you'll have your sweet little Rumble back, and I'll get my niece back."

Sweetie Belle felt some comfort in Twilight's care, even returning the hug given by The Princess, but it still ached her heart to know the possibility of something bad happening to Rumble.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted, getting Twilight's attention. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash and the other two Pegasus ponies, but noticed a fourth one on Rainbow Dash's back.

"Is that Rumble!?" Twilight shouted in hope.

Sweetie Belle's ears twitched at the sound of Rumble's name. She turned around and saw Rainbow Dash landing with Rumble on her back.

"Rumble!" Sweetie Belle shouted in joy, though it quickly faded when she realized how hurt he looked. "What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure, we found him outside of town," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well I found him, then I told Rainbow Dash and Night Glider," Lightning said.

"Not the point," Rainbow Dash, glaring a bit at Lightning Dust, then turned back to Twilight.

"We need to get him some first aid, he's got a lot of bruises and I think his wings are broken."

"That's terrible! Who would do this!?" Twilight shouted in worry and some hint of anger.

"Tw-twilight?" Rumble said.

"Rumble honey," Twilight said, trotting over to him. "We're gonna get you patched up alright, we'll find whoever did this to you."

"Fl-flurry...captured..." Rumble muttered out.

Twilight suddenly felt her stomach twist in knots, somepony had captured her niece. She hoped that wasn't the situation, but unfortunatley her hope was in vain. "Captured? By who?"

"S-sirens...three sirens..." Rumble said.

"Three Sirens?" Twilight asked, then tapped her chin. "I've heard of Sirens before, they're the ones who captured Flurry?"

Rumble coughed a bit, looking Twilight in the eyes, "She's back too...Chrysalis..."

Everypony felt a wave of worry flow through them. Chrysalis was back, and she has allies. This was not going to turn out well.