ACT THREE
Rumble walked through Ponyville singing a song of how much he resented friendship and preferred being alone, while criticizing the way other ponies were acting friendly with one another.
Friendship,
Who cares about Friendship,
It’s not the kind of thing I want happening to me
Friendship,
I don’t need any Friendship
I don’t want to be like the friendly ponies that I see
I don’t want to have a friendly chat or a talk
I’d rather be alone and go for a walk
I don’t want to share my feelings or my toys or food,
when I can be by myself, in solitude.
Not everything in life is friendship you know,
Even when you’re by yourself everything can still go
I don’t have to look out for anyone, and don’t have to give
And best of all no pony tells ME how to live!
Friendship,
Don’t wanna hear about friendship.
I’d rather be my own pony, I like it and it’s true
Friendship,
Enough about friendship!
I don’t need it, don’t want it! Am I clear to you?
I can play all I want I can draw all I like
Try to be my friend, I’ll tell you “Take a hike”
I can go to the park, and I can train my own way
I don’t need a friend to get through the day
You may think I’m crazy, you may think I’m wrong
But I’ll show them all, that alone I’m real strong
I can still be alive and to many things
I don’t need friendship and the pain it brings.
Oh, Friendship…
I DON’T WANT FRIENDSHIP!!
The song ended, and Rumble had really made other ponies around him feel upset, much to Starlight’s chagrin.
“There’s got to be a reason why Rumble hates friendship so much.”
There was only one pony she could think of with the answer. So she galloped to the training grounds where Thunderlane and a couple of other Wonderbolts were training for an airshow.
They soared through the obstacles so gracefully, and did loops and curves in the air.
Starlight then saw Thunderlane finishing a conversation with two fellow Wonderbolts before they went off to practice some more, and Thunderlane was still on break.
“Thunderlane…!” Starlight called to him.
“Why, Starlight Glimmer. What brings you here?”
They sat down to talk.
“What? Rumble boycott school again?!”
“You just missed him.” said Starlight “He went through town singing how much he hates friendship.”
Thunderlane sighed, “I don’t know what’s come over him. He used to be the sweetest little guy I knew. Why he loved to play with his friends from Cloudsdale.”
Starlight’s ears twitched “Friends? He had friends once?”
“Oh, sure…” replied Thunderlane, and he told her went Rumble was four years old, in kindergarten…
He had two good friends…
Checker Flag, a red Pegasus…
…And Fluffy Cloud, a white Pegasus.
They were the best of friends; completely inseparable. They loved to play and laugh, at school, in the park, even on a rainy day they would play together and share their toys and snacks.
Rumble even made a picture of the three having fun.
But then, Checker Flag had sad news that he would be moving away, as his mother got a new job in the royal palace at Canterlot.
As if that weren’t bad enough, Fluffy Cloud’s father was opening a news restaurant in Las Pegasus, and Fluffy was moving away too.
Rumble was heart-broken.
His friends had gone away. They wrote letters to each other to keep in touch, but Rumble felt it just wasn’t the same as being together.
Then, just as it seemed he was ready to move on and try to make new friends, he and his own family were moving too; to Ponyville.
His folks had new jobs, and Thunderlane was to be a new Wonderbolt in Ponyville, aside from Rainbow Dash, and Rumble felt broken hearted once again.
“…Ever since then, Rumble won’t make friends with any-pony, and he alienates himself from anything that’s even slightly connected to friendship. All he ever does these days is keep to himself, and train to be a Wonderbolt, just like me.
I suppose, I do train a lot, and he’s always admired me, but because I train so much… I don’t really ever have much time for him, and our parents are always too busy at work too.”
Starlight didn’t need to hear anymore. “So that’s it.” she said “Rumble doesn’t hate friendship. He just can’t stand the thought of losing anymore friends, so he doesn’t make any.”
Thunderlane finally realized this as if for the first time. “Poor little guy. We hoped your school could help him, but now I see.”
Starlight agreed Rumble’s behaviour was not healthy. “If only he can recapture how good friendship was to him, maybe he’ll change his mind.”
Thunderland already had just the idea, “I remember how Rumble and his friends first met.”
He whispered into Starlight’s ear, and she actually liked the idea. “I’ve got to tell Twilight this.”
When she told Twilight of the plan, Twilight immediately enlisted the help of her friends, and the Young Six.
“What we doing again?” asked Yona
“Some kind of special assignment I hope?” added Silverstream.
“Indeed it is.” replied Twilight, and she explained everything she had heard from Starlight…
“Rumble apparently met his two friends when they were all caught in an accidental rockslide in Cloudsdale. So we are all going recreate that scene, and maybe it’ll ignite Rumble’s care for Friendship again when he tries to help all of you.”
The students didn’t look so optimistic.
“Um… you want us to recreate an accident involving a rockslide?” asked Gallus “Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?”
Applejack chuckled “Easy there, sport. We won’t actually do a real rockslide, it’s all just faked. Ain’t no one really gonna get hurt.”
Spike poked her in the leg and reminded her, “The last time you pulled a stunt like this we nearly got eaten by a Timber Wolf.”
Applejack was aware of this, so were all the others. “Yeah, there’s not going to be any of that this time.” said Rainbow.
“Most certainly not.” agreed Rarity “Why I can create the finest hollow rocks to make it look as if there were a real rockslide.”
The students started to think the idea was okay, and it would be a good hope for Rumble.
“Okay, every creature…” said Twilight “Operation Rumble Rockslide is on.”
“That’s what you called it?” asked Ocelleus.
Twilight shrugged.