Not too far off from Ponyville, Trixie's Caravan had inched closer, the mare ready to finally be back in the town where her best friend Starlight Glimmer lived.
"There it is, you girls are almost home," Trixie said. "Boy that was quite the journey, bit out of the way, but anything for a friend!"
Inside the Caravan though, Dinky just sat there in annoyance, her plan to go rescue her best friend obviously failed and now she had to come back home in shame. Not to mention that the other ponies may be furious with her for going off by herself.
Flurry attempted to console Dinky with a soft hug, hoping to cheer up her friend, though it barely even got a smile from the filly. Flurry could understand her frustrations though, she too wanted to save Rumble.
"You girls alright in there? I haven't really heard you speak much," Trixie said.
"We're fine," Dinky said. "Just peachy..."
"Um, alright then," Trixie said, getting the hint that Dinky really isn't in the best mood. If there's one thing Trixie knows about her is that she's pretty stubborn, so she likely takes this failed rescue attempt as quite the shameful experience.
"Try not to worry about Rumble too much, if Twilight and Starlight are looking for him with their friends, they're sure to find him," Trixie reassured. She got no answer, talking to foals was tough sometimes, she doesn't know how Twilight and Starlight do it, they make it look easy.
Within the town, Rumble and Sweetie Belle are still relishing in their reunion, the two foals so relieved to see each other. Even after they stopped kissing, they were in a constant state of nuzzling, just wanting to feel each other anyway possible. It's been so long, and the worry of what happened to Rumble just furthered Sweetie Belle's desire to keep him close to her.
Everypony nearby either found this cute to see, like their friends and the older ponies, or just uncomfortable to be around, like most of the Young Six.
"You two done yet?" Gallus asked. "You've been like this for like five minutes."
"I haven't seen my coltfriend in months and after the scare I had I'm relishing this as long as possible!" Sweetie Belle said. "So I'd back off if I were you!"
Gallus looked a little surprised by Sweetie Belle's tone, and certainly did not appreciate the sudden sounds of muffled laughter from his friends.
"This, Gallus, is what's known as Sweetie Belle in marefriend mode," Apple Bloom said.
"She gets super possessive of him and if she wants to make out or just do anything with Rumble, no one can tell her otherwise," Scootaloo said.
"So what? She becomes crazy or something?" Gallus asked, getting a glare from Sweetie Belle.
"Did you just call me 'crazy'!?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning her full attention to the brash griffon, causing him to fly backwards.
"She looks so cute when she's protective," Silverstream said. "Wow, you're such a lucky colt Rumble!"
"Thanks," Rumble said, then realized something. "Hey wait, who are you? Who are any of you?" Rumble noticed Terramar among them. "Well I know you, I saw you back at Mount Aris, wait how and why did you get to Ponyville?"
"We'll go first," Silverstream said. "So hi, I'm Silverstream, I'm also Terramar's older sister from Mount Aris, and I attend Princess Twilight's School of Friendship!"
"Name's Gallus from Griffonstone," Gallus introduced. "I'm also here to attend Princess Twilight's school, got a recommendation from Rainbow Dash's friend Gilda."
"I'm Smolder, I'm here under orders from Dragon Lord Ember to attend this school," Smolder introduced.
"...Ocellus...King Thorax sent me..." Ocellus said, backing away a bit.
"Me Yona! Come from Yakyakistan!" Yona introduced. "Prince Rutherford send me here! Make new friends!"
"Name's Sandbar, grew up here in Ponyville and got the chance to be at Princess Twilight's school," Sandbar introduced.
"So you're the six Sweetie Belle mentioned in her letters," Rumble said. "Well it's nice to see you all as well, soon I'll be totally caught up in everything that's happened while I was gone." He then turned to Terramar, "That just leaves your explanation, is there a reason you came to Ponyvile? Nothing bad happened back home did it?"
"No, nothing happened, not yet at least," Terramar said. "Question, where's Cozy Glow?"
"Oh she went to go see Twilight, I think she's worried about something," Rumble said. "She's been worried this whole trip, but I think Twilight will be able to help her."
"Wait, so she's alone!?" Pinkie asked.
"Yeah, I didn't want to leave her but she was insistant on finding Twilight, and I needed to find Flitter, she's probably worried, and mad," Rumble said, dreading his foalsitter's wrath.
"Flitter's not in town," Derpy said. "She went with Twilight and several other ponies to find you."
"Wait Twilight's not in town?" Rumble asked. "Oh, I better find Cozy then so she's not looking for nothing. So Flitter did come, but she left again?"
"She came by yesterday with Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and Terramar," Fluttershy explained. "Rumble, this situation is more dire than you seem to realize."
"Yeah, ah mean, have you noticed anything odd about Cozy?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well yeah," Rumble said. "She thinks there's a villain out there, that's why she freaked out at the Crystal Empire when she saw those guards, then later again when we accidentally took a train home, she actually bailed from the train because she was worried about a villain getting her, that's why we ended up spending the night at Starlight's old village." Rumble sighed in slight frustration, "I like Cozy, but she could be irritating on occasion."
"Um, Rumble..." Scootaloo began. "Cozy didn't freak out and start bailing because she thought there was a villain, she was bailing because SHE was the villain!"
Rumble looked at Scootaloo like she lost her mind, "Uh...what?"
"Cozy used to go to Twilight's school, then she tried taking over Equestria by knocking Starlight into some strange vortex thing and trapped Twilight, mah sister and their friends in Tartarus," Apple Bloom said.
"She intended to become Princess of Friendship by force and run Twilight's school how she saw fit," Scootaloo added.
"She even locked me, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in a closet!" Sweetie Belle stated.
"That filly was bad," Sandbar concluded.
Rumble started processing everything, taking in what each one of the foals had just said before coming to a conclusion, "Is this some weird joke you all set up or something?"
"Huh? No, it's what really happened!" Sweetie Belle insisted.
"Yeah, Cozy Glow is a diabolical villain who's out to take over Equestria!" Scootaloo said.
"...Pinkie Pie, did you put them up to this?" Rumble asked.
"Rumble they're not joking," Pinkie Pie said. "Cozy Glow isn't the sweet little filly she appears to be."
"She tried turning the entire school against us!" Smolder added.
Rumble still found this hard to believe, "Now I'm starting to think that this is some weird hallucination Discord created, are any of you even here?"
"Rumble we were just making out, lasted a good few minutes too," Sweetie Belle said. "Doesn't that seem real?"
"Come on dude, you can't mean to tell me she didn't at least act suspicious," Sandbar said. "I mean you said it yourself, she kept running whenever the guards showed up, that should have tipped you off."
"I'm sorry, but I can't see it, Cozy Glow's really nice, a little annoying but really nice!" Rumble said. "Look she did tell me that she had a few disagreements with The Crusaders, maybe you're all just exaggerating because you still haven't made up."
"I wouldn't exaggerate something like this Rumble, you know me better than that!" Sweetie Belle reminded.
"No offense Sweetie Belle, but you can hold quite a grudge sometimes, I mean you pretty much hated Flurry Heart just because she had a crush on me," Rumble said.
"I didn't hate her!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "She just annoyed me a bit, point is that Cozy Glow is evil!"
"She's right Rumble," Fluttershy said. "Cozy Glow did all these bad things, I know you thought she was your friend, but she was most likely tricking you, sorry to say but I don't think she had any intention of befriending you."
Rumble looked around the group, trying to see any signs of joking from the group, so far however he could see that everyone was very serious. "But, how can she be evil? She's only a filly, maybe it was a mistake, a misunderstanding!"
"She almost took over Equestria, that is not a misunderstanding Rumble," Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, stop making us repeat ourselves, Cozy Glow is not our friend!" Smolder said.
"She's been working for Tirek," Scootaloo said. "Apparently they're pen pals or something and he helped her plan this."
"Oh, so maybe Tirek's mind controlling her then!" Rumble said.
"Tirek can't do mind control, not to our knowledge that is," Fluttershy said.
"Then maybe he tricked her or something!" Rumble insisted. "Or he's threatening her! Or...or..."
"Why is this so hard for you to accept, you've only known her for like a day!" Scootaloo said.
"Friendships can happen in a day, didn't Twilight make all her friends in a day? Didn't you three form The Cutie Mark Crusaders in a day?" Rumble said. "What about you six, how long did it take for you all to be friends."
"Oh, that's easy, we bonded on our first day of school," Silverstream answered.
"Exactly, friendships can happen in just one day," Rumble said. "As Cozy Glow's friend, I need to make sure everything is lined up."
"Rumble, the fact that ALL of us are telling you she's evil, including Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, should be more than enough evidence that she's evil!" Scootaloo said.
"Ah know this is probably hard to accept, it was hard fer us too, but we can't let you go on thinking she's yer friend when she's really not," Apple Bloom said.
"We're just preventing you from getting hurt," Terramar said. "I mean, maybe you already feel some hurt, but it could have been worse if she flat out betrayed you herself."
Rumble still couldn't fully process this, maybe it's because he became pretty enamored with Cozy Glow, it was just this morning she was laying her head on his chest, looking happy and peaceful. It seemed too genuine, the ride her she also seemed genuine in her emotions. Granted she expressed romantic feelings towards him, and he would never leave Sweetie Belle for another filly, if he could help it, but in spite of that, Cozy having a crush on him was flattering and he knew she could at least be a good friend.
"Look, I know none of you would intentionally fib like this, so I want to believe you're being truthful, but it's just hard to accept, she was so nice," Rumble said.
This of course gained some frustration from the other ponies, but they understood his position, this isn't something so easily believed, you would have to actually have been there to realize just how strange this was.
"Hey, tap dancing pony," Smolder said, getting Tender Taps's attention. "Can you chime something in? You're his friend too aren't you?"
"Uh, right..." Tender Taps said, trying to think of something. "Um, I don't know, this would be easier if Applejack or Twilight were here, especially Applejack, she's The Element of Honesty, I'm sure Rumble would believe her."
"While I think that's a great idea Tendy, the honesty isn't the problem, it's more trying to make him understand," Fluttershy said.
"Though maybe we should at least wait for Twilight, she'll explain this better than us," Pinkie Pie said.
"We can't just sit around and wait for The Princess, Cozy Glow is heading to the School of Friendship!" Gallus said.
"Not like anything's there, those caves were sealed off and The Artifacts are someplace safe," Smolder said.
"It's still a good idea to check," Fluttershy said. "We don't want to take any chances, plus we do have to make up for our previous mishaps."
"Yeah, good point..." Pinkie Pie said, remembering that she and Fluttershy had lost track of Flurry Heart, to which Shining Armor and Cadance decided to find her themselves. She then turned to Derpy. "Keep an eye on the foals."
"Got it," Derpy said, saluting Pinkie Pie.
The two mares quickly made their way to The School of Friendship, leaving Derpy behind with the foals. Rumble of course, maintained doubts, though was slowly starting to consider the possibility.
"So, playing along with this, what exactly happened?" Rumble asked. "Like what's Cozy Glow's story?"
"We'll tell you," Apple Bloom said. "See we met her outside our clubhouse, she said she was new and wanted to make friends in Equestria, so we helped her get into Twilight's school."
"From there she quickly became one of Twilight's favorite students and even her own little helper," Scootaloo added.
"Later it was revealed that she was working for Tirek, right after she trapped Starlight in a vortex and Twilight with her friends in Tartarus, helping Tirek steal all of Equestria's magic from ponies, creatures and items," Sweetie Belle said.
"But thanks to us, we were able to reverse Cozy's spell and save all of Equestria," Gallus boasted.
"Yeah, they saved Starlight, who revealed that Cozy Glow was evil," Apple Bloom said.
"Then Twilight had her sent to Tartarus and things went back to normal afterwards," Scootaloo concluded.
"Um...did you say 'Tartarus'?" Rumble asked. "As in, where all the monsters go? Where Tirek, Chrysalis and The Dazzlings are?"
"Yes, that very same Tartarus," Scootaloo said.
"So, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, the pony who loves foals, who always wants to help others the best she could, who forgave the likes of Discord, Luna, Trixie, Lightning Dust and Starlight, decides to send a filly to Tartarus!?" Rumble asked.
"Here we go again..." Terramar muttered.
"Rumble, you gotta understand, Cozy Glow tried to take over Equestria," Apple Bloom said.
"Trixie tried taking over Ponyville," Rumble said. "Discord tried turning Equestria into some chaos filled dimension, Luna tried making the night last forever, Lightning Dust nearly killed Twilight and her friends because she was too busy showing off, nearly leaving Equestria without it's protectors, Starlight...well did she really do anything that bad? All she did was take away some Cutie Marks, honestly Equestria would be much better without them."
"She messed with the timeline," Apple Bloom added. "Also taking Cutie Marks is too bad! Cutie Marks are important to ponies!"
"Weird how you say that and yet you had a problem with Diamond Tiara having that attitude...wait, Diamond Tiara, another forgiven pony," Rumble said.
"Being a bully isn't the same as NEARLY TAKING OVER EQUESTRIA!" Apple Bloom emphasized.
"Still, sending a filly to Tartarus was just plain silly, Twilight really goofed up on that one, all those villains and she can't even help a child," Rumble said.
"Rumble..." Tender Taps said, getting the colt's attention. To Rumble's surprise, he actually saw a look of irritation on Tender Taps's face, something very rare for the tap dancing foal. "Don't ever disrespect Twilight Sparkle that way, she did what she could, but in the end, it was Princess Celestia's decision to lock Cozy away, not Twilight's."
"Well it doesn't sound like Twilight did much to stop it, I mean she's Celestia's old pupil, I think she could have done something," Rumble said.
"Cozy was a danger to Equestria!" Tender Taps shouted. "Yes Luna did something bad but that was under Nightmare Moon's influence, yes Discord did something bad but he was given a second chance only after getting sealed, which if Cozy were patient, she could have gotten. Trixie and Lightning Dust aren't on that level of bad and Starlight never had the intention to hurt anyone, Cozy didn't care if anyone got hurt, that's the difference! She maybe be a filly but she's still dangerous!"
"As dangerous as Tirek, Chrysalis and The Sirens?" Rumble asked. "Next you'll tell me she'll be as bad as King Sombra."
Tender Taps got in Rumble's face, "I would clam it if I were you Rumble! Twilight did everything she could, and if you keep disrespecting her and her decisions-"
"Whoa, easy there Tendy," Apple Bloom said, trying to ease her friend away from Rumble. "Listen, don't let Rumble get to ya, he hasn't thought straight since he began dating Sweetie Belle, cut him some slack."
"You can't seriously tell me this doesn't upset you either Apple Bloom, he's questioning Twilight's judgement!" Tender Taps said.
"Dude, while I do think Rumble was a bit out of line," Scootaloo said, much to Rumble's confusion. "Twilight can make weird decisions, I mean didn't any of us tell you about that doll incident?"
"If it didn't happen recently, then it's irrelevant," Tender Taps said. "I trust Twilight more than I trust any other pony, and I don't appreciate when other ponies question her good judgement."
"...When did you turn into such a fanboy?" Rumble asked.
"When did you become Cozy Glow's bff!?" Tender Taps asked. "Alright, you knew her for one day, and now you know she's evil, not like the rest of us who knew her for months and turned on us like it was nothing!"
"He's got a point Rumble," Sweetie Belle said. "Cozy betrayed us without a second thought, that's not somepony you should be defending. I mean why would you side with a filly that would do something so terrible to your marefriend?"
"It's not that I want to, I don't condone the idea of her hurting you, but I...I just can't see her as that evil," Rumble said. "I think we really bonded, and she just gave me that vibe that she really cared."
"What vibe?" Sweetie Belle asked, slightly suspicious.
"Hard to explain," Rumble said, reminiscing. "She was just really friendly, she always had a nice smile, silky mane, soft fur, warm hugs... I mean she-"
"Excuse me!?" Sweetie Belle angrily shouted, snapping Rumble out of his thoughts." Silky mane!? Soft fur!? HUGS!?"
Rumble then realized he may have gone too far and now Sweetie Belle has the wrong idea of his relationship to Cozy Glow. "I swear I can explain."
"You better," Sweetie Belle said. "Rumble, you didn't cheat on me with Cozy Glow, did you!?"
"No way!" Rumble insisted. "I would never do that, I mean yeah she came onto me but-"
"SHE CAME ONTO YOU!?" Sweetie Belle shouted. "That little skank! When I get my hooves on her I'm gonna tear her apart!"
"Hey come on, she's not the only filly who has a crush on me," Rumble said, getting an angry glare from Sweetie Belle.
"Don't make excuses for her Rumble!" Sweetie Belle said. "And you better be telling me the truth about not cheating on me!"
"I did not do anything with Cozy, nothing romantic, it was limited to hugs, I'm allowed to hug my friends, even if they are fillies," Rumble said.
"Oh, speaking of friends, here comes one now," Apple Bloom said, gesturing to an oncoming Trixie, Dinky and Flurry.
"It's Trixie, oh and she found the girls!" Derpy called out. "Dinky! Over here!"
"Sounds like your foalsitter's calling you," Trixie said.
"Ugh, she's gonna be so mad," Dinky said.
"Rumble!" Flurry shouted, pointing at the colt.
"Even if I tell her about Rumble she's not going to be any less mad," Dinky said.
"No! Rumble!" Flurry shouted again.
"What about him?" Dinky asked, then noticed Flurry pointing toward the colt.
"Hey Dinky, it's been a while!" Rumble greeted with a wave.
Dinky couldn't believe it, her best friend in the world was finally home, safe and sound. "Rumble!" She made a mad dash over to her friend.
"Oh sh-" Rumble was tackled down as Dinky hugged him incredibly tight.
"Rumble! Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Dinky said, nuzzling her face against his. "I missed you so much, six months was way too long, then you not coming home yesterday, oh that was the last straw for me!"
"Well I'm here, I'm sorry for worrying you Dinky," Rumble said, then felt another pony nuzzle against him, that being Flurry Heart. "Aw, my biggest fan, I was so worried when I couldn't find you at The Crystal Empire. What happened, where did you go?"
"Mean pony!" Flurry said.
"Mean pony? What mean pony?" Rumble asked.
"Ah bet she's talking about Cozy Glow," Apple Bloom said. "Flurry, did Cozy Glow hurt you?"
"Mean pony throw me!" Flurry said.
"She threw you!?" Scootaloo asked. "That's just harsh!"
"Need any more proof she's bad Rumble?" Apple Bloom asked.
Dinky chuckled a bit, "Let me guess, they're trying to convince you Cozy Glow's evil, right Rumble?"
"Yeah, exactly that," Rumble confirmed. "Did you know her at all Dinky?"
"A little," Dinky said. "I didn't interact with her much though, she's just some filly I saw around the school, I also knew that she was Twilight's little assistant."
"Alright then, still, I get they're trying to explain to me how bad she is, but it's just difficult for me to believe," Rumble said.
"I don't blame you, I found it hard to believe myself, and I was there for it," Dinky said. "Wait, where is she anyway? I heard she was with you."
"She went to find Twilight in her School," Rumble answered. "Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie just went to get her, I understand that Twilight isn't in town."
"Yeah, she left last night with her brother, Princess Cadance, the rest of her friends, as well as Flitter, Cloudchaser and your brother," Dinky explained.
"And you tried to join with them," Trixie said, approaching the group. "Fortunately that nice mare found you before you got hurt."
"Yes, you're in quite a bit of trouble young filly," Derpy said, glaring down at the foal.
"I know you're not happy Aunt Derpy, but I had to do it, Rumble needed my help," Dinky said.
"I know you were worried but sneaking out of Ponyville with a toddler Princess was very foolish and irresponsible, you could have gotten hurt, or worse!" Derpy said.
"Wait, you and Flurry went to look for me? On your own?" Rumble asked.
"Well...yeah, we did," Dinky admitted.
"Aw, you're so sweet Dinky, you too Flurry," Rumble said, much to Derpy's annoyance.
"Rumbe, don't condone that!" Derpy ordered.
"Uh, right, sorry," Rumble said, clearing his throat in an attempt to sound serious. "Um, next time, be careful..."
Dinky giggled a bit, "Yes Rumble, we'll be careful next time."
"Hopefully there isn't a next time, but given our luck, I won't be surprised if this continues," Derpy said. "Look for now let's just get you kids somewhere safe, I gotta find Flurry's parents and let them know she's safe, then I gotta talk to Dinky's parents, and I know neither pair will be happy!"
"I'll watch over them, I can bring them over to that Bakery since bringing them to Twilight's castle probably isn't the best idea," Trixie said.
"Good idea, I hope you don't mind watching over them some more," Derpy said.
"It's no trouble, always happy to help, I'm not doing anything at the moment anyway, not until Lightning Dust returns, she also went to look for Rumble, she was so worried when she found out," Trixie said.
"Even Lightning Dust?" Rumble asked. "Wow, so nice of her."
"She may have an offer for you when you two meet again, keep an ear out," Trixie said.
Scootaloo turned to Rumble, "I don't suggest considering it."
"Oh you...silly little filly," Trixie said with a somewhat forced laugh. "Just get moving."
"I'll try to find Starlight as well, she should be somewhere around the village with Spike," Derpy said.
"Oh, I'd greatly appreciate seeing my best friend," Trixie said. "Hurry little ones."
Trixie led the foals to Sugarcube Corner while Derpy flew off, looking to find either Shining Armor or Starlight, or even Sunset Shimmer. Meanwhile she hoped that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were able to find Cozy Glow before the filly did anything bad.
Elsewhere, the trio of Thunderlane, Flitter and Cloudchaser were flying through the skies, the trio on their way back to the rendezvous point.
"I hope one of the others had better luck finding Rumble," Cloudchaser said. "Ugh, where could he be!?"
"Little bro's always been adventurous, but this is a whole new level," Thunderlane said. "Can't believe he got mixed up in danger, again."
"Honestly we haven't had a normal day since Rumble started dating Sweetie Belle," Cloudchaser said. "Good thing he's a tough little guy otherwise he'd probably have been scared off by now."
"At the very least, his skills are improving," Thunderlane said. "He'll be able to work his way out of danger, and I'm sure he could make it back home even on his own."
"Wow, you're handling this really well Thunder," Cloudchaser said, then gestured to a very distraught Flitter. "Much better than some ponies."
"Can you really blame me for being worried?" Flitter asked. "Five seconds, that's all it took! I took my eyes off them for five seconds and now my sweet little Rumble is lost with a filly that's appearently evil!"
"Surprised you didn't know, it's all everypony in town was talking about," Thunderlane said.
"I was busy making plans to go pick up YOUR little brother, I'm surprised you're not more worried about him!" Flitter said.
"Whoa, pump the brakes there, of course I'm worried about my little brother," Thunderlane said. "I just have to be confident that he can take care of himself, this isn't the first time Rumble's been in a tough situation, little guy survived getting captured by Changelings and having his wings broken by a Siren, he's a lot more capable than I give him credit for, I want to believe he'll get through this alright."
"He's only a colt, he shouldn't even be in a situation like this, he should be back home where I can keep an eye on him and keep him safe from harm!" Flitter said.
"Sis, you aren't always going to be able to protect him," Cloudchaser said. "You gotta go with Thunderlane's approach, it's ok to worry but you also need to believe in Rumble."
"I know I should, but deep down, I can't shake the feeling of dread," Flitter said. "He may be tougher and much more confident than he used to be, but to me he's still the same little colt who would come to me for hugs when he's happy to see me, and for nighttime cuddles when he's afraid of something."
"He's growing up too fast for you too huh?" Thunderlane asked.
"He's growing up too fast for all of us," Cloudchaser said. "But it's our responsibility to accept it and prepare him for adulthood."
Flitter sighed in annoyance, "I hate it when you're right."
"Sucks, doesn't it?" Thunderlane asked, then recieved a glare from Cloudchaser. "I'm just messing with ya."
"Uh-huh..." Cloudchaser said, not buying it.
Flitter chuckled slightly, good old goofball Thunderlane, his weird antics does bring a smile to her face. While flying however, they spotted the trio of Sunburst, Sugar Belle and Double Diamond below.
"How can one filly really be that bad though?" Sugar Belle asked. "I mean-"
"Hey! Down there!" Flitter called, causing them to look around in confusion. "We're up here!" They looked up and saw the trio.
"It's Rumble's brother and foalsitters," Double Diamond said, walking over with his friends as the trio of Pegasi landed.
"Hi there, nice to see you all," Sugar Belle greeted.
"Same, we'd love to catch up, but we need to ask you something, pretty urgent," Cloudchaser said.
"Yeah, any chance one of you has seen my little brother and some filly who goes by the name of Cozy Glow?" Thunderlane asked.
"Yeah, we dropped them off on a train," Double Diamond said. "It was a while ago, they're probably close to Ponyville by now."
"Wait, so my brother's safe?" Thunderlane asked, taking a breath of relief. "Good, nothing to worry about then, let's just find Twilight and go back home."
"Um, there is something to worry about," Cloudchaser said. "Remmeber, Cozy Glow?"
"Yeah they didn't know she was evil until after they dropped them off," Sunburst said.
"I'm quite surprised really," Sugar Belle said. "She seemed so nice and sweet, plus she looked so cute with Rumble. They even slept together on the same bed, I think Cozy really liked him. Too bad he already has a marefriend, maybe he could have swept her away from evil."
"That does sound adorable," Flitter admitted.
"What's even more adorable was seeing them all cuddled up together the following morning," Sugar Belle said. "She was using his body as her pillow while he hugged her close, it was absolutely adorable."
"Oh wow, that does sound adorable!" Flitter said with sparkles in her eyes. "Rumble's so sweet, he knows how to treat a filly, he's like the perfect coltfriend to have!"
"Flitter don't condone this," Cloudchaser said. "Rumble's already dating Sweetie Belle, the fact that he had another filly in bed with him, even if it was just innocent cuddling, is still not something to be fawning over."
"Wow, so young and already getting fillies in bed with him," Thunderlane said, smiling proudly for his younger brother. "Way to go, little bro."
"Thunderlane!" Cloudchaser scolded. "Did you not just hear me mention his marefriend! You know, Sweetie Belle!?"
"Well to be fair, they're not married or anything, so it's fair game," Thunderlane said, much to Cloudchaser's annoyance.
"See, this is why it's hard for you to have a steady marefriend, no wonder ponies think you and Rarity are gonna split up soon," Cloudchaser said.
"Whoa, who's saying that!?" Thunderlane asked. "Was it Lyra and Bon Bon!? Are they gossiping again!?"
"Does that matter right now?" Flitter asked. "Point is we gotta get back to Ponyville then. Rumble's probably waiting for me, kind of wish I stayed behind now so I could see him again with my own eyes."
"Hey it sounds like he's fine," Cloudchaser said. "Sugar Belle herself said he slept in her bed last night."
"Yeah, the poor little dears came to Our Town last night, so we fed them and gave them a nice little bed to sleep in," Sugar Belle said.
"I really appreciate you doing that, hope it wasn't too much of a bother," Cloudchaser said.
"Oh no bother, he's a sweet boy and I loved having him over," Sugar Belle said.
"Yeah, we all like Rumble, especially Night Glider," Double Diamond said. "Cozy Glow seemed nice too, even if she is secretly evil...Not too sure about the idea of her having to go to Tartarus."
"I know right!" Flitter said. "I mean Starlight never went there and she probably did much worse!" Flitter said.
"Um...taking Cutie Marks isn't the same as taking magic away from everything right after trapping Twilight and her friends in Tartarus," Sunburst said.
"Oh you're just saying that because she's your friend and it's partially your fault she turned evil," Flitter bluntly stated, much to everypony's surprise.
"Alright, now that this has gotten awkward, let's say we just move this along," Cloudchaser said. "Since Rumble's back home, or on his way at least, we should try to rally the others and get back to Ponyville."
"We already told Twilight this as well, I think she said she wants us to meet her at some rendezvous point," Sugar Belle said.
"We don't know where that is though," Sunburst added.
"We do, follow us," Thunderlane said, leading the other trio with him back to the meeting place for all of Rainbow Dash's search group.
Back in Ponyvlle, Cozy Glow had finally reached The School of Friendship. Her main goal was The Tree of Harmony but she likely wouldn't be able to find it on her own, and she didn't want to take too long to find it. She simply hoped to just find a map to the tree in Twilight's office, assuming she probably had one.
The school was pretty empty, aside from some faculty ponies still working, so she had to sneak around. Fortunately she knew the school well, having briefly been Head Mare and spending months studying it's layout, knowing all the secret paths and the entire ventilation system.
The filly had snuck around the school, staying out of the sight of anypony in her vicinity. She finally arrived in the Head Mare's office, which was thankfully empty. She was somewhat surprised, usually Twilight's in here working, she was likely on break or something, or perhaps this had to do with Rumble finally coming home. She didn't care, she's just glad to have less of an obstacle in her way.
She searched through Twilight's desk, trying to find anything important. All she found were some school documents, that she seemed interested in searching but knew this wasn't the time to look. She found a few tests that Twilight had recently graded, all of them being passing grades. She also saw some letters Twilight had received from Princess Celestia, which she scanned through a couple quickly, one specifically mentioning the details of her imprisonment in Tartarus, to which the filly rolled her eyes at.
"Oh wowie, throwing a kid in Tartarus, really something to boast about," Cozy searched again, this time finding pictures, some of Twilight's parents Twilight Velvet and Nightlight, some of Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart, some with Twilight's friends, some with The Cutie Mark Crusaders, some with Rumble and Dinky, a couple others of ponies Cozy didn't recognize that well, including a mare with glasses that looked similar to Twilight, and some freckled boy with a blond mane.
One she found particularly interesting was one of Tender Taps, with a heart drawn around him. Cozy wasn't sure what to make of this, she knows this colt, she's seen him around, usually tap dancing around Ponyville, and Twilight has spoken quite fondly of him. Perhaps this is a colt she truly cares about.
"I'll be sure to make a note of this," Cozy said, placing the picture back. She continued rummaging until she heard some familiar voices.
"Where could she be?" That was Fluttershy. "Think she got past everypony?"
"Probaby, she's really sneaky like," And there was Pinkie Pie. "But we'll nab her, then we'll make her talk!"
"Even if it's those two, I can't take any chances, I gotta get moving," Cozy said. Just as she began leaving she heard another voice, one very familiar.
"Wow this place is big and fancy!" She heard Sonata say.
"Of course it's big and fancy, it belongs to the Princess of Friendship," Cozy wasn't too familiar with Sunset Shimmer's voice though. "Just keep an eye out for Cozy Glow."
"Sure thing Sunset Shimmer," Sonata said, then starting humming to herself, much to Sunset's annoyance.
"Well at least Sonata's here," Cozy said, peeking from out the door. She saw both Sonata and Sunset trotting by, keeping a close eye out for her location. She quickly closed it slightly the moment she thought Sunset was gonna spot her, fortunately everything went well and her secret remained unexposed. However she did need to talk to Sonata quickly, but if she called out to her then Sunset would get suspicious. Fortunately she had another idea. Grabbing her necklace, she started speaking into it, "Sonata...hey, Sonata."
As Sonata was walking, she began to hear Cozy's voice, "Huh?" She looked around a moment, which did get Sunset's attention.
"What's wrong?" Sunset asked.
Sonata still heard her name being called, then realized it was Cozy trying to communicate with her. Turning her head away from Sunset's direction, she whispered into the communicator. "Cozy Glow? Where are you?"
"Nearby in Twilight's office, you just passed by," Cozy said, opening the door slightly to get Sonata's attention.
Sonata glanced quickly over to Sunset before quietly trotting toward where Cozy Glow was, then slipped inside the room to speak with the young filly. "Back in the school huh? Guess you missed this place."
"In a way, yes, I had power here," Cozy Glow said. "But what I really came here for was to find a map or anything leading to the Tree of Harmony, I don't really remember to well where it is."
"Oh, yeah that might be tough, I don't think anypony really knew where it was unless they were really important," Sonata said.
"Well that's not going to help us...hey wait, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are here, and that pony you were with, isn't she important?" Cozy asked.
"Sunset Shimmer?" Sonata asked. "Yeah she's important, I think."
"She can help us then!" Cozy said. "If you can get them to lead you to where the tree is, I can just follow in secret!"
"Oh, good idea," Sonata said. "Alright, we'll-"
"Sonata!" They heard Sunset shout. Cozy quickly hid back in the room while Sonata nervously began humming a familiar tune, something Sunset immediately found suspicous. "What are you up to ?"
"Me? What makes you think I'm up to something?" Sonata asked, nervously smiling.
Sunset narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Out of my way." She moved Sonata out of the way and opened the door behind her, stepping into Twilight's office. She scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary. Fortunately for Cozy, she had flown up at the last second, staying close to the ceiling.
She constantly maneuvered around every time Sunset turned her head, not wanting to risk even being seen in the corner of her eye. Sonata became nervous for Cozy as well, so she quickly stepped in to derail Sunset's path. "So, I've been thinking..."
"Didn't realize you were capable of that," Sunset said, upsetting Sonata.
"I'm not dumb you know," Sonata said. "Just because I don't think much doesn't make me an idiot."
"There's a lot wrong with that sentence, but it's not really my problem," Sunset said.
"Wow, you're really rude, you would have made a lousy Princess of Friendship, at least Twilight's friendly," Sonata said, even Cozy felt that one.
Sunset narrowed her eyes at the Siren, "I suggest you watch your tone with me, you still haven't fully earned my trust!"
"Because you keep shutting yourself away, what are you afraid of getting hurt!?" Sonata asked. "Or do you just feel out of place since you spend so much time exploring other dimensions you barely know this one!"
"Hey, at least that gave me knowledge about creatures like you," Sunset said.
"You may know what I am, but you don't know me," Sonata said, leaning in while trying to intimidate Sunset with a glare. "So don't act like you know all Shimmer!"
The two continued to glare at each other, creating a lot of tension that made Cozy feel quite uncomfortable. She needed to leave before she got caught, somehow things might be a hundred times worse of Sunset spotted her, and quite frankly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be around Sonata either.
"Sunset! Sonata!" Fluttershy was heard calling for. She and Pinkie Pie had arrived at Twilight's office, spotting the two. "Oh there you...uh, why do you two look so mad?"
"I had an idea and she wouldn't let me say it," Sonata said.
"I never said that, I just said I'm surprised you were capable of thought," Sunset replied.
"Now Sunset Shimmer, that's rude, you'll hurt Sonata's feelings," Fluttershy said, give the Siren a side hug.
"She's a siren, she thrives off stuff like that, quite frankly I'm surprised she didn't try manipulating or absorbing my negative emotions," Sunset said.
"You wouldn't be worth it anyway," Sonata said. "Besides, I'm at least trying to work with you, all you had to do was just listen to my suggestion."
"We'll listen," Fluttershy said. "Tell us what was on your mind."
"Aw, you really are the Element of Kindness," Sonata said, getting a slight blush from Fluttershy. "Here's the thing, Cozy is really after the Tree of Harmony, if she's not here then she's probably heading towards the tree right now."
"Alright then, you and I will go to the tree then," Sunset said. "Pinkie, Fluttershy, you two continue searching the school, just in case she's still here somewhere, or she attempts to come here."
"Wait why do I have to go with you?" Sonata asked. "Why can't I stay with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?"
"Because I don't trust you around Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie!" Sunset said. "And I certainly don't trust you to be in Twilight's school."
"Aren't you being a bit too hard on her," Fluttershy said. "It'll be hard to make friends with her if we don't learn to trust her."
"She has to earn that trust first," Sunset said. "I know what Sirens can do, I'm not taking any chances."
"Hey I've heard that you yourself did some pretty bad things, like turning into a demon!" Sonata said. "What makes you so much better than me!?"
"Hey I've made up for my mistakes, until you make up for yours, I am not trusting you near anything important!" Sunset said. "Now, we're going to the tree and capturing that little troublemaker!"
Sonata rolled her eyes in annoyance, then felt Fluttershy gently stroking her mane, "Don't worry, soon you'll feel right at home."
"Yeah, lots of former baddies went through this, honestly sometimes Dashie still doesn't trust Discord," Pinkie said.
"Sometimes I'm still afraid of Luna turning into Nightmare Moon again," Fluttershy said.
"But after all this is over, I'll throw you a party, so you can make tons of new friends!" Pinkie said, throwing up some confetti for emphasis.
"Aw, thanks, you girls are really nice," Sonata said, feeling some guilt as she said that, knowing she will have to betray them.
"You heard Pinkie, after this is over, meaning we still got work to do before you start mingling with other ponies," Sunset said, walking out the room. "To the tree!"
Sonata groaned and followed Sunset out with Fluttershy and Pinkie going in their own direction. Cozy peeked her head out once more and when the coast was clear, she left the room, ready to follow Sunset and Sonata to the tree.
Back in Sugarcube Corner, Rumble is telling stories to the Young Six about some of his daring adventures with both Dinky right by his side and Flurry sitting on his lap.
"So I braved the dangers of the Everfree Forest in my pursuit of Flurry Heart, I knew it was dangerous, but a Knight always protects his Princess," Rumble said, recalling the events of the night prior to Twilight's planned Festival.
"Wow, you're so brave, did you ever find Flurry!?" Silverstream asked, getting a confused reaction from Gallus.
"Uh, she's right there," Gallus pointed out.
"Hey! No spoiling the story!" Silverstream said, getting a shrug from the Griffon, not like he cared anyway.
"Well to answer your question Silverstream, I did, she was in the clutches of...The Dazzlings!" Rumble said.
"Ah! Not the Dazzlings!" Silverstream shouted, quickly ducking under the table before realizing something. "Wait, who are The Dazzlings?"
"A group of Sirens led by their vicious leader, Adagio Dazzle!" Rumble said. "Boy was she scary, mean and vicsious too. Her friends...not so much."
"Sonata!" Flurry said.
"Yeah, like one Siren called 'Sonata Dusk', she seems nice, probaby just a lacky that does whatever Adagio says," Rumble said.
"We know her, Princess Twilight got her on our side," Silverstream said.
"Wow really? That's great, hope I get to see her soon, she did seem kind of nice," Rumble said. "But Adagio, I'm telling you she was scary as heck!" He then leaned in to speak low, keeping Flurry's ears covered. "Really bitchy attitude too."
"Dang Rumble..." Dinky said, smirking a bit. "Not wrong about her though."
"Yeah," Rumble said, laying back and uncovering Flurry's ears. "But afterwards..."
As Rumble continued talking, Sweetie Belle sat with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, looking slightly depressed, much to the surprise of her friends.
"You know, I'd thought you would be happier now that Rumble's back," Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, it was all you wanted for months," Scootaloo said. "Shouldn't you be right up there with Dinky and Flurry?"
"What's wrong Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked, very concerned.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Scootaloo asked, getting curious.
"I don't know..." Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, I'm happy that Rumble's back but..."
"Is it because of what he said about Cozy Glow?" Apple Bloom said. "Do you really think he cheated on ya?"
"Honestly, I don't," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, I'd like to think he really wouldn't, the way he kissed me when he came back, kind of shows that he really did miss me and wanted me all along but...The way he talked about Cozy, it's like he really liked her too. He spent a whole day with her yesterday, they even spent the night together. Rumble may not ever cheat on me, but he might just lose interest and find another marefriend. I mean, what if he's tired of only being with me?"
"Come on, why would he be tired of you? He really likes ya after all," Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, you two have been together for more than a year," Scootaloo said. "He's had plenty of opportunities to find another marefriend. He could have gone with Diamond Tiara, with Silver Spoon, with Babs, with that really shy yet freakishly strong filly, or even Kettle Corn."
"Guess you're right, maybe I'm just worrying too much," Sweetie Belle said.
"I'm I'm being honest, ah really don't think Rumble would ever two-time you or break up with you, ah mean, you both love each other, don't ya?" Apple Bloom said.
"Even so, honestly I just feel guilty even asking Rumble if he did make a move on Cozy when..." Sweetie Belle hesitated a moment, "If I tell you girls, do you promise to keep it a secret?"
"Of course, you know we wouldn't do anything like that to yah," Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, we're with ya through better and worse," Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, you're right," Sweetie Belle said, feeling more confident. "Alright, see this morning...I might have accidentally...kissed Tender Taps."
"Wait really!?" Apple Bloom asked.
"No way, you and Tender Taps?" Scootaloo asked.
"It was an accident," Sweetie Belle, eyeing the colt as he was playing with Pound and Pumpkin nearby. "We fell asleep on a couch together, then I started dreaming about kissing Rumble, only to realize I was actually kissing Tender Taps."
"Why were you on a couch together?" Apple Bloom asked.
"He came over last night to comfort me because I was worried about Rumble, then we fell asleep together and next thing I knew, we were kissing," Sweetie Belle said.
"How did he react?" Scootaloo asked.
"He freaked out, he probably didn't realize it at first, for all I know he might have thought for a moment that it was Twilight kissing him," Sweetie Belle said.
"So you kissed Tender Taps huh?" Apple Bloom asked. "So that makes all three of us that have kissed him, wonder how he'd rank us?"
"When did you kiss him?" Scootaloo asked.
"Duh, during the three months we were dating," Apple Bloom said.
Flashback to Sweet Apple Acres
"Really had fun with ya Tendy," Apple Bloom said, going into her house.
"Same here," Tender Taps said. "Let's make plans for tomorrow, we can row a boat together."
"I'd like that," Apple Bloom said, then leaned in for a kiss, the two foals locked together in passion for a few moments. Upon pulling away, Apple Bloom started going back inside. "See ya handsome."
"Yeah, see ya," Tender Taps nervously said as Apple Bloom closed her door behind her.
End Flashback, return to Sugarcube Corner
"Thinking about it, he felt awkward each time we kissed," Apple Bloom realized. "Did he not like mah kisses!?"
"Well he seems to have gotten awkward with all of us, me because mine was so sudden, and then Sweetie Belle because she has a coltfriend," Scootaloo said. "Not sure about you, maybe he just doesn't see you as a marefriend, maybe he'd rather be just a friend to us."
"Still doesn't change the fact that I did kiss him though, so I was the one who cheated in the end," Sweetie Belle said.
"That was an accident though," Apple Bloom said.
"But I accused Rumble! You know how bad that makes me look!?" Sweetie Belle said.
"You just overreacted, I'm sure he'd perfectly understand," Apple Bloom said.
"You were understanding when I kissed him, and I'm sure he appreciated that," Scootaloo said, much to Sweetie Belle's annoyance.
"Gee thanks," Sweetie Belle said, sighing in annoyance. "I'll just find a way to apologize to Rumble, and let him know I mean it."
"Ah doubt you'll have to do much, just be yerself, he still loves yah after all," Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, I'm sure he does," Sweetie Belle said, holding on to some hope of truth.
During this, Button Mash had walked into the Bakery, flowers in hoof before realizing that Rumble was there.
"Hey Button Mash!" Rumble greeted. "Been a while!"
"Dang it!" Button Mash said, angrily throwing his flowers to the floor and stomping off.
"...Well that was random," Silverstream said.
Back in the Everfree Forest, Sunset marched on through, blasting away anything potentially dangerous to herself or Sonata, mostly Timberwolves.
"When I get my hooves on this filly, all the trouble she's putting us through I swear..." Sunset angrily muttered.
"You need to relax more, it's not good for your mental health if you're angry all the time," Sonata said.
"I'm not angry all the time, I'm just not in the best mood right now!" Sunset said. "Look just hurry up so I can get this over with."
"Wow, bossy much?" Sonata muttered, following after Sunset. While she may have some lingering guilt about betraying most of the ponies, she certainly wouldn't mind sticking it to Sunset Shimmer.
The two finally arrived at The Tree of Harmony, Sunset looking up at it to make sure it was still in one piece and all the Elements were there.
"Hm, looks like Cozy hasn't been here yet, all the Element Shards are still present on the tree," Sunset said, then began to admire it. "Gotta admit, it looks kind of pretty. To think this is essentially giving life to all of Equestria, or at least all of Ponyville."
"Yeah, it is a really nice tree," Sonata said. "Um, is it fragile?"
"Fragile? How?" Sunset asked.
"Like could it easily be destroyed or something?" Sonata asked. "Or even have those element things removed?
"Well, theoretically they can be removed, it's just kind of hard," Sunset said. "The tree does have some magic protecting it but if you're quick enough, you might be able to take them off, which is why we can't let Cozy Glow find this place."
"Too late!" Cozy said, getting Sunset's attention. "Hello, I'm Cozy Glow, nice to meet you!"
"You!" Sunset aimed her beam and fired at Cozy Glow, narrowly missing her.
"Gee wilikers! Is that how you properly introduce yourself to somepony!?" Cozy Glow asked.
"I recognize you, I remember seeing Luna placing you in a cage and hauling you off to Tartarus," Sunset said.
"Really? Golly, I certainly don't remember you," Cozy said, then dodged another attack. "Hey! You're really mean! Is this how you treat foals? Wowie, no wonder Twilight's Princess of Friendship, she would never do this to a foal!"
"Save it, you're a villain, so I'll treat you like one!" Sunset began shooting more blasts, Cozy flying around dodging ,though stealthily leading her to the tree where Sunset Accidentally Blasted off the Element of Magic. "Ah! The Element of Magic!"
Cozy flew down to grab it, the shard taking the form of a crown as Cozy placed it on her head. "Hahaha! Now I'm The Princess of Friendship! Soon all of Equestria will bow before me!"
"Hey, that belongs to Twilight Sparkle! You don't deserve that crown!" Sunset shouted, ready to blast Cozy again, then felt a whack to the back of her head, knocking her to the ground.
"Wow, nice shot Sonata," Cozy said.
"Thanks, been wanting to do that for a while," Sonata said.
Sunset slowly started to stand, glaring hard at Sonata, "You traitor, I knew you would-"
Sonata then screeched loudly, blasting Sunset to the tree, hitting it hard and causing the other elements to start loosely jiggling. "Not like you expected any differently."
Cozy flew to the nearby forest, returning with a vine. "This looks like the vine Rumble used to tie my tail with his, maybe it can keep her restrained for the moment while we grab the other Elements."
The two wasted no time tying up the mare and leaving her aside as they focused their attention back to the tree.
"Sonata, be a dear and try knocking the Elements down again," Cozy said.
"Sure thing," Sonata said, charging up her screech some more and blasting at full volume, getting the shards looser and looser as Cozy maniacally laughed.
"The power...is MINE!" Cozy shouted, laughing some more as her plan was finally coming to fruition. The shockwaves were affecting the tree negatively as light began to emanate and flash to the sky.
This started getting the attention of the ponies in Ponyville, especially Rumble, who had seen it from out the window. "What's...what's happening!?"
"Oh no," Trixie said, rushing to the window. "Cozy must be enacting her plan!"
"She's must be doing something to the Tree of Harmony!" Smolder said.
As everyone panicked a bit, Rumble himself felt conflicted. He really couldn't believe that Cozy would do something like this. She really couldn't be that bad. But with the stories he was told and the timing of this happening now, he had to wonder if Cozy was really the friend he thought she was.
Rumble could already feel his heart getting fragile, if this is true, well he doesn't really want to accept the idea of it.
This attack on the Tree of Harmony could be felt even by the wielders of the Elements, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie cringing in the School, Rarity and Applejack cringing on their way back to the rendezvous point, Rainbow Dash also cringing on her way back, as noticed by Lightning Dust.
Even Twilight felt it as she floated above the rock, where Thunderlane and his group had finally arrived.
"Come on...why is everpony so late? Ponyville's in danger!" Twilight said, her sense of dread beginning to overtake her mind.
Cozy was nearly victorious, and soon no pony would be able to stop her, not unless The Elements acted fast.