//------------------------------//
// Barricades to Love 
// Story: Sweet Affection 5: The Quest to True Love 
// by Masterob 
//------------------------------//

Rumble remembers the day King Sombra returned, once again seeking Vengeance against Twilight and her friends. Shortly after the intervention meeting for Cozy Glow, word of King Sombra's return began to rise.

King Sombra had returned to The Crystal Empire, seeking to take back his throne, but he was thwarted by Twilight and her friends, at least for the moment. Later Sombra did the unthinkable when he destroyed the Tree of Harmony, and though he was defeated later on, the impact he left was stunning to the ponies of Equestria, especially the Mane 6.

Rumble didn't remember much of what happened, as he along with many of the residents of Ponyville were place under a mind control spell and forced to attack Canterlot. After snapping out of it, the first thing he wanted to do was check on his friends, starting with Cozy Glow.

What he didn't know at the time was that Cozy Glow was never placed under a hypnotic spell, rather she had been teleported to a cave where Chrysalis, Tirek and The Dazzlings have also gone, where they met with an old enemy of Equestria, that being Grogar.

"Looks like King Sombra failed," Grogar said, turning to the other villains. "Now do you see the importance of teamwork?"

"Hey we all know about teamwork, not our fault Sombra decided to act on his own," Adagio said. "He's never been much of a team player."

"I know of you Sirens and your prior team up with the former Queen of Changelings, Grogar said. "I do hope that with Tirek and Cozy Glow by your side, you'll have much better luck."

"We will," Chrysalis reassured. "That's if a certain two fillies are up to it."

Everyone looked to Sonata and Cozy Glow, knowing both have been very chummy with the ponies of Ponyville.

"I....I really can't say that I want to hurt anypony," Sonata said. "But, I can never side against Adagio or Aria. Just please, don't hurt anypony if you don't have to."

"Why care for them?" Grogar asked. "Do they care for you? Do they trust you? Sunset Shimmer still treats you like a monster, does that not irk you?"

"Of course it does, but I can't fault the ponies for that," Sonata said.

"So naive, but for now, we'll try to do things your way, no promises though," Grogar said, then turned to Cozy Glow. "What about you?"

"Um, any chance I can become a Princess?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Of course, I have the magic necessary, but I will need your help finding it," Grogar said.

"Cozy Glow, think about your friends, what about Flitter? And Rumble?" Sonata asked. "Plus you made friends in Ponyville, didn't you?"

"Right...I'm gonna have to make sure none of them get hurt either," Cozy Glow said. "Rumble is gonna be my future husband, and we both want Flurry Heart to be safe, so yeah, those would be my terms."

"Think about that Sonata, with Cadance and Shining Armor out of the way, you can have Flurry Heart all to yourself," Adagio said. "Just as you always wanted."

"I have some tasks for all of you soon, for now I must calculate some plans," Grogar said. "Cozy Glow, I shall return you home, to reduce any suspicion, but if I need you, I will contact you."

"Might be hard, considering I have to stay near Flitter," Cozy Glow explained.

"Maybe we can help, just tell us all we need to know," Adagio said.

Later on Cozy Glow was teleported to Flitter's house, right in her room where she last was before being mysteriously summoned by Grogar. She knew of Sombra's return prior to his invasion, but of course kept quiet about it, though she found his invasion attempt rather foolish. Instead of working with the other villains, Sombra went off trying things on his own. Cozy Glow won't be that foolish, she'll worry about betraying the others after she becomes the Princess she desires to be.

She stepped out of her room, looking around for her guardian. "Flitter!?" She searched through the whole house. "Hm...she probably hasn't come back yet. Really hope she's alright, then again I don't think Sombra hurt anyone, and I should hope Twilight and her friends wouldn't stoop that low to attacking a mind controlled pony. Then again they are a bunch of bullies usually, so I wouldn't be that surprised."

She looked out the window to see a lot of the ponies returning home, many relieved to be done with that ordeal. She spotted the Cutie Mark Crusaders in particular, they were being joined by their sisters, and Rainbow Dash.

Tender Taps wasn't far behind, he even seemed to be traveling very close to Sweetie Belle. This wasn't surprising to Cozy Glow, she heard that the two were dating, something Dinky confirmed to her very recently in private. This didn't bother Cozy honestly, if anything it was great, if Sweetie Belle moved on, that's one less obstacle and Rumble can be all hers for good.

It wasn't long before she eventually did spot Flitter, the mare seemed to be rushing back to her home. She quickly opened the door, scanning the area, "Cozy Glow!? Are you in here!?"

"Right here Flitter!" Cozy Glow called, Flitter immediately turning her attention to the filly.

"Cozy Glow!" She rushed over, hugging the filly tightly, "Thank goodness you're safe! I was so worried about you!"

"So was I," Cozy Glow said, trying to ease away. "Flitter, you're hurting my wings."

"Oh, sorry dear," Flitter said, letting go. "Well at least you're safe, how long have you been home?"

"Uh, I just got here," Cozy Glow said. "Yeah, I knew that I had to go straight home after all this was over."

"Such a good girl, I can't wait to tell Twilight how responsible you were to do that," Flitter said. "Well why don't I make us some dinner and we can move on from this."

"I like the sounds of that," Cozy Glow said. "Uh, may I make a-" Suddenly there was knocking on their door.

"Huh, who could that be?" Flitter wondered as she made her way to the front door. She answered it to a pleasent surprise, "Rumble! You're safe too!" Flitter pulled the colt into a hug, "What a crazy day huh?"

"Yeah, I'm happy you're safe as well," Rumble said. "How's Cozy Glow, is she safe too?"

"Yeah, she's inside," Flitter said, gesturing to the filly.

"Cozy Glow!" Rumble left Flitter's embrace and rushed over to hug the cutesy filly, "I'm glad you're alright!"

"Aw, you came to check up on me, I knew you liked me best of all Rumble," Cozy Glow said, returning his hug.

"Well you need the attention the most," Rumble said, then stroked her mane. "Plus part of me was worried Sombra would turn you evil again."

"Pfft, like I was ever evil in the first place," Cozy Glow said.

Rumble glared a moment at the cutesy filly, then started chuckling, "You're such a brat sometimes Cozy Glow." He leaned in to kiss her, "But I've actually started liking that part of your personality, it's cute."

"Oh, I'm cute huh?" Cozy Glow asked, then leaned in to return Rumble's kiss.

Flitter started to feel a bit weird being around this, "Uh, I'll leave you two some privacy, Cozy did you have anything you wanted for dinner?"

"Pasta, I love the way you make it," Cozy Glow said.

"Coming right up," Flitter said, quickly making her way to the kitchen.

Rumble almost pitied his foalsitter, "I can tell Flitter is a bit weirded out by us kissing."

"Huh? Why would she be?" Cozy Glow asked.

"For starters, us kissing did cause a lot of trouble for us and my friends," Rumble said. "Plus Flitter takes care of both of us, like a mother, or a big sister, so seeing us kiss might be as weird as seeing a brother and sister kiss."

"Wow, that is a bit awkward," Cozy Glow admitted, then nuzzled Rumble. "Good thing we're not related."

"Yeah, good thing," Rumble said, then locked himself in another kiss with Cozy Glow, the filly immediately hugging him close, feeling the action returned.

Seconds after their kiss, Rumble had pulled back, feeling a sense of shame, "Cozy Glow...I really do like you, but I don't know if we should keep doing this."

"Uh, what do you mean we can't keep doing this?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Truth be told, I'm afraid of hurting you," Rumble said. "I mean, yeah you're cute and I would totally date you, but I think I also like some of the other fillies we've been hanging out with. I'm afraid of settling down with only you unless I know for sure I can only be with you."

Cozy Glow felt pretty annoyed that Rumble still wasn't falling in love with her, but she kept her cool, mainly since Rumble admits to not wanting to hurt her. Smart boy, if she hurt him that way, she would have totally made him regret it. Plus it shows he cares, and if he just needs to realize he likes her more than the other fillies, then she'll totally understand.

"Well how do you want to figure this out?" Cozy Glow asked.

"I just need to spend a little more time with the other girls," Rumble said. "Once I'm confident my attraction to them is just physical and a one time thing, I'll come back to you."

Cozy Glow thought this over, she could just deny this request but she's afraid it might scare him off. But if she allows it, she runs the risk of him falling in love with one of the other girls. She needed more info. "Which girls are you interested in?"

"Well for starters, there's Scootaloo," Rumble began. "Then Diamond Tiara, I might try dating Toola Roola again, and I want to give Babs a chance."

"Just them?" Cozy Glow asked. "So no Dinky? Or Flurry Heart? Or Apple Bloom?"

"Dinky's just a friend, even if we have been making out lately," Rumble said. "Flurry Heart's too young for me and Apple Bloom might be awkward since her family caught us kissing the other day. The only other filly was Kettle Corn, but I can't see us working out."

"Hm, alright then," Cozy Glow said. "Why don't you go have your fun with those girls, and come back to me when you're done. I'll give you a week to decide who you want to be with."

"A week?" Rumble asked. "Uh, what if I need more time than that?"

"Be happy I'm giving you time at all," Cozy Glow warned. "You have until a week from now to decide, and you better pick right Rumble! I mean honestly, I don't even think you need that long. Diamond Tiara's just a pretty face, Toola Roola isn't compatible, Scootaloo already had several chances and Babs...do you really want a girl who lives so far away?"

"Uh...I guess, I don't know," Rumble said.

"A week, you have until then," Cozy Glow said. "That's all you're limited to as well. See how nice I'm being Rumble? I bet Sweetie Belle wouldn't have done this for you."

"Well Sweetie Belle didn't initially like me," Rumble said.

"Even more reason I'm better, because I liked you right away," Cozy Glow pointed out. She stroked his mane a bit, "No other girl is going to love you like I love you, you've made me very happy Rumble, up until now my favorite thing was being sneaky, manipulative and thinking of ways to destroy my enemies, now my favorite thing and main source of happiness is you Rumble."

"I know, and I do want to return your love, I just need to erase all my doubts so we can have a nice, healthy relationship," Rumble said.

"That does sound nice," Cozy Glow said. "Alright, your week starts now."

"Uh, can it start in an hour, I do want to spend some time with you," Rumble said.

"I won't say no to that," Cozy Glow said, a cunning grin on her face. Any time she had to further insert herself as Rumble's true love is time she'll gladly take.

A bit later, off at the Cutie Mark Treehouse, the Crusaders and Tender Taps were taking a moment to relax and calm themselves from this ordeal. Being mind controlled into attacking Canterlot was definitely something they had never thought they would have to go through.

"So does anypony even have any memories of this morning?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Barely," Scootaloo said, rubbing her head. "How did King Sombra come back again? This is like the third time he came back from the dead pretty much."

"Hopefully he doesn't come back again, that guy gives me the creeps," Tender Taps said, shaking off the memory of the evil king. "I'm just glad we're all ok."

"Yeah, far as I can tell, everypony who was mind controlled was cured," Sweetie Belle said. "Nopony got hurt either, except maybe some guards but I don't think it's anything bad."

"Well let's just be thankful Twilight and her friends put a stop to King Sombra before things got too bad," Tender Taps said.

"Huh, that's the first time I've heard you mention Twilight in a while," Apple Bloom said.

"Well yeah, she's the one who stopped Sombra," Tender Taps said. "Along with your sister, Sweetie Belle's sister and the rest of their friends."

"Yeah, you're right," Sweetie Belle said. "We're all grateful for what The Elements of Harmony do, it's amazing to know my sister is among those who have saved Equestria."

"Meanwhile our biggest chance to save Equestria was easily thwarted when Cozy Glow trapped us in a closet," Scootaloo said.

"Well Sweetie Belle did stop Cozy Glow last time," Tender Taps said. "So that counts for something."

"Right, zapped her right in the back," Sweetie Belle said, remembering the day she saw the filly kiss her former coltfriend.

"Speaking of Cozy Glow, she's been around almost two weeks now, and so far she hasn't really caused much trouble," Apple Bloom said. "So maybe she'll be able to stay in Ponyville and we can be friends again."

"I can see her at least staying in Ponyville," Scootaloo said. "As for her being friends though, that might take some time."

"It's possible, ah think she wants to be our friend, she's just not good when it comes to Friendship," Apple Bloom said.

"If she wanted to be our friend, she wouldn't have betrayed us when she did," Sweetie Belle said.

"Hey Twilight forgave Starlight fer what she did, maybe we can forgive Cozy Glow," Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie Belle was still not too convinced, "How can we trust her though? Especially after everything she did?"

"Ah think she can be nice, she was pretty nice when mah sister invited her to dinner the other night," Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, she did have a bit of a bad attitude but once she started opening up about her feelings, she wasn't too bad. Granted she fell asleep not too long later, which was pretty adorable, but ah think she really does want friends."

"I think she deserves a chance," Scootaloo said. "I mean it can't hurt to try."

"You two do what you want, I'm reserving judgement for now," Sweetie Belle said.

"Same, honestly she still seems like she has a ways to go," Tender Taps said. "She seems to enjoy being manipulative still."

"We can teach her not to be manipulative," Apple Bloom said. "Cozy Glow's really nice deep down, she did help us Crusaders become tutors for the School of Friendship, since then we've done so well, we might end up teaching a class of our own! We can help out so many ponies with their Cutie Mark problems."

"Not wrong there, we do owe Cozy Glow for that," Scootaloo said. "I really hope you'll join us though Sweetie Belle, if the three of us work together, we can help change Cozy Glow fer the better."

"Maybe we can even reunite with old friends," Scootaloo said. "I mean, don't you want to make peace with Rumble already?"

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened at the sounds of his name, "Uh, well..."

"Ah do miss having Rumble around, it was great catching up with him the other day," Apple Bloom said.

"Same here, he's still the same Rumble, but this time he's carrying a lot of burdens from before," Scootaloo said. "I know he did something bad, but he should be forgiven too, I think he really wants to make peace."

"If Rumble wants to make peace, I'll try hearing him out," Sweetie Belle said. "But honestly, it might be weird seeing him again, especially knowing that he's been spending a lot of time with Cozy Glow."

"Well Rumble did say they're not fully dating, but I guess that doesn't mean much to you since you're dating Tender Taps," Scootaloo said.

"Hey Tender Taps being here is further proof that making peace with Rumble shouldn't be too hard," Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, we dated but stayed friends after our break-up."

"I didn't cheat on you though," Tender Taps said.

"Honestly, with how often you gave googly eyes to Twilight even before we broke up, ya might as well have," Apple Bloom bluntly stated.

Of course hearing that from Apple Bloom felt like quite a blow to Tender Taps, while he hadn't meant to, it makes sense that he probably made Apple Bloom feel terrible when he broke up with her and immediately went for Twilight, and he had to admit, he never could properly keep his emotions for the older mare in order.

"Alright, let's move on from our romance troubles, not an easy topic for anypony to talk about," Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah, good point, I say we go and check on some other friends and our classmates," Scootaloo suggested.

"Alright, all in favor?" Apple Bloom asked.

"That sounds nice," Sweetie Belle said.

"Count me in," Tender Taps said.

"Great, now let's get to it Crusaders," Apple Bloom said.

The four foals left the Treehouse and made their way to town, and from what they could see right away, everypony looked fine and healthy. Some ponies still looked a bit freaked out however, especially the Flower ponies, but then again, just about everything freaks them out.

"Everything seems to be fine, though no sign of any of our classmates," Scootaloo said. "Guess they're home, I doubt many of them would be out and about after all this."

"Ah see one classmate, there's Dinky," Apple Bloom said, gesturing to the Unicorn, who seemed to be happily trotting without a care in the world.

"Should we go check on her?" Scootaloo asked.

"What for? She looks fine to me," Sweetie Belle said. "Plus it might be weird seeing that we haven't talked to her since, that day."

"Right, none of us really kept in contact with her," Apple Bloom said.

"Well she was mostly our friend through Rumble, without Rumble I guess there was no need to hang out with Dinky," Scootaloo said.

"Seems kind of harsh," Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, she had a lonely life before Rumble, maybe she needs more friends."

"Thing is, she really isn't that friendly," Tender Taps said. "Any time we spoke to her or just hung out with her, it was because of Rumble being around, other than that she barely spoke to us."

"She spoke to me," Apple Bloom said. "And didn't she speak to Sweetie Belle a few times?"

"At first she did, just to tell me about Rumble and how to make him happy, then she started getting jealous of us," Sweetie Belle said. "I'm with Tender Taps, she's not that friendly."

"Well ah want to check up on her, you can all wait here if you want," Apple Bloom said, making her way over to the Unicorn.

Scootaloo then noticed a familiar colt in the distance, "Uh, here comes Rumble."

"Rumble? Did he see us?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Not yet," Scootaloo said. "I'm gonna go check on him though, he might be shaken up as well. Uh, if you want to come though, he might appreciate that."

"Maybe later," Sweetie Belle said, then saw Diamond Tiara walking nearby. "I'll go check on Diamond Tiara, knowing her this was probably very dramatic for her."

"I can join you," Tender Taps said, the two going to check on the rich filly, leaving Scootaloo to check on Rumble alone.

From Apple Bloom's point of view, she is making her way over to her Unicorn friend, "Hey, Dinky!"

The filly turned around to greet the farmer filly, "Sup Apple Bloom? Need something?"

"No, just wanted to check on ya, ah mean we did go through a scary ordeal," Apple Bloom said. "What with King Sombra returning and hypnotizing all of us into doing his bidding. Ah heard he got my brother to knock over the gate leading into Canterlot."

"Wow, your big bro is freaking strong then," Dinky said. "Though I'm not surprised, there's a reason all the mares in Ponyville have a thing for him, they like a good, strong stallion."

"Yeah, so what about you? Ya feeling alright?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'm fine, I mean I'm safe, my sister's safe, my parents are safe, and Derpy's safe," Dinky said. "Last but not least, Rumble's safe too, so everypony I care about is safe. I take it all your friends and family are safe too?"

"They're fine, thanks to mah sister and her friends," Apple Bloom said.

"So, how do you think Sombra came back?" Dinky asked. "I thought he was destroyed?"

"He seems to be coming back from beyond death a lot, ah mean at this rate, pretty hard to stop him," Apple Bloom said.

"Well he only seems to be able to come back if someone revives him, first it was Chrysalis but who did it this time is the question," Dinky said.

"Twilight will look into it," Apple Bloom said. "Uh, silly question, but you don't think Cozy Glow had anything to do with this, do you?"

"How would she?" Dinky asked. "I mean last time she did something major she had help from Sonata, these days she's been under the close watch of Flitter while Sonata spends her time either in Canterlot castle or in Tartarus with her friends, with an even stricter watch from the guards."

"Yeah, guess it was silly to ask, ah mean I'd like to think Cozy Glow is changing fer the better so ah don't think she would bring back King Sombra," Apple Bloom said.

"She is changing for the better, she's actually really nice once you get to know her," Dinky said. "I mean you already did know her once, but she's still really nice and it sounds like she wants to make friends. All she needed was a chance to change."

"That means Rumble's plan is working, speaking of Rumble, does he talk about Sweetie Belle much?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sometimes, when he gets depressed over how he messed up his relationship," Dinky explained. "Why does Sweetie Belle ask about him or anything?"

"She don't like talking about him much, and she's still too nervous to go to him," Apple Bloom explained.

"Still too nervous huh? Also tell me this, is she actually dating Tender Taps?" Dinky asked.

"Yeah, they're dating," Apple Bloom confirmed. "Not sure exactly how serious they are though, but they've been together a lot this past week."

"Is he the only boy Sweetie Belle's dated so far?" Dinky asked.

"Yeah, he is," Apple Bloom said. "Little surprised they're even dating honestly, but Sweetie Belle at least seems to be much happier than she has been as of late, so there's a plus."

"Right, seems that way," Dinky said, feeling a twinge of pity for Rumble, knowing that the boy may have lost out on Sweetie Belle this time. Though she has one final thing to inquire on, "Uh, didn't Tender Taps have a crush on Twilight? How did he end up with Sweetie Belle?"

"That, ah don't really know fer sure," Apple Bloom said. "They ain't too interested in talking about their relationship, not yet at least."

"Alright, thanks," Dinky said. "I'm heading home, we'll catch up another time."

"Yeah, sure thing," Apple Bloom said, trotting off while Dinky made her way home. The Unicorn made a note to find out more about the relationship between Sweetie Belle and Tender Taps.

From Sweetie Belle's point of view, she and Tender Taps were chatting with Diamond Tiara, the rich filly of course making a drama out of this ordeal.

"It was so scary! One moment I was shopping with my parents, the next we were in Canterlot, having been used as part of King Sombra's invasion!" Diamond Tiara said. "The nerve of that so-called King!"

"Yeah, it was pretty bad,"  Sweetie Belle said. "At least we're safe now."

"Yes, I have your sister and her friends to thank for that," Diamond Tiara said. "It's just terrible though, King Sombra coming back, so out of nowhere too."

"Yeah we're all a bit concerned about that, I mean I think Twilight and the others finished him off again but obviously death isn't enough to stop him," Tender Taps said. "He's become less of a pony and more of a curse."

"To think, what if one day a new generation of heroes have to fight King Sombra?" Diamond Tiara wondered. "I mean first it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who sealed him away, then Twilight and her friends, what if soon those six students have to put an end to Sombra? I mean they already helped save Equestria from Cozy Glow, granted she's a sweetheart now but what if they go for Sombra next."

"Eh, sweetheart?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh yes Sweetie Belle, Cozy Glow has become such a pleasure to be around, I thank Rumble for that, he's done such a great job of helping that poor filly," Diamond Tiara said.

"That's good to know," Sweetie Belle said, looking a smudge uncomfortable. "Looks like they've gotten quite close."

"Well yeah, I mean it's no secret she likes him, too bad Rumble is still somewhat gloomy over breaking up with you," Diamond Tiara said, catching Sweetie Belle's attention. "I mean I told him it was a bad idea but he insisted he didn't deserve you after cheating on you."

"Oh, Rumble said that huh?" Sweetie Belle said. "Uh, does he talk about me much?"

"He does seem to mention you quite a bit, I mean I don't spend that much time with Rumble but when I do, your name almost always comes up," Diamond Tiara said, then remembered Tender Taps was present, and he looked a bit awkward from hearing thing. "Maybe not the best thing to discuss in front of your new coltfriend though."

"Right, let's leave it at that for now," Sweetie Belle said. "You look like you're doing fine, so me and Tappy will be on our way."

"We should catch up again sometime, we'll do tea soon," Diamond Tiara said. "Ta-ta Sweetie Belle, you too Tender Taps."

Diamond Tiara began trotting back to her house, leaving the young couple a bit bewildered by what they heard about Rumble.

"So, Rumble still isn't over me?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Kind of hard to believe considering how many fillies he's been dating this past week or so," Tender Taps said.

"Right, he has been getting around, but still..." Sweetie Belle seemed at a loss for words.

Finally with Scootaloo, she had just met with Rumble, the colt explaining his own ordeal. "I always thought my battle at Canterlot would be to protect it, not help conquer it."

"None of us thought that," Scootaloo said. "I wouldn't want to go against Canterlot either."

"I just hope that's the end of Sombra, but something tells me I'm wasting my energy in that belief," Rumble said.

"Hey if he comes back, Rainbow Dash and the others will stomp his flank again, so try not to worry," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, if not them, then maybe Sandbar and his friends," Rumble said.

"To think, there was a time that we could have been part of the next protectors of Equestria, though with our group of friends split up like they are, that may not happen after all," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, Twilight did seem to rely on that idea, even to the point of throwing some type of Festival for us, of course I blew everything when I kissed Cozy Glow," Rumble said.

"Well things can still be patched up, so no worries," Scootaloo said. "Sweetie Belle's moving on, and you're making that effort too, give it some time and the six of us can be friends again, then we can each get our hooves on an Element of Harmony."

"But which ones would we even get?" Rumble asked. "I wanted Rainbow Dash's at one point, but I obviously failed that when I wasn't Loyal to my marefriend."

"You can get Fluttershy's, you're pretty Kind I would say, you're much nicer to Cozy Glow than most ponies are," Scootaloo said. "I can get Rainbow Dash's...or maybe Apple Bloom, she's probably more loyal than I am."

"I always thought Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom can get their sisters'," Rumble said. "But if I'm being honest, Sweetie Belle's a bit more skilled at magic than Dinky, so if either of them got the Magic Element, it would be Sweetie Belle, I'd say it would bring her one step closer to becoming an Alicorn Princess."

"So you think Sweetie Belle can be an Alicorn?" Scootaloo asked.

"I think it'd be cool at least," Rumble said. "I always thought she had that potential."

"Wow, that's really cool of you to say," Scootaloo said. "Though if I became an Alicorn, I'd be able to do magic, so I can be the Element of Magic in that scenario."

"Ha, maybe," Rumble said. "Or I can be an Alicorn myself, the first male Alicorn."

"Yeah, Alicorn Princess Rumble," Scootaloo said.

Rumble furrowed his brow, "Real funny Scoots."

"Just messing with ya," Scootaloo said, rubbing his mane. "Well I'm glad you're alright, I'm gonna go meet up with my friends again."

"You got it, oh but hey, wanna do something together later on? Maybe dinner at a restaurant?" Rumble asked.

"Oh, asking me  out huh?" Scootaoo teased. "Yeah I'm down for that, see you in the evening near that Fancy Outdoor place."

"See you then," Rumble said, the two Pegusai going their separate ways.

The Crusaders met back up at the spot the left, each of them having finished their conversations at almost the same time.

"Dinky's doing alright, so that's good," Apple Bloom said.

"So is Diamond Tiara, but she did ramble on a bit," Sweetie Belle said.

"I talked to Rumble, he's a bit freaked out but fine nonetheless," Scootaloo said.

"That's great, so our closest friends are doing fine, and that's all that matters," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah. plus I got a date later, so bonus points for me," Scootaloo added, getting looks of confusion from the others.

"A date?" Apple Bloom said, though considering who Scootaloo was just talking to, it actually made some sense. "Oh, ya got a date with Rumble?"

"Yeah, later in the evening, good way to get our minds off our troubles," Scootaloo said.

"Wow, that's nice," Sweetie Belle said, feeling a bit weird about this.

"I'm gonna go get ready, see you all tomorrow," Scootaloo said, trotting off to prepare for her ate with Rumble.

"Things really came full circle huh?" Apple Bloom said. "To think that after so much planning, Scootaloo finally gets her date with Rumble, even if it took way over a year fer that to happen."

"Right, sure thing Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said, feeling somewhat in a foul mood. "I'm gonna go home now, come on Tappy."

"Right behind you Sweetie Belle," Tender Taps said, following closely behind his marefriend.

"Guess Rumble dating Scootaloo bothers her a lot more than she realized," Apple Bloom said, stroking her chin a bit. "Ah gotta fix this, fer both their sakes."

Later in the evening, Rumble and Scootaloo got to enjoy their dinner together as promised, even taking a quick race around the park, this time trying to be more mindful of their surroundings.

Rumble took Scootaloo back to her house, the two spent a little time in her room, talking Wonerbolts and future plans.

"Be honest Rumble, do you want to be a Wonderbolt, or are you going to be a Wash-Out?" Scootaloo asked.

"Wonderbolt...but if I'm being honest, part of me wants to try being a Wash-Out," Rumble said.

"Fair warning, it's not as fun as it sounds, Lightning Dust can be a little over the top with her stunts," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, but it's something I might want to try at least once, though considering how much Rainbow Dash seems to dislike me these days, maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up too high for The Wonderbolts," Rumble said.

"Come on, don't say something like that," Scootaloo said. "Rainbow Dash might be disappointed and yeah, she can hold on to it for a long while, but if you just try and talk with her then maybe you'll come to an understanding."

"I hope so, I mean I think Rainbow Dash is an amazing flyer and I do want to be as great as her, but these days it's just harder to see her as my role model, I kind of want that back," Rumble said.

"We'll get it back then, I'll help you out," Scootaloo said. "We'll give it some time though, right now she's very busy, between being a Wonderbolt, training cadets, helping Twilight become a leader and now recently with this King Sombra stuff, she doesn't have time to sit around and chat just yet."

"Alright, we'll get this fixed soon then," Rumble said. "Any chance we can help convince her that Cozy Glow's a good pony as well?"

"If you think she's turning out better, then yeah, I'm down with that," Scootaloo said, then checked out the window. "Wow it's late, really long day huh?"

"Yeah, maybe I should get going," Rumble said.

"Hey now, no rush," Scootaloo said. "We got some time left, maybe we can do something else for a bit?"

"Like what?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo then pulled him in for a kiss, Rumble immediately getting the idea of what she wanted, and of course he'll comply with her.

Rumble laid Scootaloo on her bed and started kissing her, getting very intimate in his affection for the fellow Pegasus. Rumble lifted her legs slightly so he could rub her flank, something he's been quite find of as of late, something about how each filly butt feels started to become quite an interesting thing to him as of late.

Rumble went home a very satisfied colt that night, Scootaloo feeling a bit thrilled herself after a romantic date with her crush. Of course she did have to wonder if this was really the right thing to do. Rumble was recently dating one of her best friends, to move in on that seemed a bit low to her, plus she could tell that Rumble was just as confused, so she did not expect this relationship to blossom just yet.

Sweetie Belle however, felt very conflicted and angry. From what Diamond Tiara said, Rumble still might have had feelings for her, and that sparked a little interest in the filly. Despite her current relationship with Tender Taps, a part of her really hoped she could just be with Rumble again, she missed the colt dearly. But it sounds like Rumble still hasn't made up his mind about who he wants to be with. The wait was really frustrating her and she just wanted a straight answer, if he would go back to her or if he would really go with another filly.

The rest of the week was full of Rumble dating, spending another day with Scootaloo, spending some time with Diamond Tiara, and a bit with Toola Roola. During this time, The Student Six had turned the Tree of Harmony into a Treehouse for them to hang out in. The tree's destruction was a point of worry for many of the ponies, Rumble included, so seeing a Treehouse made out of the tree, a really sparkly and shiny one no less, brought back some hope.

That weekend, shortly before Cozy Glow's deadline, Scootaloo's parents had returned, with the intent of taking her with them on their journey. Of course this was very unsettling for the Crusaders and they hatched a scheme to keep Scootaoo in Ponyville, which involved inviting a bunch of friends over to Ponyville to show her parents just how special she truly was.

Rumble of course was among those ponies, not wanting to abandon a friend during a time of need. It was during this moment he found time to spend with Babs. Shortly after convincing Scootaloo's parents to let her stay in Ponyville, Rumble had brought Babs to Sugarcube Corner for a date.

"You know, I gotta admit," Rumble said, taking a bite out of his low-fat cake. "Despite everything, Scootaloo's parents are really cool."

"Yeah they do have awesome jobs," Babs said. "I mean, looking for dangerous creatures and junk? That takes guts."

"It's easy to see where Scootaloo gets her adventurous attitude from," Rumble said. "I'd kind of like to do the stuff her parents do someday."

"Thought ya wanted to be a Wonderbolt?" Babs said.

"Hey I like to keep my options open, I don't need to go through life being just one thing," Rumble said.

"I can understand that type of mindset, wish I had your confidence when I first came to Ponyville," Babs said "Maybe I wouldn't have sided against my cousin when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon showed up at Sweet Apple Acres."

"You made a mistake, don't beat yourself up over it," Rumble said. "We all make mistakes, I've made plenty myself. Did I tell you how I nearly ruined the Crusaders' Cutie Mark Camp?"

"Oh yeah, cuz mentioned a camp, wait what exactly did you do?" Babs asked.

"I may have caused a bunch of campers to leave and form their own camp," Rumble said, before sheepishly rubbing his head. "That I was sort of in charge of. It was one of the few times me and Sweetie Belle had an argument."

"You ran a blank flank camp?" Babs asked.

"Pretty much," Rumble said. "Here's the story, when the girls formed a camp, I went to help them, reluctantly at first since I hated Cutie Marks. When I saw just how much trouble the other foals were going through, I started questioning them on their desires to have Cutie Marks, and they revealed that they're really frustrated on being Blank Flanks. So I told them that it really wasn't worth it to get their Cutie Marks and they basically ditched the camp, and I offered to make a better camp for them so they can focus on having fun and not worry about getting their Cutie Mark."

"So what happened?" Babs asked.

"Well we kind of got carried away and tried too hard not to earn our Cutie Marks and we ended up boring ourselves," Rumble said. "I confessed this to Sweetie Belle and the others and I let them have their camp back. Of course they focused less on Cutie Marks and more on just letting the kids have fun without worrying about whether or not they get their marks. Kettle Corn didn't get her mark from trying to hard after all, she just tried out haiku poetry and it worked for her."

"Yeah, it's all about having fun," Babs said.

"Plus it does make foals happy, just the other day I saw a colt named Skedaddle running through town all excited because he finally got his Cutie Mark," Rumble said. "I guess if it makes a pony happy to have their mark then why stop them? I mean I'm fine being a blank flank, I couldn't careless if I got my mark, but even if I did, I won't let it limit me. I enjoy lots of things, when I'm not flying, I'm cooking, I think they're both neat and I bet I can find other neat things."

"Maybe you'll get more than one Cutie Mark," Babs joked.

"Eh, I mean it could be possible, when Apple Bloom had the Cutie Pox, most ponies just assumed she had more than one mark, even the teacher Miss Cherilee," Rumble said. "If a teacher wasn't surprised then I guess having more than one mark isn't impossible."

"Still, weren't you ever teased for not having a Cutie Mark?" Babs asked.

"Even if I was, why should I have cared what somepony else thought?" Rumble asked. "It's my flank, plus with my flying skills, not many  ponies gave me grief because they figured I would get one sooner or later. Even Diamond Tiara barely bothered me about it, mostly because I was cute."

"She ain't wrong," Babs said, eyeing the colt almost seductively.

"Looks like you're just about done, want me to walk you home?" Rumble asked. "Or rather to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Sounds good," Babs said, finishing her cupcake. "Let's get going."

The two started trotting back to Sweet Apple Acres, passing by Scootaloo's house, which was now fully owned by her aunts, Lofty and Holiday. Leaving the home were her parents Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood.

"Shame her parents can't be around more," Babs said. "Must be a pain to be away from her parents."

"Yeah, thinking about it Sweetie Belle's parents are away a lot as well, and Apple Bloom...well that's a whole different story," Rumble said, knowing full well about Bright Mac and Pear Butter.

"Yeah, I don't think I ever knew her parents either," Babs said, trying to think hard about her aunt and uncle.

"I mean it can't be helped, Scootaloo's parents are very busy, and I think Sweetie Belle's father is very busy himself, but they love their kids at least, that's all that matters," Rumble said. "Sometimes my parents are too busy themselves, but that doesn't mean they care any less."

"You might have that problem yourself," Babs said. "I mean, if you become a Wonderbolt, won't that mean a lot of traveling?"

Rumble hadn't thought of that, his goal of being a Wonderbolt would potentially deter his parenting, and he knows it can be a risk to be a long distance parent. "Guess I'll have to figure that out when the time comes."

"Well, that ain't gonna be a for a long time, so don't worry about it," Babs said. "Hey for all I know, you can end up marrying a Wonderbolt, that is if I haven't swept you off your hooves, though I don't see why I can't travel with ya."

"That'd be nice," Rumble said, the two still walking.

They arrived near the gate leading into the farm, Babs was still walking, but stopped when she saw that Rumble wasn't moving. "Something wrong?"

"If it's alright with you, can I leave you here, I'm worried that Apple Bloom might see us," Rumble said. "I mean it's not like we're dating, but we did have a moment recently so it'd be awkward if she sees us."

"Ah, that's cool then," Babs said. "So, how was your moment?"

"Uh, nice," Rumble said, blushing a bit.

"So, mind sharing that moment with me?" Babs asked, blushing herself.

Rumble obliged her request with a nice kiss to the city filly, the two sharing that moment together for a few seconds.

Rumble pulled away, a confident smile on his face, "Happy with that little moment?"

"Totally, after tonight, I can really see why Sweetie Belle was so into you," Babs said. "Well, see ya around Rumble."

"Yeah, see you Babs," Rumble said, trotting back home. Though on the way there, he started thinking about Sweetie Belle again.

It's been nearly a week since Cozy Glow gave her deadline, he's had many chances to date each filly he had interest in. He likes Babs, but her living in the city might be troubling to him, he'd like to have a girlfriend that's always nearby, ironic given what she had just said about his potential Wonderbolts career.

Diamond Tiara was nice but she might be a pain to keep happy, though she's trying hard to be a better filly she still shows some signs of being  bratty, so he'd rather she grow up a little more. Maybe one day she'd make a better girlfriend, just not now.

Toola Roola is cute but her friend is somewhat getting a little in the way, given how much she seems to want to be part of their dates, and it is causing some awkward tension. Perhaps engaging in a make-out session with both of them at the same time wasn't the best idea.

Then there was Scootaloo, the one who has been on the top of Rumble's list. He can remember just yesterday when he found out about her parents coming to probably take her away, how she came to him for comfort, which he gave her. No romance, no intimate tension, just a filly who needed a friend, and he was that friend. It made him think, does he really like Scootaloo romantically or is she still just a friend to him.

Rumble tried thinking of what he liked about Scootaloo romantically, but most of his thoughts turned to just how good of a friend she was more than a girlfriend, he really couldn't see her as a suitable romance partner. Granted she's fun to make-out with, and she has a nice body he likes to rub, he knows not to be in a relationship with a filly just because of how nice their body looks, he was taught better than that.

No matter how hard he tried, there was one filly he couldn't help but compare the others to, that being Sweetie Belle. She had everything, she was kind, very mature, had a soothing voice, very reasonable, a bit feisty but he considered that a positive since she looked cute that way. She also brought out the best in him, helped him feel more confident about himself, that's all any colt can ask for when it comes to a marefriend.

On top of all that however, she was just really pretty, more than that, she was a thing of beauty. Her soft, gleaming fur, her emerald eyes, her swirly mane, oh how he really liked her mane. She also has a great body in her own right, very soft and tender to rub, and he's already gotten a chance to completely explore her, what he wouldn't give for more chances like that.

As he walked home, dealing with his internal dilemma, he saw Lyra and Bon Bon sitting on a bench, enjoying the evening skies together. Thinking they could probably help him how, Rumble made his way over to the duo.

"Hey, Lyra, Bon Bon," Rumble greeted, getting their attention. "Got a second?"

"Sure, what do you need Rumble?" Lyra asked, patting a now empty space between her and Bon Bon.

"Some romance advice," Rumble said, taking a seat between the mares. "Look I'll be honest, I regret breaking up with Sweetie Belle. I thought it was the right call since I did something terrible to her, but the more time I spent away from her, the more I started to realize how much I missed her company, no matter how many other fillies I became interested in."

"Attraction never goes away Rumble," Bon Bon said. "Even if you have a girl you like, you're still going to feel attraction to others."

"Boy did I realize that in the worst way," Rumble said. "Thing is, I wasn't just attracted to Cozy Glow, I was enamored by her personality."

"That can happen too," Lyra said. "It's like you have this dessert you love to eat, but one day you start trying out a different dessert. You like it, it's new, it's on your mind but after a while you realize that it was basically just a fad and you go back to what you originally like."

"Uh, that's a weird way to put it," Bon Bon said. "But it is almost like that. You were in love with Sweetie Belle, but you became interested in another filly because it was a new experience for you. But after the experience was over, you realized maybe it wasn't as great as you thought, you realize even more what you already had was special."

"I think I understand," Rumble said.

"You're still in love with Sweetie Belle, and you two were meant for each other," Lyra said. "You should go tell her."

"Yeah, I should tell her," Rumble said. "I'll beg her to take me back if I have to, but I know I can't give up on her." Rumble got off the bench, but not without a quick hug to both mares. "Thanks you two."

"You got it kid," Lyra said.

"Yeah, go and tell Sweetie Belle how you feel!" Bon Bon urged.

Rumble nodded and flew off toward Rarity's house. It was late but he didn't care, he had to tell her now while he was still on this level of emotion. He knocked and awaited an answer, but nothing came. "Hm, that's weird...maybe I can go inside?" Rumble shook his head. "No, the Boutique is closed so I can't just walk in. Maybe Rarity's just not home? Does that mean Sweetie Belle is not home either? Maybe she's at her parents' house."

Rumble had another idea, though it was kind of sneaky. He could fly over to Sweetie Belle's window and peak inside, see if she's there or not. Hopefully she won't get mad if he gets spotted, but he had to take this chance.

Rumble flew toward the window leading to Sweetie Belle's room, peaking inside to find the filly of his dreams, only to find something quite worrying. Inside her room, Sweetie Belle was sitting on her bed, right beside Tender Taps. They were just sitting together for the moment, but it was Tender Taps's actions that worried Rumble, mostly the way he was stroking her mane, looking deep into her eyes.

Rumble gently opened the window a little, hoping to listen in on what the two were saying.

"Thanks for helping us with Scootaloo, you really helped prove our point Tappy," Sweetie Belle said.

"Of course, she's our friend, I would do anything for a friend of ours," Tender Taps said.

"I gotta say, you've really been there for me for a while now, since my break-up you have constantly been by my side, and helped me through a lot, I really appreciate that," Sweetie Belle said.

"You girls have done a lot for me, anything I can do to repay you is my pleasure, especially for the filly that I've really come to care about," Tender Taps said. "Plus, you got my mind off of Twilight."

"Are you truly over her?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I mean, she is a Princess, how can I compare to her."

"Well, you're a Princess in my eyes Sweetie Belle," Tender Taps said. Something about that just irked Rumble, Tender Taps pretty much just took his line.

"You're so sweet, I think I could actually be in love with you," Sweetie Belle said. Rumble's eyes just widened after hearing Sweetie Belle say that.

"Yeah, same here, I think I love you too," Tender Taps said.

"Well, let's put that to the test, shall we?" Sweetie Belle said, shifting her eyebrows at the colt.

"Sounds good to me," Tender Taps said, leaning in to grab Sweetie Belle into a kiss. Sweetie Belle laid back on her bed, allowing Tender Taps to really move in with his affection.

Rumble couldn't believe what he was seeing, so Sweetie Belle really did move on, it was too late. It's over, any chance he might have had was gone, on to the colt who was once his friend. Tears streamed down Rumble's eyes as he flew off, feeling very heartbroken and dejected.

As he fluttered home, his soul filled with despair, he started tormenting his mind of how he could have prevented this. Anything he could have done, maybe seeing her sooner, apologizing sooner, maybe just never having broken up at all.

Suddenly he started to remember Cozy Glow, the sneaky filly who caused his heartbreak, but perhaps he can't blame her, he made the choice to kiss her, or rather he didn't fight off her advances. Maybe this was a sign, maybe he needed to move on. He and Sweetie Belle's union was a complete fluke after all, maybe there was a reason for that. That's the only thing that could register in his mind at the moment.

"I gotta find her," Rumble said, flying in the direction of Flitter's house. He arrived within a minute, he considered knocking on her door but he figured she might be unhappy about him being out so late. So he flew toward the window to Cozy Glow's room. He peeked inside to find the filly in bed, looking like she was trying to fall asleep.

Rumble started tapping at her window, eventually getting the filly's attention. "Rumble?" She was surprised to see him, but seemed happy nonetheless. She opened her window, allowing Rumble access. "Golly, sure didn't expect to see you here so late."

"Sorry, I just needed to see you, it was pretty urgent," Rumble said.

"Urgent? What's wrong?" Cozy Glow asked. Her mind turned to the worst, "Is it about me? Is Twilight sending me back to Tartarus!?"

"No, it's not that, and if I can help it, that will never happen," Rumble said, then took Cozy Glow's hoof. "Cozy Glow, please be my marefriend."

Cozy's face turned several different shades of red upon hearing that. "M-marefriend!?"

"I know you gave me a week and it hasn't been that long yet but I've made up my mind, I want to be your coltfriend Cozy Glow, will you date me?" Rumble asked.

"Wow...Gee wilikers!" Cozy Glow said, still in surprise. "You really mean it Rumble!?"

"Yes, I do," Rumble said, bringing Cozy in close, getting a blush from the filly. "I love you."

That was all Cozy Glow needed to hear to send her heart a fluttering, "I love you too Rumbly."

The two leaned in to share a kiss, one that meant the absolute world to Cozy Glow. She finally got her coltfriend, and she was not letting him  go. For the first time, Rumble did not have any doubts about kissing Cozy Glow, for the moment this was his best decision and he was rolling with it.

Rumble pulled away for a moment, then lifted her up and onto the bed, plopping her down, much to her surprise. "Uh, Rumble, what are you doing?"

"Just relax for now," Rumble said, getting on the bed with her. "Try not to make too much noise, don't want to alert Flitter."

Cozy was confused at first, but something about Rumble's mannerisms felt familiar right now. It was then she remembered the night she spent at Sugar Belle's house, and what she saw Party Favor doing with the mare. She had to wonder if this is what Rumble was up to.

Her question was answered when Rumble started kissing her again, this time getting more into the kiss. She felt excited but a bit nervous, last time she was in this position, Rumble was asleep and Cozy Glow did things at her own pace. This time Rumble was awake and was taking charge.

Cozy Glow briefly pulled away, "Rumble, whatever you're going to do, please be gentle."

"You're so adorable," Rumble said, nuzzling her muzzle. "We'll do things at your pace, if things get too intense for you, just tell me and I'll ease up."

"Thanks," Cozy Glow said, still feeling very nervous, but also a bit reassured. "Alright, you may continue."

Rumble wasted no time going back in for the kiss, laying Cozy Glow back as he prepared to give her pleasures she could only have imagined, or so he thought. He just had to hope Flitter didn't catch any of this, but he knows Flitter well enough to prepare for just that.

This night was just the start for the two, for the next few weeks, it was all about Rumble and Cozy Glow and their growth as a couple. While Sweetie Belle continued her dates with Tender Taps, Rumble began openly showing off his romantic relationship with Cozy Glow.

Most of Rumble's dates with Cozy Glow had to be chaperoned by Flitter however, due to Cozy Glow still unable to really leave Flitter's company, but the two did get their private moments when they were at Flitter's home.

Their relationship caught the eyes of many ponies, including fillies that Rumble has dated, such as Toola Roola who felt saddened by the fact that she missed out on her chance to have Rumble, and Diamond Tiara who at least was happy she got any time with him at all.

Rumble had passed through down one day, on his way to Flitter's house, ready to take the girl on another date. Some strange things have been happening as of late though, including a weird turn of events that occurred during the Summer Sun Festival in which it nearly got ruined by ponies who heard random gossip.

Right now things were a bit on edge as this gossip even spread to Ponyville, many ponies were giving one another weird glances, almost as if there was a lack of trust. Rumble didn't care much at the moment, he just wanted to see his marefriend.

On his way over, he ran into Dinky, the Unicorn filly having just left Sugarcube Corner. "Yo Rumble!"

"Hey Dinky, what's up?" Rumble asked.

"Nothing much, aside from some of the weird stuff that's been happening," Dinky said. "I bet it's just ponies on edge because of the soon to be shift in power."

"Right, makes sense," Rumble said. "I hope Twilight can handle it."

"She'll be fine," Dinky reassured. "So, how is it with Cozy Glow? She being a good girlfriend?"

"She's great, we're really happy together," Rumble said.

"Good to hear, even if to this day I'm still surprised you two are together," Cozy Glow said. "I mean it's only been a couple of weeks though but you two clicked quite well."

"I'm a little surprised myself, I still can't believe I found love again," Rumble said. "Even if it's with an unexpected pony. I just wish we could do more together, but we're extremely limited by how much time we can spend together, but she has to be by Flitter's side, or someone appointed, like Trixie or Sonata."

"Sonata?" Dinky asked.

"Yeah, a week ago she came by Flitter's house, said she was told to take Cozy Glow somewhere," Rumble said. "I don't know where they went but they were gone overnight. Weird that when Cozy Glow came home, she felt so cold, like if she were someplace very chilly."

"Hm, curious," Dinky said. "Yeah, Sonata has been acting a bit strange each time I've seen her, almost like something's bothering her."

"Sonata's pretty stressed out herself, I mean I think she's trying to get her friends out of Tartarus but I guess they don't want to reform," Rumble said. "What a waste, she's probably gonna spend her life on something like that. I say she should just cut ties with her friends if they're gonna give her this much trouble about reforming."

"Maybe if she makes more friends here she'll consider that," Dinky said. "Problem is some ponies seem reluctant to trust her, not too different than Cozy Glow I guess."

"Well I'm going to fix that," Rumble said. "Next time I see Twilight, I'm going to request that she allow Cozy Glow more freedom."

"Wow really?" Dinky asked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you two are dating and you're fiercely loyal to all your friends, especially the ones you're dating."

"You bet I am, if Twilight needs a new Element of Loyalty, that I'm the right colt for the job," Rumble confidently stated.

"That's a bold claim Rumble," Apple Bloom said, having just arrived with Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. "Hey Rumble."

"Hi girls, what brings you here?" Rumble asked.

"We were just passing through," Apple Bloom said.

"More like Big Macintosh is hanging out with Cherilee and Apple Bloom is checking on their progress," Scootaloo teased.

"I like a good romance, so I tagged along," Diamond Tiara said.

"Oh can it you two," Apple Bloom said. "But yeah, mah big bro has gotten really friendly with Cherillee, thought ah overheard him say he wants to propose."

"Not the only rumored proposal I've been hearing about," Scootaloo said. "Love's in the air, maybe now's a good time for the three of us to go out and find love."

"I can put in a good word for you girls if you'd like," Rumble said.

"Uh, ah don't think I'm ready fer that," Apple Bloom said, blushing a lot. "Plus ah don't have anypony ah like."

"You have plenty of options," Dinky said. "Scootaloo, you got anyone in mind?"

"Rainbow Dash told me about this brother-sister Pegasus duo she met in a town called Hope Hollow," Scootaloo said. "I didn't think much at the time since, you know, kind of had my eyes on a certain other colt."

"Right, I hope thing are good between you and that certain colt," Rumble nervously said.

"It's fine Rumble, we tried but we didn't work out," Scootaloo said. "I'm just happy I had the opportunity, plus I got to make-out with you, so bonus."

"He's really good at making out, isn't he?" Dinky said, getting a unified agreement from the other fillies, much to Rumble's awkwardness.

"So, about this duo," Rumble said, trying to move the conversation along.

"Right, so the colt, Pickle Barrel, he's like this awesome flyer and I figured that maybe I can try meeting him one day and see where that goes," Scootaloo said.

"I suppose I could try meeting with that colt Chip Cutter, I heard he's a hard working foal, and I do love me a hard worker," Diamond Tiara said.

"That just leaves you Apple Bloom," Dinky said. "I bet I can help you find somepony. Derpy and I might know a colt as well, I think you saw him during that Cart racing thing Cherilee hosted."

"Come on y'all, ah don't need to date, I'm fine just being single," Apple Bloom said.

"Wow, great job Rumble," Dinky said. "You were to damn charming, now Apple Bloom can't move on."

"Hey don't blame me!" Rumble said.

Dinky giggled to herself, "Just joking dude." Dinky turned to Apple Bloom, "Just remember AB, you're a very pretty filly, I bet you can find someone with no trouble whatsoever."

"Aw, thanks," Apple Bloom said, blushing a little. "What about you?"

"I'll keep my eye out, personally I'd prefer a filly to date, if any of you know a filly who's willing then let me know," Dinky said.

"A filly huh?" Diamond Tiara said, rubbing her chin. "I'll have to think hard about that."

"Well just remember, first loves don't always work out," Rumble said. "One week Diamond Tiara may be dating Chip Cutter, the next Apple Bloom might be."

"Or Scootaloo can be dating Button Mash," Dinky joked.

"Ugh, no way," Scootaloo said. "That's bottom of the barrel for me."

"Come now, he's a nice colt, he's just a little obnoxious sometimes," Apple Bloom said. "Thinking about it, even Babs told me he looked cute."

"Babs likes Button Mash?" Scootaloo asked. "That's...unusual."

"She has a thing fer dorky colts, that's why she liked Rumble," Apple Bloom said.

Rumble looked highly offended, "Uh, excuse me? How am I dorky!?"

"Want a list?" Dinky asked, getting a humorous reaction from the fillies and a glare from Rumble.

"I don't have time for this, I have a date to get to," Rumble said, walking away from the group of giggling fillies.

"He's so cute when he gets all huffy," Apple Bloom said.

"Rumble's such a charming colt," Dinky said. "That being said, I really hope his romance with Cozy Glow won't end badly. I mean I've heard some ponies say him hooking up with her was a really bad choice."

"Well maybe this will be good fer Cozy Glow," Apple Bloom said. "And maybe Sweetie Belle is better off with Tener Taps."

"I hope so, if I'm being honest, I kind of hoped Rumble would get back together with Sweetie Belle," Dinky said. "I mean, I know me and her haven't gotten along too well, but I've never seen true love like theirs, if they can break up, then that just shows nothing in guaranteed."

"That is an unnerving thought," Diamond Tiara said. "Guess we should all be careful who we date too."

"Or just remember, it's better to try and fail than to not try at all," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, guess you're right," Scootaloo said.

"Well, guess we should get going," Apple Bloom said, then turned to Dinky. "Wanna join us?"

"No thanks, you three go on ahead," Dinky said.

"Well, see you around," Apple Bloom said, walking off with her friends, leaving Dinky somewhat saddened.

"Is there even such a thing as true love anymore?" Dinky walked off, wondering about life and romance, and what's real or not.

This little conversation did not go unnoticed by Lyra and Bon Bon, the two having been nearby, overhearing everything.

"Should we do something?" Lyra asked.

Bon Bon shook her head, "Nothing we can do, Sweetie Belle moved on, it was too late for Rumble."

"Maybe she just doesn't know that Rumble wanted to get back together with her, I mean he looked ready to tell her, but he got spooked by Tender Taps and his newly found affection for Sweetie Belle," Lyra said.

"This is something those foals need to work out, all we can do is hope for a Happily Ever After for them," Bon Bon said. "Come on now, we have somewhere to go."

Later in the day, Rumble kept the promise he had  made. He was going to get some more freedom for Cozy Glow, and that started with a visit to Twilight Sparkle's castle.

Rumble appeared before the castle and knocked, awaiting an answer, which came in the form of a certain dragon. "Hey Spike, it's me Rumble."

"Rumble?" Spike was a bit surprised to see the colt at the castle, it's been a while since his last visit. "What brings you here?"

"I need to speak to Twilight, is she available?" Rumble asked.

"She's going over some school plans with Starlight," Spike explained. "Uh how urgently do you need her?"

"I was hoping to talk to her soon, I kind of want to ask her about Cozy Glow," Rumble explained.

"Cozy Glow?" Spike asked, his curiosity peaked. "What about her?"

"It's just that, I want to get more freedom for her, I think she's earned it, plus it makes going on dates easier," Rumble explained.

"Uh, hold on," Spike said, gently closing the door and quickly scurrying off, leaving Rumble behind.

Rumble waited at the door, figuring Spike went to get Twilight. During this time he went over in his head the ways he could explain to Twilight about reducing Cozy Glow's restrictions. He had to make this work, for the sake of his marefriend.

Within moments, Twilight appeared at the door, getting Rumble's attention. "Oh good, there you are Twilight, I have something I want to ask you."

"About Cozy Glow right?" Twilight asked.

"Guess Spike filled you in, since you know the topic, I'll just get to the details," Rumble explained.

"Hold on there Rumble, whatever it is you want to ask about Cozy Glow, it's going to have to wait," Twilight said.

"Uh, alright, how long?" Rumble asked.

"A couple of weeks," Twilight answered.

"Oh, well if that's all..." Rumble became confused. "Wait hold on, a couple of weeks!?"

"Rumble, right now I'm in the middle of a transition, I'm going to become ruler of all of Equestria, so I really don't have time for such things like changing Cozy Glow's restrictions," Twilight explained.

"Uh, it won't take time, just give the 'ok'," Rumble said.

"It's not that easy, I need to consult with Celestia and Luna, they're still rulers of Equestria but we're all busy making that transition, I can't deal with minuscule things," Twilight explained.

"Just the other day you were competing in some trivia thing! You had time for that but not for Cozy Glow!?" Rumble asked.

"Hey, intelligence is never a waste of time, plus I need a break once in a while," Twilight said. "I'll figure out Cozy Glow's situation another time, but now is not that time."

"But Twilight, I'd like to be able to take her on dates without always having a chaperone," Rumble said.

"To be fair, a pony your age should have a chaperone, I seem to recall you having one with Sweetie Belle," Twilight said.

"First off, I'm old enough to not need a chaperone, I'm almost fourteen, I'm practically a stallion!" Rumble said. "Second Sweetie Belle wasn't that restricted, if she left Rarity's sight she wouldn't be given the threat  of going back to Tartarus."

"Rumble, I'm sorry about your dating troubles, but like I said, I can't help you," Twilight said. "Before I allow this I need to feel like I can trust Cozy Glow, and I haven't gotten there yet."

"It's been several weeks though! Months even!" Rumble insisted. "She's been really well behaved!"

"Another time Rumble, now I need to go, farewell," Twilight said. Before Rumble could object, Twilight had shut the door, much to Rumble's annoyance.

"Some Princess of Friendship," Rumble muttered, angrily trotting away from the castle. "I'll show her, Cozy Glow is much better than she was before, Twilight's just jealous that I got her to reform a lot better than she could have." Rumble's face turned into quite the scowl, "Well, if she won't cooperate, neither will I."

At the moment, Cozy Glow was at Grogar's cave, having been summoned there rather quickly and abruptly with the other villains.

"Hey, this won't take long right?" Cozy Glow asked. "If Flitter sees that I'm gone-"

"You'll be fine, dear child," Grogar said. "I'll have your back before you know it, but I do like to keep tabs on those I work with."

"If this is about that bell of yours, we haven't gotten it yet," Adagio said, trying not to grin. "And we've looked everywhere."

"Yes, ever since that search a while back, I'm afraid we've been coming up short," Tirek added, secretly winking to his allies.

"I'm aware of your constant failure, which is why I've brought you all here!" Grogar said. "How else can you prove your loyalty and worth to me if you can't locate something as simple as my bell!"

"Hey going up that mountain wasn't 'simple'," Aria said. "It's not as easy of a task as you think."

"You all have brought destruction to the lands of Equestria, yet you can't conquer a simple mountain?" Grogar asked. "I'm honestly not surprised you've all failed in your attempts to bring down Twilight Sparkle and her friends, perhaps I should return you to Tartarus!"

"Now hold on sir," Adagio said. "Give us a little more time, we promise we will not fail you."

"Fine, you get five days," Grogar said. "That's all the generosity you'll be receiving from me."

"Five days is plenty," Chrysalis said, doing a slight bow, if to hide her cunning smile.

"I should hope so," Grogar said. "Do not disappoint me."

Grogar made his way out of the lair, leaving the villains behind. Of course this didn't settle well with Cozy Glow. "Uh, hello! Send me back!" She angrily marched over, "Hey! Flitter's waiting back home! If she sees that I'm not there, she's gonna get mad!"

"Hold on Cozy Glow," Sonata said, getting her attention. "Can I speak to you privately?"

"Uh, sure Sonata," Cozy Glow said, following the mare while the other villains made their plans. She met with the siren in a more deluded area, "What did you need?"

"Cozy Glow, I know the plan was for all of us to betray Grogar and conquer Equestria ourselves," Sonata began. "And while that's fine for the others, I don't think you should be part of that."

"Huh? Why shouldn't I?" Cozy Glow asked.

"You've been given a second chance, you have a coltfriend who loves you and a mare who's looking out for you," Sonata said. "Plus aren't you making friends again? Like with The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Even Flurry Heart likes you."

"So you're saying I should sit this invasion out?" Cozy Glow asked. "No way! I can't do that!"

"It's not worth it, I barely want to do this myself," Sonata said. "I don't want to hurt the other ponies."

"The same ponies who still treat you like garbage despite you trying to be nice to them?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Twilight and her friends seem to like me at least," Sonata said. "I want to talk the others out of this but they're too caught up in revenge, and the more I think about it, I don't want you acting the same way. You can live a better life."

"Sonata, I can't go against them now, they might hurt me too!" Cozy Glow said. "Sorry, but I'm staying on the winning team."

"What if they hurt Rumble?" Sonata asked. "Or Flitter?"

"They won't, especially if I can get Rumble on our side," Cozy Glow said.

"Huh? Rumble wants to grow up to be a Wonderbolt, he calls himself a Knight, he won't join us," Sonata said.

"He was only a 'Knight' when dating Sweetie Belle, but he's my coltfriend now, and he'll do what I say," Cozy Glow said.

"It won't be that simple," Sonata said. "I really think you should sit this out. Just think about it at least?"

Cozy Glow looked a bit annoyed, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to continue arguing this with Sonata. This was one of the few adult ponies she respected, so she gave in. "Fine Sonata, I'll think about not doing this, but I can't promise anything."

"Well, just think about what this could mean for Rumble and Flitter," Sonata said. "Speaking of which, let's get you come, Tirek should have enough magic to help you get there, I think he's been sneaking out and stealing it from ponies."

"He has, not too much because Grogar would get suspicious but enough to keep him satisfied," Cozy Glow said.

Within moments, Cozy had returned to Ponyville, though she had to quickly fly home, Tirek's spell wasn't that specific. She snuck in through her window and went straight to her bed, after grabbing a few dolls to simulate that she was playing, in the even Flitter had come upstairs.

Some time after coming back though, she heard a knock on her window. It was Rumble, sending her heart a flutter at the sight of the boy she loved. She quickly rushed to the window, opening it up. "Hi Rumbly-boo, this is a nice surprise. Couldn't wait to see more of me?"

"I can't get enough of you Cozy," Rumble said. "Or your cute little butt."

"Oh my,"  Cozy Glow said, blushing quite a bit. The filly seductively smiled at her colfriend. "You're such a pervert Rumble."

"Well I know what I like," Rumble said, leaning in so the two can kiss. "But I didn't come just to see you, I came because I wanted to bring you over to my house."

"Oh, golly that sounds fun," Cozy Glow said. "But what if Flitter sees I'm not home?"

"I can help with that, if you really want to come over," Rumble said. "What do you say?"

Cozy Glow was a bit surprised to see Rumble this sneaky, she kind of liked it, "You know, this is technically breaking the rules."

"I couldn't care less right now, besides Twilight's rules suck, they just get in the way of fun," Rumble said.

"Oh yes, they really do!" Cozy Glow said. "She's the worst!"

"Totally, I asked her to give you more freedom, and she blew me off," Rumble said. "To think she's going to run Equestria soon, she might give us more lame rules like 'Friendship Reports due every week', or stuff to do with reading, it's gonna get annoying!"

"Too bad there's no way for somepony else to take charge," Cozy Glow said.

"Yeah, maybe Cadance should rule, she seems cool," Rumble said. "Eh, Twilight might screw up and somepony else will take over, especially if we rally."

"Oh I think there could be another ruling besides Twilight's," Cozy Glow said, grinning mischievously.

"Well, anyway, wanna come over?" Rumble asked.

"Oh golly yes," Cozy Glow said. Once Rumble set up a good cover for Cozy Glow, the two flew over to his house where they resumed their romantic spur, not caring one bit about the rules set up by Twilight or her friends.

They just wanted each other, and that's exactly what they got.

Unfortunately things started going downhill for them very soon. After a couple of days, the villains had once again reassembled at Grogar's lair, only without Grogar. Cozy Glow had snuck away from home to meet up with the villains.

"Cozy Glow, you've made it just in time for me to finalize the preparations for our master plan," Tirek said, presenting Grogar's Bell to the group. "After conducting some masterful research, I have discovered that this artifact can steal any type of magic, and hold onto it until released by the holder!"

"Which means, all it's power now belongs to us!" Adagio said, grinning ear to ear. "With that type of magic on our side, nopony in Equestria could stand against us!"

"Perhaps we should try the spell first," Chrysalis suggested. "Last thing we want is a slip-up so close to our Grand Scheme."

"Sounds good to me, I don't want any magical side affects," Cozy Glow said.

"Everyone take my hand," Tirek said, getting looks of curiosity.

"Uh, why?" Adagio asked.

"So we can all be part of the spell," Tirek explained. "Of course if you're all fine with me taking the magic-"

"I don't think so," Aria said. "But I'm not touching you, Cozy you grab his hand and I'll grab your hoof."

"Come on, they're not dirty," Tirek said.

"You pick your teeth a lot, it's gross," Aria said.

"So it's alright if I grab his hand?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Just get to it! Last thing we need is for Grogar to come back and discover our betrayal!" Adagio ordered.

The villains each began to grab onto each other, Cozy grabbing one of Tirek's hands, Chrysalis grabbing the other while Aria grabbed Cozy's hoof and Adagio grabbed Chrysalis's. However they noticed that Sonata looked hesitant.

"Sonata, what are you waiting for?" Adagio asked.

"Are we really going to do this?" Sonata asked, getting a groan of annoyance from the others.

"Haven't you convinced her yet Adagio?" Chrysalis asked.

"Twilight Sparkle's the one who brainwashed her!" Adagio said. "Now she's all about Friendship and junk."

"It's not that, I just don't think this is gonna go well," Sonata said. "I mean..."

"Sonata we're doing this with or without you," Aria said. "You could be part of your Family, or you can betray us to ponies who don't trust you, it's your choice."

Sonata sighed in despair, "Fine, but can I at least not be part of this invasion you have planned? I don't have it in me to actually hurt the others."

"Do what you want, just don't stand in our way," Adagio said.

"Hold on, is it a good idea to let her take this power if she won't even join us?" Chrysalis asked. "That's less power for us!"

"The five of us should be enough, plus we cam always steal more magic, especially from a certain goat," Adagio said, then leaned in to whisper to Chrysalis ."Plus when it comes down to it, she always shows us loyalty, she can't stay away from Aria and myself."

Chrysalis groaned in disappointment, "Fine, but like your leader said, stay out of our way if you will not help us!"

Sonata reluctantly joined with the other villains as Tirek activated the bell, sending power to the six nefarious beings. 

Not too long later, Grogar arrived with a magical amulet, intending to use it for his own villainous acts. "Alright listen up, Princess Twilight's Coronation is today, and we're going to use this artifact to ruin it. However you all need to work together for this to be accomplished.

"That won't be hard," Chrysalis said, emerging from the shadows and using some goo to stick Grogar to the ground. The other villains came out, with a much bigger and buffer Tirek, the Sirens each with scaly fins and a now Alicorn Cozy Glow, the little filly showing off the bell.

"You had my bell all along!?" Grogar asked.

"Of course, did you really think we'd hand such an artifact over?" Adagio asked. "We're calling the shots now, right girls?"

"Ahem..." Tirek said, getting Adagio's attention.

"And Tirek," Adagio said with a roll of her eyes.

The six villains used the bell to steal magic from Grogar, revealing him to in fact be Discord in disguise.

"Didn't expect that," Tirek said, very confused.

"Discord! It was you all along!?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Oh my, this is quite awkward," Discord nervously said. "Now if you don't mind..." Discord snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. A few more attempts later settled in the realization that he had no magic, so he quickly scurried away.

"Ugh, I can't believe him! All that talk about me being this spoiled filly who can't be trusted and yet he's secretly making plans against Twilight and her friends!" Cozy Glow said.

"Wait this doesn't add up, what is Discord planning?" Sonata asked. "Was he really doing this on his own accord? Or was this suppose to be a trap?"

"Why would Discord trap us? We were already in Tartarus!" Aria explained.

"Maybe we should go after him," Cozy Glow suggested.

"It's pointless, he had no magic," Chrysalis said. "Let us resume our plans."

As the villains followed Chrysalis to another room, Aria noticed Sonata's state of confusion, "Hey, if you're still thinking about Discord being Grogar, don't worry too much about it. In the end we're the ones with the power."

"I'm just worried, Discord knows that me and Cozy were part of this, what if he tells Twilight?" Sonata asked. "Granted I don't even know why he wouldn't have mentioned it before...unless the real Grogar is out there and Discord happened to just capture him?"

"You're thinking too much..." Aria rubbed her head. "Wow, never thought I'd actually say something like that to you. Still I can't imagine Discord spoiling this, that would mean telling Twilight and the others he conspired against us."

"But what if he's plotting something?" Sonata asked. "What if this was set up by even Twilight just to make us look bad, and even have an excuse to do something terrible to us?"

"Then we strike them before they can strike us," Aria said. "That is, if you even want to join us still."

"I will, only to get answers," Sonata said. "If this was a set up by Twilight or even The Princesses, then there will be consequences."

Aria grinned in satisfaction, "Good to hear, now let's hurry. Don't want to keep the others waiting."

Sonata followed her fellow siren, disaster imminent in Equestria.

Back in Ponyville, Rumble was on his way over to Flitter's house, awaiting a day of fun and excitement, plus a lot of romance with his girlfriend Cozy Glow. However as he got there he could see Flitter flying around the area, looking quite nervous.

"Hey Flitter, is something wrong?" Rumble asked.

"Rumble!" Flitter flew over to the colt. "Thank goodness I found you, have you seen Cozy Glow anywhere!?"

"No, I haven't..." realization hit Rumble, "Wait, is she not home!?"

"I haven't seen her all day!" Flitter explained, getting very nervous. "This isn't good, if Twilight or her friends find out she left, they're going to take her away for sure!"

"Now let's take a step back, where did you last see her?" Rumble asked.

"Last night when I tucked her in!" Flitter explained. "When I went into her room this morning to wake her up for breakfast, she was already gone!"

Rumble scratched his head in confusion and worry, his girlfriend was missing right now, but he couldn't think of any place she might be. "Stay here, I'm going to fly around Ponyville and see if I find her."

Rumble quickly took to the air as Flitter returned home to search for any clues, "I hope she's alright!"

Rumble searched around the village, quickly keeping an eye out in hopes of finding the filly before she landed herself in a huge mess of trouble. "Where could she have gone? Maybe she snuck over to my house?"

From the distance he could hear some ponies screaming, he turned and saw many of them running in fear. He looked and saw what he thought was Chrysalis and Starlight fighting near The School of Friendship before disappearing.

"That was Queen Chrysalis!" Rumble said in confusion. "What could she be doing here!?"

"Rumble!" He heard somepony calling. He looked down and saw that it was Dinky who called him. She wasn't alone, Tender Taps and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were there as well. He quickly flew down to greet them. "Dinky, what's happening!?"

"Villains, they're attacking!" Dinky explained.

"Wait, it's not just Chrysalis!?" Rumble asked.

"According to a message from Twilight, she was joined by other villains," Apple Bloom explained. "Tirek, The Sirens..."

"And Cozy Glow," Dinky finished. "She's with them."

Rumble's eyes widened in shock, not believing what he was hearing, "No, it can't be! Cozy Glow's changed, she wouldn't do that!"

"We didn't want to believe it either," Apple Bloom said. "But she teamed up with the other villains and stole Discord's magic, now they're going after Twilight!"

"Starswirl and The Pillars are going to help, I think," Scootaloo said. "But for now everypony else needs to hide."

"Which might be tough since it seems like the Unicorns, The Pegusai and Earth Ponies seem to hate each other for some reason," Dinky said.

"Wait for real? How?" Rumble asked.

"Nopony knows," Tender Taps said. "Which is bad because it might cause us to be separated from each other if we have to hide."

"Where's Princess Twilight?" Rumble asked.

"Canterlot," Sweetie Belle answered, surprising everypony. For the first time in a while, she was talking to Rumble. "Today was suppose to be her coronation, which is probably why they're doing this."

"Canterlot...alright, I know where I'm going then," Rumble said.

"Wait up!" Sweetie Belle said, getting his attention. "Are you actually going to fly out there!?"

"I have to, I need answers, plus if Cozy Glow's a part of this, that's where she might be," Rumble said.

"Rumble, this is dangerous," Sweetie Belle said. "I know you're brave and all but this is something that should be left to Twilight."

"She's right, don't be stubborn," Tender Taps said.

"Cozy Glow might need my help," Rumble said. "That or she has quite a lot of explaining to do."

Before Rumble could fly off, Sweetie Belle caught his attention. "Rumble wait!" Rumble looked to his former marefriend. "Please, be careful, I don't want you to get hurt."

Rumble could see the look of worry in her eyes, it's been so long since she's shown her worries to him, he almost missed that about her. "You know me Sweetie Belle, there's nothing I can't handle. I'll be back, and maybe we can all hang out again, like the old days."

Rumble then flew off, making his way over to Canterlot. The other foals stood back in worry, hoping Rumble knew what he was doing.

"I kind of want to follow after him," Scootaloo said.

"No way, yer Aunts would be furious if you risked yerself like that," Apple Bloom said.

"But he's our friend, I have to try something!" Scootaloo insisted.

"I want to help too but going out there is just gonna give the others more to worry about," Dinky said. "he's vert clever and won't do anything beyond his reach, he still hasn't forgotten the last time he did something like that, Rumble does learn from his mistakes."

"Sweetie Belle!" Came the voice of the filly's mother. "Come on, we need to get going!"

"Coming mom!" Sweetie Belle said, following after her mother.

"Apple Bloom, you get here too! It ain't safe right now!" Granny Smith called out.

"Coming Granny!" Apple Bloom said, following her grandmother's voice.

"Scootaloo! This way!" Came the voice of Aunt Holiday.

"So much for following after Rumble," Scootaloo said, looking for her aunts.

Dinky looked off into the distance, thinking of her best friend, "Try not to get yourself killed Rumble."

Eventually Rumble arrived in Canterlot, making his way over to the castle where he heard some commotion. He peeked inside and saw Cozy Glow fighting the Mane 6, though fairing quite poorly. She wasn't alone, Aria was also present but she was busy fighting against Sunset Shimmer and Spike.

"This is terrible, I gotta do something!" Rumble said, making his way inside through the window.

At that moment, Cozy had been slammed down by Applejack's lasso, Aria taking notice after knocking Spike into Sunset. "This how you treat all foals? Kind of surprising that you're not even trying to go easy on her."

"She made her choice, we do not have any tolerance for those who defy Equestria!" Twilight said.

Aria went to attack Twilight but she had been caught by Sunset's magic, suspending her in mid-air, "Don't even try it."

Aria struggled to break free, but no avail. She instead turned her attention back to Twilight, "So what now? Gonna throw your weight around some more? Gonna torture this filly for answers?"

"Don't make us seem like the bad ones, you're the ones who invaded!" Rainbow Dash shouted, floating over to Cozy Glow. "Whatever she has coming, she's earned it."

Before Rainbow Dash could get closer, Rumble flew in and blocked her path, "Don't come any closer!"

"Rumble!?" Rainbow Dash shouted in disbelief.

"Huh?" Cozy looked up to see her boyfriend, "Rumble, what are you doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same thing Cozy Glow," Rumble said, turning to the filly, though finally noticed something different. "Wait, you're an Alicorn?"

"Oh this?" Cozy asked, gesturing to her newly acquired horn. "Just a little something I got from Grogar's Bell, pretty neat right?"

"I'll say, wow that's pretty awesome," Rumble said, then remembered why he was here. "Nevermind that, what are you doing in Canterlot!? I thought you changed Cozy Glow!"

"Well...I tried to, but an opportunity came along and...well you know how it is," Cozy Glow said.

"Cozy, this is not good, I mean...wait that rope looks a little tight, hold on," Rumble said, about to untie her.

"H-hey! Don't free her!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Well can I at least loosen it up, it's hurting her, evil or not she's still a filly and you're all adult mares, plus this is kind of your fault for not being better mentors," Rumble said.

"Excuse me!?" Spike shouted, marching toward Rumble. "Twilight did everything right! How is it her fault that Cozy Glow's evil!?"

"Hey if she can't help a filly then she messed up somewhere," Rumble said, loosening Cozy's rope.

"Thanks Rumbly," Cozy Glow said. "But about this, I really want you to know that I never meant to hurt you or Flitter, I just wanted revenge. The ponies have been nothing but mean to me, with no real effort to help me make friends. Only you did that and even then they never took your attempts seriously, except Applejack but we saw how quickly she turned on me, she didn't even try vouching for me."

"What was ah suppose to say when you barged into the castle and knocked out Princess Celestia and Luna!?" Applejack asked.

"Wow, you knocked out Celestia and Luna!? You're really strong," Rumble said, somewhat impressed.

"I know how much you like strong fillies," Cozy Glow said.

"Well, still, this wasn't a good idea, I can't condone this," Rumble said. "How did you even come across Grogar's Bell? Also since when did Grogar exist? I thought he was some old legend?" Rumble tapped his chin, "Then again ponies thought that about Nightmare Moon."

"I don't know if he even exists since Discord pretended to be Grogar and summoned me and the others to some weird swamp and made plans to overthrow Twilight," Cozy Glow explained.

"Discord did this!?" Rumble asked, turning to Twilight. "Were you aware that Discord betrayed you? Again!?"

"Discord didn't betray us Rumble," Fluttershy explained. "Discord was just setting up some weird test for Twilight."

"Basically he wanted to see if Twilight can defeat six baddies and give her the confidence she needs to rule Equestria," Pinkie Pie explained. "But things really went wrong as you can see, turns out he was even the one who brought back King Sombra, really didn't think everything through, like I said, he's a total weirdo."

Rumble couldn't believe what he just heard, Discord set up some elaborate test just to ease Twilight's anxieties, how do they allow Discord to do whatever he wants is something Rumble couldn't understand. "So Discord took Cozy Glow, a filly I was TRYING TO REFORM, and tried using her in a plot against Twilight!? What did he not want this filly to have a better life!?"

"He also took Sonata too, real shit thing to do  if you ask me," Aria said. "Poor girl wanted friends here but I guess Discord wouldn't allow that."

"Maybe he was testing you to see if you really can be trusted," Rainbow Dash said. "Obviously they failed that test."

"Was this really Discord's own doing?" Rumble asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Sonata said, trotting into the room, joined by Adagio, Chrysalis and an even buffer Tirek, who zapped Sunset and freed Aria.

"I'm curious myself, so let's hear it from Discord himself!" Tirek said, blasting Celestia's chair to reveal the powerless Discord.

"Oh boy," Discord said, then got grabbed by Chrysalis's magic and brought to the floor with the other ponies.

"They're here too!?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Did you really think those old fools could stand a chance against me?" Tirek asked. "I defeated them in a heartbeat."

"Hey I was there too, don't take all the credit," Adagio said.

"Truthfully, we've been waiting at the gates for some time, we just wanted to allow this foal some time for an explanation," Chrysalis said, then turned to Rumble. "I must say, your admiration for Cozy Glow is simply delightful."

"Well she is my marefriend, I have a duty to protect her, even if I'm not too happy with what she's been doing," Rumble said. "But equally at fault here is that old bastard Discord."

"Yeah, explain Discord's actions Princess Twilight!" Sonata shouted. "Was this really his own doing? Was it Celestia's doing!? Or are you really behind it?"

"I had nothing to do with what Discord did Sonata!" Twilight said. "You know he's unpredictable, he's very capable of thinking up this crazy plan!"

"Hey! I'd like to think my plan was very carefully planned out, give or take a few bumps," Discord said.

"How long has Discord even been here?" Rumble asked. "Wait, was he hiding in this room this whole time?"

"I wasn't 'hiding', I was staying out the way," Discord said. "Also I don't appreciate being called an 'old bastard', didn't your mother teach you any manners? Such a foul mouth youth."

"Oh, I see, seems like you're still all buddy-buddy with Discord, despite what he pulled," Sonata said. "You seem quick to keep a traitor like that your friend while looking down at me on myself and Cozy Glow!"

"Discord meant no harm!" Fluttershy asserted. "Sure he came up with a foolish plan, but in his own way, it was because he cared enough about Twilight to help her become the best she can be. You and Cozy Glow made the choice to side against us."

"I didn't want to! I didn't even plan to come, but when I saw that Discord was the one behind this, I got a little suspicious!" Sonata said. "Now you're telling me that after all this it's back to being friends!? The same Discord that betrayed you once before!?"

"That he did, I fully remember that," Tirek said in an almost boasting tone. "But of course they want Discord on their side, his magic is useful to them, even if it's within our possession now."

"Not for long," Twilight said, trying to blast the bell, but Tirek deflected it, the blast flying toward Rumble and knocking him back and out cold.

"Rumble!" Cozy Glow shouted in worry. "Tirek! Be careful! I want to marry him someday!"

"Whoops, sorry about that," Tirek said, half meaning it.

"Well Twilight, since you've clearly made your choice..." Sonata said, her eyes glowing, same as Adagio and Aria.

"We'll make ours," Adagio said, grinning in satisfaction.

Twilight quickly grabbed Rumble with her magic and held her friends close, putting up a forcefield to protect them. "You won't win! Don't forget what you're up against?"

"What? The Magic of Friendship?" Tirek asked, getting a laugh from himself and the other villains. "Friendship is the Foundation of Equestria, one that's falling apart."

"The friendship that once united these silly ponies is now on the brink of ruin," Adagio said.

"What are you getting at?" Sunset asked.

"Haven't you noticed how strange things have been in Equestria?" Tirek asked.

"All it took was a few whispers and rumors," Chrysalis said.

"Some destruction of property and crops," Adagio added.

"Turning ponies against one another," Cozy Glow stated.

"Soon everypony in Equestria has become on edge, waiting for something to really tip the scales and completely destroy their faith," Chrysalis finished.

"No back-up friends for you little ponies!" Tirek said.

"Now, how about a little redecorating!" Cozy Glow suggested, as she, Tirek, Chrysalis and The Sirens destroyed the wall of the castle, causing some worry for the ponies.

"There's only one thing stronger than Friendship, Twilight Sparkle," Chrysalis said, destroying her shield. "Fear!"

"Exactly," Tirek said, lifting her with magic. "When you're too busy trying to protect yourself, you don't have time to worry about your friends!"

"Too bad you never taught that in school!" Cozy Glow said.

"Now, time for Princess Twiley to go bye-bye," Adagio said, the villains ready to attack, but a last minute combined blast from Rarity and Sunset Shimmer knocked the villains back.

"That, was a mistake," Aria said. Soon the villains sent a huge beam to attack the ponies, Spike and Discord.

Twilight quickly put up a giant piece of wall to block the attack, but she was getting pushed back. One by one, her friends all helped push the wall toward the villains, but it did very little against the combined magic of the six villains.

"Hey! Where's Rumble!" Cozy Glow asked.

"Worry about him in a minute, focus on destroying these ponies now!" Tirek ordered, the others still attacking, pushing the wall back.

"Twilight! You gotta get help!" Applejack said, pushing hard as she should.

"What!? I can't leave you here!" Twilight said.

"You must Twilight! There is no other choice!" Rarity said.

"We'll hold these villains off!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Get Rumble to safety!" Fluttershy urged, pointing to the colt.

"But I..." Twilight still wasn't sure about this.

"Twilight!" Sunset said. "Only you can save Equestria, be the leader we know you are!"

Discord grabbed Twilight, looking into her eyes, "Just fly you foal!" He went to go push the wall back as Twilight reluctantly grabbed Rumble and teleported away, leaving the others at the mercy of the villains.

Far away from the danger at the School of Friendship, Twilight had placed Rumble on a make-shift bed, hopelessly lamenting the situation. The villains have taken over, Canterlot is doomed, Equestria is on edge, all because she couldn't prevent any of this. Rumble had a point, Twilight could have ended this problem before it began, but she messed up time and again.

"Rumble, I'm so sorry you had to go through this," Twilight said, stroking the colt's mane. "I know you might hate us for what happened with Cozy Glow, maybe if we handled her better she wouldn't be evil, we could have reformed her...maybe you wouldn't have gotten your heart broken because of her." Twilight chuckled a bit. "Maybe you are right, maybe I'm not suited to rule. I can't even keep those closest to me safe. Everyone I love is in danger now, Spike, my brother, Cadance, Flurry Heart, my friends, and even my sweet little Tappy." Twilight sighed in despair, "I shouldn't have let him go, but I know that's something the two of us can relate on. We each couldn't hold onto that pony special to us." Twilight rested against the bed, thinking over the day, and wondering how it could have been so much better.

Hours passed by, Rumble slowly started to stir, waking up in a different room. "Huh? Where am I?" He felt some pain, trying to remember what happened. "Wait, wasn't I just in Canterlot Castle?" 

"Rumble!" He heard. He turned and saw Flurry Heart. "You awake!"

"Flurry?" Rumble was a bit confuse. "What are you-"

"Oh you're awake, good," Cadance said, getting Rumble's attention. "Twilight told me you took quite a blow."

"Princess Cadance? Where did you come from?" Rumble asked. "Wait, what happened with the villains? Are they still out there? Where's Cozy Glow!?"

"Easy Rumble," Cadance said, calming the colt. "Everything's fine, Twilight stopped the villains, not just her, but all of Equestria."

"Huh? I don't get it," Rumble said.

"It's quite a story, you should ask Twilight when you get the chance," Cadance said.

Uh, alright, but what about Cozy Glow? Would I be able to see her?" Rumble asked.

Cadances' somber look told an worrysome story to Rumble, "You can see her, but it might not be as ideal as you'd like."

Later in Canterlot garden, Rumble stood before a statue, but not any type of statue. It was that of the six villains who invaded Canterlot. Chrysalis had a look of fury, as if she were about to attack somepony. Tirek, who was much weaker looking, was trying to shield himself from whatever turned him into stone. Adagio had a look of disbelief on her face, Aria looked like she lost all hope and just didn't care, and Sonata had a look of hurt and betrayal in her eyes. But what really upset him was Cozy Glow, the look of pure fear on her face.

"So, this is their idea of Friendship and Justice, turning a child into a stone statue," Rumble bitterly said. "No Discord statue I see, even if this was all his fault, unless he's rotting in Tartarus."

"He isn't," Apple Bloom said, making her way over with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Dinky and Tender Taps. "He got off because he rescued Starlight from her imprisonment."

"That's it? That's how he rectified his mistake!?" Rumble asked. "Who's idea was that!?"

"It was Luna and Celestia's final decree, that and they were the ones, along with Discord, who turned them into statues," Apple Bloom said.

"Wow, that's just real freaking amazing isn't it!" Rumble said, amping up his sarcasm. "So did Twilight get coronated?"

"Soon she will be," Apple Bloom said.

"You can come and watch if you'd like," Scootaloo said.

"No offense but I want nothing to do with that event," Rumble said.

"Rumble," Sweetie Belle interjected. "I know you're sad about Cozy Glow, but think about it this way. Maybe Twilight will set her free after her coronation?"

"Yeah, she'll reconsider soon, she would not leave a girl Cozy's age like this," Dinky said.

"Twilight knows best, even if it doesn't seem that way," Tender Taps said.

"I hope not," Rumble said, looing up at the statue. "I know she did something bad, but only because it seemed like nopony really gave her a chance to change." Rumble wiped a tear from his eye. "That's just unfair."

Sweetie Belle felt her heart turn and twist when she saw that tear. She trotted over to the colt who was once her boyfriend and placed her hoof around him. Rumble turned to the girl he once loved and embraced her in a hug, which Sweetie Belle returned. For the first time in months, the two had embraced once again, not out of romance, but out of comfort.

Back in the future, all Rumble could think about was that comfort he felt from Sweetie Belle after Cozy Glow had been turned to stone. Things did not change as immediately as he had hoped, but they obviously did eventually, but that is what led to all this.

"Oh Rumble..." the colt heard. It was a sound that sent shivers down his spine. He peeked outside the treehouse to see the queen of the Changelings. "Found you..."

"Chrysalis!?" Rumble said in surprise, he was ready to fight if need be.

"Come on out, will you?" Chrysalis asked. "I promise no harm will befall onto you."

"How can I be so sure?" Rumble asked. "What if this is a trap?"

"If I wanted to trap you, don't you think I would have transformed into somepony you trusted?" Chrysalis asked. "I'm coming to you with no disguise, just me and a couple of friends. Won't you hear me out? It is about Cozy Glow after all."

"Cozy Glow?" Rumble said, slowly making his way out of the treehouse. "What about her?"

"She wishes to see you again, that's all," Chrysalis said. "I think she has a surprise for you, but I believe she wants to show you herself. She's hoping this could birth a proper reunion."

Rumble wasn't the only one who seemed to have been cornered by a villain, for off in the distance, Twilight and Sweetie Belle have run into one of Equestria's oldest foes.

"King Sombra!" Twilight shouted in anger, readying her magic, Sweetie Belle doing the same.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," King Sombra said, trotting toward her. "What a nice surprise."

"Save it!" Twilight shouted. "I am happy you're here, now I can get answers. Where is Tender Taps?"

"He's...around," Sombra answered.

Twilight zapped the ground near him, "Don't be vague Sombra! Tell me what I want to know or the next one won't miss!"

"Quite the temper you have," Sombra said. "That boy is safe though, he's in good hooves after all."

"Good hooves? With scum like you what can possibly be good!?" Twilight asked.

"Why Princess Twilight, I would understand if it were myself, Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek or Miss Adagio Dazzle you were worried about, but I figured you would have some faith in yourself at least."

"Myself?" Twilight asked. "What are you getting at Sombra?"

"Oh, you'll see soon, Princess," Sombra said, his glowing eyes adding an ominous tone to his warning.

Back in the villain headquarters, Tender Taps found himself confronted by a very familiar pony. "T-Twilight? No, are you just Chrysalis in disguise?"

The pony, who looked like Twilight, but with a black scarf, a more faded look and darker purple eyes just got closer to Tender Taps.

"Now, now, my dear Tappy, could Chrysalis possibly fake this type of affection?" The evil Twilight moved in close and locked Tender Taps in a deep kiss, one that Tender Taps couldn't resist. The plan was moving forward, the villains one step closer to victory, if they could continue this pace, then Equestria was there's for the taking.