Sweet Affection 3

by Masterob

Enduring

Back at the fight, Chrysalis and Shining Armor had clashed their horns against one another.

"You've gotten stronger, you're not the same stallion I easily manipulated years back," Chrysalis said.

"That incident led me to train harder, to never let that happen again!" Shining Armor said, knocking Chrysalis back.

"Well I can tell your hard work has really paid off Shining Armor," Chrysalis said. "But I haven't been sitting idly by either, I too work to grow my power, to take what I desire!"

"What is there to take!? You barely have enough Changelings to fill a village!" Shining Armor said.

"I can always have more Changelings Shining Armor, plus with the new magic I've been working on, I can easily start a new civilization, a superior one, where even ponies follow me as their Queen. I will start Equestria over, and do it in my vision," Chrysalis said.

Both jumped away from each other and sent out blasts from their horns, both canceling each other out.

"What magic are you talking about Chrysalis?" Shining Armor asked.

"It's still new, it's something I'm still working on, but once it's perfected, all ponies in this world will be immediately obsolete," Chrysalis said.

"So from there are you planning on wiping out all of the civilizations?" Shining Armor asked.

"Most of them at least, I will need some ponies around to feed my Changelings and the Sirens," Chrysalis said. "I'll also very likely leave The Crystal Empire in tact, don't want to mess up any potential partnerships."

"Huh? What partnership?" Shining Armor asked.

"Let's just say it's one of the reasons I needed your daughter, come to think of it, you and your wife would also do very nicely," Chrysalis said.

Shining Armor looked a bit worried, though it quickly turned to anger, "I don't want you anywhere near my wife!"

"I got to her once, who's to say I won't do it again?" Chrysalis taunted.

"You parasite!" Shining Armor shouted, charging in again, clashing against her shield.

Nearby Rainbow Dash was quickly dodging each of Aria's attacks, causing some frustration from the moody Siren.

"The longer you dodge, the more you tick me off!" Aria shouted.

"Fine, I'll attack!" Rainbow Dash said and kicked Aria back, further annoying her.

"Damn pain in the flank, I have better things to do right now!" Aria shouted.

"Hey if you don't want to fight, then just give us back Flurry Heart and we'll be off!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Kinda tempted to just do that, she's already served her usefulness," Aria said.

"What usefulness?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Aria shook her head, "Sorry, can't tell you, already said enough."

"Hey, you tell me more or I'll beat the answers out of you!" Rainbow Dash warned. "I'm not messing around here, that's my best friend's niece you have as your hostage!"

"Like I give a crap about your problems," Aria said. "I'm just doing what I've been asked to do, if you don't like it, then tough."

"Look you-" Rainbow Dash was saying, then saw Thunderlane get knocked toward her. "Thunder!"

Adagio was trotting towards them, "Done already? I was just getting warmed up."

Rainbow Dash flew over to punch Adagio, getting her good across the jaw. "That's for hurting my friend!"

Adagio rubbed her jaw, partially amazed and partially annoyed. "Wow, you really got me, makes sense considering you're one of the fastest flyers in Equestria."

Thunderlane struggled to stand up, "I gotta get her, she's the one who broke Rumble's wings, I have to avenge my brother."

Rainbow Dash helped him stand up, "I get you want revenge, just be careful though. I think Rumble would much rather you come back to him alive and in one piece."

"That's almost unlikely, going against us," Adagio said.

Rainbow Dash glared, "Watch yourself, you're starting to make me mad."

"I know," Adagio said, grinning sadistically. "I can taste your negativity, it's delicious."

Aria could sense it as well, the two Pegasus ponies oozing with negative energy. "At least I'll get something good out of this."

Rainbow Dash flew to attack Aria, but Adagio quickly cut her off and used some magic to blast Rainbow Dash back.

Thunderlane flew in to help, but Aria was quick to ram him to the ground. She stomped down at him but he rolled and hit an uppercut, stumbling her back and bumping into Adagio.

This caused a brief distraction and allowed Rainbow Dash to punch Adagio, knocking her toward Thunderlane, who then did a fly kick to her face.

Aria stood up and punched Thunderlane in the stomach and then quickly turned around to do a buck kick to his chin, then blocked an attack from Rainbow Dash, allowing her to punch The Element back.

"So you do have some fight in you," Rainbow Dash said while rubbing her chin.

"Yeah, thanks for making me have to work, least I'll get a good meal out of it!" Aria said, rushing in to attack again.

Not too far off, Pinkie was busy trying to dodge all of Sonata's attacks, though it wasn't easy. The Siren was really fast, Pinkie could barely dodge out of the way.

"Gotta find an opening, once she's down I can go get Flurry," Pinkie planned.

"Hey! You better fight back!" Sonata warned. "I told you I'm not taking it easy on you!"

"I really don't like fighting though!" Pinkie said, continuing to avoid Sonata.

"Then you shouldn't have come! You really didn't think you'd be able to take Flurry back without a fight did you!?" Sonata asked, finally hitting Pinkie hard with a punch to her jaw.

Pinkie rubbed the sore spot, wincing in pain. "Wow, she's really strong, fast too."

Sonata got into another stance, "Now you know what you're up against, still don't think you should try fighting me? If you're not going to fight, then just leave, you being here is a waste of time and effort."

"Sorry, but if I leave now, I'll never be able to forgive myself, nor would I be able to face Twilight, Cadance or Shining Armor again," Pinkie said. "If I have even the slightest chance to get Flurry back, I'll take it!"

"Well, your only chance is fighting me, because I'm not giving up Flurry without a fight!" Sonata said and rushed to attack again, with Pinkie Pie also rushing in and colliding hard against the Siren.

Nearby, Chrysalis took to the air and started blasting down at Shining Armor, the pony knight using a magic shield to deflect everything, then used the shield to try and attack Chrysalis.

"I don't think so," Chrysalis said, moving aside and then flying in while sending out a stronger blast. While Shining Armor was able to dodge, he was caught by the radius of the blast and got knocked to the floor.

Several Changelings then grabbed Shining Armor with their magic, holding him up as Chrysalis approached him.

Rainbow Dash noticed from where she was, "Oh no! Shining Armor!"

"Don't get distracted!" Aria shouted, rushing in to attack Rainbow Dash's back leg, causing her to quickly limp away.

"Ow, she got me good," Rainbow Dash said, feeling some pain on her left hind leg.

Aria went to attack again, but Thunderlane rammed her from the side. He went to continue, but Adagio was quick to pull her ally out of the way, then got a strong punch to Thunderlane, knocking him to the floor.

As Thunderlane started to get up, Adagio placed a hoof on his back, right near his wings. "Wanna know how exactly I broke your brother's wings? I can show you exactly what I did." Thunderlane tried to stand, but Adagio just pressed down harder. "Sorry, looks like I have more power than you, then again it's pretty easy. The negativity you're radiating is like a fountain of sweets."

"You're nuts! You know that!?" Thunderlane shouted, then yelled in pain as Adagio started to press down harder.

"Hey! Get away from my friend!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying to help Thunderlane, then got knocked back by Aria.

"You're fight is with me!" Aria shouted.

Adagio continued to press down, "Such a shame, truthfully I'd hate having to hurt you. You're a very attractive stallion. I'd kinda like to keep you as a pet, and I just may." She leaned down to speak into his ear. "In fact, maybe you can even help me repopulate the Sirens, you seem pretty strong, and you're very athletic, I'd love to have a well muscled stallion like you by my side. We'd rule over them as a King and Queen, doesn't that sound exciting?"

Thunderlane started feeling awkward, as evident by the blush on his face. "Sorry, but I'm kind of already in a relationship."

"My advice, break it off," Adagio said. "Chances are whoever this pony is, they will not survive this invasion. Besides, wouldn't you want to move up to a better choice?"

"You hurt my brother, why would I go with somepony like you?" Thunderlane asked.

"Simple, you won't have a choice anyway, either you willingly join us," Adagio's eyes started to glow. "Or we'll make you."

"Thunderlane!" they heard Pinkie Pie shout. Suddenly she landed on top of Adagio and did her best to pull the siren off. "Don't hurt him like you hurt his brother! He's stuck in bed because of you!"

Adagio whacked Pinkie back with a strong hoof, knocking the mare to the floor. "You're gonna have to try harder than that."

Thunderlane used the distraction to move from under Adagio's hoof then took some steps back. While he wanted to keep fighting, he knew she was much stronger than he was, he really needed to think of a better strategy.

Adagio kept a close eye on Thunderlane, anticipating that he would try to do something. She seemed to enjoy seeing the fear in his eyes, a frantic look on his face, knowing he was close to defeat. This would make capturing him to be her personal pet to be all the more fun.

Pinkie got up, ready to attack again but then took a strong blast to her chest, knocking her out. Thunderlane turned and saw Chrysalis only for a split second before he too got knocked out by the blast.

Rainbow Dash had flown up to get out of reach of the Changelings and of Aria, though as she looked around, she saw all her friends knocked out and Chrysalis glaring at her.

"The love Shining Armor had was very delicious, too bad you couldn't stop him," Chrysalis said, then gestured to the stallion by her side. "But things can't be helped, besides he seems quite fine."

Rainbow Dash noticed a dazed look in Shining Armor's unusual green eyes. She could only guess that Chrysalis once again has him under control.

"Just in case you were wondering, he won't be alone," Adagio said. "Because like your friends, you'll be joining him."

Rainbow Dash wasn't too sure if she would be able to win here, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Well I'm not going down without a fight!"

Rainbow Dash flew in to attack Chrysalis, but the Changeling Queen beat her to it with another strong blast that knocked the Loyalty Pegasus out.

"So much for them," Aria said. "Gave us quite the fight though."

"I'm just glad it's over, ooh, I better go check on Flurry," Sonata said, then marched off. "Those two bugs better have done a good job in watching her, or I'm going to be so mad."

As Sonata left, Aria looked over the fallen ponies, "At least we'll have a few new allies thanks to the power of mind control."

"Yes, having two of the Elements of Harmony is highly benificial to us," Chrysalis said. "This will gain us the power we need to take over Equestria."

Adagio then lifted Thunderlane close to her face, the stallion still knocked out. "And some new toys to play with." She then brought him in for a kiss, causing Thunderlane's eyes to awaken with a slight green tint to them.

---

Back at Celestia's castle, Twilight had been explaining the situation to Sunset Shimmer. "Now Chrysalis has the Sirens helping her with her plan to take over Equestria, with their powers complimenting each other, we're almost at a loss on what to do here."

"Those Dazzlings have always been more trouble than they're worth," Sunset said. "But I might know how to defeat them, it won't be easy though...unless you can match their pitch in song or something."

"Match their pitch?" Starlight asked.

"Wait, so we need to defeat them through singing?" Trixie asked. "Because I do possess a very lovely singing voice if need be."

Sunset rolled her eyes, "This isn't a game, or one of your underwhelming shows, try to take this seriously."

Trixie looked displeased, "My shows are not underwhelming!"

"Uh-huh," Sunset said, barely caring. "Look I know it sounds weird, though considering a lot of ponies in Equestria seem to love randomly breaking out into song, but it might be the only thing that can stop the Sirens."

"I'm all for anything that might work," Twilight said. "But how do we go about this? Do we just go over and sing to them?"

"It's not that simple, remember their singing can cause various forms of hypnosis, you're going to need a pony that is able to withstand that, as well as their ability to manipulate negative emotions," Sunset said.

Starlight turned her attention to Twilight, "You have a good singing voice right Twilight? Maybe you can try that."

Twilight blushed a little, "That's flattering, but I'm not too sure about having that good of a singing voice."

"Twilight you sing all the time, you sang at your brother's wedding, you sang when we first became friends, I think you have a great singing voice," Starlight said.

"I recall you singing to myself, Luna and Cadance when you felt unsure of your status as Princess," Celestia said.

"You liked to sing when you were a filly, I always thought your singing voice was pretty," Cadance said.

"If you don't want to, I'm still available," Trixie said.

"It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not sure if I'm the best pick," Twilight said. "I mean if we need true talent, then Sweetie Belle would be perfect for that."

"Is it a good idea to send her against those Sirens though?" Starlight asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if Rarity would like that," Sunburst said.

"What about Fluttershy? She's got a soothing voice," Trixie said.

"Fluttershy could work, we just need to get in contact with her again," Twilight said.

"Well where is she?" Sunset asked.

"She went to go find Mage Meadowbrook," Twilight said. "Applejack, Rarity and Lightning Dust should be with her."

"I've heard of Applejack and Rarity, but who's Lightning Dust?" Sunset asked.

"A Pegasus that I've been teaching Friendship to," Twilight said. "She's a bit brash but really nice underneath it all."

"I personally find her a pleasure to be around, even if she can be a bit full of herself," Trixie said.

Sunset rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because you show so much more humility. I suggest we get going and try to find your friends, the longer we wait, the more likely they'll be in danger from the sirens and Chrysalis."

Sunset began to leave, while the others felt a little unsure about this.

"Well I certainly don't like her attitude," Trixie said.

"I know she's a bit, brash, but she might be our only hope against these Sirens," Twilight said.

"She seemed to know you, are you two old friends?" Sunburst asked.

"I've, crossed paths with her before," Twilight said.

"She was actually my pupil before Twilight, only she failed under me, so she likely sees Twilight as her replacement," Celestia said.

"I do remember seeing her around the castle a lot, she's very intelligent, but lacks proper judgement in some scenarios," Cadance said.

"I know she's not bad, just a bit misguided, I know she doesn't hate me or anything though," Twilight said.

"Sunset does admire you, that none can deny," Celestia said. "Perhaps it's her eagerness to make amends that's affecting her personality."

"Well hopefully it passes soon, otherwise we're in for a very bitter partnership," Trixie said.

"We just need to defeat the Sirens quickly then," Sunburst suggested. "Easier said than done I know, but...well that's about all I got honestly."

"Let's just hurry and find Fluttershy," Twilight said. "I just hope she and the others are alright."

"Actually, I'll go find Fluttershy," Cadance said. "You should get to The Crystal Empire and see if you can find any more info on The Sirens."

"Um, I have all the info we need," Sunset insisted.

"Having a bit more couldn't hurt, I know you've encountered them but there might be ways even you don't know about," Cadnace said.

Sunset groaned in annoyance, "Fine, have it your way."

Celestia placed her hoof on Sunset's shoulder, "Please mind Cadance, she knows what's best as well."

Sunset nodded and left with Twilight, Starlight, Trixie and Sunburst while Cadance left to find Fluttershy.

"Good luck Twilight," Celestia bided.

Elsewhere Fluttershy was leading her group until she saw a familiar village up ahead. "We're almost there, I hope Mage Meadowbrook is home."

"We came al this way and you don't even know if that mare we need to speak to is home?" Lightning asked.

"We had to try something Lightning Dust," Fluttershy said.

"Tch, this better not be a waste of my time," Lightning Dust said, "We'd have been better off going after the Sirens or Chrysalis."

"This is important too Lightning Dust, if we find the Pillars of Equestria, they can help us out greatly," Fluttershy explained.

"Why not just do it ourselves?" Lighting Dust asked. "I think Twilight overreacted a bit, probably because she knows the pony she idolizes the most other than Princess Celestia is around, so she probably wants to fight beside him again."

"She's just taking extra precautions," Fluttershy said. "Remember Starswirl has experience battling against Sirens, so he would be the best pony to turn to for a situation like this."

"I'm sure Twilight could figure something out, she's probably way stronger than him anyway," Lightning said.

"I can't say for sure, but it's not always strength that matters, experience helps too," Fluttershy said. "Besides, it's not like there's any harm in showing a pony you look up to and respect how well you can do."

"Yeah, having a pony to look up to is so great," Lightning said, not holding back on the sarcasm. "Seriously what's the point? Not like they're always what they seem. Spitfire and The Wonderbolts weren't all that great."

"Are you still mad that they booted you from the Academy?" Fluttershy asked, a little guilt in her voice. Even if it wasn't her fault, she doesn't like knowing she was involved in such an unfortunate incident for Lightning Dust.

"Not really, I was at first, but then I realized that I don't need The Wonderbolts to show off my skill, I could do that on my own," Lightning Dust said. "Besides The Wonderbolts have way too many rules, I'd rather do a flight show with rules I can totally stand by."

"Well, at least you found a bright side," Fluttershy said. "But, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for you getting kicked out of The Academy, maybe taking a hot air balloon into a flight training school wasn't a great idea."

"Don't worry about it, maybe Twilight and the others were right and I should have been more careful, but extreme is my style, like I said, I'm kind of happy I got booted, it helped me realize more about myself, and I have no regrets," Lightning Dust said.

Nearby both Applejack and Rarity were listening in, looking a bit unsure about what they just heard.

"What do you think she's planning?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure, I hope it's nothing too rash," Rarity said.

"Same, Twilight and Rainbow Dash have mentioned how reckless that there mare is, ah hope she don't do anything to make this situation worse," Applejack said.

"Let's just hope that Twilight has taught her some sense these last few months," Rarity said as they moved closer to the village.

Back at Ponyville, Rumble is laying in bed, looking really bored and restless. "This really sucks, I hate being stuck in bed. My wings don't even hurt that bad!" He tried sitting up but felt a sharp pain in his wings. "Ow...ok they hurt a little, but it's nothing I can't handle."

He struggled to get out of the bed, doing his best to ignore the stinging pain emanating from his wings. He crept over to the door and slightly opened it, peeking out to make sure nopony was nearby. He slowly walked outside the room, hoping that other ponies didn't hear him.

As he walked down the hall, he heard some talking, he immediately recognized the voices of Dinky and Sweetie Belle. "Can't let them see me."

He quickly went into a nearby closet, peeking out to make sure they passed by.

"How long do you think Twilight and the others will be gone?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Given Twilight's prior experience, they usually defeat villains within a day or so," Dinky said. "Plus Chrysalis is known to underestimate her enemies, and often gets way too ahead of herself, so I'm sure The Elements and whoever they pick to be their allies have this under control."

"What about those Sirens?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I don't think they've had to fight creatures like those."

"Can't be any different than fighting a night loving alicorn, a spirit of chaos, an energy absorbing centaur, and a pony covered in shadows," Dinky said. "I think Twilight can handle three Sirens, they're probably not even that strong."

"But they hurt Rumble," Sweetie Belle reminded.

"Well...that's not much of an accomplishment, Rumble's a strong colt, but he's not strong enough to fight villains," Dinky said, unintentionally annoying the nearby Rumble. "Those Sirens did what just about anypony is capable of doing if they had the chance. Even my foalsitter could do that to him if she ever wanted to, not that she would, she loves Rumble like a nephew."

Rumble cringed at that idea, thankful that Derpy is way to kind and sweet to do anything like that.

"Guess you're right, I always imagined Rumble as really strong, but that's just me forgetting that this isn't my dreams or my fantasies," Sweetie Belle said, causing some grief to Rumble.

"Well it's not like you dated Rumble because you thought he was super strong," Dinky said.

"True, his physical strength isn't why I fell in love with him, but sometimes I do fantasize about him rescuing me from villains," Sweetie Belle said.

"That's kinda stupid honestly," Dinky said, causing some annoyance for Sweetie Belle. "I mean yeah it's sweet and Rumble would try to do that, but what about saving and protecting him? Maybe you can be his knight instead of the other way around, especially with Princess Twilight teaching you stronger magic."

Sweetie Belle tapped her chin in wonder, "Never really thought of that, I'll have to give that a try."

"Exactly, be Rumble's knight, so next time he's beaten up, you can be there to avenge him," Dinky said.

"Yeah, he'll be the Princess then...er, I mean Prince," Sweetie Belle said, chuckling a bit at his slip up. "I hope Rumble never hears that, he's still a bit sensitive about his filly face."

"Seriously? I thought he got over that, he certainly doesn't sound like a filly, not anymore at least," Dinky said.

"I think his fillylike face is cute though, not sure why Rumble hates it so much," Sweetie Belle said.

"Well I wouldn't want a colt face, so I can understand Rumble, still he's really gotta get over that," Dinky said.

"Let's go check on him, he's probably bored and lonely," Sweetie Belle said.

"Right, let's get going," Dinky said, the two trotting off.

After they left, Rumble stepped outside the closet, looking both frustrated and a bit dejected. "I can't believe this! Those stupid Sirens ruined my image! I can't have my best friend and my marefriend thinking I'm some type of weakling! I really gotta find those Sirens and prove to Sweetie Belle that I can be the colt she wants me to be! Not some prancy little Prince who needs saving."

He started trotting again, getting further down until he saw Tender Taps approaching from the other side. He quickly jumped behind a corner, not wanting his other best friend to notice him.

"Just gotta wait for Tender Taps to pass by," Rumble muttered, then heard a voice from afar.

"This is so fun!" Rumble recognized that at Scootaloo's voice.

Tender Taps turned to his side and saw Scootaloo riding in with her scooter, moving a little too fast. "Ah! Watch out!"

Scootaloo noticed and quickly flapped her wings to get herself into the air, jumping right over Tender Taps. She started boasting mid-air, though it caused her to lose balance and fall, hitting the ground with a thump as her scooter slid into a nearby room.

"Ow, gotta work on my landing," Scootaloo said, rubbing her sides.

"Scootaloo!" Tender Taps shouted, trotting over with a look of disapproval. "Have you lost your mind or something!? You can't ride your scooter in Twilight's castle!"

"Yeah, probably not one of my best ideas," Scootaloo said, standing up. "But I wanted to practice my turn and riding on crystal ground, plus I got bored."

Tender Taps shook his head in disapproval. "You need to be more careful next time, maybe no more riding in the castle, you could hurt yourself or others." Tender Taps looked over her legs and flank. "You're not bruised are you? That looked like a bad landing."

"I've had worse, don't worry," Scootaloo insisted.

"How you can do those crazy stunts is beyond me, I'd be too terrified to do that," Tender Taps said.

"It is a bit scary, but that's what makes it fun," Scootaloo said.

"Well like I said, maybe do that another time, like when you're outside, then you're less likely to accidentally break something," Tender Taps said.

"Fine by me, let me just grab my scooter and I'll be off," Scootaloo looked around. "Wait, where did it go?"

"I think it went under that couch," Tender Taps said, pointing to the scooter.

"Oh right, let me grab it," Scootaloo said, bending down to grab her scooter. Doing so gave Tender Taps quite a different view of Scootaloo. Normally he wouldn't think much of it, but after the previous night, different thoughts clouded his head, thoughts that made him a tad uncomfortable.

Fortunately Scootaloo didn't take too long in grabbing her scooter. She adjusted it so she could walk off without riding on it.

"Alright, I'm off again, and I promise not to ride it in the castle again," Scootaloo reassured.

"Al-alright then," Tender Taps said.

Scootaloo looked a little confused by Tender Taps's sudden awkwardness. "You're kinda weird sometimes."

"No I'm not!" Tender Taps defensively stated.

Scootaloo shrugged it off, "Whatever you say..." she trotted off. "Catch you on the flipside."

As she left, Tender Taps shook his head of any impure thoughts, "Come on Tender, Scootaloo's a friend, nothing more."

He began to trot away as well, leaving Rumble a bit confused by his friend's behavior. "Wonder what that was about?" Shrugging it off, he continued on his attempt to sneak away. He got closer to the door, then heard Apple Bloom's voice. "Oh come on."

He snuck behind a corner and saw Apple Bloom trotting by alongside Double Diamond. "AH still can't believe Starlight really did use to take the Cutie Marks of ponies."

"She was really confused for a time, thankfully your sister and her friends were there when they were," Double Diamond said.

"Still, her reasoning was interesting too," Apple Bloom said. "Makes me wonder what would happen if she ever took Diamond Tiara's. Granted she's a pretty nice filly nowadays, but imagine back when she was really bratty."

"Regardless, it's all behind us, Starlight's changed for the better and I'm sure your friend has too," Double Diamond said.

"Yeah, kinda funny though, just when she stopped teasing us about being blank flanks, we got our Cutie Marks almost right afterwards," Apple Bloom said. "We actually got our Cutie Marks because we helped her, so in a way, she was the reason we have our Cutie Marks, funny how things work out."

"I don't know why I ever gave up mine that one time, I'll never make that mistake again," Double Diamond said.

The two trotted by, Rumble looking a little confused and unsure of their conversation. "I'll never understand why ponies make such a big deal about Cutie Marks, I don't wanna be labeled as only one thing." He continued en route to outside the castle, almost free. "Time for me to finally get out of this place."

He quickly trotted toward the door, about to leave, until he felt something grab him.

"What's going on?" Rumble wondered. He looked around and noticed a magical aura around him. He turned around to see an unhappy Sugar Belle.

"Just where do you think you're going?" the baker asked.

"Um...for a walk?" Rumble said weakly.

Sugar Belle pulled Rumble close, getting face to face with the now nervous colt. "You shouldn't be out of bed, you're not well."

"Come on, it's not that bad, I can flap my wings just fine, see?" Rumble tried flapping, then felt immense pain shooting through his body. He tried to hide it with a smile, though Sugar Belle saw the pain behind it.

"Sorry sweetie, but you're going back to bed," Sugar Belle said.

"But it's so boring!" Rumble whined. "There's nothing to do except lie down. I have way too much energy to just lay in bed!"

"Well sorry to say this Rumble, but until your wings get better, that's all you're going to do," Sugar Belle said.

"Come on, just a small walk?" Rumble asked.

"No, not let's get you back to bed," Sugar Belle said, trotting to Rumble's room while still holding him in her magic aura.

As she trotted there, she saw Sweetie Belle and Dinky frantically running towards her.

"Sugar Belle! Rumble's not in his room!" Dinky said.

"Yeah, he's gone! You think Chrysalis or the Sirens came and took him away? To finish what they started!?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No, he's right here," Sugar Belle said, pointing to Rumble, still in her magic aura.

"Uh...hi?" Rumble said nervously.

"Rumble! What are you doing out of bed!?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah, you're not suppose to move!" Dinky said.

"Our little friend here wanted to go out, despite the shape of his wings," Sugar Belle said.

Sweetie Belle glared at her coltfriend, "Have you lost your mind Rumble!? Suppose you hurt your wings more! You might never fly again!"

Rumble's face turned pale, "Please don't even joke like that, if I couldn't fly anymore, well that would just be the worse thing in the world."

"Then stay in bed and get better," Sweetie Belle said. "Once Twilight, my sister and the others defeat Chrysalis and those Sirens, I'm sure they'll find Zecora to create a remedy to heal your wings heal faster."

"Still don't know how long that will take," Rumble said with a pout.

"Well tough Rumble, you're going back to bed and healing up," Sweetie Belle said. "And this time, I'm not leaving your side, so you won't be sneaking away again."

"And if you do try a stupid stunt like that again, I'm going to kick your butt and drag you back myself!" Dinky warned.

Rumble looked a bit nervous after hearing that, "Um, that sounds a little extreme don't you think?"

"Sorry, but if it means keeping you safe, then that's the length I'm willing to go," Dinky said.

"How is threatening to hurt me going to keep me safe?" Rumble asked. His only answer was a really angry glare from Dinky, deterring him for speaking any further.

"If you don't wanna get hurt, stay in bed," Dinky warned.

Rumble pouted, "Fine, so boring though."

"Don't give us an attitude," Dinky warned as Sugar Belle took Rumble to bed. She laid him down comfortably as she left the room.

"Make sure he stays put girls," Sugar Belle said.

As the older mare left, Dinky turned her attention to Sweetie Belle, "Keep an extra close eye on him. I'm sure you got this."

"You can count on me," Sweetie Belle reassured, giving off a small salute.

Dinky narrowed her eyes at Rumble, "Don't do anything stupid." She then left the room herself.

Sweetie Belle laid beside Rumble, looking him square in the eye. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, and since you're so handsome, that makes my job easy and enjoyable." Rumble blushed at the compliment, even moreso when Sweetie Belle leaned in to kiss him. "I'll keep you from getting too bored, now that I'm here, we can have a little fun together, and by fun, I mean non-stop kissing."

"I do like kissing you," Rumble said, getting another kiss from Sweetie Belle.

"That's good to hear, now keep those lips puckered," Sweetie Belle said, then leaned in to kiss some more, this time maintaining it, with no intention of holding back on her affection. After all, she wanted to repay the affection he showed her the previous night.

---

Elsewhere Sunset was leading Twilight's group onto a train. "This should take us directly to The Crystal Empire, we should get the information we need to defeat the Sirens."

"What do we do after that?" Sunburst asked.

"Go after them of course, what else would we do?" Sunset asked, getting a scowl from Trixie.

"Ease up on him, he's just double checking," Trixie said. "Besides it's not like we would know exactly where they would be."

"I'm sure they'll come to us," Sunset said. "Though I imagine they wouldn't be that hard to find."

"What if they're at The Crystal Empire?" Starlight asked.

"I doubt it, from the sounds of things, there's not much there she could want, you already said they captured Princess Cadance's daughter correct?" Sunset asked.

"Don't remind me," Twilight said solemnly. "My poor niece."

"We'll save her, we promise that Twilight," Starlight reassured.

"Yeah, I know we can save her, I just hope it's soon, it's just gnawing at me knowing that my little niece is somewhere so dangerous," Twilight said.

"I hope even Chrysalis isn't cruel enough to harm a child, at least I really hope she isn't," Sunburst said. "I know how you feel though Twilight, Flurry isn't my niece or anything, but I am her Crystaller, I have just as much responsibility in keeping her safe."

"You're a Crystaller?" Sunset asked, getting Sunburst's attention.

"Yeah, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor appointed me Crystaller after I helped them save the Crystal Empire from the snowstorm," Sunburst explained.

"I've heard stories of Crystallers, never would I imagine that I would meet one," Sunset said, then sighed in annoyance. "Wow, so two of Celestia's old students have reached great heights, how perfect."

"Sunset, I'm sure whatever happened is nothing you can't make up," Twilight assured.

"I hope so," Sunset said. "I'm sorry if it seems like my anger is directed at you. I have a lot of respect for you Twilight, you have such a caring nature and you're a very easy pony to make friends with. I'm just more upset at myself."

"You're being too hard on yourself Sunset," Twilight said. "Everypony makes mistakes, what matters is that you're here to help us now."

"Celestia must have forgiven your mistakes if she came to you for help," Sunburst said.

"That or because I've actually encountered those sirens before," Sunset pointed out.

"It could be both," Starlight said. "Perhaps Celestia respects your abilities."

Sunset shrugged it off, "It doesn't matter I guess, I just want to stop those Sirens from causing harm to Equestria, plus get that poor toddler back."

As some time passed, Sunburst had another question for Celestia's former apprentice, "Um, Sunset Shimmer? Question, you said you've encountered the Sirens before, what's the story with that?"

"Um...it's a bit complicated, it involves where I've been staying the last couple of years, you probably wouldn't believe me," Sunset said.

"Hey I'll believe just about anything by this point," Sunburst said.

"It might be good to fill everypony in," Twilight encouraged.

Sunset thought about it a moment, deciding the train ride could be spent giving them valuable info. "It started a few years ago, when I discovered something very few ponies know about..."

Back with Fluttershy, she and her group are at the swamp where Mage Meadowbrook lived, the Pegasus speaking with her friend Cat Tail.

"So Mage Meadowbrook isn't home?" Fluttershy asked.

"'Fraid not, she and her Pillar friends are off exploring a part of Equestria, trying to compare some places to how they were back then," Cat Tail explained.

"So all the Pillars are together at least," Fluttershy said. "But they're at a different part of Equestria, I don't suppose you know where they are?"

"They mentioned something about fixing a shadey area, not sure what that meant," Cat Tail said. "Maybe they're looking to add some light to it or something."

"Oh, it's probably the Hollow Shades," Fluttershy said.

"Hollow Shades?" Lightning asked. "Where's that?"

Applejack stepped forward, "It's there Starswirl's old apprentice Stygian tried taking over Equestria from."

"Back where that terrible Shadow power tried to take over his mind," Rarity said.

"Yeah, that was a sticky situation," Fluttershy said. "Thankfully we overcame that."

"Is this about that Pony of Shadows thing Twilight once told me about?" Lightning Dust asked.

"Yeah, though it sounds like they're just cleaning up damage left behind," Fluttershy explained.

"They've been so busy lately, trying to adapt to how Equestria is nowadays, it's amazing how well they've all settled in," Rarity said.

"Some easier than others," Applejack pointed out.

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," Cat Tail said.

"It's no big deal, at least we know where they are," Fluttershy said. "Hopefully we can catch up to them."

Lightning Dust groaned, "So now we have to travel more? Come on, this is boring, I wanna go where the action is!"

"Lightning Dust, last time you tried fighting Chrysalis, you were almost overwhelmed," Fluttershy reminded. "Doing this is just as important as fighting them, we're ensuring the safety of Equestria."

Lightning Dust rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Ugh, fine. Still rather take my chance in a fight than running around looking for a bunch of old ponies."

"Lightning Dust!" Fluttershy shouted, a little unhappy at the brash pegasus's lack of respect. "Those 'old ponies' saved Equestria many times, you shouldn't say such appalling things about them!"

"I can save Equestria too, if you just let me fight!" Lightning said.

"Why are you being so stubborn about this!?" Fluttershy asked. "Is it worth risking your life just to look cool? Even Rainbow Dash wouldn't do something like that."

"H-hey! Don't compare me to Rainbow Dash!" Lightning Dust demanded. "Unless you're trying to say I'm better than her-"

"You're not by the way," Fluttershy interrupted. "She would focus her attention on the safety of Equestria."

Lightning Dust angrily gritted her teeth, "Of course, I bet you're still mad about the tornado thing, aren't you?"

"I'm honestly not," Fluttershy insisted. "I know what happened was an accident, even if your attitude about it was a bit insensitive."

"Look, I know I goofed up, I got booted from the Academy from it, and I honestly didn't mean to endanger you," Lightning Dust said. "But I'm not one to sit idly by and do nothing when I could be doing something! Let me go and fight Chrysalis! I learned a lot from last time and I know I can win!"

Fluttershy looked really annoyed, "Look, Lightning Dust..."

"Come on, suppose we don't find them there? What if it's a quick check-up and they go back home? Then we'd have to come all the way back here, or maybe they went someplace else," Lightning Dust said. "I don't want to chase these old timers across Equestria, for all we know Chrysalis and her goons are closing in on Ponyville, do you want any of your friends to get hurt?" She turned to Applejack and Rarity, "Do you two want to leave your sisters in danger?"

"Of course not, that's why we're trying to find the help we need!" Applejack said.

"I could be that help! Let me go keep those foals safe!" Lightning Dust said, then turned to Fluttershy. "Come on 'Shy, help me out here!"

Fluttershy sighed, somewhat understanding Lightning's frustrations, but not wanting to complicate the mission, "Let's make a deal then, if you come with me to this place and none of the Pillars are there, I will give you my permission to go after Chrysalis yourself."

Lightning didn't look convinced, "You can't be serious, what can't I just-"

"If you leave without my say-so, I will be telling Twilight, and she will not be happy," Fluttershy warned. "Do you really want to take a chance in upsetting her without at least trying a bit harder to follow her plan?"

Lightning let out a loud groan in frustration, despite how much she wanted to go and take down Chrysalis, she also didn't want to incur Twilight's wrath. "Fine...But I'm holding you to that deal."

"That's all I ask," Fluttershy said. "Now let's go, since the Hollow Shades is far, we'll need a train."

"Right, back to the train y'all," Applejack said.

The group trotted towards the train station, hoping to find the rest of the Pillars, and hopefully in time.

Elsewhere on the outskirts of Ponyville, Chrysalis is standing beside the Dazzlings as they overlook the town.

"Think anyone down there is waiting for us?" Adagio asked.

"I'm quite sure of that, they might even have a nice surprise waiting for us," Chryslais said.

"Too bad their friends spoiled it for us," Adagio said, looking over to the possessed ponies, including Thunderlane. "Oh well, I suppose we can put on an act for their sake."

Sonata stared down the town as well, then felt Flurry fidgeting on her back. She turned to the filly who seemed to have her arms out. "Mama?"

"You'll see your mama soon," Sonata said with half truth. "Though for now, it's best to leave you here with somepony to watch over you." She trotted her over to the same two Changelings from before. "You know what to do."

"Why us!?" one asked, then gestured to a possessed Shining Armor. "Didn't you mind control her father!?"

"Yeah, we're itching for a fight!" the other said.

Sonata nearly shoved Flurry into their hooves, both looking surprised and really freaked out "Um, did I ask if you want to fight!? No, the only one we need is Prince Shining Armor, not some lame weaklings like you two!"

Flurry turned her attention to her father, who had barely noticed her this whole time, "Dada?"

"Your daddy's going to be busy Flurry, he doesn't have time for you right now," Sonata said. Flurry looked really saddened to hear that, her parents always made time for her. Sonata gently lifted her up by her chin, "But like, don't worry too much, when we're done here, I'll do a lot of fun things with you, you won't even notice your daddy's busy schedule."

Flurry still looked kinda sad, "Dada..."

"I'll be here for you, little cutie," Sonata said, and kissed Flurry's head. She turned her attention back to the two Changelings. "Also, remember my prior warning, anything bad happens to her, you'll BOTH regret it!"

Aria looked a little impressed, "Sonata can be intimidating when she wants to be."

"Do as she says my subjects," Chrysalis said. "I assure you that you will have your chance soon."

The two reluctantly went with it, both taking Flurry someplace safe as Sonata joined with Chrysalis.

"Let's show this town our power, we'll give them a show they will never forget," Adagio said sinisterly as her eyes glowed briefly.