Think about the butterfly effect. All it can take is one foal to turn up missing.
Ponyville is small and innocent. Few residents have worries. One does not simply expect somepony to suddenly vanish seemingly into thin air. Nopony is like that in this town. In this town anypony would simply shrug off a bug bear attack. They would now hardly react to any monster attack. It happened too often. Ponies got used to it. This means Ponyville is not so innocent then, doesn't it? Not exactly. It has low crime. Petty theft happened here and there but nothing too serious. The occasional fight would break out at the little town's schoolhouse, and over competition would occur during a race. These were the worst Ponyville had to experience. It never once had to think about what would happen if a particular colt suddenly was nowhere to be seen.
Thunderlane's hooves pounded on the road. He had already gotten a pegasus eye view from up above. Now he needed to ask questions. Warm tears streamed from his eyes. The first house Thunderlane came across was a cloud mansion close to Ponyville. He flew to the front porch and frantically knocked. It took a moment before an unkempt and irritated Rainbow Dash answered.
"What the hay, Thunderlane?! It's almost midnight!" Dash grumbled.
"You have t-to help me!" Thunder sobbed. "It's R-Rumble. I-I haven't seen since this morning."
Rainbow's eyes widened. She spread out her wings. When time called for an emergency, she was more than willing to skip out on a few hours of shut eye. Dash bolted from her home, Thunder following. He caught up to her.
"I'll get Twilight to send the princess a letter. So you think Rumble is missing?" Rainbow Dash asked through howling wind.
"He has to be!" Thunderlane cried. "He's always home by seven o' clock every single day, no exceptions! It' just unlike him to stay out past dark!"
This really was an emergency.
