Melancholy

Melancholy
Section 1: Chapter 3: Loyalty Returned

The titles are not based on the element that the viewpoint-pony has, but something else. No hints for now.
The dialogue from Luna and Celestia has been deleted because it didn't seem very... relative, and the place that I had for them in this dissolved into nothingness during my writing of this chapter.
I've also edited the end of the last chapter so as that this one... 'flowed' better. The fact was, if Applejack had opened the door in the last one, then she would just have to spend most of this one coaxing Pinkie out.

"What are they doing? And where are they? Ugh!" yelled Twilight.

"Do you think that this is about yesterday?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Hmm. They were all arguing, and I tried to stop them, but I thought that they were all on good terms with us, just not each other... did I do something wrong?"

"Nah, they're probably just moping about."

"Either way, we need to find them, before they go all... grey, and stuff."

"Yeah, if that happens then we'll have some real trouble on our hands." said Rainbow, remembering back to when Discord had struck. She looked around the field, turning her head left first, then right, before flying down closer to Twilight to talk.

"Did you see them?"

"Nope. Where do we check next?"

"We should head over to Sweet Apple Acres to see if Applejack is in; we've already checked the Boutique."

"Yeah, let's go." said Rainbow, hovering slowly higher so as that she could still hear if Twilight called out to her, stayed there for a while, and once she was sure that Twi wasn't going to say anything more, she zipped off through the sky, leaving a seven-coloured streamline in the air behind her.

After seeing Rainbow fly off, as was their routine by now, Twilight teleported over to the Acres, just in time to see the rainbow trail zip across the sky and stop at her feet.

They had decided this the best method of travel for now, because Rainbow could fly the distance needed in only a few seconds under the time it took for Twilight to charge up, teleport and regain her bearings.

"Well? Now what?" asked Dash, who looked sheepishly out to the hundreds of trees that were spread across the acres of property owned by the Apples.

"We shouldn't check the actual acres unless we think it nessacery; we should just ask if Applejack is around."

As if called, Big Macintosh had showed up walking across the path behind Twilight. "We could ask him." said Rainbow, pointing.

"Hey Big, did you see Applejack pass through here?" she asked.

"Eeyup, she went for the town." He said flatly.

"Thanks Big. Come on, let's see if she's in the town square!" said Rainbow.

"Yeah, let's go!" replied Twilight, her horn already glowing with magical energy.

A splash of colours and a bright flash later, Big Macintosh was stood on his own, a confused look on his face. I wish I knew what that was all about... oh well. Careful what you wish for, Mac. He thought, setting back off along the path to fetch the bucket.
~~~

"Pinkie? Are ya OK? Pinkie?" applejack asked; she'd tried, but Pinkie had locked the door on her and wasn't replying.

She bucked the door, using her obscene strength to snap the iron used in the lock, though hearing a light whimper, whether it was of fear, pain, angst, anger, loneliness or curiosity, she did not know.

She pulled the latch down, though it seemed pretty useless due to the fact that she could now push the door open without, what, with the latch so brittle after its shock, and creaked the door open, slowly, until it was only just ajar. She peeked through, seeing the wide eyed, flat maned, small pupiled, pink pony that was lying over on the green bean bag in the corner, quietly muttering something to herself in a paranoid manner, giving her the image of an insane murderer that had decided to take a nap in a dumpster.

"Pi~inkie, come 'ere," she coaxed, slowly letting her voice slide out of her mouth like a calm, gently flowing, clear water stream. "Are you ok?" she asked, in the same, slick, over emphasized, un-Applejack tone.

"What? Who's there? Hehe..." asked Pinkie, in a dark tone, sounding like that of a goblin.
~~~

Twilight lifted a branch from the bush that she was staring at aimlessly. "They aren't here, either. Maybe we should go check Sugar Cube Corner for Pinkie. She's the one that'll need the most comfort." She reasoned.

Rainbow Dash flew out from the area of the forest that she was checking at a casual pace, all of her excitement and energy lost from their endless mare-hunt. "Yeah, perhaps."

Off we go again, she thought to herself, giving off a mental sigh that pushed out some of the fatigue-induced-fog that had been clogging up her mind. She flew out of sight in under a few seconds, heading slightly out of the path she should of been taking, making a detour through a low flying cloud, cooling her off, whilst her sheer speed left all the water scattered across Ponyville by the time she landed next to Twilight.

They pushed open the double doors to the restaurant, the bell giving off four or five light 'ting's as she walked in, seeing her unicorn friend appear in a short flash of lavender light beside her.

Twi turned to the counter, looking up towards the disturbed face of Mr. Cake, who was standing behind the counter.

"Is Pinkie in?" she asked, with a light grin that showed a hard day's work.

"Yeah, Applejack's upstairs with her." He replied, taking his front-right hoof and scratching his neck with it, smiling down nervously at her.

"Oh, thanks," she said, pulling a leaf out of her fur. "We were... out in the woods."

"I see."

"Well, we'd better head on up." saved Twilight, dragging the silent agreement out of the air and starting for the stairs.