Altering Harmony

Pinkie prepared the picnic rather quickly, setting down a large checkered plaid cloth and whipping out a basket full of treats. Enlisting Applejack's help, they unpacked the basket and unloaded an assortment of treats onto the cloth: cupcakes, cookies, apples, and others of the like. It wasn't long after they finished that the rest of their friends show up.

Twilight, being the punctual unicorn she was, arrived right on time a few minutes before Fluttershy came into view. Rarity was seen shortly after, only to settle down with the rest as they waited for Rainbow Dash.

"It's not like Rainbow Dash to be last to anything," Fluttershy murmured, helping a nearby bird escort its chicks safely to their nest, "I hope she's alright."

"Oh, don't worry about me, Fluttershy." They spotted Rainbow Dash out of the corner of their eyes, who was barely even flying above the cement path that led to their picnic area. "I'm having the worst time ever."

"Tell me about it," Rarity grumbled. "Hoity Toity's fashion showcase is tomorrow, and I still don't have a line for him!"

"What'd ya mean, Rarity? Ah thought ya've been workin' on one for weeks now," Applejack tilted her head questioningly, concern clouding her emerald eyes.

"Well, Applejack, you see, last week I was far too busy to start working on Hoity Toity's line. However, I managed to get some free time these last few days and finished it successfully, but my work was all for nothing! Some disgraceful pony sabotaged my line and ruined it all! The fashion world truly is cruel! All of those beautiful gems for nothing, all of that wonderful fabric wasted..." Rarity began to sob, covering her face with her hooves.

"It's alright, Rarity. I'm sure you can still make another line. I mean, we could always help you if you need it!" Twilight reassured her, laying a hoof on her shoulder. Rarity, however, turned away forcefully, the sudden jerk causing Twilight's hoof to fall.

"It's not about the line anymore," Rarity murmured, hate tinging her tone as she stared at the ground resentfully. "If I share my fabulous dresses with other ponies, who knows what they'll do to steal my fame and make me seem like a disgrace to fashion?"

"You can't let sabotage and fear control your career, Rarity," Twilight told her softly. "Instead, you should feel proud and honored to be able to share such wonderful work with the world."

"She's right, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie chirped up happily. "Besides, who would want to sabotage a chicken costume? Bawk! Bawk!" She began to act like a chicken, jumping all around the place.

"Oh, Pinkie, I would love to make your costume," Rarity began as she gave Pinkie a small smile that faded as quickly as it'd appeared, "but after what happened, I just don't have the spirit and courage to do so anymore."

"I can totally relate to that," Rainbow Dash sighed, munching on a juicy green apple. "I lost a race to Thunderlane earlier. It was horrible, I'm telling you! It's making me feel 20% more uncool than normal too. Maybe even 50%, but seriously, all that I know is that it sucked."

"Oh, Rainbow-" Fluttershy began, but like always, was interrupted by the one and only Pinkie Pie.

"You lost a race?" Pinkie Pie gasped in disbelief, immediately stopping her chicken antics."Are you serious, or is everyone just going ka-ray-zy?"

"Pinkie, no offense, but Ah'm darn sure yer makin' it even worse than it should be," Applejack grumbled, eyeing her with a rather peculiar expression.

"Pinkie is right though," Twilight said, taking a brief moment to organize her thoughts before speaking again. "Everyone's acting... different for some reason."

"When I visited-" Fluttershy started, only to be interrupted once again.

"It's quite strange indeed, Twilight. I've never felt so discouraged in my life!" Rarity agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Y-You know-" Fluttershy tried again.

"I feel really... I guess you can say spiritless!" Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Well, I-" Fluttershy's words trailed off as she was forced to close her mouth for the fourth time already.

"Ah even lied to mah own sister! Now that's one thin' that ain't dandy at all!" Applejack exclaimed.

Before anypony could say even one word in response, Fluttershy rounded on them, having had enough of being interrupted countless times.

"LET ME TALK!" Fluttershy roared, immediately catching the attention of all her friends who were now all huddled in a circle except for her. She rose to her hooves, carelessly stepping on a nearby catepillar as she shouldered Rarity aside in order to join the circle. "How about you all just shut up and listen to me? I don't care about your pathetic stories!"

"Excuse me?" Rarity shoved Fluttershy away in a desperate attempt to regain her original spot. "Whatever your situation is, mine is definitely worse! My most fabulous, amazing, and dazzling line I've ever made was DESTROYED! Have you ever been stripped of your hopes and dreams, Fluttershy, just like that?"

"Oh, totally," Applejack said sarcastically, beginning to lie against her will again. "Ah destroyed that fabulous, amazin', and dazzlin' darn line of yers. Ya always say yer work is dandy, Rarity, but to be honest, it's terrible!"

Nearby, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie stared at each other nervously as they watched their friends continue their heated arguments.

"Rainbow, do something!" Pinkie whispered urgently, repeatedly prodding the rainbow-maned pegasus with a hoof.

"Whatever, Pinkie, just let them fight. Who cares about those losers anyways? I might as well find some new friends that are actually compatible with each other," Rainbow Dash scoffed, lying on her back as she tried to balance an apple on her forehead.

"What?" Twilight's eyes widened in disbelief. "Rainbow... you're the Element of Loyalty! This isn't like you to just abandon your friends in their time of need!"

Twilight shook her head forcefully, hoping that this was all a dream. Her expression immediately became one of distraught when she realized that it truly was real; her friends really were acting like the opposites of their respective Elements!

"Don't worry, Twilight, I've got this taken care of!" Pinkie jumped into the center of their arguments and blasted confetti all over her friends, one of her party cannons having suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Let's par-tay!"

Pinkie began making silly faces in front of everypony and danced wildly, trying to change the subject. Sadly, however, her Pinkie Pie-style methods failed as no one even bothered to glance at her.

"Pinkie, sugarcube, ya do realize that ya ain't funny at all, right?" Applejack snorted, raising an eyebrow at the pink mare.

"AJ's got a point there, you know. You just never learn how to shut up, Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

"You just never learn, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy nodded as all four ponies crowded the mare and began closing in on her. Scared, Pinkie shrunk down anxiously.

Suddenly, a purple cloud of fog appeared and was absorbed by Pinkie's cutie mark, which had an immediate effect on her: her once poofy mane deflated just like it did when she was sad and a lot of tears stained her face. "You all.... don't think I'm funny?"

"Of course, darling! You've never been funny from the start and it's the truth!" Rarity flipped her mane in a way similar to a diva's.

Twilight's horn was bathed in its trademark violet glow as she teleported in front of Pinkie, eyes blazing. "Enough, girls! You're hurting Pinkie's feelings! Friends don't do that to each other!"

"Who cares?" Rainbow Dash laughed, encouraging the others to do so as well.

Before Twilight could comfort Pinkie with soothing words, she ran away, still sobbing. "Pinkie!" Twilight called out just as she spotted a shiny trail of tears on the ground that'd left behind by the pink mare. Glancing over her shoulder only to see that her other friends had begun arguing again, Twilight sighed and immediately broke into a run after Pinkie.