Altering Harmony

Afternoon dawned upon Ponyville, the golden rays of Princess Celestia's sunlight bathing the entire town. The Cutie Mark Crusaders just happened to be walking through the local marketplace at that time, examining the various goods around them that ponies had put out. As they walked through the marketplace, the trio were occasionally shoved to the side by desperate ponies eager to purchase goods.

"Hey, girls, look!" Apple Bloom suddenly pointed to a nearby stand that had straw baskets filled with shiny, red apples on display. Her elder sister, Applejack, was the salespony on duty, occasionally calling out to nearby passersby in order to persuade them into purchasing some apples.

"Buy some apples! Big, juicy apples farmed straight from Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack was advertising.

Apple Bloom, gesturing for her friends to follow her, trotted over to the apple stand as the others trailed along behind her.

"Howdy, Applejack!" Apple Bloom greeted, immediately catching Applejack's attention as her head snapped in Apple Bloom's direction.

"Oh, howdy Apple Bloom," Applejack smiled. "How ya'll doin'?"

"Great!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle replied in unision. Upon hearing snorting from Scootaloo, they turned around to face her, only to witness the agitated expression on their friend's face.

"Not so good," Scootaloo sighed. "Rainbow Dash lost a race! It must've been rigged somehow, I just know it! She never loses at anything!"

"Ah heard so, Scootaloo," Applejack said as she stepped out from behind the stand. "Honestly, she just had to lose a race at some point though. Ya can't be winnin' at everythin'... at least Rainbow can't."

"Is that an insult?" Scootaloo narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "She's a lot cooler than you think! In fact, she's 100% cooler than you!"

"Calm down now, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said. "Ah think Applejack's right; nopony's perfect."

"Well, Ah didn't really mean that... but Ah guess ya could take it that way," Applejack shrugged. "To be honest, Ah meant that Rainbow ain't skilled at all."

"So it was an insult!" Scootaloo shouldered Apple Bloom aside, glaring threateningly at Applejack. "You better watch that mouth, Applejack, or else I'm telling Rainbow Dash what kind of a horrible friend you are!"

Applejack burst into laughter, ruffling Scootaloo's mane with a hoof. "Look here, sugarcube. Whose story would she believe more? Me, one of her best friends, or ya, one of her annoyin' fans?"

"Enough!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted, diving in between Applejack and Scootaloo in order to break up their argument. "Ya'll need to calm down! Arguin' isn't necessary!"

"She's right," Sweetie Belle said, strolling to Apple Bloom's side. "I think you're both taking this a bit too seriously."

"Scootaloo's the one takin' this too seriously, Sweetie Belle. Ah just responded like how any other pony woulda done," Applejack replied, shooting a glare at Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom exchanged brief glances with Sweetie Belle before speaking. "Applejack, Ah think we're gonna go now. Sorry about the arguin', Scootaloo gets a tad too sensitive when ponies insult Rainbow Dash. Basic fan courtesy, ain't it?"

Sweetie Belle nudged Scootaloo, leading her away from the stand. "Let's go," she whispered to Scootaloo.

"Fine then," Scootaloo grunted. "This isn't over yet, though!" Glancing over her shoulder a few times as the three fillies trotted away, she saw that Applejack had began to advertise her apples again.

"Buy some apples!" Applejack's heavily accented voice became more and more distant as the trio wandered off.

"What was that, Scoot?" Apple Bloom scolded. "Us Cutie Mark Crusaders don't argue like that!"

"Applejack insulted Rainbow Dash behind her back, Apple Bloom! That's not what friends do!" Scootaloo retorted grudgingly. "Just wait until Rainbow Dash hears about all this! It'll definitely expose Applejack for the bad friend she is!"

"I really don't know though," Sweetie Belle told her. "Applejack was right. Rainbow Dash would never believe you over Applejack. They're the best of friends!"

"I'm Rainbow Dash's number-one fan! She'd believe me any day!" Scootaloo snapped, rounding on her friends.

Sweetie Belle sighed in response, having no more words to say as they continued shopping around the marketplace. As soon as they reached the marketplace exit, Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks. "Ah honestly think yer the one who started it, Scoot. Mah sister isn't as mean as ya think."

Scootaloo was just about to respond when suddenly a yellow pegasus bumped into her quite forcefully.

"Hey!" Scootaloo yelled, ready to badly scold whoever had bumped into her before she realized it was Fluttershy.

"Stupid filly!" Fluttershy snapped, waiting for an apology that never came since Scootaloo had been struck speechless at her odd behavior. "Well, Scootaloo? Aren't you going to say anything? Too afraid, maybe?"

"S-She's mighty sorry," Apple Bloom apologized in her friend's place. "Scoot wasn't lookin' where she's goin', Fluttershy, so sorry about that..."

"What a stupid apology! Scootaloo can't even speak for herself?" Fluttershy sneered. "Are you so scared, Scootaloo, that you need a friend to help you? Even a catepillar's worth more than you; you're the most pathetic thing I've ever seen!"

"Fluttershy, I'm sure she's really sorry about-" Sweetie Belle tried to jump in, only to be interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be sorry," Fluttershy snarled, "when I let Rainbow Dash know how pathetic Scootaloo is; she'd hate to have such a worthless pony as her 'number-one' fan!"

Scootaloo's ears drooped as she gulped in terror. "I-I'm sorry, Fluttershy, please don't tell R-Rainbow D-Dash!"

"Whatever," Fluttershy snorted, shouldering the trio aside as she began to walk away. Glancing behind her shoulder, Fluttershy allowed herself a small smile as she saw Scootaloo trembling in fear and her friends standing next to her with expressions of distraught.

As soon as Fluttershy left their view, Sweetie Belle sighed in relief. "That was really strange; Fluttershy wasn't acting like her usual kind self!"

"I know," Scootaloo agreed, managing to snap out of her fear-stricken state. "And you have to admit, Applejack wasn't acting like herself back at the apple stand either."

"Now that Ah think about it," Apple Bloom added, "Applejack did seem a tad bit too hostile than normal."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded in assent.

"I say we go talk to some other ponies and get to the bottom of this," Scootaloo declared, "and I say we start with Rainbow Dash!"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Are ya sayin' that just 'cause ya wanna make sure Fluttershy didn't get to her already?"

"No, of course not! What makes you think that?" Scootaloo responded, her tone unconvincing.