Altering Harmony

by Frost Vortex

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Princess Luna, Thriller, Drama, Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 12353

When Twilight Sparkle and her friends unleash an ancient curse upon themselves unknowningly, will the Cutie Mark Crusaders be able to save them in time?

ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

When Twilight Sparkle and her friends venture to the Princesses' old castle in hopes of finding a magical book, they instead unleash an ancient curse that has been buried there for many years. Subjected to the curse's power, the Mane Six begin to experience drastic changes in behavior, causing them to act like the opposites of their intended Element.

It isn't long before the Cutie Mark Crusaders notice their strange behavior, however, but will they be able to save the Mane Six in time before the curse's effects become permanent?

Dive into the story... and you shall see.

Published 2015-08-13 00:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-09-20 18:59:17 UTC

Chapter I

"It should be in the library of the Princesses' old castle," Twilight Sparkle said as she and her six friends approached the aged, crumbling structure that was bathed in Princess Luna's moonlight.

"With all of your books, I'd assume you'd already have it in your library, dear," Rarity chuckled, trotting alongside her unicorn friend.

"I know, Rarity, but there are always books I have to add to my collection. You can never have enough knowledge!" Twilight allowed herself a small smile as she thought about the book that she was searching for in the first place: the Book of Divinity, an ancient book written personally by Starswirl the Bearded.

As they drew near the castle gate, Twilight stepped forward, her horn glowing with a violet aura as she used her magic to open the gate. The process didn't take long, much to everypony's relief; as soon as the gate opened, the group hurried inside, trailing behind Twilight as she led them to the castle's one and only library.

"So, Twilight, why did we have to come with you exactly?" Rainbow Dash yawned as Twilight's eyes found her intended destination and rushed toward it, encouraging the others to follow in her wake. She immediately began to scour the spacious library, digging into the mountains upon mountains of ancient books there.

"I think it's pretty fun going out with Twilight every now and then," Fluttershy said quietly as she strolled over to a tall shelf stationed near the window and began aimlessly examining the books there, occasionally tapping Twilight on the shoulder to show her some interesting books she came across.

"Besides, we ain't got anythin' better ta do, don't ya agree?" Applejack added as she aided Twilight in her desperate search.

"Well, I totally agree! It's always so much fun to go out with Twilight!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in agreement as she suddenly whipped out a confetti cannon from nowhere in view; immediately after, flying confetti of all colors burst out from the cannon and flew all over Rarity, who just happened to be standing in its way.

"Really, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity groaned in exasperation, shaking her head quite forcefully in order to rid her beautiful mane of Pinkie's colorful confetti. "I just stylized my mane yesterday! Oh, you make me seem like such a big disgrace to fashion!"

"Come on, Rarity! Loosen up!" Pinkie Pie shoved her face in Rarity's, flashing one of her huge Pinkie Pie smiles at her. "I mean, it's not like we're going to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, right?"

All ponies turned their heads to Pinkie Pie, fixating her with a stare as they remembered how devastating the Grand Galloping Gala had been the last time they'd been there. Even Rainbow Dash stopped zooming around the room, recalling her dying desperation during the Gala to be noticed by the Wonderbolts.

Pinkie Pie shrunk down, giggling softly.

"It's not just any old book, you know," Twilight began to explain as she paused in her search, changing the topic deliberately. "This book, called the Book of Divinity, is the last surviving record of all magic known to unicorns. Even more importantly, it was written by the one and only Starswirl the Bearded himself!"

"Hah, remember that weird Starswirl costume you had last Nightmare Night? You looked so ridiculous in that!" Rainbow Dash burst into laughter.

"If it's that dandy, Twi, then why's it hidden in a normal library like this? Shouldn't it be protected better?" Applejack asked, ignoring Rainbow.

"Princess Celestia just told me about it this afternoon. She said in the letter that she believes I've learned enough from my studies to know of its existence," Twilight replied, her gaze suddenly drawn to a glowing book nearby.

"That must be it!" she exclaimed, grabbing every pony's attention, as she quickly snatched the book and blew off the thick layer of dust that had gathered on its cover. Excited, her friends gathered around her in anticipation, only to hear her sigh in disappointment as she finished scrutinizing the title.

"This isn't the Book of Divinity," Twilight informed them as her head tilted slightly to the side, "but it looks like it might be quite useful too."

"If it's glowing, then I think we should read it," Fluttershy suggested, which immediately drew everyone's attention to her. "I-If you don't m-mind, that is," she added quietly, her shyness taking effect.

"I agree with dear Fluttershy; it looks absolutely fabulous!" Rarity exclaimed. "It's a glow I've never seen before! If my gems could shine like that, my fashion business would definitely bloom!"

Applejack nodded, expressing her approval. "Ah think they're right, Twi. If that book's glowin', it darn sure must be a dandy one."

"Alright then, I guess." Twilight's expression immediately became one of determination as she took a deep breath and slowly opened the book.

Whoosh! A puff of scarlet smoke emerged from the book, immediately spreading like fog and entering each ponies' eyes at the same time until all of it had completely seeped in.

In a flash, just as quickly as it'd begun, the book slammed shut; slowly, everything went back to normal as the six friends regained their senses, only to notice that the book had lost its eerie glow.

"What the hay happened?" Applejack shouted in surprise, backing up from the book.

"Woah, what was that?" Rainbow was saying, blinking rapidly.

"Oh my! That was certainly a baffling experience!" Rarity gasped.

"That was fun!" Pinkie exclaimed as she began jumping up and down in excitement. "Let's do it again! Again!"

"Really, Pinkie?" Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pink mare.

"What... was that?" Twilight panted as her brain took a few moments to process what had just happened.

"I-I don't know, but it was s-scary," Fluttershy trembled as she dove behind Rainbow in fear.

"That thing opened and shut faster than I could clear the sky on a perfect day!" Rainbow was seething, clearly furious.

"Whatever it was, gals, Ah reckon we should head back ta Ponyville before anythin' bad happens," Applejack told them, to which the others nodded in agreement.

Chapter II

The following day, after they'd returned to Ponyville, everything went just as always: Applejack bucked some apple trees since it was Applebuck Season, Rainbow Dash cleared the sky at a surprisingly quick speed, Twilight dove into book after book, Pinkie Pie hosted an immense amount of parties, Fluttershy took good care of her animals inside her cottage, and Rarity continued to make one fabulous dress after another.

Everything was perfectly fine.

It wasn't until Pinkie Pie invited Fluttershy over to Sugarcube Corner in order to taste some of her newly made cakes, though, that things really began to go downhill...

Ring! Ring!

Fluttershy opened the door to Sugarcube Corner, the bells above the door signalling her entrance as they rung a simple melody.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie embraced her friend in a warm hug as soon as she stepped inside.

"Hi, Pinkie," Fluttershy gave her a warm smile as they pulled apart from each other. "I heard you needed me for some tasting?"

"Yup!" Pinkie Pie nodded as she moved out of the way in order to let the yellow pegasus see the several multi-layer cakes located behind her. "I've got some amazing cakes that I want you to try! And I mean it when I say so; they're totally amazing cakes! Like, who wouldn't want to taste some amazing cakes? They're supposed to be amazing, right?"

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy stammered, shrinking down as she got the bearing of exactly how many cakes Pinkie had prepared for her. Five multi-layer cakes? I hope I don't get sick after eating all those, she thought, trembling slightly.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's start with the smallest one: the Triple-Layer Really Awesome Cream Cheese Cake! It's full of flavor and filled with this special cream cheese filling that I know you'll love! I even named the cake myself! Awesome, right?" Pinkie Pie shoved her right in front of said cake, flashing her a huge grin.

"R-Right," Fluttershy chuckled nervously as she inspected the cake in front of her. "This certainly is quite a... large cake, Pinkie."

"Well, it really is nothing compared to the other cakes! They're even more awesome than this! Come on now, Fluttershy; once you finish this, I'll take you to taste every other one! They're super duper better!"

Maybe I could just eat a large piece, say I have a stomachache, and ask her if I can leave... oh, but what if she thinks I don't like it? I really don't want to hurt her feelings... okay, Fluttershy, you can do this. Just have to eat it all... for Pinkie... for a friend, Fluttershy thought as she gulped and took a large bite out of the cake's first layer, chewing slowly. As soon as she finished, she immediately became impressed at how delicious the cake tasted. Noticing her change of expression, Pinkie grinned.

"This tastes-" Fluttershy's words immediately trailed off as she heard what Pinkie urgently said next.

"Watch out!" Pinkie held out her hooves in alarm just as a purple fog seeped into the two top layers of the cake, causing it to topple down onto Fluttershy.

Fluttershy's eyes opened wide as she instinctively jumped up and into the toppling cake, the unexpected impact splashing lots of cake frosting on Pinkie's face. It didn't bother the pink mare, however, as she merely licked it off.

"Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy suddenly said, her tone full of hatred. "You should've warned me beforehoof! What kind of friend are you, not even bothering to tell me that it was going to fall?"

Pinkie froze, her mouth opened wide. "Uh... Fluttershy?"

"WHAT?" Fluttershy's yell was so loud that it caused Pinkie to plummet into the opposite wall.

"I didn't know it was gonna fall!" Pinkie whined in response. "I'm sorry, I really am!"

"Who do you think you are, Pi-" Fluttershy suddenly shook her head, a confused look on her face as she finally came back to her senses.

"P-Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy's voice had reverted back to normal, no longer the hatred-filled voice that had just spoke moments ago.

"Uh..." Pinkie straightened up and began cleaning up the mess with a mop that happened to be nearby. "Heh, heh..."

"Why are you acting like that, Pinkie? What happened?" Fluttershy asked, perplexed.

"Well..." Pinkie spoke quickly. "Well, the cake kinda fell on you and then you went totally cray-cray and scary... you were yelling so loud that I thought you weren't even Fluttershy! Other than that, though, nothing much happened... oh, yeah! Did you like my Triple-Layer Really Awesome Cream Cheese Cake?"

"Um," Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, too confused to respond to Pinkie's question. "I... yelled at you?"

"Yeah, you kinda did, but no worries!" Pinkie threw the mop away and began cleaning the floor via eating the cake instead. "Ooh! The cake's not that bad even when it's just a mess of frosting and cream cheese!"

"But Pinkie... I didn't even realize I yelled at all. I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy gasped, horror surging through her.

"It's alright, Fluttershy, we all have those moments!" Pinkie reassured her half-heartedly, continuing to clean the floor by using her absurd eating method.

"I don't, though," Fluttershy said, her horror growing.

"Wait a minute!" Pinkie lifted her head from the floor, the truth behind Fluttershy's words finally sinking in. "You're right, Fluttershy! You don't have those moments! You're the kindest pony in all of Ponyville... maybe even Equestria!"

"Maybe we should talk to Twilight," she suggested, trembling in fear as she thought about her strange outburst. I never do that, much less yell at one of my best friends... but even if I did, why can't I remember any of it?

Chapter III

"You didn't even acknowledge that you were yelling? Or being mad at all?" Twilight asked Fluttershy, bewildered at her strange predicament.

Fluttershy nodded, embarrassed, as Pinkie Pie continued explaining. "Yeah! She wasn't even being herself! It's like she was the Element of Unkindness instead!"

"Hmph, that's strange," Twilight pondered, using her magic to fetch a book nearby. "Very strange indeed," she added as she closed the book after scanning through all of its pages, having failed to find a logical explanation to why Fluttershy would have an outburst unknowningly.

"U-Um... I don't mean to interrupt," Fluttershy said just as Twilight opened up another book, "but what if it has something to do with that glowing b-book the other day at the castle?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "Yeah, that's right! It has to be that glowing, weird, magical book of magical glowingness! It's a book that glows after all!"

Twilight nodded, acknowledging the possibility that the cause of the outburst was the book. "I think you're right, Pinkie... it should have something to do with it. Are you sure though that it wasn't just you, Fluttershy?"

"O-Of course not! I'd never yell at a friend just because a cake fell on me!" Fluttershy exclaimed in response.

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash's loud yells of excitement from outside caught the three ponies' attention as they trotted over to the window in unison, only to witness Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds that had gathered near the middle of the sky. "This is awesome!"

"Looks like somepony's having fun," Twilight chuckled, her eyes tracking the rainbow-maned pegasus as she rid the sky of troublesome clouds.

"Speaking of fun, Twilight, I gotta go; I've got a party I need to set up! I can't believe I forgot!" Pinkie suddenly said, jumping up. "I'm sure you'll figure out what's wrong with Fluttershy, but for now, bye!" She zoomed out of sight before the others could say goodbye.

"W-Well-" Fluttershy began to speak, only to be interrupted by Twilight.

"You should probably get some rest," Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder. "I imagine you're terrified from what happened today. No worries, I'll get to the bottom of this."

"T-Thanks, Twilight, I w-will." Fluttershy waved goodbye before flying out of Twilight's treehouse and in the direction of her cottage.

Chapter IV

"Oh yeah, baby," Rainbow Dash grinned as she did somersaults in the air. "Sky's all clear in 6.5 seconds flat! New record for me, woohoo!"

"Hey there, Rainbow Dash!" a familiar voice caught her attention as she whirled around to see Thunderlane, a pegasus friend of hers. "Wanna race?"

"Of course!" Rainbow replied as her eyes sought out a proper path for the race. "First one to the top of Sugarcube Corner wins!" She zoomed past Thunderlane, who flapped his wings eagerly as he followed her.

"Nothing like a good old race after conquering my record!" Rainbow smirked, glancing over her shoulder to see where Thunderlane was. As expected, he was way behind. "Hah, no one can beat the awesome Rainbow Dash!"

She darted through the open air - thanks to her superior sky-clearing skills - and was still far from the finish when suddenly she was knocked over by a smokey, purple cloud and began to plunge downward.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash was halfway to the ground before she recovered her senses and flew back up as quick as she could, only barely managing to once again gain the upper hoof in the race. As soon as she was certain that Thunderlane wouldn't catch up easily, she relaxed and glanced back to see that the purple cloud had disappeared. Sighing in relief, she hummed a tune to herself as she raced toward Sugarcube Corner, only to be caught by surprise once again when a similar-looking cloud got in her way.

"Is that a... rain cloud?" Rainbow Dash was confused as she began to fall again. "Whatever, I'm not gonna let it ruin my race!" Before she could rise up again, the cloud knocked her even further down. "What the hay?"

Bam!

Rainbow Dash's head hit solid ground as through her blurry vision, she saw that Thunderlane was approaching Sugarcube Corner. Unwilling to accept defeat, she tried and tried to get up, only to be knocked down each time by another cloud.

After several more tries, Rainbow collapsed, finally giving up. "I... can't... do it," she panted heavily as, to her horror, Thunderlane reached the designated finish.

Miserable about the first defeat she'd ever suffered, she began to lose consciousness. It was only until the Cutie Mark Crusaders came into view that she resisted the urge to do so, instead focusing on them.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, helping her idol get up. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

As she rose to her hooves, Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I honestly don't know myself, Scootaloo. I couldn't win the race."

Scootaloo gasped. "You... lost a race? Impossible! You're Rainbow Dash! You've never been beaten before!"

"Not until now," Rainbow sighed, turning away.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash! Even if you raced a Wonderbolt, you wouldn't lose! Ever!"

Rainbow Dash shrugged and slowly walked away, her head lowered in shame.

"What's up with her?" Apple Bloom tilted her head. "She ain't like that, y'know, to just give up on a race."

"Something's definitely wrong!" Scootaloo told them urgently. "This isn't Rainbow Dash! We have to get to the bottom of this! Cutie Mark Crusaders Rainbow Dash Investigators is a go!"

"I'm sure she's just having a bad day," Sweetie Belle suggested. "Everyone has a limit, you know."

Scootaloo shook her head firmly. "Never. Rainbow. Dash."

Chapter V

"Ugh," Rainbow Dash grunted, her tail dragging limply behind her as she passed the Carousel Boutique, where Rarity just happened to be working on her latest fashion line.

"Hmm." Rarity examined various sketchings of gem-studded dresses, trying to see which one looked the best. "I like this one, that one, this one..."

She crossed out some of the sketches that she deemed to look ugly. "This line has to look perfect for Hoity Toity. If he likes it, my line could be put under the spotight in Canterlot! My fashion business will bloom!"

Rarity finally came to the conclusion of five outfits she found to be "dazzling" after some difficulty, throwing the leftover sketches in the trash bin.

Soon, after many sleepless nights, Rarity finally finished her entire line. She was extremely proud of herself; if Hoity Toity really would notice her, she'd get the recognition she deserved all these years.

"They're so diverse and unique, it'll catch the eye of all the ponies in Canterlot! Now then, I should most certainly get some rest; I wouldn't want to present these fabulous outfits to Hoity Toity in such a horrid condition, especially since the train ride's tomorrow morning."

Rarity closed the lights and hopped into her bed, putting on the floral-patterned eye shades that she always wore during her sleep. "I just can't wait!" she whispered to herself excitedly before falling fast asleep.

In the middle of the night, what seemed like dark purple fog seeped into her room, searching for its intended target. As soon as it spotted her fashion line, the fog spread itself over it, causing the line to be nothing but ripped fabric studded with gemstones.

The next morning, Rarity awoke, only to behold a terrible scene before her eyes.

"This can't be!" Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs, clearly devastated. "Who would do such a thing to my fabulous, absolutely fantastic clothing line?"

Tears streamed down her face as her expression changed from devastation to disgust. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier? This destruction was an act of sabotage! Another one of Hoity Toity's admirers wanted him all to themselves and ruined my work!"

Rarity scoffed, her rage boiling within her. "This is what I get for trying to share my work with the world? This is even worse than the time Suri stole my line in Manehattan! Nobody deserves to see my beautiful work, not after this... they will all regret losing such a great fashion designer! I will never make dresses for anyone again!"

Hours later, she left the Carousel Boutique, not acting like her usual generous self at all throughout the day.

During her walk, she passed a young filly who immediately asked for her opinion on her dress - which Rarity thought looked like an old rag - upon seeing her. "What do you think, Rarity? Is my dress good?"

Rarity glanced around, sensing that the ponies around them were staring at her expectantly. "It's disgusting! Why would you even wear such a piece of filth in public? Well, of course, I see now... you knew that no one would try to ruin it because it's so ugly!"

The filly lowered her head in shame, her expression miserable as she ran away, sobbing.

"Hmph," Rarity snorted, walking away like everything was normal despite the low murmurs from the ponies around her. "If they can't respect my work, then I can't respect theirs!"

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. The showcase is still two days away... maybe I'm taking this too seriously, I still have time to remake my line... no, Rarity! You've made your choice, you can't go back on it now!

She continued to simply roam around Ponyville, occasionally giving her honest opinion on unfashionable things when asked. Of course, she had to eventually return to the Carousel Boutique when Princess Luna's night began to settle in.

Rarity was just about to put away her sewing materials when suddenly Pinkie Pie showed up.

"Rarity! Rarity!" Pinkie shoved her face in Rarity's. "I need a chicken costume, quick! Last minute birthday party, gotta make it count!"

"A chicken costume?" Rarity scoffed. "Really? Have you no dignity, Pinkie?"

"Oh, come on!" Pinkie Pie whined. "No more chitchatting; I need it as soon as possible! If I don't get it in time, a filly's birthday party will be in jeopardy!"

"I suppose I could." Rarity took a brief moment to think before she made her final decision. "Of course not! I don't care about a random filly's birthday party! I would never let my fabulous fashion designs be showcased at something as lowly as a birthday party! My work is far too better for you to just ask me to make you a pathetic chicken costume for a BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

Pinkie shrunk down before immediately getting up and hurrying to the door. "Fine! I'll just ask Applejack instead to give me a chicken to bring to the party!" She left, slamming the door behind her furiously. Why's Rarity acting like that? Usually she wouldn't make such a fuss about making something for a best friend of hers! Everyone's going loco coco! Fluttershy, now Rarity? I don't like this one bit... not one bit.

Rarity sighed as she watched the door slam closed. "You're doing the right thing, Rarity. I know you are."

Chapter VI

"Time to buck some apple trees!" Applejack shouted with joy as she approached a rather tall apple tree. Rearing up, she kicked at the tree's trunk with her strong hindlegs, forcing the apples it held to fall and drop into the buckets she had positioned beneath the tree.

On her tenth tree, she suddenly noticed that she was a lot more tired than usual. Thinking it to be nothing, she once again kicked at the tree just as a puff of purple smoke appeared and surrounded her a few times before disappearing. "Aw shucks, is this only mah tenth tree?"

Applejack began to pant heavily, feeling as if she was completely drained of every last oune of her strength. "That's odd," she mused, looking at her hooves. "Maybe Ah really should take a break, probably overworked buckin' those apples yesterday."

She managed to discover a tree that had plenty of shade and was suitable for her to rest under. Succumbing to her fatigue, she collapsed underneath the leaves that had gathered at its roots and fell into a deep sleep. By the time she awoke, Princess Celestia's sun had just rose.

"Applejack!" Apple Bloom shook her big sister, fully waking her up. "How long have ya been asleep? I haven' seen ya since yesterday night!"

"Just a few minutes, Apple Bloom. Buckin' trees all day ain't exactly an easy task, y'know," Applejack lied against her will. Huh? Ah didn' mean to say that, much less lie... what's goin' on?

"Really? Ain't look like ya've got a whole lotta trees done," Apple Bloom shrugged, tilting her head.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it lil sister. Ah've got it covered, alright? Ah'll do the rest of the trees today," Applejack assured her. "Now go play with yer friends. Ah reckon ya've got some crusadin' to do, ain't Ah right?"

"Right, Ah'll be back soon then, Applejack!" Apple Bloom waved goodbye before taking off in the direction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse.

"Aw shucks," Applejack sighed. "Ah definitely ain't been up all day.... if it's morning now, then that means Ah've slept for quite a while." She shook her head, bewildered. "Ah guess it's alright that I lied though, Ah'm just tryin' to set a good example for Apple Bloom so she can be as hardworkin' as Ah am! Besides, if she knew Ah've been sleepin' since yesterday... well, that wouldn' have been good."

Applejack, still feeling strangely exhausted, knew that she had to finish up more trees. "Maybe Ah'll do it later," Applejack told herself, sitting down again.

"APPLEJACK!" Pinkie's voice called out as the pink mare came into Applejack's view. "Rarity and Fluttershy... going loco coco..." Pinkie panted heavily.

"Loco coco? What'd ya mean by that?" Applejack got up, her expression one of mild alarm. "Is there somethin' goin' on that Ah don't know about?"

"You bet; everyone's acting totally crazy and not like themselves! I had to postpone this super fun birthday party because Rarity refused to make me a chicken costume, and Fluttershy had this weird angry outburst while tasting my cakes!"

"Ah feel different too, y'know," Applejack admitted, sighing. "There's definitely somethin' bad goin' on, Pinkie, and Ah tell ya... Ah don't like it one darn bit."

"I know right! Somepony must be pulling this huge prank on me so I can't spread smiles anymore in Ponyville! They're even stopping me from hosting the most awesome, super duper, cool parties!"

"No, Pinkie, Ah'm sayin' that there's some-" Applejack began, only to be cut off.

"Don't worry, AJ! I've got this great plan, you know! I just met up with Twilight a while ago and she sent invitations to our friends inviting them to a nice picnic, which is in, like, a few minutes!" Pinkie Pie gestured with a hoof at a nearby hill, excited.

"Alright then," Applejack said, following Pinkie as she led her in the direction of said hill. "Let's get to the bottom of this, shall we?"

As soon as Pinkie heard those words, she pulled out a detective hat from nowhere and put it on, grinning. "Yep, we shall!"

Chapter VII

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.

Chapter VIII

The next morning was an absolutely disastrous one. Rainbow Dash flew around town mindlessly while paying the gathering storm clouds no attention at all, which resulted in a heavy rain. Rarity kept pacing back and forth in her Boutique, furious at the fact that she would miss Hoity Toity's fashion showcase yet doing nothing about it. Fluttershy locked the animals she'd taken care of for so long out of her cottage, leaving them to be drenched by the unrelenting rain. Applejack neglected to do her duties and just left the apple trees be. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was nowhere to be found.

"Pinkie? Are you here?" Twilight called out as she entered Sugarcube Corner. Ever since her friend had ran away from the picnic yesterday, Twilight had searched desperately for her all around Ponyville, trying to find at least one clue as to where Pinkie might have gone. As expected, her attempts were futile. Today being a new day, however, she decided to try her luck at the bakery once more. Pinkie can't have just left Ponyville overnight, so she must've returned since she lives here. Hopefully she's just playing a big hide-'n-seek game with me... come out, Pinkie, come out.

"No, Pinkie's not here," a familiar voice sounded from nearby.

"I know that's you, Pinkie," Twilight grinned. "No need to hide from me, you know; I just need to talk to you." She carefully scanned her surroundings, trying to find where Pinkie was hiding, before she finally noticed a pair of blue eyes peeking out from underneath a table that held several large cakes.

"You don't have to! I'm all cheery and happy and fun now, as always! I'm perfectly fine!" Pinkie replied, her voice sounding slightly choked.

Twilight knew she was lying; she could sense so from her voice. After exchanging a long stare, Pinkie went back under the table again, clearly unable to meet Twilight's eyes anymore. Slightly irritated, Twilight's horn glowed a pinkish-purple as she teleported next to Pinkie, getting on her belly as she was now also under the table.

"Ahh!" Pinkie screamed at Twilight's sudden appearence as she instinctively jumped up and slammed her head on the underside of the table. Twilight, feeling something wobble on top, immediately leapt out and realized that one of cakes was wobbling badly, about to fall and make a mess on the floor.

Using her magic to prevent its fall just in time, she then glanced under the table only to see Pinkie gone and no longer there. Great, she's gone. I guess I'll just leave now and get back to the library. Sighing in defeat, Twilight turned around to see Pinkie standing there, seeming perfectly fine except for the fact that she was unable to meet Twilight's gaze.

After another staring session that seemed to have lasted for hours, Pinkie finally broke. "Okay, okay... sorry for running off like that, Twilight."

"Pinkie," Twilight said, her tone urgent. "You running off like a chicken isn't important anymore. I need you, Pinkie... you're the only one who hasn't gone completely crazy like the others. I really need your help to get to the bottom of all this!"

"You can do that," Pinkie responded neutrally. "I've been thinking a lot since the picnic, Twilight. If my own friends don't think I'm a good comedian and party mare, then I guess I'm not."

"Are you listening to me or yourself, Pinkie?" Twilight retorted. "They only said that because they're now the opposite of who they used to be... of their Elements!"

"Whatever," Pinkie shrugged as she walked past Twilight and opened the door to go outside. Still determined to enlist Pinkie's help, Twilight followed her as she left, both of them barely noticing that the rain had stopped and was instead replaced with a cloudy sky.

"Pinkie Pie, please!" Twilight called after her as she tried to match Pinkie's quick pace and catch up to her.

Suddenly, Pinkie gasped, reigniting Twilight's hope until she realized that Pinkie was gasping at a small pebble she had picked up from the ground instead. "This is quite a fine rock," she murmured to herself as she examined it. "Maud would like it... I like it."

Twilight raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Uh... you alright, Pinkie?"

Receiving no response from the now rock-loving mare, she quickly turned and began to race in the direction of the Golden Oak Library, determined to find an answer as to why her friends were all acting so oddly. As soon as she arrived, she began to dig into every single book she had regarding magic-influenced behavior. Halfway through her reading, however, a dark purple fog began to seep into the room, immediately striking Twilight unconscious. When her horn had successfully absorbed the purple fog, she woke up with a start. "What was that?" she blinked, a perplexed expression on her face as she glanced around the library. "Hmm... well then, back to work. I've got to find an answer to all this as soon as possible."

Twilight powered up her horn, intent on bringining a book toward her using her magic; however, whenever she tried to maneuver said book towards her, it would always fall without warning.

"Ugh!" Twilight, frustrated, slammed her hooves so hard into the ground that the mountain of books beside her wobbled and toppled onto the lavender unicorn. "Seriously?" She managed to escape from under the book avalanche after quite a lot of difficulty. "Stupid books!"

Chapter IX

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.

Chapter X

The following morning, the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally managed to find Rainbow Dash in front of Sugarcube Corner after a long day of searching yesterday. She was examining rocks with Pinkie Pie, not betraying the slightest hint that she was bored from doing so.

"There's Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo told her friends excitedly, pointing at the rainbow-maned pegasus. "She's with Pinkie Pie... looking at rocks?"

Sweetie Belle carefully inspected Pinkie Pie. "Why's her mane flat?"

"That happens when she ain't happy no more," Apple Bloom replied. "Rainbow Dash doesn't look too dandy either, y'know."

"Hmph," Scootaloo mused, ignoring her friends while she approached Rainbow Dash confidently.

"Oh, hey Scootaloo," Rainbow Dash greeted as soon as she noticed Scootaloo, only to go back to looking at rocks immediately after.

Scootaloo, having expected a bit more, stood still for a few moments until Rainbow Dash picked up a rock and showed it to Pinkie Pie. "This is a nice one," Rainbow Dash told her, plopping the rock into Pinkie's bag as she did so.

Pinkie nodded in agreement before they both turned away from each other in order to search for more rocks.

"Searching for rocks isn't one of your hobbies!" Scootaloo complained as he stomped toward Rainbow Dash, interrupting her search quite rudely. "What's going on with you, Rainbow Dash?"

"Nothing," her idol replied. "What makes you think that? I'm perfectly fine."

"You're looking at rocks!" Scootaloo exclaimed in response. "Rocks, Rainbow Dash! Rocks!"

"So? What's wrong with rocks? Besides, I've got nothing better to do," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Rocks are actually pretty cool, you know. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes!"

"Did Pinkie brainwash you or something?" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Rocks are like, 100% uncool than you!"

"It's no use, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation, laying a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's lost it too! How about we go to my big sister's Boutique instead? Maybe Rarity knows something about all of this."

"Alright folks, we're headin' out!" Apple Bloom declared, catching Scootaloo's attention. With one last glance at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, the trio strolled away from Sugarcube Corner and in the direction of the Carousel Boutique.

"Ugh, I can't believe this," Scootaloo grunted as she trailed behind Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "How could somepony as cool and awesome as Rainbow Dash like boring, uncool rocks?"

"Calm down now, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said, slowing down so she could trot side by side with Scootaloo. "We'll get to the bottom of this! Aren't we, Sweetie Belle?"

The unicorn filly nodded.

As soon they approached the Carousel Boutique, the Cutie Mark Crusaders exchanged nervous glances with each other as they noticed the wooden planks completely covering the windows of the shop.

"What in tarnation's goin' on?" Apple Bloom exclaimed in confusion as she stopped in front of the Boutique's door.

"I don't know, Apple Bloom, but it sure doesn't seem good," Sweetie Belle answered nervously, approaching the door with Scootaloo behind her.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Don't keep us out here all day!" Scootaloo remarked harshly, causing Sweetie Belle to slightly tremble at the coldness of Scootaloo's voice before she slowly opened the door and entered, her friends following her lead.

As soon as they entered, loud gasps sounded from them in unison as they took in the disheveled state of the Carousel Boutique.

The lights were dim, making the trio barely able to see anything, and small cobwebs covered the cardboard boxes that were set by the walls. Rarity's pony mannequins - the ones that she enlisted the help of to create her fashion designs - were in tatters, scattered around the room facedown.

Sweetie Belle, taking a moment to adjust to the situation before her, scanned her surroundings in distraught; although having been struck speechless by the shop's horrid condition, she still managed to utter out two words. "Oh no..."

Chapter XI

"C'mon now, ya'll, we've gotta find Rarity!" Apple Bloom charged into the darkness, relying on her instincts in order to navigate, as she desperately searched for Rarity with her friends trailing closely behind her. The first place they checked - Rarity's personal room - was, unfortunately, no luck.

"This way!" Sweetie Belle took charge as she led the other two fillies to the storage room, the room in which Rarity store her dressmaking materials. As soon they entered the room, the sound of familiar sobbing reached their ears; her hope reignited, Sweetie Belle led her friends deeper into the room, finally stopping in her tracks when she spotted her elder sister packing up her materials.

Managing to catch up to Sweetie Belle just in time, the Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped in shock as Rarity turned to face them. Judging by her appearance, Rarity was definitely not in a good state: the eyeliner that she used was slobbered all over her cheeks, there were large black bags under her eyes, and her mane was in a disheveled state.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed sorrowfully as she ran up to her elder sister and embraced her tightly.

Rarity pushed her away, whirling around resentfully to finish packing her scarves into a small cardboard box. "Here to laugh at me too? Go on then, jeer all you want! I don't care anymore!"

"Of course not, Rarity!" Apple Bloom answered, her expression confused. "What made ya think that? We just came here to check up on ya!"

"Whatever," Rarity grunted harshly in response. "I'm fine... at least, now I am. I've finally realized how much work it is being a part of the fashion world. You have to deal with critiscm, sabotage, nasty rumors... I'm certainly better off having nothing to do with that world."

"But what about sharing your amazing work with other ponies?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Besides, Rarity, the ponies who try to bring you down are probably just jealous of your awesome work," Scootaloo added. "At least Rainbow Dash doesn't have those kind of fans. She's too cool for them!"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom snapped their heads in the direction of their friend, agitated at her response.

"Ya coulda just stopped at 'jealous of your awesome work', y'know," Apple Bloom muttered only loudly enough for Scootaloo to hear.

"My life is ruined! I'm ruined!" Rarity shouted dramatically. "I even missed Hoity Toity's fashion showcase!"

Scootaloo sighed, turning her head slightly to whisper to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "Rarity's lost it too! There's no point in wasting our time and staying here; let's go to Twilight's, she's the last pony that would go crazy."

"No!" Sweetie Belle answered, the loudness of her voice catching Rarity's unwanted attention. Noticing that, Sweetie Belle lowered her voice as she spoke again, "You two can go see Twilight without me; I'm going to stay here with my sister."

"What are you silly fillies planning?" Rarity muttered to herself, continuing her frenzied packing.

"Alright then," Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah respect yer choice, Sweetie Belle. If that's how ya want it, then Scoot and Ah'll go on to meet Twilight at her library. When it's noon, we'll meet ya at the front of the Boutique. Ya agree?"

"Got it," Sweetie Belle replied. "I'll see you at noon then! Bye!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave her a small smile before they left the shop, leaving Sweetie Belle alone there with her sister.

Leading Scootaloo as quickly as she could to the Golden Oak Library, Apple Bloom soon approached her desired destination, Scootaloo standing behind her.

Knock! Knock!

A few moments - which seemed more like hours in their opinion - passed before Twilight finally opened the door.

"Hi there, can I help you with anything?" Twilight said, only a part of her face being visible as the door was barely open a crack.

"Uh, we kinda have a big problem on our hooves, Twilight," Apple Bloom told her. "Can we come in first?"

"Oh, sure." Twilight fully opened the door before stepping aside to let the two fillies enter. "Sorry about everything looking messy... I've been having some, I guess you could say trouble, lately."

"It's... not that... messy," Scootaloo tried to reassure her, taking in the bedraggled sight of Twilight's library. The shelves were of no use since all of the books were "organized" in large piles on the floor; Twilight herself looked a bit messier than normal: strands of her mane were popping out randomly, large beads of sweat dripped down her forehead, and dark circles could be located under her hollow gaze.

"Uh... ya alright, Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked, glancing sideways at Scootaloo. "Ah guess we could help ya... clean up while we talk, y'know. Help everythin' look dandy again." Apple Bloom gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, that would be great!" A small smile broke out on Twilight's face as she leaned down to pick up a book using her mouth.

Raising an eyebrow, Scootaloo immediately remarked, "Can't you just use your magic instead, Twilight?"

Twilight dropped the book as soon as she heard Scootaloo's comment. Grunting loudly as she collapsed on her belly, she sighed, "I've been trying to use my magic, but it just... won't work!"

"What'd ya mean by that? How can yer magic not work?" Apple Bloom asked curiously, picking up a few books on the ground before placing them back on their respective bookshelves.

"Well... it all started out with me just having a hard time moving the books in general, but over time, I've been noticing that my magic just doesn't function anymore and there's no reasonable explanation, it's just... agh!"

"Must suck," Scootaloo shrugged. "I mean, what would happen if Rainbow Dash lost her wings? It'd make her so uncool!"

"Not everythin' is about Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom muttered just loud enough for her friend to hear.

"So, what brings you here?" Twilight asked them.

"Well, Rainbow Dash is looking at rocks! Rocks, I'm telling you, rocks!" Scootaloo responded furiously.

"Okay...?" Twilight blinked.

"Actually, to be honest, all yer buddies have been actin' mighty strange lately," Apple Bloom added, ignoring Scootaloo. "Rainbow Dash was looking at rocks with Pinkie Pie, Rarity gave up on fashion, Applejack ain't the Applejack Ah know, and Fluttershy's actin' like a bully."

"And now your magic is..." Scootaloo's voice trailed off as Apple Bloom shot a warning glance at her.

"Somethin's goin' on here, Twilight. Somethin' really bad." Apple Bloom sighed.

"I know, Apple Bloom. I was digging through books about it before I got carried away due to my... magical dysfunction." Twilight's voice grew quieter. "I found nothing!"

"Maybe we can help you look through all the books again," Apple Bloom suggested, offering Twilight a small smile.

"Uh..." Twilight chuckled nervously at Apple Bloom's idea. A moment later, the lavender unicorn was shoving the two fillies outside, and before closing the door completely, she said, "S-Sorry! I've got... other things to do than read boring, old books. Heh, heh."

"Boring, old books?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow just as Twilight slammed the door. "She would never describe a book like that!"

"It's true though, you know," Scootaloo giggled, "books are boring and old."

Apple Bloom sighed in frustration. "Really, Scoot?"

Eyeing each other for a few moments before trotting away from the treehouse in unison, Scootaloo suddenly tripped and landed facedown in the dirt. "Hey!" she complained, getting up with an irritated expression on her face. However, it was quickly converted to one of confusion when she realized that she had tripped over Spike, Twilight's personal assistant.

"Spike! Where've ya been? Somethin' bad's happenin'!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, surprised.

"S-Sorry," Spike responded, "I was at Canterlot the whole time on royal duty."

"Canterlot?" Apple Bloom said. "Ah heard it's mighty nice there. Anyways, the Elements of Harmony have been actin' strange lately. They're actin' like the opposites of their Elements!"

"That already sounds pretty bad," Spike mused. "How about Rarity? Is she okay?"

"Uh, sure," Scootaloo answered sarcastically, "she's crying at the Boutique with Sweetie Belle there to comfort her."

"Oh, that's go- wait... she's crying?" Spike's eyes widened in horror. "I need to go help her!"

"Now wait here, Spike," Apple Bloom said, standing in Spike's way just as he began to leave. "We really need yer help in reasonin' with Twilight; she said that her magic's gone and that her books were 'boring, old' ones."

Spike gasped, disbelief clouding his emerald eyes. "Woah, that's really bad. What do you plan to do then?"

"Ain't exactly sure yet, y'know. Lately we've just been confirming our theory of the Elements being crazy by checkin' up on all of them," Apple Bloom explained, "and it's pretty much spot-on!"

"We've gotta meet Sweetie Belle at the Carousel Boutique when noon comes," Scootaloo paused for a moment, glancing up at the sky before continuing, "and I'd say that based on my killer instincts... we've got about ten more minutes before we have to be there."

"Right," Spike nodded nervously. "I-I'm really sorry for being at Canterlot while something this important's been happening in Ponyville-"

"Don't worry, Spike," Scootaloo reassured him, laying a hoof on the baby dragon's shoulder, "just help us in reasoning with Twilight and we'll forgive you... even though we never really blamed you."

"Allow me then." Spike gave them a sheepish grin as he approached the wooden door, clearing his throat as he loudly knocked a few times on the door. "Twilight, open the door! It's me, Spike!"

"Coming!" Twilight's hoofsteps could be heard from inside the treehouse as she trudged through her piles of books in order to get to the front door.

As soon as Twilight opened the door, Spike's reaction was similar to those of Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's. "H-Hi, Twilight," Spike stammered, taking in the sight before him. "Can I come in?"

"Well, of course, Spike." Twilight raised an eyebrow, suspicious of his strange behavior, as she stepped aside to let her assistant in. She almost shut the door when suddenly Apple Bloom and Scootaloo managed to wiggle in with some slight difficulty.

"Again?" Twilight grumbled in irritation, turning to the two fillies. "What do you want? I'm not going to accept your help!"

"If yer not goin' to accept our help, then at least help us instead!" Apple Bloom stared at Twilight, her tone frustrated.

Spike's gaze flicked nervously from Twilight to the fillies, then to Twilight, and back again.

"There's nothing in my books about it!" Twilight protested in response. "I've already read over them once; that's enough times already to tell you that I have absolutely no information whatsoever that will help you!"

"Now listen here, Twilight." Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, shoving her own face into Twilight's. "We all know that you want to read all those books again deep down inside. So, get on it!"

Twilight let out a loud groan before she attempted to use her magic once more. Her horn - only for a second, though - was surrounded with its normal violet glow before sparks began to fly off of it and distinguished the aura completely. "Ugh!"

Spike gasped in disbelief, stepping back and knocking down the stack of books that happened to be located right behind him.

The tumbling books created a domino effect on some other stacks that were near it, causing a boisterous ruckus. Twilight and the two filles immediately switched their attention to Spike instead, who had tripped over a stray book and was now on the ground, chuckling nervously.

"Look, girls, I'm not interested in reading those stupid books again! They're a waste of my time and I'm sticking to that!" Twilight snarled before stomping upstairs, leaving the others behind. "Just read them yourselves if you're so interested in what's happening!"

Spike, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo exchanged glances with each other skeptically.

Chapter XII

Fluttershy snarled, lashing out with a hoof at her pet Angel the bunny. She didn't like how he'd been pestering her ever since a few hours ago. In fact, it was really irritating; there was even this one time where she'd been eating and Angel had appeared out of nowhere, causing her to choke on her food quite badly. It took a long time for her to recover - to her disgust, Angel was included in the process - but eventually she did, and you could tell that she was not happy at all about it.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted, once again lashing out at Angel. The bunny, to her surprise, barely dodged it, but still managed to avoid it nonetheless.

"You know what, Angel?" Fluttershy's voice was sickly sweet as she spoke. "I need to go out for a walk. And you, little bunny, are going to stay here the entire time."

She placed a lot of emphasis on the word "you", her tone becoming more and more hostile with each word.

Angel, clearly shocked at how agressive his caretaker had become, ran off in tears.

"That's what I thought," Fluttershy growled, opening the door to her cottage as she unfolded her wings and took flight.

She flew over Ponyville, her eyes scanning the ground below as she searched for a suitable place to land. Just as Fluttershy found one and was about to plummet down, a rainbow-colored mane flashed at the corner of her eyes. Recognizing the mane, Fluttershy turned in its direction, only to witness Rainbow Dash resting on top of a nearby cloud.

Why, she'll make for a fine victim. Fluttershy chuckled before flying over to the cloud and then bucking it extremely hard in the side, causing it to dissipate into thin air.

"Wha-" Rainbow Dash woke up just as her fluffy bed disappeared. "Hey!" she protested, flapping her wings in panic until she finally got a hold of herself. It was then that she noticed Fluttershy, who was staring at Rainbow Dash with an amused expression on her face.

"What'd you do that for, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Fluttershy snickered. "Think, Rainbow Dash... or is all of this just too much for your simple little brain that it can't even think properly anymore?"

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth for a brief moment before she finally let out a long, defeated sigh. "Seriously, Fluttershy. What do you want from me? A fluffy cloud to sleep on? Just leave me alone, then, and you can have one. I don't care anymore."

Huffing, Rainbow Dash flew away, her silhouette becoming more and more distant until finally Fluttershy could no longer see her at all.

"Absolutely pathetic," Fluttershy sneered before plunging into a dive, her eyes set on the large suitable-for-a-safe-landing clearing that she had discovered from before. Folding her wings at the very last second, she gently touched the ground and began trotting in the direction of the Golden Oak Library, which just happened to be nearby.

Knock! Knock!

Twilight groaned as she heard the persisent, firm knocking on the door. She hadn't been in the mood for visitors at all ever since Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Although Spike had convinced them to leave at the very end, he himself had begun bombarding her with questions of all kinds soon after.

It had been really irritating; fortunately, Twilight had managed to postpone his questions to the next day through some secret means.

"Great, now who could that be? If it's those ridiculous fillies again... Celestia be my witness that I'll have no mercy on them," Twilight muttered.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Twilight's ears twitched as she continued to ignore the growing knocks.

"Open this door, now!" a familiar voice sounded from behind the door.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "Exactly how many ponies are those troublesome fillies sending to my library just to convince me to help-"

"OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Fluttershy shouted deafeningly, interrupting Twilight's words.

Twilight, shocked to the core by her friend's hostility, slowly creeped toward the door and opened it to reveal an extremely furious Fluttershy.

"O-Oh, hi Fluttershy," Twilight stammered, sneaking a glance behind Fluttershy to check if the Cutie Mark Crusaders were hiding behind her.

"Did you not hear me knock?" Fluttershy eyed her suspiciously, the harshness of her voice freezing Twilight in place.

"Well, I did," Twilight explained, "but I thought it was Apple Bloom and Scootaloo since they've been bugging me all day."

"Whatever," Fluttershy growled, shouldering Twilight aside rather rudely in order to enter her library.

"Um... Fluttershy?" Twilight turned around to see that the yellow pegasus was now sitting on a nearby stack of books.

"What? Don't bother with offering me refreshments," Fluttershy grunted.

"N-No, not that. I just wanted to ask you if you were... feeling alright," Twilight chuckled nervously.

Just as Fluttershy was about to respond, however, Spike came into view.

"Hey, Twilight-" Spike stopped in his tracks, seeing Fluttershy.

Fluttershy snapped her head in the baby dragon's direction, fixating him with a cold glare.

Twilight nodded her head before Spike could speak. "She's crazy!" Twilight mouthed the words as good as she could just as Fluttershy whirled around. Noticing her sudden movement, Twilight immediately mustered up a fake smile.

"So, why did you come over?" Twilight asked her, trying to keep her tone as neutral as she could.

"I've been bored lately," Fluttershy replied, occasionally stepping on stray books as she wandered around the messy library, her expression one of disgust.

"Well, you could always help me clean up-" Twilight was cut off as Fluttershy spoke.

"What kind of pony cleans up stupid books when they're bored?" Fluttershy rolled her eyes in irritation, turning to Twilight. "If you really want somepony to do your dirty work, Twilight, then I suggest Rainbow Dash. Oh, but wait... she'll probably give up before she even started! Pathetic!"

"W-Well, I just thought that y-you could help me instead," Twilight stammered, avoiding Fluttershy's cold gaze as best as she could.

"Aren't you the Element of Kindness though, Fluttershy?" Spike asked her. "You're supposed to do kind things for another pony!"

"Only the Element of Generosity does favors for somepony else like a slave. Get your facts straight before declaring me that filthy element," Fluttershy snarled at the young dragon. "And mind your own business, too!"

Spike stared at the yellow pegasus in horror as she began knocking down nearby piles of books, contributing to the library's already messy state. "Looks like what Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said really were true," he whispered to himself, "not that I didn't believe them already when I saw Twilight, but... my friends have all changed for the worse."

"And it's all my fault because I couldn't be there for them when they most needed me."

Chapter XIII

Sweetie Belle picked up an empty ice cream box that Rarity had finished herself and placed it in a growing pile nearby.

"Twelve," Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation. "She finished twelve boxes of ice cream in one day. Unbelievable!"

She sneaked a glance at Rarity, who was in her bed snoring rather loudly.

Sweetie Belle chuckled softly as she trotted over to the window, her eyes straying over to the local clock tower. "It's time!" she gasped, quite surprised that time flew by that quickly while she was helping her sister's meltdown.

She darted out of the room and quickly opened the front door, seeing the two small fillies already standing there in front of the door. Their irritated expressions clearly indicated that their patience was wearing thin.

"Howdy, Sweetie Belle! How's yer sister?" Apple Bloom broke into a huge grin, clearly relieved that she wouldn't need to wait around anymore for her friend.

"She fell asleep after eating twelve boxes of ice cream," Sweetie Belle responded. "Just think about it! Twelve boxes in one day!"

"That sure is a load of ice cream, you know, but I bet Rainbow Dash could beat her anytime," Scootaloo jumped in, her fan instincts kicking in. "Anyways, what'd we do now? Our h-hyper... hyperthesis was right!"

"Hypothesis," Apple Bloom corrected her while Sweetie Belle chuckled at her pegasus friend's mistake.

"Whatever, who cares about those advanced egghead words anyway?" Scootaloo snorted.

"Well, Scootaloo was right on one thing: what are we going to do next?" Sweetie Belle told them. Both her and Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom expectantly.

"W-Well," Apple Bloom paused as she glanced up at the sky, thinking hard, "maybe we could just send a letter?"

"To who?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow. "What pony can help us that's not one of the Elements of Harmony?"

"Ooh, ooh! Maybe we can send a letter to Miss Cherilee!" Sweetie Belle squealed in delight as the idea popped into her head.

"No, Ah meant that we could send a letter to the Princesses themselves. Y'know how Spike can send letters to them usin' his breath? We can use his fire to help us send a letter to the Princesses, tellin' them 'bout everythin' that's goin' on here," Apple Bloom said, immediately disposing of Sweetie Belle's idea.

"A letter to the Princesses themselves? Don't you think that idea is just a little bit... weird?" Scootaloo blurted. "Like, how we're only three fillies that haven't even got our cutie marks yet, and we're sending letters to the Princesses themselves?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore, Scoot. We need help and we need it right now. C'mon now!"

Twilight opened the door, only to see the three fillies that she hoped she'd never see again.

"What did I tell you?" the unicorn snarled. "I said I don't have the answers you need! I don't want anything to do with books!"

"No, please, Twilight!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. "We're just here to ask Spike for some help really quick! We'll leave as soon as possible, we promise!"

Twilight sighed, her fury diminishing. "Alright, but this is the last time I'll allow you in here, and if you come again... there'll be consequences. Understand?"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders nodded in unison. Twilight, satisfied that they would keep their promises, opened the door for them to enter.

"Spike?" Apple Bloom called as she led her friends inside, Twilight closing the door shut behind her. "Spike! We need yer help!"

The small dragon came into view after a few long minutes, blinking at Apple Bloom. "Oh, hey there, guys. What'd you need my help for?"

Sweetie Belle glanced over her shoulder to see Twilight standing there, clearly within eavesdropping distance. "Let's go upstairs," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, "this is really important, so we need to discuss it in secret."

The others nodded as they made their way upstairs, leaving a rather bewildered Twilight behind.

"Anyways, what was it you needed my help with?" Spike turned to the three fillies, a curious expression on his face.

"A letter!" they announced in unison.

Spike nearly fainted.

Author's Note

I hate to do this to y'all, but this story is on hiatus until further notice. Sorry.

Oh, and you may have noticed that I've removed all the pictures for each chapter. This is due to Imgur breaking, and since I can't seem to find the original pictures on my computer, the only way was to delete them all.