Rainbow Dash's blue hooves paced over the dirt path, darting from the friend she used to race with, compete with, play with.
Applejack.
"Rainbow! Wait up! Whaddya runnin' for?" Applejack cried to her sullen friend. Instead of responding, Rainbow just trotted faster. Wait. Rainbow opened her blue wings, looked back at Applejack, and flew off. Applejack watched as Rainbow Dash flew off into a nearby cloud, out of reach for the measly earth pony. "Darn it," Applejack muttered to herself and walked back to Twilight Sparkle's library.
"Twilight! Ah got some bad news."
Twilight looked over at Applejack, and nodded solemnly. Twilight's cheeks were obviously tear-stained, and her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. Her mane and tail were both scraggly and deranged, looking like she hadn't brushed it in weeks. "I know," Twilight choked out. Applejack sighed and placed her hoof and Twilight's shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay, Twi," Applejack reassured her. "We'll get her to speak up about what's wrong. And that ain't no lie." Applejack smiled. Twilight looked at Applejack with a look of confidence. "Yes," she replied. "We will."
--
"Applebloom, Big Mac," Applejack asked her siblings. "Ah need your help. Rainbow's outta control, and she ain't lettin' me talk to her!" Applebloom looked at her big sister with fear in her eyes. "Will Rainbow be okay?" she asked. "Ah don't know," AJ replied.
--
Rainbow Dash breathed heavily, hiding in her cloud canopy. They can't know. They just can't. And they won't! Haha, nope... Nope, nope, nope... they. Will. Never. Know. "Never!" Rainbow shouted at the sky, then doubled over in laughter. "Oh, those silly mares..." She laughed more, her eyes starting to get teary. "Silly..." Rainbow then began to hum a horrifying tune, one you would never want to hear from your friend.
I will kill you, slice you into pieces
You will never know my secrets, secrets
I will slice you into pieces
And you will never see another day!
You will never know my deepest secrets
Ones that I have been hiding from you, from you
I will kill you, slice you into pieces
Before you can get it out of me!
--
Twilight paced the floor of her library, muttering to herself. "It's okay, Twilight, we'll find out..." She looked over at the case containing the Elements of Harmony and sighed. Twilight was about to look away before she noticed something about Rainbow Dash's element.
The lightning bolt was grey.
"Oh, no," Twilight paced even faster. "This is bad, this is bad..." Applejack burst in the door, having heard Twilight from outside. "Twi! What's got ya so worked up?" Twilight just pointed at Rainbow's element. That was enough to tell Applejack something was wrong.
"How'd that happen?" AJ asked. "I don't know," Twilight replied. "I was pacing the floor, then looked over at the case," she pointed toward the case bearing the Elements, "and I noticed Rainbow Dash's element was... not right."
--