Canterlot. Blackfield Asylum. Solitary. The room with cushioned walls was empty, save for a single barred window shaped like Princess Celestia's Cutie Mark and the pink earth pony that had just gotten thrown in there by two Royal Guards.

"You can't do this to me!" Pinkamena shouted. "Why are you locking me here, Rainbow Dash? I thought we were friends."

"And we are, Pinkie." the cyan pegasus mare standing behind the two guards said. "This is why I'm doing this. It's for your own sake. You are not good, you are sick. And the ponies here will cure you. And once they do, you will come back and we will all be friends again, ok?"

"No, this is not ok. I am not sick. I am not sick!"

"You are sick, Pinkie Pie. You just can't see it."

"My name is Pinkamena. Not Pinkie. Pinkamena Diane Pie!"

"I know that's your name. Everypony knows. Pinkie."

Rainbow Dash turned around. Pinkamena tried to go to her, but the guards grabbed her before she could reach her friend.

"Don't leave me, Rainbow Dash. DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"For your own sake, Pinkie Pie."

The two guards threw her back in and locked the metal door. Pinkamena stared at it for a few moments before lying on the cushioned floor and curling up in fetal position.

Carousel Boutique. Rarity/Applejack had just finished applying makeup and changing her mane style. The last detail left was the mint and pink dress, which she put on.

"Just because I'm not Rarity, it doesn't mean I can't be fabulous anymore." she said while looking at herself in the mirror. "In fact, why should I be Applejack? She would look pretty good if she took better care of herself, I'll give her that, but it just doesn't feel right to see her like this. Since I'll be borrowing her body for a while, I should think of a new name. Now, let's see... Golden Apple? Well, it sounds good, but... Nah. Golden Delicious? No, wait, that's already taken! Hm... Oh! I know, I know!" she approached her face to the mirror. "From this day forward, your name shall be Applejewel." she clopped her hooves together happily. "Perfect. I love it!" she heard a knock on the door. "Coming~!"

When she opened the door, she saw a golden stallion wearing a hat and a jacket.

"Miss... Rarity, right?"

"Please, call me Applejewel from now on. And since you called me by... Well, my name, I suppose you know, right? By the way, have we met before? You look familiar."

"Actually, ya have! A couple o' months ago, in Appleloosa."

"Oh, you're Applejack's cousin. Brae... Brae... Braefire?"

The stallion chuckled. "Braeburn."

"Yes, that. I'm sorry! Do you need something?"

His gentle smile was replaced by a very serious expression. "Ah came to Ponyville because Ah want to help."

"Help? With what?"

"To dethrone that good for nothin' Discord. He killed one of mah cousins and... Well, ya can guess what happened to the other. Now Ah want revenge!"

"You came all the way from Appleloosa to avenge them? That's... Unexpected!" Applejewel stepped out of her boutique and closed the door behind her with her tail. "Please, follow me."

"I see..." Twilight said while scratching her chin with her hoof. "If that's the case, then I guess I can contact the Princesses and--"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Twilight!" the stallion said. "Ah'd like to compete with Miss Rari-- Applejewel. Ah mean, if she doesn't mind."

"I don't mind at all! Two minds work better than one." she said. "But... Why me?"

"Ya have my cousin's body. By helping ya, Ah'll be helpin' her as well. An' by helpin' her, Ah'll be helpin' cousin Big Mac too."

"I understand." Applejewel said, wrapping a foreleg around him. "Looks like I just got a teammate!" she winked at him. "And a very handsome one."

Braeburn blushed before taking a few steps away from her. "Sorry, it just feels weird to be... Courted by someone with mah cousin's body."

Applejewel looked away, blushing as well. "I-I'm sorry for making this awkward for you."

"So, what do you two want to do now?" the young Alicorn asked.

"Well, work on some strategies, maybe?" Braeburn suggested. "Ah mean, Ah don't know how those metal cart thingies work, y'all could give me some classes, tips or somethin'."

"You want me to teach you?" Twilight asked, her eyes gowing wider and her grin getting bigger. "Like... Like a teacher?"

"If it won't trouble ya..."

"This is going to be so exciting!" Twilight said, flapping her wings in happiness.

Rainbow Dash bucked several clouds in just a few seconds. After a few minutes of work, the sky was already clear, but she couldn't stop flying; she did spins, barrel rolls, aileron rolls and many other moves, while the ghost of Scootaloo watched her from the ground. After several other maneuvers, Rainbow Dash landed right in front of her. Scootaloo clopped her hooves together, applauding her.

"You get better every day, Rainbow Dash!" she said.

"Thanks, squirt." she said.

"I just wish I could fly like you..." she looked at her grey wings. "But without a real body, my wings will never grow and I..."

"Don't worry." she placed a hoof on Scootaloo's head. "If I win that contest again, I'm wishing your body back."

"But didn't you promised the Princesses that--"

"Family comes before work, squirt."

"Fa... Family?"

Rainbow Dash picked the filly up and held her on her face's level. "Yes, family. We may not be blood related, but I still consider you my little sister. What about you? Do you consider me your big sister?"

Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around her neck. "Of course!"

Rainbow Dash patted her back. "Your life clock will start ticking again soon, squirt. I promise you that."

"Thanks, but... What about Sweetie Belle's sister?"

"We will wish her back as well and, once everything is right again, we will go camping again. All of us! I promise you that! How does that sound?"

Scootaloo tightened the hug. "Sounds great! Thanks, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash hugged her back. "You're welcome, squirt."

A cart parked in the main square of Ponyville, right in front of a fountain. A blue unicorn mare wearing a lavender cape and hat stepped out of it, looking around.

"So this is the place." the mare said. "The Great And Powerful Trixie shall not take long. Locate the Alicorn, get what Trixie needs, and leave."

Using her magic, she locked the door of the cart behind her and trotted around Ponyville. The citizens were surprised to see a new face in their town, but none of them bothered to go speak with her. After a few minutes of trotting, Trixie arrived at Golden Oak Library. She didn't bothered to knock at the door and simply opened it. Inside, she saw a purple Alicorn and two earth ponies. The Alicorn was levitating the drawing of a car - both the inside and outside of it - and a pointer, using it to present the key parts of the car while the male of the earth ponies payed a lot of attention to her class.

"Good afternoon!" the Alicorn said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm the librarian here." she looked at the drawing and chuckled. "And part-time teacher, apparently. I've never seen you around these parts. Do you need help with something? A particular book, maybe?"

"The Great And Powerful Trixie is the name." the unicorn said, placing a hoof on her own chest. "Now tell me, Alicorn mare, how do I get one of your 'car' things?"

The smile on Twilight's face was replaced by a look of confusion. "What do you need a car for?"

"Is it that hard to guess, Alicorn?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle." she repeated. "Are you planning on--"

"Yes, The Great And Powerful Trixie wants to join Discord's tournament."

"Why would you want to do such thing?" Applejewel asked.

"The Great And Powerful Trixie is already great and powerful, but Trixie feels like this isn't enough. If Trixie wins, that chimera will give Trixie more power than anypony ever dreamed of. Even the Princesses! But, according to Trixie's research, the winners were all from this town, and all of them had cars before Twisted Metal even started. Trixie demands one of yours, because it's more than obvious that they're better."

"Don't you think that's a little... Selfish?" Twilight asked.

"You don't have the right to call Trixie selfish, Celestia's prized student. Yes, The Great And Powerful Trixie knows who you are! Twilight Sparkle, the professor's pet, always showing off and outshining everypony else."

"Do... Do I know you?"

"Hah! Like you would even bother to remember the face of a pony that didn't mattered."

"I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. I'm trying but I can't remember you! And what do you meant when you said that I don't have the right to call you selfish?"

"Trixie meant..." she pointed at Twilight's wings. "...these! Trixie remembers that you used to be an unicorn, just like Trixie. But now you have wings and, if this was the Princess's doing, Trixie bets it would be the talk of Equestria for months. But no, here you are, reclused in this small town that nopony ever heard about. This only means one thing: you are hiding. If it's out of shame or if you're planning something, Trixie does not know, but it doesn't change the fact that you suddenly turned into an Alicorn after this tournament where the prize is anything you wish started, and Trixie is no fool."

"I... These..."

"You leave Twilight alone, you bully!" Applejewel said, standing between the unicorns. "You don't know what happens to those who go to Twisted Metal."

"Well, did you even went to Twisted Metal? Because Trixie thinks you look very fine to be talking like that."

Applejewel looked away and noticed Twilight sitting on the floor, looking at her wings.

"Miss, Ah think ya should leave." Braeburn said.

Trixie harrumphed, turned around and opened the door with her magic. "We'll meet again, Twilight Sparkle. You better be ready."

She closed the door behind her when she left. Applejewel and Braeburn approached Twilight.

"Ya ok there, Miss?" the stallion asked.

"Maybe... Maybe she's right." Twilight said before giving her wings a single flap. "I coul've resisted his influence a little more, but I just... Let myself go!"

"Don't say that, darling." Applejewel said. "Don't even think about it, sugarcube! Discord messed with your head and controlled you. It wasn't your fault!"

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm not. If only I--"

"That's enough darling! Mr. Braeburn, can you come back tomorrow? If you need a place to stay, you can go to my boutique. Just, please, leave us alone for a moment."

Braeburn tipped his hat before leaving the library. Applejewel hugged her friend tightly.

"I just wish I could get rid of this curse."

"Yes, sugarcube, I know, but you can't just chop them off, right?"

"Well..."

"Don't! I was joking, don't take me seriously."

"But--" she sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that everything is happening so fast. First you, then Pinkie, and Applejack, now Fluttershy is missing, too. What is happening to our friendship? Nothing of this would have happened if I just..."

"Everything is going to be alright, darling. We'll fix everything. I don't know when, I don't know how, but we will. And then we will all be friends once again, back with our old lives, having adventures. Having fun! How does that sound?"

"Wonderful. Too wonderful to be true!"

"But it will be true, sugarcube. Just wait and see! We are the Elements of Harmony, remember? It's our job to make things right."

"I guess..."

"So it's settled! Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow what?"

"Braeburn and I will be back, we'll turn that farmer into an Ace driver, then we'll knock Discord upside the head. Together!"

Twilight giggled. "Sure!"

"You betrayed me!" Fluttershy said, pointed at Discord's face.

"What? No, I didn't!" Discord said.

"You said that if I helped you you would bring him back to us. Back to me!"

"No, I simply mentioned that I have the power to bring you coltfriend back to life, and then I asked if you could help me. You did because you wanted to!"

"You toyed with me and my feelings, you messed up motherbucker!"

"You hurt my feelings, Shutterfly. But I guess I owe you an apology, right?"

"You bast-- Wait, you do? I didn't saw that coming..."

"How about that: I give you one of the best cars I have. With an advantage, you can easily win Twisted Metal and wish Mick Backintown to live once again. How about that?"

"His name is Big Macintosh!"

"Sure, whatever. You in or not?"

Discord presented her his fist. Fluttershy stared at it for a few moments before hoofbumping it. "Ok, I'm in!"

"This is all for you, Big Mac." she thought while looking at the doll sitting on the driver seat of her Buggy. "I hope you understand!"

Author's Notes:

Nothing witty to say here. Keep moving, stay on the line, follow the crowd!