MLG: My Little Gamer

"So let me get this straight." Mark said shakily as he sat in the hospital bed, a plate of unetible mush on his lap. "I'm a pony in a cartoon?"

Twilight Sparkle put a hoof to her face. "For the last time, it's not a car-"

"-toon, I know what you're going to say, but..." He gulped. "It is a cartoon, Twilight. It really is. Either that or I'm going crazy, one of the two."

Rainbow Dash sighed and picked up a book titled Daring Do and the Rings of Golah. She plopped it down on next to Mark, as he looked up towards her face with eyes betraying his fear. "Just read this, okay. We'll be back with the gang tomorrow." Rainbow pulled Twilight out of the room, and closed the door on Mark. "This guy's a real nutcase!" Rainbow hissed, glad she wasn't in hearing range of Mark.

"I hate to judge him already, but-"

"Come on, Twilight! Look at him! He's scared of everything!" Rainbow mentioned how he tried to hide from his own hoof when he woke up again.

"That's true...." Twilight bit her lip. "Maybe a visit with the psychiatrist would do him good."

"That's the spirit! Send him to the crazy doctor!" Rainbow cheered much too loudly. A doctor helping Screwball looked disapprovingly towards her. A sheepish grin was his response.

Mark breathed deeply as he picked up the book, once again staring at the dreaded hoof. No fingers. No remnants of him being human other than his memories. Maybe he was a pony all along and he was just deep in a coma. If that's so, then how did he get so beat up? He had no idea. Nothing made any sense anymore.

A thought occurred to him. The gang. Who were all the members of My Little Pony again? There was Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, but there was only one main cast member he knew really well, and that was because he got chased by her in this SCP Containment Breach mod. It was terrifying. Her name was-

"Pinkie Pie." He breathed.

Jack sat in Fluttershy's house, slowly sipping a cup of tea. It had taken Fluttershy a long time to figure out how to teach a fully-grown pony how to fly and now that she had taught him, he refused to walk. When Fluttershy really got to know him, she realized he was incredibly exuberant, always talking loudly and happily. While being like that is fine - you can't be friends with Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash and not be fine with it - it was disturbing her young animals. Angel Bunny was especially annoyed at the newcomer, constantly patting his leg against Fluttershy's in an attempt to make him leave. Finally Jack noticed.

"Oh! Oh, look at ye! Ye're so cute! Ye're so fuzzy, ye're giving me the fuzzies inside!" He said.

Angel's response was to mutter a few choice words in Rabbit. Fluttershy gasped. "Angel! That's not nice! Apologize!" She demanded. Angel shook his head and ran off to pout, throwing a dirty look towards Jack.

He placed his cup down and flew out of the chair. "Thanks for the drink, Flutters. Do ye mind if I call ye Flutters? I'm gonna call ye Flutters 'cause ye're cute!" He looked around. "Tartarus, everythin's cute in this world."

Fluttershy blushed deeply. "N-no, I mean yes- well maybe not- I don't care really!" She finally squeaked out.

"Great, Flutters!" Flying clumsily over to her position, Jack began to talk. "Do ye know where a hotel is?"

"You don't have a home?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head.

Jack pushed a hoof to his chin, thought about it, then shook his head.

"D-do you have any bits to pay for it?"

"What're bits?"

Fluttershy was faced against something that went against the grain of her personality. It could be dangerous to sleep in the same house with a Pegasus she hardly knew, but if she threw him out, he wouldn't have anywhere to go. A decision was made. "You can stay with me for the night." She offered quietly.

"Really?" Jack grinned.

"Y-yes."

"Yay!" He shouted, scaring Angel Bunny from his skulking.

Muttered curses and frantic hopping woke Fluttershy up the next morning. She sat up, blinked, then got out of bed and walked to the guest room where Jack was sleeping. A chaotic scene met her eyes. Angel was jumping all over Jack's room, sometimes on top of his head to thump his back paw on him, but mostly all over the place, indicating a torn up mouse toy and lots of ketchup decorating the floor. Jack himself was swatting at Angel whenever he jumped on Jack's head. Both paused when Fluttershy came into the room.

"I-I swear Flutters, it's not what it looks like." Jack quickly said, disregarding Angel, who was pointing towards the beat up mouse toy then pointing back towards Jack.

Fluttershy looked down at Angel unimpressed.

Angel knew the gig was up and fled between her two legs.

Fluttershy sighed a sigh of frustration. "I'm sorry about that, Jack." She then put on a smile. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Of course I would!" Jack responded happily.

After a quick dispute about breakfast, the two ponies were sitting comfortably in the living room when a knock came to the front door. Fluttershy poked her head out, nose scrunching slightly from the chill of early spring. Five grinning familiar faces looked back.

"Hiya, Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie said, bounding up and giving her friend a hug.

"Hi, Pinkie." Fluttershy tried her best to raise her voice for her friends. "Um, not to be rude, but, um, what are you all doing here?"

Applejack spat in the grass. "It's about some new pony RD and Twi met yesterday."

Rarity backed up the comment with her own. "I heard he's quite handsome. Maybe he'll be my knight in shining armor!"

"Shining Armor is already taken, silly!" Pinkie laughed, suddenly on Rarity's back.

"You know what I mean."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Are you ready to meet Mark, Flutters?"

Jack's ears pricked up. He flew to the open door. "Did ye say... Merk?"

"No I said Mark." Rainbow clarified.

"I know. Ye said Merk!"

"No, it's M- Ugh, you know what, we need to get going." Rainbow looked impatiently at Jack.

"Fine, be that way." Jack turned around, only to hear hushed whispers. "Ye guys are some dirty minded little...." He trailed off, seeing both Rainbow's and Twilight's expression. "What is it? Do I have some hay on my bum, what is it?"

Twilight shakily began. "You have no...."

Rainbow Dash finished. "...cutie-mark..."

Jack's eyebrow's went up. "Ye mean yer weird-plot butt tattoos?"

Two nods and disapproving glances from the rest. "You better join us." Twilight said.

Mark was instantly nervous when the door cracked to his room, letting in some cool air and also letting in some cartoon horses. Their chattering continued, even as they filed in. However a new one came in, one that he hadn't seen before.

It looked at him, surprise on it's face. "Woah...." It's voice was unmistakably masculine and familiar. "Ye look a lot like my friend, Merk-"

The weird way he said Mark was confirmation. "Jack?!" Mark said, disbelief in his voice.

Jack's face was priceless. "Merk?!"