Mr. Original in: Friendship is Magic

The mares screamed at the growling tree faces, causing James to deadpan at them.

"Did you girls just scream twice at a some trees?" he asked incredulously.

Fluttershy was going to answer 'yes,' when they heard laughing.

"Huh?" they all turned to see Pinkie right in front of a tree, laughing in its face as she made faces at it.

"Pinkie, what are you doing? Run!" Twilight called out.

"Why? They're not even doing anything," James realized.

"Oh, girls, don't you see?" she began bouncing in a rhythmic pace.

"When I was a little filly, and the sun was going dooooown..."

"Please don't do this to me...," James muttered to himself.

"Tell me she's not--" Twilight was cut off as Pinkie continued.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frooooown.''

"She is," Rarity said to Twilight.

"I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw. But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all."

"Then what is?" Rainbow asked, causing James to give her an odd look.

"She said 'Pin-kie, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disa-peeeeear.'"

James pulled out a silencer. "F*** this," he said before he shot himself in the head. Good thing Twilight saw him, they'd probably freak out.

James opened his eyes. He was woken up by his Song Senses, which helped him sense when a song was finished. As he recalled the events that led up to him shooting himself, he sighed in relief. As his senses cleared up, he realized someone was laughing. He picked his head up and looked around to see the mares all lying down on the ground, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"What the hell's so funny?" he asked under his breath as he looked around in confusion.

A laughing Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy; and a very baffled James, walked out from a clearing of bushes. James caught himself before he bumped into Fluttershy, who- along with the others- stopped in their tracks in front of a river. The currents seemed to be flowing very strongly.

"How are we gonna cross this?" Pinkie asked.

"Same way we survived that fallen cliff," James replied Cheerfully. It was then that they all heard a voice nearby.

"I don't know if that's grief, fear, surprise, realization, shock, or pleasure," James deadpanned. "But I sure would hope that it is not pleasure."

They followed the voice, which happened to come from behind a clearing of bushes. They peeked over the clearing to see a violet serpent holding his head in both his hands, a troubled look on his face.

"Boo-hoo-hooo. What a world, what a world!" he slammed his fists into the water.

"Oh, thank goodness, it's grief," James sighed in relief.

"Excuse me, sir," Twilight spoke up. "Why are you crying?"

"Well, I don't know," the serpent shrugged his arms. "I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked! past me..." James had to turn around so the serpent didn't see him cracking up silently at the way he described the blue smoke. "...and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off. And now, I look simply horrid," he wailed as he fell back into the water in dramatically, splashing water all over everyone. Except James, who Flashed back in time to miss the water. The mares looked none too happy to be drenched suddenly.

"Oh, give me a break," Rainbow muttered.

"That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack asked in exasperation.

KLPOW!

"Hey hey, show some consideration," James furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "What if you got your whole mane shaved off, or something? I know I'd kill someone if they f***ing did something like that to my mustache," he balled up a fist.

"I agree. How can you be so insensitive?" Rarity held her nose up high as she walked up to the serpent. "Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales."

"I know," he sniffed.

"And your expertly coiffed mane."

"Oh, I know, I know," the serpent slicked his mane back.

"Yes, that is pretty damn good," James complimented.

"Your fabulous manicure," Rarity continued.

POP!

James Pop Fainted.

"It's so true," the serpent agreed.

"All ruined without your beautiful mustache," her smile fell.

As did his. "It's true, I'm hideous!"

"I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!" she bit off one of his scales.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" the serpent shed a single tear.

"What? What happened?" James asked as he got up.

Twilight asked, "Rarity, what are you--"

XZING!

Everyone's eyes widened (except the serpent, who fainted dramatically) as Rarity cut off part of her tail. Her horn then began to glow as she levitated it up to the torn half of his mustache... and fused it together.

"Ohhohohoho! My mustache! How wonderful!" he gushed as he looked at his new mustache.

"You look smashing," Rarity smiled at him.

"Oh, Rarity. Your beautiful tail..." Twilight looked sympathetically at Rarity's tail as she walked up to her.

"Oh," she turned to James and the girls, "it's fine, my dear. Short tails are in this season. Besides... it'll grow back."

"So would the mustache," Rainbow muttered to Twilight.

"But it takes time, Dash," James deadpanned at her. He took another glance at the serpent's mustache. This was one of those moments where his OCD kicked in. "Um, Twilight? Does there happen to be a color spell?"

"Yes, but I haven't learned it yet," Twilight replied.

"Son of a bitch pudding...," James cursed quietly to himself.

Twilight gasped as she noticed the currents had stopped. "We can cross now! Let's go! AH!" she yelped as the surface she was standing on suddenly rose. The surface she stood on turned out to be the serpent.

"Allow me," he offered as he made a path with his long body. The girls gladly accepted, and bounced across to the other side. James, simply glided across with his cape. As he made it to the other side, a thought struck him.

"Couldn't Dash and Fluttershy just fly across?" he mused.

After a few more minutes of walking, Twilight spoke up. "There it is! The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony. We made it!" Sure enough, past the fog was the remains of a door, with very little wall surrounding it. Twilight bolted for the castle.

"Twilight. Wait for us!" Applejack called out as she and the others galloped after her (ran in James's case).

Twilight looked back, "We're almost there! Whoa!" Twilight almost fell into the gap below, as her front hooves landed on thin air. She managed to keep from falling over the edge before Rainbow pulled her back up.

"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" she quipped.

"Twilight, what would you do without us?" James shook his head.

"Now what?" Pinkie asked.

"Duh," Rainbow answered while flapping her wings.

"Oh, yeah," Pinkie said as she watched her friend fly down the pit, and then fly to the other side, the other end of the bridge in her mouth.

Rainbow was getting ready to tie the bridge together, when she heard a voice. "Raainbooow."

"Who's there?" she asked suspiciously.

"Raainbooow," the voice repeated.

"I ain't scared o' you! Show yourself!" Rainbow punched at the air.

"We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria," the voice said.

"Who?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"Why, you, of course!" the voice replied.

"Really?! I mean... Oh yeah, me," Rainbow tried to play it off cool. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would ya? 'Cause, I've been trying to get into that group for like, ever."

"No, Rainbow Dash. We want you to join us. The Shadowbolts." the voice revealed itself to be one of three pegasi, all dressed in a dark-colored uniform. "We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria, but first, we need a captain," said the voice, which came from the mare in the middle if the group. Rainbow beamed as she realized what they were getting at.

"The most magnificent--"

"Yep," Rainbow responded without missing a beat.

"...swiftest--"

"Yes."

"...bravest flyer in all the land."

"Yes, ha, it's all true," Rainbow boasted.

"We need... you."

"Woohoo! Sign me up!" she flew over to the bridge. "Just let me tie this bridge real quick then and we have a deal."

"NO!" the mare stopped her. "It's them, or us." Rainbow looked worried at the dilemma she faced.

"Rainbow, what's taking so long?" Twilight called out. Then she saw the other pagasi. "Oh, no," she breathed. "Rainbow!"

Upon hearing Twilight, the mare glared at them as her eyes began to glow, causing the fog to build up between them.

"Don't listen to them!" Twilight's voice was muffled by the fog.

"Well?" the mare asked as Rainbow stood silently. After a few seconds, she made her decision.

"You." The mare smiled deviously at Rainbow's answer... until she clarified it.

"Thank you, for the offer, I mean. But," she tied the other side of the bridge to the rocks, "...I'm afraid I have to say no." And with that, she flew back over to her friends. Flustered, the three pegasi vaporized into blue smoke, and combined into one before slinking away.

The girls cheered as Rainbow appeared in front of them. "See? I never leave my friends hangin'." Twilight smiled as they all made it to the other side of the bridge. Before they got close to the door, however, James heard a voice.

"Shh," he stopped them. "...Do you hear that?" They all listened closely as they looked in the direction James was. Then he heard it again. "It sounds like crying," he said. He ran in the direction the voice was coming from, the girls following him.

They peeked through a clearing of trees to see a little filly, crying into her forelegs. She had a light blue coat, a brown mane and tail. James walked up to the filly, the mares behind him.

"Hey, there," he said softly, "are you alright?"

The filly looked up, but then she yelped in terror upon seeing the owner of the voice. "Please don't hurt me," she whimpered as she backed up against a tree behind her. James wasn't going to let up that easily.

"Don't be scared. I wanna help."

"Really?" she looked at him.

"Yes. Are you lost?" he asked, in which the filly sniffed and nodded.

"Okay, would you like it if we helped you get back home?" The filly gave a small smile as she nodded in reply.

James turned to the girls. "Maybe I could just take her and Flash her home real quick, then head back here. It should only take no more than thirty seconds to get back." Unknowingly to them, the filly behind them smiled evilly as she got up.

"Of course, James. We can wait for you, then," Twilight said.

"Thirty seconds!?" Rainbow complained. "That's too long."

Twilight's eyes widened when she looked at the filly again. "James, look out!" she cried.

At, the filly leaped at James while vaporizing into a cloud of blue mist. James, who had his arms crossed, simply sidestepped. Nightmare Moon had missed her target, thank goodness. Though it did come with a price, as it hit Twilight instead.

"Ah!" she recoiled in surprise. Everyone's eyes widened as the smoke disappeared inside her chest.

"Twilight, darling! Are you alright?" Rarity asked in concern.

"I... don't feel any different," Twilight responded uncertainly. Suddenly, her hoof shot up, punching Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, watch it!" she backstepped.

"That wasn't me," Twilight shook her head in confusion. She suddenly turned to James. "I can't control it!"

James raised an eyebrow as she charged at him. "Oh, sh--"

KLPOW!

James Flashed behind Twilight as she got close to him. She turned around to face everyone. "Please, do something!" she ran to Rarity and tackled her. As she got up, Rainbow and Applejack were charging towards her. Quicker than she thought she could, Twilight turned around and kicked both of them, sending them back a few yards.

"You have to control it, Twilight! Don't let it beat you!" Pinkie called out to her. Twilight then turned around. She grunted as she tried to will her body to stand still. Unfortunately it didn't work as she turned to Pinkie. She grimaced and shut her eyes when her horn started glowing. Rainbow and Applejack were getting up, but then Pinkie was thrown at them, knocking them all to the ground.

"Sorry!" she apologized.

James hadn't done anything yet, because he didn't know if she was incapable of breaking free. But this was starting to get out of hand. He had to find out how to get that thing out of Twilight. Her mind was free, but her body was being controlled. So if he knocked her out, Nightmare would still be able to control her. Either that or...

He was so busy trying to find a solution, that he didn't notice Twilight charging at him until it was too late (she said to look out, but he wasn't paying attention). His jaw dropped as she impaled him in the stomach.

Then he deadpanned. "Okay, one: that was brutal. Two: horns are a lot sharper than I gave them credit for. Three: what the f***, Nightmare!" He winced as Twilight dropped him on the ground. Then she looked over to Fluttershy, who was cowering and shaking like a massage chair.

"Fluttershy, run!" she cried. Fluttershy looked up, nearly on the verge of tears, as Twilight's horn began to glow again.

Then she heard a clicking sound before James said something. "Sorry about this."

POW!

The five mares, four still recovering, watched in horror as James shot Twilight in the head. Time seemed to slow down, especially for her, as her horn stopped glowing, a look of shock on her face. James looked stone serious as he watch Twilight fall to the ground lifelessly. Time then went back to normal speed.

"J-James," Applejack stammered, "what... what have you done!?"

The five mares teared up as James ate a Star Candy from Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. He then stood over Twilight's corpse, and put his hands behind his back.

"Nightmare Moon can't control Twilight if she's dead," James narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ground. No sooner had he said that, did the nightly smoke rise from Twilight's body before flying away towards the castle.

"B-but was there no other way?" Rarity choked back a sob.

"Maybe there was," James replied, "...but did we know that 'other way?'"

Rarity looked down in silence.

"No. No we didn't," he pulled out a 1-UP Mushroom. "But sometimes you'll be forced to make a choice like this, and time won't wait for you to figure it out. ...Good thing I have the luxury of having more than one chance." With that, he stooped down on one knee. He took the Mushroom and pressed it against Twilight's side, causing it to chime before disappearing, and the word '1-UP' appearing above her for a split second.

Twilight blinked a few times before she opened her eyes. She looked up to see Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash (who James was surprised didn't jump him for killing Twilight) smiling tearfully at her.

"Girls? What happened?"

Too happy for words, they settle for a group hug. Twilight stood where she was awkwardly as the other five mares hugged her. She was confused as to why, until she remembered what happened before she blacked out. She pulled away from the hug and turned to James.

"You shot me!?"

"If it makes you feel better, you stabbed me first," James did not laugh, he did not smile, he did not so much as say it as if it was a joke. He was completely serious.

"Forgive me, but I did it, because I cared. And sometimes, you have to fight for the ones you care about," he closed his eyes. It was a moment after that he felt something wrap around him. He opened his eyes to see Twilight hugging him... which surprised him, since he never knew Twilight to hug someone as long as he's known her (let alone someone who just shot her).

Her voice was soft. "...I forgive you."

That really surprised James. It's nice that she did forgive him. But he didn't expect her to forgive him this quickly. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, so he simply nodded.

"Let's finish this, girls," she gave a look of determination before leading the way back to the castle.

The seven came inside, entering the room. Right in front of them was the very thing they'd been searching for. They had made it.

"Whoa," Applejack looked around in awe. "Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?"

Twilight walked in, followed by James. "The Elements of Harmony. We found them!" Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up to the Elements. "Careful... careful...," she said as they grabbed each of the spherical stones and laid them on the ground before Twilight.

"One, two, three, four... there's only five," Pinkie looked at Twilight.

"Where's the sixth?" Rainbow asked.

"The book said 'when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed,'" Twilight answered as she crouched down to get a better look.

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back," she commanded. "I don't know what will happen."

Her horn began to glow. "Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate," Applejack said as they headed out the door.

Just then, the dreaded mist came flying into view. Twilight was focusing, and didn't notice it move to the Elements. Upon getting there, it began to swirl around them. Twilight opened her eyes.

"AH!" she yelped in surprise. Everyone stopped in their tracks as they heard Twilight's voice.

"Twilight!" they cried.

Twilight saw the swirling smoke carrying something at the top. "The Elements!" she jumped into the cyclone before it disappeared. Right before the others could get to her.