Mr. Original in: Dragonshy

[Theme Song]

James and Conscience were sitting on a bench in the middle of the town while everyone else bustled about, doing their own business. Which included some of their friends, such as Rainbow Dash, who was expertly bouncing a ball with her head.

"You can't bounce, bounce down and again, bounce up twice, down twice, and back up twice without getting caught up in the spur of the moment," James shook his head at the thought.

"That's what alarms are for," Conscience 'argued'. "Besides that, I beg to differ."

After a short pause James said, "We should ask Spike if he can use his tail as a makeshift cane."

"Probably not."

"But we don't even have to be subliminal about it!"

"No. But I'm not sure if that's in spite, or despite the fact that there are no innuendos involved," Conscience put up his index.

"The Cat in the Hat got away with it," James shrugged his shoulders.

"So?" Conscience looked at him skeptically.

"So, they wouldn't grow back!" James said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh no, my arms are running away from me," Conscience intoned sarcastically with a deadpan.

"No, that's your imagination," James shot back as he put on his sunglasses.

"Imaginaaatiooon," Conscience said slowly, causing James to burst out laughing.

"So, this is where he's been all this time?" I asked. Arthur, Blue Star, Red X, Atario, Stario, and I were standing at the edge of a small town. I wasn't as surprised as I should have been when the guys all told me about this 'different universe' or whatever it was. Maybe I was used to very unusual things happening to us before I made a trip around the world. Yeah, that was probably it.

"Yeah, we didn't see it coming either," Arthur answered.

"That's what she said," Stario waggled his eyebrows, causing only Blue Star to crack up at the joke.

"Maybe you can ask him when you see him," Atario suggested.

"Meet the girls and all," Red X said in agreement.

They told me what he told them: how he stumbled upon a key, found this door, found this world, and made friends who they went on a cool adventure with (I never admitted, but I couldn't help but get a little jealous at that last part).

So they were girls? Well that... was... huh. I wasn't too sure what to make of that. I was looking forward to meeting them.

We starting moving toward the town, and that was when something above us caught my attention. I looked up, my expression turning confused when I saw a black winged pony flying about. They didn't say anything about pegasuses. That was kinda cool!

Apparently, Blue Star noticed and quipped, "And now, he has joined the dark side."

Everyone burst out laughing at that comment.

Walking along the path, we passed along a sign that I read out loud. "Welcome to Ponyville."

"Yep," Atario said. At this point we were passing by buildings, which were mostly cottages. Made sense he would stay here, he did favor a lot of things that were an old-school style.

I paused, but only for a slight second, when I noticed how many ponies were around. Unicorns, pegasuses, and... I guess regular ones... Wow. This was... something.

"I probably know what you're thinking," Arthur looked at me. I turned my head sideways and looked up at him. "All these ponies everywhere... doing stuff like we would in our world. Unusual, huh?"

"...Yeah," I nodded. That was exactly what I was thinking as we passed by ponies left and right. That and... they were so colorful. It was so ridiculous how many different color ponies there were.

"Yeah. What's more, the entire race here is composed of ponies. At least, as far as were concerned," Arthur continued.

I could only nod. I suddenly realized I was getting a lot of side glances from some of the residents. They were welcoming expressions though. I swear, a few had that look you'd give when you thought something was extremely adorable. I smirked inwardly at the thought. Even he gave me that look sometimes.

"Just wait until you meet his friends," Blue Star said excitedly.

Maybe Blue Star's enthusiasm was getting to me, but I was feeling a little more pumped about this. Better yet, I think I got over the shock of this whole situation. But as we continued on, a thought came to me.

"So... where are we going?" I asked.

"To Darth Vader's lair!" Blue Star answered, getting punched in the shoulder by Red X.

"We're gonna see if we can...," Arthur trailed off as he noticed something in the distance. "Nevermind, I already found him."

My expression lit up, and without another thought, I sped forward. I was hardly aware of some quip Stario made.

All of a sudden, a pink pony with a darker pink mane rushed up to me. "Ooh! I've never seen you in Ponyville before!" she bounced excitedly as she leaned very close to me. Honestly, although I was taken aback, I really didn't mind that much. What did bother me was how wide her eyes were, let alone her huge smile.

She continued. "And I know everyone here in Ponyville. So that must mean you're new, and if you're new, that means you haven't met anyone, and if you haven't met anyone, that must mean you must not have any friends--" That was were Arthur put his hand to her mouth before she could get anything else out. Grateful for the opportunity, I subtly took a couple steps back. I doubt he would stay here if someone did this to him.

"Actually, Pinkie," Arthur said, "He is new, but he does know someone here."

"Representin' that first stand on... what, twenty five? Or was it fifteen?" Conscience thought hard, but let it go. "Whatever, who was it?"

"Um... that kid who tried to skateboard but f***ed up really bad and landed on his hip and bust his lip and got a lisp for an entire week," James blurted out.

Conscience raised an eyebrow. "Um... no...?"

"Sh*t!" James hissed quietly as he slapped his knee in frustration. "I almost had it!"

"But now that you mention it... whose cruel idea was it to put an 's' in the word 'lisp'?"

James's expression lit up. "Oh my goodness... that is a good question."

"Beats the heck outta me," Conscience shook his head.

"Ooh! I've never seen you in Ponyville before!" they heard Pinkie say.

Conscience turned his head to see Pinkie standing a distance away from Arthur, Blue Star, Red X, Atario, and Stario. But her attention didn't seem to be directed at them. In fact, she was looking downward. "What the f***?" he muttered.

James followed his gaze over to the pink earth pony and the guys. "Who's she talking to...?" Almost in perfect sync, he and Conscience stood up from the bench (James's hands behind his back), and made their way to the crowd.

James resisted the urge to Facewhip when she started up again at a mile a minute, and without taking a single breather. "And I know everyone here in Ponyville. So that must mean you're new, and if you're new, that means you haven't met anyone, and if you haven't met anyone, that must mean you must not have any friends--" He let out a quiet sigh of exasperated relief when Arthur cut her off. Although he couldn't completely make out what he was saying, since he was speaking in a two-person-conversation voice.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" James and Conscience made it within earshot distance of the others. The guys gave an off chorus of "Hey, James."

Pinkie zoomed over to tell Rainbow Dash something (unintentionally causing her to lose her focus before she could beat the 'Equestrian ball-bouncing record'), allowing them to see who she was talking to the whole time. Standing in front of the guys was what looked like an cat, nearly a third of his height. Its fur was a pale orange. Pink inner ears, pink little nose. It was wearing what looked like black gloves on each of its paws. Its sky blue eyes appeared to be 'all iris'; there were no black centers like one would usually have. And they were staring at him.

Gradually, James's expression shifted from mild curiosity to well-suppressed shock. He didn't take much notice to the surrounding ponies staring at them as they stood and stared at each other in silence.

Rainbow almost voiced her impatience with the tension in the air, when James finally blinked. Then he took one of his arms and held it out. "Well, bring it in," he said as he motioned to himself.

He said those words, and my body started to move before I even realized it. Gradually I accelerated, my mentality once again in sync with my physical self. I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face even if I wanted to. It felt like an eternity before I got close enough to him, but when I did, I leapt into his waiting arm. He wrapped his arm around me, as I wrapped my forelegs around him.

It was the nicest thing in the world to me, feeling his touch again. His rough overalls, his smooth gloves and the like. All combined into a hug. This was the thing I lived for.

...Well, one of the things I lived for...

I heard a quiet and soft voice somewhere in the back of the crowd of ponies, sounding restless. But, honestly? I really didn't care, at least right then. At the moment, there was just me and him...

He was never the emotional type, most of the time. But he was still a hugger. So I wasn't surprised when he was still hugging me after about ten seconds. But it never bothered me, so I continued to return the embrace.

Eventually a few seconds later, he did actually losen his grip on me, so I knew he was letting go. I pulled back, but when I looked at him, he was looking behind me. And he looked peeved. I proceeded to turn my head to see what he was looking at.

...After I wiped away some of the happy tears that had leaked from my eyes.

A small ghost of a smile was on James's face as he enjoyed the embrace. He didn't realize until now how much he missed that familiar touch of fur. He was so soft and fluffy. It was then that he took notice of the crowd that had gathered around. And Rainbow doing a gagging gesture. He tried to ignore it, but even as she stopped on her own accord, it still ticked him off. And it wouldn't stop bothering him. His slowly furrowed, his irises gradually reddening.

Gently letting go of his friend, he glared at the pegasus, who had a guilty expression on her face for being caught. Closing his eyes, he exhaled exasperatedly out of his nose. He reopened his now-blue eyes.

"No one asked you to stick around to watch, RD," he deadpanned.

"Listen up!" a voice called out, turning everyone's attention to the bridge. There stood Twilight, with Spike on her back. A serious expression was on the unicorn's face as she continued. "Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria."

Everyone looked up, the ponies murmuring their dismay at the situation.

"Okay... that was not there a minute ago," Atario pointed at the dark cloud.

"Spike is full of himself," Blue Star quipped as he smirked at the little dragon, who had his arms crossed with this look on his face. Red X would've punched him in the shoulder, but he couldn't help but silently agree.

"But don't worry, I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it is not coming from a fire," Twilight assured.

"So... someone sucks at cooking then?" Blue Star smiled hopefully. This time, Red X did punch him in the shoulder.

"It's coming from a dragon."

James looked confused. "You say that like it's a good thing," he muttered.

Blue Star scoffed. "It's not a big deal, it'll clear away eventu--"

POW!

Everyone jumped when James shot him in his shoulder. As fate would have it, it was the same one Red X punched.

[Later at the library...]

James, the guys, six other ponies, and I were standing in a tree house. There were books everywhere along the walls. Was this a library? I mean, I don't even see a desk anywhere. Maybe it was supposed to be that circular table thing with the pony head statue? ...Yeah, maybe that was it. Where is the librarian, anyway? That is, if this is a library...

"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" the orange pony with the stetson asked, interrupting my thoughts. Her accent had this nice twang to it.

"Sleeping," the purple unicorn replied as she... um... closed a book with her... I'm guessing her horn, since it was glowing the same color as the book was before it closed, and placed itself on top of a pile of more thick books.

"Huh?" the other ponies weren't expecting that answer, apparently.

"According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke," she continued.

"He should really see a doctor. That doesn't sound healthy at all," the pink pony frowned. (I don't think I've ever heard anyone's actual voice sound that high that wasn't a kid. Ever.)

"Well, at least he's not snoring fire. What are we meant to do about it?" the white unicorn asked in a lovely fancy accent.

"I'll tell you what we're meant to do," said the blue pegasus hovering in the air. What was her name again...? RD? "Give him the boot! Take that." She kicked the wooden pony head, but James Flashed over and straightened it. "And that!" she charged at the head again, but James pulled out his cape and swung, making her go in the opposite direction and crash into the wall.

"Goodness damn it," he sighed as he walked over to return the toppled books back to their proper place.

"We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else," the purple unicorn gave RD an annoyed look. "Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years." The pale yellow pegasus gasped.

James had finished replacing the books, and put up his forefinger. "I say we compromise on those two ideas. We should first try reasoning with him. If he doesn't cooperate...," he pointed, "then we beat the f*** out of 'im."

"I'm liking this idea." Silence followed. I didn't realize until everyone was looking at me did I realize I was the one who spoke.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" the lavender pony asked with a quizzical frown.

"Whoa whoa whoa, seriously?" James stepped in front of me.

The unicorn flinched at her poor choice of words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as rude."

James sighed, his face flushing red. "It's alright. I myself, should apologize for not introducing him yet." He sidestepped to the corner of my vision and gestured at me. "Girls, this is Frag Cat. He's a puppycat."

"What's a puppycat?" RD asked bluntly.

Blue Star answered, "He's part cat, part dog."

"Arf arf!" I barked to further drive the point. I sounded like a chihuahua...

"We go way back," James smiled Cheerfully at me, before turning back to the girls with a serious expression. "Now Frag Cat, I'll introduce you to the girls."

"The final step in admission to the dark side," Stario waggled his eyebrows. Arthur facepalmed with a chuckle.

James walked over to the blue pegasus. "This here, is--"

"RD, right?" I finished.

James gave a laughing snort. "That's what I call her. Her actual name is Rainbow Dash. She is a very fast flyer, and is on the weather team."

"And don't you forget it!" Rainbow crossed her forelegs with a smirk.

"Ohhh," I nodded. "That makes sense." Her mane was a dead giveaway. Wait... "'Weather team?'"

"Yeah, pegasi control the weather here," James gave me a knowing look, in which I nodded blankly. Pegasi? Who came up with that?

Blue Star spoke, "Out of the six, she's the cool one." James didn't bother to turn and glare at him as he shot him in the head. He then went to the blonde-maned pony.

"This here, is Applejack. Maintains this kickass-sized apple farm with her brother.... You should meet their grandmother!" he added Cheerfully. He leaned closer to me and whispered, "I swear to goodness, you have to hear about when they had to harvest the whole thing."

"That's a nice hat you got there!" I smiled at the orange mare.

Applejack smiled. "Glad ya like it, sugarcube." I wagged my tail, my smile stretching slightly. Sugarcube. The way she said it sounded so warm and welcome.

His voice going back to normal, he went to the white unicorn. "Rarity. The clothing designer with an eye for creativity.... Even when you don't want it," he quipped, causing said pony to pout with a 'hmph'.

"Oh! Oh! Me Next, me next!" the pink pony bounced with excitement.

James pursed his lips and took a deep breath. "This," he said levelly as he gestured to the excited mare, "is Pinkie Pie. She works at this bakery called Sugarcube Corner."

"Did Applejack come up with the name?" I asked before I could catch myself.

James scoffed. "That's funny, I actually got a similar idea when I heard of the place."

"What?" Applejack and Pinkie asked in confusion.

James High Chortled at their reaction. "Anyway, moving on. This is Fluttershy," he gestured to the yellow pegasus hunched over, seeming nervous. "She's a very talented animal caretaker." 'Fluttershy' seemed to silently stare at the ground. I don't think she realized he was referring to her. Huh. I wonder what was on her mind...

"Careful, she's the one for the wild," Stario waggled his eyebrows, getting a punch in the shoulder each by Arthur and Red X. He only cackled response. James went moved to the purple unicorn.

"And finally, the one who brought us all together... against her own will at first... is the town librarian...," he Exploded for dramatic effect, I guess...? "Twilight Sparkle!"

"You're last name is 'Sparkle'?" all the guys, including me, asked incredulously. I don't know why I flinched when it happened, but James burst out laughing really hard. He laughed for a good twelve seconds. I could only watch, mildly shocked, as James calmed down (slowly for once), only to break into another laughing fit.

I put my paw to the side of my face and whispered to Arthur, "Has he ever laughed like this while I was away?"

"It happened only once recently. He was laughing so hard, he was screaming," Arthur whispered back with a smirk. If he ever laughed that hard back in the past, it was beyond my memory. Considering this is coming from me, someone who remembers the very day they came to exist, that's saying something. And I don't forget moments like this. Which means he never laughed like this around me.

...Okay, now I was really jealous. I was happy for him, but still.

James finally calmed down enough to speak. "I said the exact same thing when I met her. But get this. She is the personal student of Princess Celestia, who was actually the first one I met when I came here." Twilight blushed as he said that.

But when I looked at James, he was suddenly serious again. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted... "Now, Twilight, you were saying we have an important mission to handle...?"

Twilight blinked at the sudden subject change and then shook her head. "Right. I need you all to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour," she magicked her backpack on. I'm guessing she was the leader or something. She had the determination for it...

Rainbow Dash shot into the air. "Okay, you heard her, the fate of Equestria is in our hooves."

"And hands...," Red X muttered with a shrug.

"Do we have what it takes?" Rainbow continued.

Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie rose to their hind legs with a cheer of affirmation before making their way out of the hollowed tree along with Rainbow Dash. It was kind of cute. I thought I heard what might've been Fluttershy's voice, but... maybe my ears were messing with me. (I hope not.)

The guys (besides James), who were talking with each other (including Blue Star, who had long since recovered from being shot... again), walked out of the door. "We're heading home for a bit. We'll be back," Arthur called before they left.

Rainbow Dash zoomed up to her cloud house. At the front were pools of liquid rainbow, in which she planted her hooves in. Pulling them out, she ran them across her face, leaving two rainbow streaks on her cheeks.

"Raah!" she lowered her stance like a predator.

After Applejack's family all helped her pack her saddlebags, Big Macintosh lifted it up and placed them on her back. He silently panted from the strain of its weight afterwards.

Applejack, oblivious to her brother's exhausted state, reared on her hind legs. "Yaah!"

Pinkie walked out of the door, but paused when her saddlebags suddenly sprouted confetti. She put a hoof to her muzzle and giggled, but caught herself. "I mean... grrr!" she stuck a pose, putting on her war face.

Rarity was adorning a camouflage military hat as she carried her saddlebags along... but backpedaled when she got a look at herself in her mirror. "Eww."

A few seconds later, she returned to her mirror, this time wearing a camouflage sunhat with a flower on the side. "Much better. Onward!" she exclaimed.

Fluttershy walked out of her cottage wearing various safe guards, such as a helmet. She cringed with a squeak when the door shut behind her.

Frag Cat sat on his haunches at full attention, as James stood in front of him with his hands behind his back. "Okay, let's get to it. You've returned to me, and we're already going on another adventure together!" he Cheerfully threw hands up in the air.

Frag Cat wagged his tail, and nodded with a smile.

James turned serious again. "I know that you'll be more than ready to assist me, more so, us, in our quest as best as you can. Just like old times."

"Arf arf!" the puppycat saluted.

"You're getting back into the swing of things." James leaned forward and winked. "And you know what that means."

"I get to carry your inventory!" Frag Cat cheered.

"Exactly! ...So, I'll be holding on to the stuff that I use often. You, get to keep on to anything else I might happen to need or be in the mood for."

"You can count on me!"

"That's what I like to hear! Alright...," James started naming the accumulated items (rather quickly) as he pulled them from behind his back and tossed them in a pile on the ground. "Here's... my shotgun, my sniper, my shovel, my pickax, my plunger, my tea cup, my baseball bat, my golf club, my scalpel, my other tea cup, my pocket knife, my butter knife, my cleaver, my schmall gavel..."

Frag Cat continued to add all the things named to a mental checklist as James finished the pretty-much-miscellaneous possessions, and started on another pile. He was on the hammers now. "...my brass hammer, my brick hammer, my drilling hammer, my Warrington hammer, my lath hammer, my framing hammer, my half-hatchet hammer, my bushing hammer, my jackhammer, my sledgehammer, my ball-peen hammer, my cross-peen hammer, my boiler-scaling hammer, my club hammer, my knife-edged hammer, my rounding hammer..."

Spike, who was walking by, froze in shock at the giant piles of different tools. Frag Cat heard his sharp intake of breath and turned his head to see him, and waved Cheerfully. Spike blankly returned the gesture before slowly treading into the kitchen, eyes seemingly glued a certain pile of hammers that was now three times James's height.

The puppycat turned his attention back to James, who started on a pile of pistols (James kept all of his other guns on him). This was his favorite part. "Here is! ...my 2-millimeter, my M15, my liliput pistol, my luger pistol, my MAG-95, my Makarov pistol, my modèle 1935, my MP-443, my MP-444, my musgrave pistol, my P9RC, my P-83, my P-64, my PSS, my P-96, my QSW-06, my 1911, my Remington XP-100, my ruby pistol, my MP9; my P226, 227, 228, and 229; the UZI, and finally the Z84. Oh, and the glock pistol. You can have that one for yourself."

Frag Cat beamed, and with a squeal of delight, he dove head-first into Mount Pistol. James smiled in amusement, but it faltered when he noticed the stray guns that 'splashed' along the wooden floor. Then he Facewhipped.

[Meanwile, in our universe...]

"Out of my way, jackass!" Blue Star rammed into a random man on the sidewalk, knocking him onto the (fortunately deserted) road as he ran up the street of his house.

Eventually arriving in the driveway, he pulled out a pocket-sized remote control. Pressing one of the buttons, the garage began to slowly but gradually open. When the door finally rose to its highest, Blue Star walked inside and turned to the right and flicked a switch, revealing his motorcycle-- Shooter (that was the price for hanging around James all the time). It was customized by him, but better yet, it was technologically improved by none other than him.

Mounting it, he pulled out a tape and put it into the music player (which was compatible with tapes, CDs, and even records!) Without missing a beat, he turned it to the last track of the tape.

Before he made to leave, he pulled out a camera and smirked while taking a selfie.

Arthur walked into his kitchen. "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum," he said with a smirk as he reached into one of the drawers. It had a false bottom in which he personally kept bubblegum for such occasions. He removed said false bottom... but recoiled in disbelief as it revealed that it was empty.

"...SH*coin*!" he stomped his foot, causing the entire house to shake.

Atario went into his basement. There were a couple gun powder barrels against the wall, along with some other things: a few lockers, a table with two mostly-rolled up pads to sit on, and six bunk beds that he and the guys used whenever he hosted a sleepover (almost never). He walked over to the locker at the very end of the room and opened it. Inside was his beloved two-dimensional chainsaw, which he named Demetra (Damn it, James!). Its blades were sharp, but oh-so-clean.

"Hello, beautiful," he said sweetly as he picked up the chainsaw. He pulled out a melon from PAC-MAN, and placed it on the table. Yanking on the string, Demetra roared to life. With a maniacal laugh, Atario lowered the chainsaw on the poor melon, cutting it in two. Afterward, he picked up a slice and bit into it, enjoying its juicy flesh.

Then he lifted his arm, and swiftly pumped it in a thumbs up with a wink.

In his dining room, Red X filled the two pet food bowls full of Skittles for his nyan cats; it was their favorite.

"There," he stood up and nodded. "Tim! John! Lunch time!" he called out. The familiar music was eventually heard, and gradually got closer until the two happy little Pop Tart cats came flying into the room, straight for the skittles. Smiling, he petted them both before he proceeded to the living room. Before he could get to the front door however, something caught his eye next to the television set.

"What the..." He leaned closer to further inspect the sight, and then a fruity scent hit his nose. Red X let out a long groan as he realized what it was: a strawberry Pop Tart. "Damn it John, not on the carpet!" Timothy knew better than to use it anywhere else besides the counter (better yet, a paper towel), so he knew it was Johnathan. He facepalmed as he scrutinized the '#2' soiling the floor.

Stario waggled his eyebrows (at the camera) as he walked out of James's house with a large bottle of Dos Equis. Locking the bottom lock of the door, he left. As he made his way down the street and turned onto another, he recalled the commercial with a smirk. He recited the man's words exactly, down to the accent. "'I don't always drink beer. But when I do... I prefer Dos Equis." He took out the cork and took a quick swig before replacing the cork. "'Stay thirsty, my frie'--"

He flinched as a loud and recurring noise assaulted his ears. Turning his head to the right, he saw a rottweiler about half his own height barking mercilessly at him from behind his owner's fence. Stario looked to his left, then his right; the coast was clear. Chuckling darkly, he put down his bottle. Then he walked over to the dog, turned his back to it, stooped over... and let out a loud waft of gas. He didn't even bother to turn around when he heard the sound of the dog whining once, followed by the thud of it collapsing on the grass, unconscious.

Picking up the bottle, Stario burst out laughing as he continued on his way down the street. Eventually, he saw Atario, and a disgruntled Arthur.

"Hey Arthur, you contemplating your love life?" Stario waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm all out of gum," Arthur grumbled. Upon hearing footsteps, they turned to see Red X approaching. He was idly nibbling on a Pop Tart. "Looks like the whole hitchhiking gang is all here," he sighed. "I'm not really one to ask of this sort of thing, but would it have killed you to bring a few more of those for us? I could've chewed on that. When did you find the time to get some Pop Tarts anyway?"

Red X looked at the ground and blushed as he said quietly, "...I really don't want to talk about it." Stario snorted a few times in laughter, but shortly after, it was drowned out by the sound of an approaching vehicle: a motorcycle.

"Hey, Blue Star, you try to pick up a chick before you got here?" the trippy-clothed man waggled his eyebrows.

"No," Blue Star said indignantly. "...I was on Facebook. Had to put my selfie online." Arthur, Atario, and even Stario facepalmed. Red X however, continued to silently finish his Pop Tart. "Now are you getting on or not?"

Stario rolled his eyes as he sat on the seat behind Blue Star, followed by Arthur, Atario and finally, Red X.

"Fasten your seat belts!" Blue Star exclaimed.

"Why would you get seatbelts for a motorcycle?" Atario raised an eyebrow.

"It was an expression," the driver waved his hand dismissively. The loud screeching of burning rubber sounded as Blue Star did a wheelie down the street, Stario and Atario cheering in excitement.

"Let's go!" Applejack exclaimed.

The guys exchanged a dead silent glance upon hearing the mare's voice in their head, and immediately knew they weren't imagining things. In perfect sync, they facepalmed and shouted the f-word, various censoring sounds echoing in the air afterwards.

[A while later in Equestria...]

James, Frag Cat, Atario, Stario, Arthur, Red X, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and a nervous Fluttershy stood in a line. Blue Star was still on his motorcycle, next to James.

Twilight spoke as she paced by them. "Alright, listen up. I'm mapping out the fastest route, but we've all got to keep a good pace if we expect to make it up the mountain by nightfall."

"M-m-mountain?" Fluttershy stammered.

"The dragon is in that cave at the very top," Twilight pointed a hoof at the mountain in the distance. The giant black cloud gathered around the peak indicated that it was the source of the smoke.

"Looks pretty cold up there," Applejack noted.

"That's temperature logic for ya!" Frag Cat exclaimed Cheerfully.

"I don't think logic coexists with weather here, Frag Cat," Atario shook his head.

"Good thing I brought my scarf," Rarity pulled a scarf out of her saddlebags and wrapped it around her neck.

"Oooh, pretty!" Pinkie admired.

Rainbow snickered. "Oh yeah. That'll keep you nice and cozy," she said sarcastically.

Frag Cat looked at James, his expression shifted to confusion when he noticed what he was holding. "Haven't you had that since you were a kid?"

James looked at Frag Cat, then back at the bebe gun in his hand. "Yeah, I have," he chuckled. "But I keep it for when someone's being a nuisance. And then some." The puppycat silently nodded in understanding.

Fluttershy looked at the peak of the mountain and gulped. She walked over to Twilight, had a map levitated in front of her face.

"Um, excuse me. Twilight? I know you're busy, but--"

"Uh-huh," Twilight said, not completely paying attention to her friend. "Well, we could go this way."

"But if I could just have a second--"

"No, we want to avoid that," Twilight pointed at a spot on the map.

"So, um... I was thinking that, um... maybe, I should just stay here in Ponyville."

"Uh-huh."

Fluttershy's expression lit up. "Oh! Good," she walked away. Finally Twilight absorbed the conversation. "I'll stay here and--"

"Wait! You have to come!" the unicorn called after Fluttershy, who cringed at being caught. "Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

"...I don't think I--"

"Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone," Twilight assured, gesturing to the baby dragon standing next to the others.

"You can count on me!" Spike smiled as he looked at the critters surrounding him.

Angel, who was standing on his head, proceeded to stomp rapidly and scare all the critters away. James however, noticed the look on his face that indicated he was gonna do something. Thus, he popped him in his stomach with his bebe gun before could lower his foot, causing him to jump in surprise and tumble off of Spike's head.

He smirked at Frag Cat. "See? It always works...," he trailed off as the critters scurried away, much to the dismay of Spike, who vainly chased after them. Sighing in exasperation, he Facewhipped. "SH**!"

Fluttershy continued to protest, although Twilight was no longer paying attention as she telekinetically rolled up her map and put it away. "I don't really think he's up to the task. Maybe... but... but... no!" she squeaked.

Rainbow flew up to Twilight. "Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? I mean, that pony's afraid of her own shadow. She's just going to slow us down."

"Well sometimes, as scared as she may be," James walked up to Twilight and Rainbow, glaring at the latter, "she has a gift that we don't have. A little advantage that could turn the tables in your favor is worth a little extra burden."

Blue Star abruptly popped up in front of James. "You talk way too much," he shook his head. James had more than enough time to get inwardly riled up at the hypocrisy of his statement by the time he shot his brother in the head.

He sighed exasperatedly before continuing. "As I was saying, the others aren't as fast as you. Slowing you down is inevitable. So why fuss so much about it?"

Their attention was snagged toward someone yelping. Turning, they saw Fluttershy recoil at her shadow before leaping into a bush. Rainbow just gave James an annoyed glare before walking away.

James double-facepalmed as he joined the rest of the group. "I thought she was exaggerating..."

"Alright, move out!" Twilight galloped down the road, causing everyone to snap to attention.

Fluttershy still wanted to stay. "But... but..." Then she screamed when the girls stampeded, taking her with them.

"Well, damn," Arthur rose an eyebrow at the dust they kicked up.

"They're ready," Stario waggled his eyebrows as he and the rest of the guys followed the six ponies.