James kept to his side of the deal he made with Bill, with his clearance he managed to get Bill into the firing range. Turns out that this was a great time for the Crusaders to tag along, Bill had several military grade assault weapons and James was eager to try each one out. The Crusaders all enjoyed using the weapons and James became for familiar with each gun every time he used it. After a few hours teaching the Crusaders on how to use assault rifles James had become tired and the ammo stack was all used up. James’ father came to pick him and the Crusaders up. Dave was pleased to hear that James had passed the intuition and was an Enforcer, he wasn’t pleased that James had brought home a buggy from Dave and Busters. James had gotten it three days ago and he never had the chance to open it.
Morning dawned and the sky was clear. Apple Bloom shielded her face from the sunlight, She rolled over to try and get under the shade of the bookshelf that sat by James’ bed. Apple Bloom sat up and tried to get a look at the clock. Eleven thirty. She had overslept again. Apple Bloom didn’t care however, she didn’t have any jobs to do like when she was on the farm back home. Apple Bloom sighed and stood up from the rather deflated airbed, she stretched the stiffness out of her joints and looked over to James’ bed. It was empty and just made, Apple Bloom could only guess that James had got up before her and snuck out for some reason. James didn’t have a job anymore nor had James invited any friends over. Apple Bloom decided to investigate, after all, she didn’t want to get into any trouble.
Apple Bloom went downstairs after she went into the spare room and roused Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. She told the other two that James was up and somewhere in the house, Sweetie Bell devised the plan to go and search for him. Scootaloo said that they should start downstairs in the den where James usually was. As the Crusaders started down the stairs they heard muffled noises coming from the direction of the kitchen.
“What do you think that is?” Scootaloo asked.
“I hope it’s just that washing machine again,” said Apple Bloom.
“It sound like it’s coming from the garage,” said Sweetie Bell.
The Crusaders carefully went down toward the garage, once they were at the door they slowly opened into peek inside. James was in the garage with his dad trying to assemble the buggy.
“I don’t know why you got this, James,” Dave said.
“Because I can use it to practice driving,” said James as he tried to fit a wheel on the buggy.
“Are you sure this is what they had hanging from the ceiling at Dave and Busters?” Dave asked.
“Now that most of it is assembled I can see something strange about it,” James replied, “I don’t remember the showroom buggy having this massive plastic bin in the back.”
“Hi James,” Apple Bloom said.
“Hey there Apple Bloom,” James said. He turned around, oil coated his shirt and grease was on his hands. The Crusaders had no idea how he managed that but they did know what was going on.
“Are you trying to build the buggy?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yeah but there’s bit of a problem,” said Dave.
“It’s not the same model as the buggy we saw,” James said.
“Why? What do you mean?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Well for starters the buggy we saw had a two-stroke engine, this has a four-stroke,” James said.
“What’s the difference?” Sweetie Bell asked.
“The difference it that the two-stroke can go up to thirty,” Dave said, “This can reach fifty.”
“Not that I’ll ever go that fast,” said James.
“Well let’s get the thing built so we can try it out,” Dave said.
“Do you need help?” Apple Bloom asked.
“We could use it,” said James.
“Okay then,” said Dave, “You girls get something to eat and get dressed and you can help.”
“Make sure you get something that you won’t mind getting dirty,” James said.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo did as they were told and reported to James an hour later in the garage, he and his Dad had already assembled most of the buggy but the Crusaders arrived to help with the final touches. Mainly the lights, the seats, and attaching the wheels. A long two hours of toiling away and the buggy was nearing completion, James had taken notice of Apple Bloom’s handiwork. She was good at building things, James wondered if she had been doing this since a very early age. Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were not as good as Apple Bloom but they were a great help at holding the buggy steady as James attached a part to the buggy.
Soon, the buggy was complete, and James didn’t know what to say.
“This isn’t like the one in the arcade at all,” he said.
“Did the one at the arcade have these orange lights?” Sweetie Bell asked.
“I don’t remember indicators, or these massive exhausts,” said James.
“Is this right?” Apple Bloom asked.
James was trying to figure out what they had just assembled, Scootaloo called James over to the box that contained the buggy.
“Look what I found,” Scootaloo said, she was holding a smaller box that contained electrical equipment. James opened it and a large box with an aerial slid out.
“Is this a radio?” he asked. The contraption was a foot long and had several different gauges and knobs that covered it, there was also a red button and what looked like a steering wheel on it. James had a faint idea on what it might be, but he had to try it out before it was confirmed. There was another aerial that came out of the buggy as well, James had fitted that without second thought. Dave filled the tank of the buggy with gasoline and Apple Bloom opened the garage door.
James took the key to the buggy and inserted it into the ignition, he then pressed the button on the box and the engine started.
“Oh yeah,” James said, “I have to drive this.”
He hopped into the drivers seat and checked the steering, it was working. Apple Bloom had done a great job of attaching the steering vain and the pedals. James revved the engine and it rattled the windows, thanks to the two exhausts the buggy sounded like a turbo charged V6. James slowly drove the buggy out of the garage and to the end of the drive where he got ready to see what the top speed was. James got himself ready and was about to stomp on the accelerator when Scootaloo jumped into the passenger seat.
“Come on, lets go!” Scootaloo said.
“No, I need to test this out first,” James said.
“Aw, please?” Scootaloo said.
“Be careful!” James’ dad shouted over the engine.
“I don’t think this will be safe,” said James.
“But I-,” Scootaloo stopped and sulked a little, James couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Scootaloo always had been a speed freak and she was pretty good on a bike and skateboards and she still was trying to achieve her Cutie Mark.
“It’s okay,” James said, “We can work this out.”
“How can we, James?” asked Scootaloo.
“Easy,” James said, “Like this!”
He stomped on the accelerator and the buggy shot forward. James was shooting down the street at over thirty miles an hour. Scootaloo was once again screaming with excitement, James couldn’t help but let out yells of joy as he power slid around corners and gunned it down the road. James skidded around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Dave.
“That was fun,” James said, “Who wants to go next?”
Scootaloo got out and let Sweetie Bell in the passenger seat of the buggy. James once again shot off into the distance and did a lap around the block, Sweetie Bell had never been in such a fast vehicle before nor had she ever screamed so loud every time James drove down the straight roads at thirty. James repeated the lap with Apple Bloom, at first she was a little scared but after James managed to drift around the corner she started enjoying the drive as well. James pulled the buggy up to the drive and turned it off. Apple Bloom got out and sat down next to Sweetie Bell.
“I’m so glad we got this,” James said as he climbed out and leaned against the roll bar.
“It does go like the clappers,” said Dave, “But the one thing that’s nagging me, it’s the box that Scoot recovered.”
“I think I know what that is,” James said. He took the box from his dad and pressed the button again. The buggy started and James slowly pushed a small lever on the box forward, the buggy started to go down the street. James pushed the lever even more and the buggy was going down the street even faster.
“It’s a remote,” James said, “This box is a remote control.”
“This thing is remote controlled?” Sweetie Bell asked.
“Either that or it’s possessed,” said James.
“Well this is strange,” said Dave.
“Get the manual,” said James. Dave went back into the garage and fetched the manual out of the box, James took it from his dad and looked closer at the name of the buggy. The name of the buggy was the Ecstasy 550 Motorized Cooler.
“A cooler,” James said, “We got a bloody drinks cooler with a four-stroke.”
“Tell me again why you got this?” Dave asked.
“I didn’t know it would be this,” said James.
“The box didn’t have any pictures or names on it,” said Apple Bloom.
“We though we were getting the buggy that was in the arcade,” said Scootaloo.
“Well we can’t let some small mistake set us back,” said James, “We got something that was better.”
Dave couldn’t argue with that, he was always paranoid every time James went to Dave and Busters because he would always think that James would bring back something useless that would break in a few days. This time however James had brought back a buggy that was also a cooler.
The Crusaders were all pleased with what they had helped James get, after all, if they hadn’t pooled their tickets then they probably would be stuck with something they didn’t want or nothing at all. James owed his thanks to the Crusaders for helping him, Scootaloo especially because she helped James find his favorite songs and beat them alongside him as they played the game.
“So when can we try this out again?” Sweetie Bell asked.
“I think we can test the cooler carrying function at the upcoming air show,” said James.
“When will that be?” Scootaloo asked.
“Right after Bill takes us up into the sky,” replied James.